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Displaying items by tag: habitat

#ANGLING - Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has announced the launch of its 2012 Sponsorship Programme.

The IFI Sponsorship Programme aims to increase awareness of IFI and its work, recreational angling, the sustainable commercial use of the inland fisheries resource and habitat issues.

Applications are invited from organisers and event promoters that will support the aims of the IFI sponsorship programme.

Events would be supported on the basis of: the location and nature of the event; the potential of the event to introduce new users to angling in an active capacity (ie not just as spectators); and to educate and inform stakeholders of angling, environmental, commercial salmon fisheries and habitat issues.

"The sustainable use of our wonderful inland fisheries and sea angling resources must be promoted," said Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte, who launched the programme.

"People of all ages can enjoy angling in urban and rural settings, off charter boats and beaches and on quiet riversides.

"In addition, traditional commercial fisheries add value to small local communities, while biodiversity awareness ensures a sustainable resource for all."

Applications and details of the sponsorship programme are available online or from your local IFI office. The closing date for submissions is 27 January 2012.

Published in Angling

About Brittany Ferries

In 1967 a farmer from Finistère in Brittany, Alexis Gourvennec, succeeded in bringing together a variety of organisations from the region to embark on an ambitious project: the aim was to open up the region, to improve its infrastructure and to enrich its people by turning to traditional partners such as Ireland and the UK. In 1972 BAI (Brittany-England-Ireland) was born.

The first cross-Channel link was inaugurated in January 1973, when a converted Israeli tank-carrier called Kerisnel left the port of Roscoff for Plymouth carrying trucks loaded with Breton vegetables such as cauliflowers and artichokes. The story, therefore, begins on 2 January 1973, 24 hours after Great Britain's entry into the Common Market (EEC).

From these humble beginnings however, Brittany Ferries as the company was re-named quickly opened up to passenger transport, then became a tour operator.

Today, Brittany Ferries has established itself as the national leader in French maritime transport: an atypical leader, under private ownership, still owned by a Breton agricultural cooperative.

Eighty five percent of the company’s passengers are British.

Key Brittany Ferries figures:

  • Turnover: €202.4 million (compared with €469m in 2019)
  • Investment in three new ships, Galicia plus two new vessels powered by cleaner LNG (liquefied natural gas) arriving in 2022 and 2023
  • Employment: 2,474 seafarers and shore staff (average high/low season)
  • Passengers: 752,102 in 2020 (compared with 2,498,354 in 2019)
  • Freight: 160,377 in 2020 (compared with 201,554 in 2019)
  • Twelve ships operating services that connect France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain (non-Covid year) across 14 routes
  • Twelve ports in total: Bilbao, Santander, Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth, Cork, Rosslare, Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre, Saint-Malo, Roscoff
  • Tourism in Europe: 231,000 unique visitors, staying 2.6 million bed-nights in France in 2020 (compared with 857,000 unique visitors, staying 8,7 million bed-nights in 2019).