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#HeritageWeek – As part of Heritage Week events, Norwegian tallship, Statsraad Lehmkuhl will be open today, Saturday, 20 August at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin, with 'shanty' singing sailors between 2 and 4pm. No booking required nor admission fee.

In addition to the nautical theme, an exhibition to capture the history of Dublin Docks and surrounding dockland communities for the period 1960 to 1973, is to be held in Dublin next week.

The exhibition will feature photographs, memorabilia and copies of the Waterfront News, which was a unique publication/newspaper, that not only captured what was going on in Dublin Docks and the dockland communities but gave a flavour of what was going on in Irish society at that time.

The exhibition organised by Dublin Dock Workers Preservation Society will be held at Dublin City Council Civic Offices on Wood Quay.

Opening dates are from Monday 22 to Friday 26 August, and times are between 09.00 – 17.00. No booking is required nor admission fee.

Further exhibition details: 

Suitable for Children: No
Wheelchair Access: Full
Car parking Available: No
Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor

Organiser Details website: www.bluemelon.com/alanmartin

Published in Dublin Port

#LectureTributeDrIreland - The final of the 1916 Easter Rising maritime themed lectures held to commemorate the centenary takes place next week in the National Maritime Museum of Ireland in Dun Laoghaire.

The lecture programme with the support of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council culminates next Thursday, 9 June with the talk: Dr. John de Courcy Ireland - A tribute to a Maritime Historian. 

John Ellis who is to present the free lecture beginning at 7.30, was a pupil and close friend of Dr John de Courcy Ireland. Ellis will pay tribute to the noted maritime historian whose seminal work on the maritime aspects of the Easter Rising opened up this hitherto little researched field for future historians.

A special centenary version of Dr. Ireland's 'The Sea and the 1916 Easter Rising' is available to buy from stockists including the musuem's souvenir and gift shop.

The book when first published was commissioned by the state on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Rising in 1966. Funding for that edition was provided by Irish Shipping Ltd. 

 

 

Published in Sailing Events

#1916maritime - The Winter lecture 2015/16 season of the Glenua Sailing Centre concludes with a lecture entitled: ‘Maritme Aspects of the 1916 Rising’ by Dr Edward Bourke.

The illustrated lectures will take place on Thursday 14 April (20:00hrs) at the Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club, Ringsend, Dublin. There will be an entry fee of €5 in aid of the R.N.L.I.

Edward Bourke is an industrial microbiologist recently retired from brewery research. He is also maritime historian and has published five books on Irish shipwrecks as well as a history of Guinness. Currently he is working on the role of intelligence during the war of Independence in Ireland.

In his illustrated lecture, Edward will explore several maritime aspects of the 1916 events. Foremost among them being the role played by the Royal Navy in suppressing The Rising by strategic interventions.

He will assess the view that the impact of the Helga is greatly exaggerated on the basis that most of the shelling of Dublin was done by field artillery or whether the import of guns for the Volunteers in 1914 was carefully controlled by the British authorities. How plausible is the opinion that the navy had ample forewarning of the intentions of the Volunteers but allowed the 1916 Rising to proceed?

Edward will also discuss the significance of the 1916 rising in the wider context of the Great European War.

Published in Boating Fixtures

#1916Lectures – On this centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, a series of lectures themed on the lesser known maritime aspects of the rising continue to be held at the National Maritime Museum of Ireland.

The second of the seven free talks running to June, will be presented by Dr. John Treacy on the topic: The Silent Shore, The AUD, Roger Casement and Banna Strand.

The lecture takes place on Tuesday, 5 April (7.30 to 9:30 pm). The lecture will trace the story of the Aud from its departure from Lubeck to its scuttling off the Daunt Rock, plus the ill-fated landing of Roger Casement from U-19 on Banna Strand.

Dr. John Treacy has previously lectured extensively on the development of the modern Irish Naval Service.

The NMMI's commemoration of the Rising is supported by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and the Ireland 1916 – 2016 Centenary Programme.

Also running at the museum is a specially produced 1916 Rising exhibition held in the former Mariners Church which houses the maritime museum.

Published in Ilen

#DoubleLecture - The Winter lecture 2015/16 season of the Glenua Sailing Centre continues with a double lecture programme at the March meeting entitled: ‘The Sea From Two Perspectives’.

The illustrated lectures will take place on Thursday 3 March (20:00hrs) at the Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club, Ringsend, Dublin. There will be an entry fee of €5 in aid of the R.N.L.I

The first lecture, “Art and The Sea-An Enduring Fascination” will be given by Jessica O’Donnell who is Collections Curator at Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane. She is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin and the University of St Andrews. Her publications include Discover Art (shortlisted for CBI Children’s Book of the Year in 2008) and Harry Clarke The Eve of St Agnes (2012). She also enjoys sailing and is a member of Sailing in Dublin (SID) Club.

The talk will explore how artists have been captivated by the sea from many perspectives including how the Impressionists loved portraying people at leisure by the sea; how safeguarding the freedom of the seas was represented in artworks commissioned as war time propaganda; to contemporary artists whose fascination with the sea and marine life continues to inspire.

The second lecture is entitled, “Putting Eyes In The Deep Ocean” by Dr Fiona Grant, Ocean Science & Information Services (OSIS), Marine Institute, Ireland. Fiona began her studies in geology before going on to specialise in marine geophysics and earth system dynamics.

Her first job was as conservation coordinator for wild salmon and sea trout before taking responsibility for research infrastructures in the Marine Institute.

The talk will focus on some of the challenges in observing the deep ocean environment, how to harness ocean energy in Galway Bay and present some of the latest results from studies in the Atlantic Ocean

Published in Boating Fixtures

#1916Lectures – A series of 1916 Easter Rising themed lectures on the lesser known maritime aspects of the rising accompanied by a specially produced exhibition will be held in the National Maritime Museum of Ireland, Dun Laoghaire.

As its contribution to the 1916 commemorations, supported by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and the Ireland 1916 – 2016 Centenary Programme, the Maritime Institute of Ireland (founders of the NMMI) is presenting seven lectures at the museum venue located in the Old Mariners Church, which is only minutes away from the DART and off Dun Laoghaire’s main street.

1916 Exhibition: The exhibition will tell the story of the 1916 Rising from a maritime viewpoint and is to include a display of a gun from the Asgard and a map showing the Helga's movements in 1916.

1916 Lectures: The maritime dimension to the Easter Rising commenced in 1914 and two lectures will examine the role of the Asgard and the lesser known yacht Kelpie in running arms to the Irish Volunteers into Howth and Kilcoole.

The story of the Aud from its departure from Lubeck to its scuttling off the Daunt Rock, plus the ill-fated landing of Roger Casement from U-19 on Banna Strand and the shelling by the Dun Laoghaire based HMS Helga of Boland’s Mill and Liberty Hall during the Rising will be the focus of two further lectures.

The working conditions of Seamen and the prevailing social divisions between Kingston/Dun Laoghaire seafarers in 1916 will also be explored.

Concluding the series will be a tribute to the immense contribution of the noted historian Dr John de Courcy Ireland to the little known maritime history of the Rising when he first penned ‘The Sea and the Easter Rising 1916’.

The publication was timed for the 50th anniversary of this historic event which heralded the birth of the new Irish Nation.

Inaugural 1916 Lecture: ASGARD on the Road to the Rising and Beyond, will be held on 15th March (7:30 pm - 9:30 pm)

The presenter, Pat Murphy a well-known yachtsman who has broadcast extensively on RTE Radio One’s maritime programme ‘Seascapes’ explores the role of the Asgard in the run up to the Rising.

Below is a list of the following lectures

April

The Silent Shore, The AUD, Roger Casement and Banna Strand – 5th April (7:30 pm - 9:30 pm)

The AUD and the HELGA in the 1916 Rising – 26th April (7:30 pm - 9:30 pm)

May

Working Conditions of Seamen in 1916 – 12th May (7:30 pm - 9:30 pm)

Conor O'Brien, KELPIE and the 1914 Gun Running – 19th May (7:30 pm - 9:30 pm)

Kingstown: A Divided Seafaring Town – 26th May (7:30 pm - 9:30 pm)

June

Dr John de Courcy Ireland: A Tribute to a Maritime Historian – 9th June (7:30 pm - 9:30 pm)

Further information on opening exhibition times and updates are available from the NMMI website: www.mariner.ie 

To contact: Tel: (01) 214 3964 and by email: [email protected]

Published in Boating Fixtures

#Lecture - The Winter lecture season of the Glenua Sailing Centre continues with the February lecture, ‘George Forbes –Longford’s Forgotten Admiral’.

The illustrated lecture to be presented by Joe Varley next Thursday 4th February (20:00hrs) takes place at the Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club, Ringsend, Dublin. There will be an entry fee of €5 in aid of the R.N.L.I.

Joe has a reputation for being an engaging and entertaining lecturer. With a passion for the sea from his seagoing experience as a radio officer and his time as a sailing instructor with Glenans, Joe is now active as a maritime researcher. In addition as a volunteer with the Maritime Institute of Ireland which has its premises at the National Maritime Museum of Ireland in Dun Laoghaire.

His illustrated presentation on the colourful life and remarkable achievements of George Forbes, 3rd Earl of Granard, will reveal a neglected naval tradition in the quiet Longford village of Newtownforbes where Forbes was born in 1685.

Forbes was a Royal Navy commander, diplomat and politician who held posts of high distinction throughout Europe. He went to sea at a young age and was present at some of the most significant events of his age, including the Capture of Gibraltar in 1704. He acted as advisor for the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI, in the foundation of the short-lived Austrian navy. Similarly, in 1734, while on a trade visit to Russia, he was invited to assist in the development of the Russian Navy. On his retirement from the Royal Navy, he returned to Newtownforbes where he lived until his death in 1785.

Published in Boating Fixtures

#Lecture - The Winter lecture 2015/16 season of the Glenua Sailing Centre continues with this year’s first lecture, ‘Solo from Brittany to Guadeloupe The Story of the Mini-Transat 2015’.

Tom Dolan will present an illustrated lecture on Thursday 21 January (20:00hrs) at the Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club, Ringsend, Dublin. There will be an entry fee of €5 in aid of the R.N.L.I.

So what a year 2015 has been for Tom! Just twelve months ago on a wet and windy Thursday night at the Ringsend venue, he gave a short presentation to Glenua members and friends on his bid to race alone in a 6.5m boat for 4,000 miles in the Mini Transat 2015 from Brittany to the Caribbean.

This race began on 19 September and Tom promised he would report back to Poolbeg in January 2016!

Tom’s rapid progression in the Glenans Irish Sailing School from volunteer to sailing instructor, to sailing centre manager in Ireland and France and his passion for the sea, earned him an enviable reputation in the sail training world. However, below the radar, so to speak, was an increasing engagement with the challenges of ocean racing. Apart from the expense of equipping his borrowed boat, he was on a steep race-training curve and very much “a rookie”!. However, after 3,000 miles training and racing, he qualified for the Transat and secured 10th in the rankings.

From then on, it was downwind all the way to Guadeloupe via Lanzarote in the fastest ever Transat.

After two and a half weeks alone at sea, the final result for Tom was 22nd out of 46 starting yachts, less than 20 minutes off the top twenty.

The story behind that fine achievement is what Tom will tell in next week’s presentation and which is to include a Q & A session.

Published in Boating Fixtures

#SeafarersCommemorations -The Maritime Institute of Ireland which organises the annual Dublin Ecumenical Memorial Commemoration Service for seamen lost at sea will be held this Sunday, 15th November.

A second service takes place in Cork the following weekend, see details below.

Dublin Services

The service this Sunday is take place at 12.30 in the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, City Quay, Dublin 2 which is located close to both Pearse and Tara Street DART and suburban railway service stations.

The annual commemoration also involves tributes paid by organisations laying wreaths from both north and south of this island to all seafarers lost on Merchant ships during WW2. This takes place at the Irish Seaman’s National Memorial also located on City Quay.

Light refreshments will be available during this occasion. After a break for lunch the company will reassemble for Evensong at 3.15 held in St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Cork Service

On the following weekend, the annual Cork Ecumenical Memorial Commemoration Service for seamen lost at sea will take place in the Board Room of the Port of Cork Company’s offices, Custom House Quay, Cork on Sunday, 29th November at 1200 noon.

The Martime Institute it should be noted also has the National Maritime Museum of Ireland on Haigh Terrace, Dun Laoghaire. For more details on museum times, what to see and events visit here.

Published in Boating Fixtures

#KishLight@50 – In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Kish Lighthouse off Dublin Bay, the National Maritime Museum of Ireland in Dun Laoghaire is host to a lecture about what is one of Ireland’s most famous and unique lighthouses.

The impressive 12-storey structure of the lighthouse (towering 31 metres high when in situ) was constructed five decades ago in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Tugs brought out the 'floating' 7,000 tonnes lighthouse in the summer of 1965 to the the Kish Bank from where it was sunk into position on the sandbank. It was not until November 9th that year that the light was first exhibited having replaced a lightship.

To hear more on the details of how the lighthouse was built, a two-hour lecture takes place in the NMMI this Thursday, 12 November. The lecture “Kish Lighthouse –Before the Build” begins at 8pm and will be co-presented by Brian Kelly and Eoghan Lehane.

Tickets cost €10.00 and for more details including an exhibition held in the NMMI click here.

In addition the RTE Archives has a link, click here for the ‘Newsbeat’ programme from 1965 on the construction of the lighthouse.

Published in Lighthouses
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Aquaculture Information

Aquaculture is the farming of animals in the water and has been practised for centuries, with the monks farming fish in the middle ages. More recently the technology has progressed and the aquaculture sector is now producing in the region of 50 thousand tonnes annually and provides a valuable food product as well as much needed employment in many rural areas of Ireland.

A typical fish farm involves keeping fish in pens in the water column, caring for them and supplying them with food so they grow to market size. Or for shellfish, containing them in a specialised unit and allowing them to feed on natural plants and materials in the water column until they reach harvestable size. While farming fish has a lower carbon and water footprint to those of land animals, and a very efficient food fed to weight gain ratio compared to beef, pork or chicken, farming does require protein food sources and produces organic waste which is released into the surrounding waters. Finding sustainable food sources, and reducing the environmental impacts are key challenges facing the sector as it continues to grow.

Salmon is the most popular fish bought by Irish families. In Ireland, most of our salmon is farmed, and along with mussels and oysters, are the main farmed species in the country.

Aquaculture in Ireland

  • Fish and shellfish are farmed in 14 Irish coastal counties.
  • Irish SMEs and families grow salmon, oysters, mussels and other seafood
  • The sector is worth €150m at the farm gate – 80% in export earnings.
  • The industry sustains 1,833 direct jobs in remote rural areas – 80% in the west of Ireland
  • Every full-time job in aquaculture creates 2.27 other jobs locally (Teagasc 2015)
  • Ireland’s marine farms occupy 0.0004% of Ireland’s 17,500Km2 inshore area.
  • 83% of people in coastal areas support the development of fish farming
  • Aquaculture is a strong, sustainable and popular strategic asset for development and job creation (Foodwise 2025, National Strategic Plan, Seafood
  • Operational Programme 2020, FAO, European Commission, European Investment Bank, Harvesting Our Ocean Wealth, Silicon Republic, CEDRA)
    Ireland has led the world in organically certified farmed fish for over 30 years
  • Fish farm workers include people who have spent over two decades in the business to school-leavers intent on becoming third-generation farmers on their family sites.

Irish Aquaculture FAQs

Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants, and involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions- in contrast to commercial fishing, which is the harvesting of wild fish. Mariculture refers to aquaculture practiced in marine environments and in underwater habitats. Particular kinds of aquaculture include fish farming, shrimp farming, oyster farming, mariculture, algaculture (such as seaweed farming), and the cultivation of ornamental fish. Particular methods include aquaponics and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, both of which integrate fish farming and plant farming.

About 580 aquatic species are currently farmed all over the world, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which says it is "practised by both some of the poorest farmers in developing countries and by multinational companies".

Increasing global demand for protein through seafood is driving increasing demand for aquaculture, particularly given the pressures on certain commercially caught wild stocks of fish. The FAO says that "eating fish is part of the cultural tradition of many people and in terms of health benefits, it has an excellent nutritional profile, and "is a good source of protein, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and essential micronutrients".

Aquaculture now accounts for 50 per cent of the world's fish consumed for food, and is the fastest-growing good sector.

China provides over 60 per cent of the world's farmed fish. In Europe, Norway and Scotland are leading producers of finfish, principally farmed salmon.

For farmed salmon, the feed conversion ratio, which is the measurement of how much feed it takes to produce the protein, is 1.1, as in one pound of feed producing one pound of protein, compared to rates of between 2.2 and 10 for beef, pork and chicken. However, scientists have also pointed out that certain farmed fish and shrimp requiring higher levels of protein and calories in feed compared to chickens, pigs, and cattle.

Tilapia farming which originated in the Middle East and Africa has now become the most profitable business in most countries. Tilapia has become the second most popular seafood after crab, due to which its farming is flourishing. It has entered the list of best selling species like shrimp and salmon.

There are 278 aquaculture production units in Ireland, according to Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) *, producing 38,000 tonnes of finfish and shellfish in 2019 and with a total value of €172 million

There are currently almost 2,000 people directly employed in Irish aquaculture in the Republic, according to BIM.

BIM figures for 2019 recorded farmed salmon at almost 12,000 tonnes, valued at €110 million; rock oysters reached 10,300 tonnes at a value of €44 million; rope mussels at 10,600 tonnes were valued at €7 million; seabed cultured mussels at 4,600 tonnes were valued at €7 million; "other" finfish reached 600 tonnes, valued at €2 million and "other" shellfish reached 300 tonnes, valued at €2 million

Irish aquaculture products are exported to Europe, US and Asia, with salmon exported to France, Germany, Belgium and the US. Oysters are exported to France, with developing sales to markets in Hong Kong and China. France is Ireland's largest export for mussels, while there have been increased sales in the domestic and British markets.

The value of the Irish farmed finfish sector fell by five per cent in volume and seven per cent in value in 2019, mainly due to a fall on salmon production, but this was partially offset by a seven per cent increased in farmed shellfish to a value of 60 million euro. Delays in issuing State licenses have hampered further growth of the sector, according to industry representatives.

Fish and shellfish farmers must be licensed, and must comply with regulations and inspections conducted by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and the Marine Institute. Food labelling is a function of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. There is a long backlog of license approvals in the finfish sector, while the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine says it is working to reduce the backlog in the shellfish sector.

The department says it is working through the backlog, but notes that an application for a marine finfish aquaculture licence must be accompanied by either an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR). As of October 2020, over two-thirds of applications on hand had an EIS outstanding, it said.

The EU requires member states to have marine spatial plans by 2021, and Ireland has assigned responsibility to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government for the National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF). Legislation has been drawn up to underpin this, and to provide a "one stop shop" for marine planning, ranging from fish farms to offshore energy – as in Marine Planning and Development Management Bill. However, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine confirmed last year that it intends to retain responsibility for aquaculture and sea-fisheries related development – meaning fish and shellfish farmers won't be able to avail of the "one stop shop" for marine planning.

Fish and shellfish health is a challenge, with naturally occurring blooms, jellyfish and the risk of disease. There are also issues with a perception that the sector causes environmental problems.

The industry has been on a steep learning curve, particularly in finfish farming, since it was hailed as a new future for Irish coastal communities from the 1970s – with the State's Electricity Supply Board being an early pioneer, and tobacco company Carrolls also becoming involved for a time. Nutrient build up, which occurs when there is a high density of fish in one area, waste production and its impact on depleting oxygen in water, creating algal blooms and "dead zones", and farmers' use of antibiotics to prevent disease have all been concerns, and anglers have also been worried about the impact of escaped farmed salmon on wild fish populations. Sea lice from salmon farmers were also blamed for declines in sea trout and wild salmon in Irish estuaries and rivers.

BIM says over 95% of all salmon farmed in Ireland are certified organic. Organically grown salmon are only fed a diet of sustainable organic feed. They are also raised in more spacious pens than traditional farmed salmon. The need to site locations for fish farms further out to sea, using more robust cages for weather, has been recognised by regulatory agencies. There is a move towards land-based aquaculture in Norway to reduce impact on local ecosystems. The industry says that antibiotic use is declining, and it says that "safe and effective vaccinations have since been developed for farmed fish and are now widely used". Many countries are now adopting a more sustainable approach to removing sea lice from salmon, using feeder fish such as wrasse and lumpsucker fish. Ireland's first lumpsucker hatchery was opened in 2015.

BIM says over 95% of all salmon farmed in Ireland are certified organic. Organically grown salmon are only fed a diet of sustainable organic feed. They are also raised in more spacious pens than traditional farmed salmon. The need to site locations for fish farms further out to sea, using more robust cages for weather, has been recognised by regulatory agencies. There is a move towards land-based aquaculture in Norway to reduce impact on local ecosystems. The industry says that antibiotic use is declining, and it says that "safe and effective vaccinations have since been developed for farmed fish and are now widely used". Many countries are now adopting a more sustainable approach to removing sea lice from salmon, using feeder fish such as wrasse and lumpsucker fish. Ireland's first lumpsucker hatchery was opened in 2015.

Yes, as it is considered to have better potential for controlling environmental impacts, but it is expensive. As of October 2020, the department was handling over 20 land-based aquaculture applications.

The Irish Farmers' Association has represented fish and shellfish farmers for many years, with its chief executive Richie Flynn, who died in 2018, tirelessly championing the sector. His successor, Teresa Morrissey, is an equally forceful advocate, having worked previously in the Marine Institute in providing regulatory advice on fish health matters, scientific research on emerging aquatic diseases and management of the National Reference Laboratory for crustacean diseases.

BIM provides training in the national vocational certificate in aquaculture at its National Fisheries College, Castletownbere, Co Cork. It also trains divers to work in the industry. The Institute of Technology Carlow has also developed a higher diploma in aqua business at its campus in Wexford, in collaboration with BIM and IFA Aquaculture, the representative association for fish and shellfish farming.

© Afloat 2020

At A Glance - Irish Aquaculture

  • Fish and shellfish are farmed in 14 Irish coastal counties
  • Salmon is the most popular fish bought by Irish families. 
  • In Ireland, most of our salmon is farmed, and along with mussels and oysters, are the main farmed species in the country.
  • The industry sustains 1,833 direct jobs in remote rural areas – 80% in the west of Ireland
  • Every full-time job in aquaculture creates 2.27 other jobs locally (Teagasc 2015)
  • Ireland’s marine farms occupy 0.0004% of Ireland’s 17,500Km2 inshore area.
  • 83% of people in coastal areas support the development of fish farming

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