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Displaying items by tag: Maritime History

2nd December 2016

Podcast: Maritime History, Clipper Race, New 'Atlantic' Docu on RTE One

Marcus Connaughton, Presenter of Seascapes

Hello and welcome aboard this week’ s edition of your maritime programme, the one thousand four hundredth edition of Seascapes ...this week we talk to Dr Deirdre Ni Conghaile of NUI Galway one of the speakers at last weekend’s  Conference in University College Cork ; we congratulate yachtsman and offshore sailor Mark Light on being appointed as Race Director of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race ; Grainne McPolin on the Oyster Season in Tralee Bay and we hear the winning entries in the Write By the Sea Literary Festival held in Kilmore Quay earlier this year with “The Vigil” by Imelda Carroll of Wexford and “My Friend Never Saw the Sea” by Mary Kavanagh from Wicklow ....music from Jerry Early and “I’ll Go” marking the loss of lives to the sea off Arranmore Island in Donegal in 1940 and do make a note not to miss “Atlantic “ the excellent documentary from Richie O Donnell which is being screened this coming week on RTE One television on Thursday next 8th of December @ a quarter past ten.................First this week to Grainne McPolin who went aboard Solitaire in Tralee Bay a few weeks ago for Seascapes at the start of the Oyster Season ......

Grainne McPolin on board the Solitaire at the start of this years Oyster season ......

Former Derry-Londonderry skipper and offshore sailor Mark Light, 45, has been appointed Race Director of the unique Clipper Round the World Yacht Race...

An experienced sailor with many ocean crossings and over 120,000 nautical miles to his name, Mark competed in the Clipper 2011-12 Race as Skipper of the Derry-Londonderry team before becoming Deputy Race Director in 2012. With four years’ experience assisting the race planning, he is now looking forward to stepping up to the lead role, one of the most challenging that exists in global sailing.

Bird Watch Ireland launched a new report “ Life on the Edge “ Seabirds and fisheries in Irish waters .....last Friday which explores the interactions between fisheries and seabirds including the knock-on effects of food shortages on seabird breeding success; the impacts of seabird by catch and the opportunities to implement measures which will directly benefit seabirds.

A task force of is to be set up immediately to protect the Curlew, one of Ireland's most threatened breeding bird species. This was one of the main actions which arose out of the Curlew in Crisis workshop, which took place in Co. Westmeath in November. The workshop brought together almost 100 scientists and conservationists from across Ireland and the UK to discuss the crisis facing breeding Curlew in Ireland. Results from a survey funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service over the last two years show that just 130 breeding pairs of this bird remain in the Republic of Ireland and that the species is facing extinction here within the next 10 years if emergency action is not taken. You can download a podcast of last week’s edition of Seascapes featuring Jim Wilson on the plight of the curlew...

Indeed I was on the banks of Lough Lein at the Lake Hotel in Killarney last weekend in magnificent weather and the range of bird life was wonderful including a resident curlew amongst the many other species....

Last weekend at the Maritime History Conference in University College Cork we met up with one of the speakers - musician, producer, broadcaster, writer and Research Associate, Digital Cultures Initiative, Moore Institute, at NUI Galway …… Dr Deirdre Ni Conghaile of NUI Galway .....we talked about her description of fishermen and coal miners being kindred spirits ......

Dr Deirdre Ni Conghaile , Research Associate , Digital Cultures Initiative, Moore Institute , NUI Galway ......as Deirdre mentioned ... “Atlantic “ is the new feature documentary from Risteard O’Domhnaill the film maker who made The Pipe . Narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Brendan Gleeson, the film explores ocean resource mismanagement across Ireland, Norway and Newfoundland . When traditional fishing communities meet big oil and overfishing, what does the future hold ? Not to be missed......thats “Atlantic “ the excellent documentary from Richie O Donnell which is being screened this coming week on RTE One television on Thursday next 8th of December @ 10.15pm .

An extract from “I’ll Go” Composed by Jerry Early .....Remembering Arranmore islanders who lost their lives at sea in 1940 in the great loss of life at sea off the coast of one of our most beautiful offshore islands......you can download “I’ll Go” on itunes and read more on the Seascapes webpage.......

Next here on Seascapes to the winners of the inaugural Write By the Sea writing competition who are Imelda Carroll from Wexford for her prose piece, The Vigil, and Mary Kavanagh from Wicklow for her poem, My Friend Never Saw the Sea.”

Lucy Moore, Chairperson of the Write By The Sea organising committee, says “the judges, renowned writers, Billy Roche, Cat Hogan and Peter Murphy, were impressed with the high calibre of this year’s entries.......... So last week we invited Imelda and Mary to join us in the Seascapes studio to read their winning entries..first to Mary Kavanagh from Wicklow and her poem ...“My Friend Never Saw the Sea”

From Mary Kavanagh who is a keen radio fan to Imelda Carroll of Wexford who won the “Write By the Sea” literary festival in the short story category with her entry “The Vigil” ..

That’s it for this week here on your maritime programme....on the sound desk this week Bryan Fitzpatrick, until next Friday night tight lines and fair sailing”

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16th October 2015

German U boats 'Myths' Heard at Irish Maritime History Conference

Stories that abound in the West of Ireland concerning German U- boats refuelling and resupplying, or having pints in local pubs during World War Two appear to be "fanciful myths" the second annual Irish Maritime History Conference has been told writes Tom Mac Sweeney.  The conference is being held this weekend at UCC. Delivering a paper on German espionage initiated by sea, Sam Moore from Sligo IT said there, in reality, been only three successful U-boat landings of German agents, two in Kerry and one in Sligo and only one agent had been even partially successful in his mission.

The conference heard from Jean Prendergast, wo has been researching Cork and the Great War that 70 Cork sailors were decorated for bravery during WW1.

Irish Maritime History Conference

Also at the conference today, tributes have been paid to Dun Laoghaire's long-time maritime figure and campaigner Dr.John de Courcy Ireland at the national maritime history conference in Cork.

Dr. John Mulqueen from Trinity College said he had spent a lifetime highlighting the potential of the sea as a natural resource.

Published in Historic Boats
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26th January 2011

‘Follow The Fleet’ Schools Essay Competition

‘Follow The Fleet’ Schools Essay Competition
The 2010/2011 'Follow The Fleet' Schools Essay Competition is open to all schools that are registered to take part in the Follow the Fleet project. Schools can register details by logging onto www.followthefleet.ie where a username and password will be provided.
The deadline for entries for this year's Follow The Fleet Schools Essay Competition is Thursday 31st March. The essay competition is centred around three key themes: Maritime History, Maritime Trading In Ireland –Life of a Container and Maritime Technology and the Master Mariner.

Theme 1. Maritime History

Commodore John Barry- Father of the American Navy

The Adventures of Gráinne Mhaol

Admiral Francis Beaufort's Scale

Write an historical essay on one of these famous Irish mariners and their journeys of discovery and adventure. You can include pictures or photos if choosing this category to support your essay. The pictures or photos will need to include elements of geographical representation and can include pictures of vessels, land marks, vegetation or animals pertinent to the essay.

Theme 2. Maritime Trading in Ireland –Life of a Container

An essay on a trade route from or to Ireland and progress that a container carried on a cargo ship will make. You will need to describe the size of container, what cargo it will carry, the type of ship it will travel on, the port it will depart from and the port it will go to and the places the ship may call in-between. The nominated trade routes are:

Ireland – Norway.

Ireland – Italy.

Ireland- France.

You can include pictures or photos if choosing this category to support your essay. The pictures or photos will need to include elements of geographical representation of the two countries and can include pictures / photos of land marks or cargo pertinent to the Journey.

Theme 3. Technology and the Master Mariner.

An essay on how technology helps the working life of a ships captain. You can include details on the types of technology used aboard ship including:

Telecommunications on Ships

Navigating Ships and Technology

Technology & Safety at sea

Entrants can include pictures or photos if choosing this category to support your essay. The pictures or photos will need to be representative of the technology used on board ship.

You are free to choose an essay title from any of the 3 themes listed above. For further information about essay guidelines, entry forms and competition details and rules they can be found HERE

Published in Ports & Shipping
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10th November 2010

'Follow the Fleet' Schools Essay Competition

'Follow the Fleet' Schools Essay Competition

The Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) has announced details for the 2010/11 Follow the Fleet Schools Essay Competition. To enter the competition, schools are invited to log onto http://www.followthefleet.ie to register. Each school will be provided with a username and password.

This year the Follow the Fleet essay competition is centred on three themes: Maritime History, Maritime Trading in Ireland –Life of a Container and Technology and the Master Mariner. Within each theme there is a choice of three essay titles. You are free to choose an essay title from any of the themes listed.

To see the full list of essay titles, essay guidelines, entry forms,competition details and rules are please logon to http://www.imdo.ie/followthefleet/news.asp

Published in Ports & Shipping
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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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