The Marine Institute Explorers Education Programme team has launched a new set of resources for primary schools, aimed at promoting Ireland’s rich marine biodiversity in the classroom. The new class projects, called Fin-tastic Sharks+, will focus on the 71 species of sharks, skates, and rays that can be found in Irish waters. 

Cushla Dromgool Regan, Explorers Education Manager and lead author of the resources, said that the team was "delighted to be celebrating the launch of the Explorers Fin-Tastic Sharks+ new online shark resources over Valentines." 

The resources, which are available for free download from explorers.ie, include a range of cross-curricular activities that teachers and children can use to explore different shark themes in class or on the seashore. The content covers everything from STEM activities to design and communication projects, and is suitable for children of all ages. 

Patricia Orme, Corporate Services Director at the Marine Institute, congratulated the Explorers team on creating new materials to promote Ireland's marine biodiversity in primary schools. "Primary school teachers and children around the coast love learning about sharks and their relatives," she said. "It is always a favourite topic to cover with children, teachers and our outreach teams, who visit the classes of over 13,000 children annually."

The resources include a new Explorers mermaid’s purse key that is suitable for children to use in the classroom and on the shore. The key covers the top ten shark and skate cases typically found on the shores around Ireland, and provides lots of extra shark and skate information to encourage children to become citizen scientists, recording their egg case finds online.

The launch of the new resources comes at a time when the Marine Institute's fisheries scientific team has recorded two baby white skates during the annual groundfish survey while on the RV Celtic Explorer. This was an extremely rare find, as the white skate is listed as Critically Endangered. Of the 58 cartilaginous shark, skate and ray species researched in Irish waters, over 60 percent of them are listed as a Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered.

Ms Dromgool-Regan explained that sharing positive stories about sharks, skates and rays can help people understand the importance of having these species in Irish waters. "This helps us all get involved in better managing and protecting our marine resource now and for the future," she said.

The Marine Institute has shared its pride in celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Sunday 11 February.

The United Nations Theme for the ninth International Day of Women and Girls in Science is “Women in Science Leadership: A New Era for Sustainability”.

The Marine Institute provides scientific, research and development services to government, agencies, industry and society that support the sustainable use of our maritime area and the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems.

Sustainability is at the heart of how the institute works as an organisation and is a guiding principle for its research, scientific advice and economic development services, it says.

None of this could be achieved without the contribution of the many women who work in the institute, it adds, saying it has a longstanding commitment to equality in the workforce and to encouraging young people to consider a career in our sector.

Initiatives include education and engagement at national school level, its annual Transition Year programme and work as partners with many third-level institutions in Ireland and overseas.

The Marine Institute has a staff of 245 employees, of which female employees account for more than half (51.2%).

Patricia Orme, director of corporate Services at the Marine Institute said: “As an organisation we are committed to fostering the talents of women in all areas of marine science, particularly those at the early stages of their careers, as they are the future leaders of our sector.”

She continued: “Our current five-year strategy, Ocean Knowledge that Informs and Inspires, demonstrates our commitment to women in science leadership with a strategic initiative being to advance equality of opportunity for all, with specific actions as a public body focusing on gender equality.”

To mark the occasion, the institute is also sharing messages from some of its female staff, showcasing their work, its impact and the many meaningful careers available to women in science on its Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter (X) and Instagram feeds.

The Marine Institute has announced its 2024 Summer Bursary Scholarship Programme, inviting third-level students to apply for work experience in a variety of marine areas. The programme, which has been running for over 30 years, provides essential career development, support, and inspiration to the next generation of marine professionals.

Designed to equip students with the skills to become ocean leaders and marine champions of the future, the Bursary Scholarship Programme is a key initiative of the Marine Institute's Strategic Plan 2023-2027: Ocean knowledge that informs and Inspires. Undergraduates of Universities and Institutes for Higher Education, both National and International, are eligible to apply for the programme, provided they have completed two years of study in a relevant discipline by the beginning of June 2024.

Successful candidates will work with full-time staff of the Marine Institute in a variety of exciting areas such as marine and freshwater fisheries monitoring, aquaculture, benthic monitoring, shellfish safety media and communications, SmartBay community engagements and Smart Bay AI, economics, policy analysis, human resources, oceanography machine learning, remote sensing, marine infrastructure, and marine communications.

Patricia Orme, Director of Corporate Services at the Marine Institute, said, "The Marine Institute Bursary Scholarship Programme has operated for over 30 years. It continues to offer opportunities for undergraduate students to develop their skills and strengthen their knowledge in relation to the marine sector. Participating students are enabled to make informed decisions early in their studies about the marine and maritime careers they would like to pursue."

The programme provides undergraduates with a unique opportunity to meet fellow students from other third-level colleges, as well as work with experts in their field, helping them form a future network in the marine sector. The bursaries are based at the Marine Institute's facilities in Oranmore, Co. Galway and Newport Co. Mayo.

The Marine Institute is committed to supporting a culture of high performance driven by its people, whose skills, experience, and passion for the marine are central to the work performed for government and other stakeholders. The Bursary Scholarship Programme, therefore, serves as an important investment in the future generation of ocean professionals.

To Apply for the 2024 Bursary Programme:

• Please view the bursary titles available on www.marine.ie
• Select the two bursary positions that interest you the most and in order of preference
• Complete the online application form and submit as per the instructions
• Application Deadline Date is Friday 23rd February 2024

Online application form

The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA), Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and Marine Institute will host a workshop for industry this week on the requirements relating to sanitary surveys for shellfish harvesting areas and Ireland’s implementation of the relevant legislation.

The workshop will be held in person at FSAI’s head office in Dublin as well as online from 10am to 2pm this Thursday 8 February, and will include speakers from the SFPA, FSAI, Marine Institute, IFA-Aquaculture, CEFAS (UK) and AquaFact.

Keynote speaker will be Michelle Price-Howard from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries, Aquaculture and Science (CEFAS). Price-Howard works with CEFAS as principal scientist for seafood safety and is an environmental microbiologist with 20 years of experience in environmental assessment, water quality and food safety microbiology.

Price-Howard’s work has included environmental risk assessments for sanitary surveys of both aquaculture and wild-harvest shellfisheries for Food Standards Scotland. She has also been involved in providing training at EU and national level on the planning and conducting of sanitary surveys.

In addition, the SFPA will provide presentations on data management and shellfish classification as well as an update on the sanitary survey programme in Ireland.

There will also be an extended session to allow for a discussion on any topic relevant to sanitary surveys that participants may wish to raise. To help better plan the event, participants are asked to send questions or topics in advance if possible to Una Walton at [email protected].

In-person registration is now closed but the workshop can be accessed remotely via Microsoft Teams (Meeting ID: 340 075 071 736; Passcode: g33dRq) or by calling in (audio only) to +353 1 592 3998 with phone conference ID 397 409 122#.

Extreme marine events such as marine heat waves are increasingly threatening to degrade ocean ecosystems and seafood security with potential devastating consequences to aquatic related businesses.

In order to prepare for such events, the Marine Institute, with colleagues in the Horizon 2020 Innovation Action EuroSea project, has developed a new marine observatory specifically designed to address the needs of the aquaculture sector.

The observatory web platform provides an early warning system that can be accessed at eurosea.marine.ie with a help-desk service for end users to provide suggestions or comments on their user experience.

Frequent end-user interaction was essential from the beginning of the project to ensure the service was in agreement with the needs of the industry.

This observatory integrates data from multiple ocean observing platforms (in-situ databuoys; satellites; numerical models) and provides easy access to information about the oceanographic processes affecting the fish farm facilities and its neighbouring waters.

During the EuroSea project, two oceanographic moorings with sensors developed by Xylem were deployed at the pilot sites at Deenish Island in Co Kerry and El Campello on the Costa Blanca in south-eastern Spain.

For the Irish site, satellite observations of ocean colour and sea surface temperature are provided together with information on the occurrence of marine heat waves.

The web portal also provides access to sea surface temperature historical data, starting from 1982, for any site within the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) selected by the user in an interactive application.

Modelled forecasts (eg water temperature, significant wave heights) are linked to the warning system for the EuroSea demonstration sites with a facility for end users to receive notifications on their phone. The thresholds that trigger these warnings were agreed with the end-users when the system was developed.

Finally, best practice guidelines were developed for other partners around the world who plan to develop similar marine observatories. As such, the software is open-access and a scientific paper was recently published in Frontiers in Marine Science.

The Marine Institute has released a new high-resolution geomorphology map on Ireland’s Marine Atlas for most of the Irish continental shelf to support ocean science, environment and biodiversity management and offshore renewable energy development.

Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them.

The project, funded via the Marine Institute research grant scheme, has been developed in collaboration with the Marine Geoscience Research Group in UCC and the Geological Survey Ireland.

Through the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications funded Irish National Seabed Survey (INSS 2003-2006) and INFOMAR programmes (2006-2026), over 90% of the seafloor within Ireland’s designated and extended continental shelf area, which is in excess of 714,000 km², has been surveyed in high resolution by Geological Survey Ireland and Marine Institute.

This extensive dataset has enabled numerous research groups to delve into the transformative forces that have shaped our ocean seabed over time, including glaciations, sea level changes, currents and tides.

The combination of high-quality data, the application of advanced semi-automated mapping techniques and the recent development of international classification standards has offered the opportunity to create the most detailed and comprehensive geomorphological map of the Irish continental shelf to date.

Classification of all seabed features has undergone rigorous validation, drawing from an extensive body of scientific literature spanning the past three decades. By applying a consistent approach nationally, the map provides a unique resource to inform on a range of pressing issues within the marine environment.

Seabed mapping plays a pivotal role in addressing future challenges for the development and protection of the Irish offshore region.

While bathymetry data (eg water depth) alone provide a fundamental metric for many applications, geoscientists can add significant value by providing further data, analysis, and knowledge to better characterise the seabed.

The Marine Institute says this new geomorphology map is a prime example of how to transform scientific data into an important digital reference for policymakers, marine industries (eg offshore renewables, fisheries and aquaculture) and future marine scientists.

Marine spatial planning and resource management decisions will continue to be informed by the increasing range of digital products produced by the Marine Institute and partners.

Examples of practical application of geomorphology include decision support for the optimal placement of new offshore infrastructure; decommissioning of existing structures with considerations for their potential impacts on marine ecosystems; identification of constraints related to potential offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS); designation of future marine protected areas; and the development of more accurate models for coastal change and resilience.

The primary results of this initiative comprise 10 GIS layers that not only show the extent and location of thousands of seabed features but also detail the geological characteristics and environmental conditions responsible for their formation.

These data are now freely accessible and integrated into Ireland’s Marine Atlas under the Geology theme.

Ireland’s Marine Atlas, developed and maintained by the Marine Institute with funding from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, serves as a comprehensive resource for viewing and downloading marine environmental data relevant to Ireland's reporting obligations under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).

A full description of the geomorphology mapping methodologies, the classification scheme and the outputs are available. A scientific peer reviewed article describing the mapping process and outcome has also been published in the Journal of Maps.

Young student scientist Juliette Ó Súilleabháin recently completed a project studying the conservation of white-clawed crayfish with the support of the Marine Institute.

Juliette — a second-year student in St Mary’s Secondary School Mallow — approached the institute’s Marine Environment and Food Safety Services team about her individual project: Assessing the Presence of White-Clawed Crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) in the Blackwater catchment area of Mallow using Environmental DNA Analysis and the identification of possible Ark Sites.

The student accompanied staff on fieldwork so she could learn non-invasive sampling techniques for this protected species. Subsequently, she visited the labs and learned how to extract DNA and run PCRs.

Her project has since qualified in the Biological & Ecological category for the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, which opens to visitors from Thursday 11 January at Dublin’s RDS.

Juliette explained how her project came about: “I wanted to do a Young Scientist project on an ecological topic and contacted some ecologists for guidance. My original project involved the investigation of the presence and distribution of white-clawed crayfish (WCC) on the stretch of the Blackwater River where I live. A very recent crayfish plague outbreak in the Blackwater Catchment decimated the catchment’s crayfish population and put an end to my project.

“After further consultation, I chose the identification of potential WCC conservation ark sites as an alternative project topic. From my research, I learned about environmental DNA (eDNA) and the National Surveillance Programme for Crayfish Plague. I thought eDNA would be a useful tool in screening ark sites, so I contacted Bogna Griffin of the Marine Institute, and she kindly allowed me to accompany her on an eDNA sampling field trip to the Blackwater Catchment, and subsequently invited me to conduct eDNA laboratory work for my project in the Marine Institute in Oranmore, Co Galway.

“A massive thank-you to Bogna and the Marine Institute for giving me such a wonderful experience of a fascinating science topic!”

Supervising scientist Bogna Griffin said: “I was very impressed with [Juliette’s] attitude, the level of her write-up, and the depth of her knowledge in ecology and molecular biology. We are all very proud of her in the Fish Health Unit and wish her and all students the best of luck in January at the exhibition.”

Staff from the Marine Institute will be on hand as part of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Labs exhibit at the 2024 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, which runs until Saturday 13 January. Tickets are available HERE.

The new Chief Executive of the State marine research agency, Dr Rick Officer, takes up duty this morning, (Monday, January 8).

He has been Vice-President for Research and Innovation at the Atlantic Technological University, established in April 2022 when three Institutes of Technology – Galway/Mayo, Sligo and Letterkenny, with over 20,000 students - were merged.

He is looking forward to embracing the challenges and realising opportunities that the oceans present.

In this podcast interview, he tells me that he is looking forward to embracing the challenges and realising opportunities that the oceans present. “There are huge economic imperatives and opportunities that will require an enormous amount of greater knowledge to navigate towards achieving these possibilities.”

Dr Officer previously worked with the Marine Institute eighteen years ago. He says that demand for its services is expanding.

Listen to the Podcast below

The Marine Institute, in collaboration with the Socio Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU) at the University of Galway, has published an update on the performance of Ireland’s Ocean Economy. The 2023 Ocean Economy Report provides an update on Ireland’s ocean economy for 2022 across three main economic indicators: turnover, gross value added (GVA) and employment.

The report estimates the annual trends across all sectors as well as commentary on 5-year, 10-year and post-Covid recovery (where evident). The report also provides information on the relative contribution of each marine industry to the ocean economy, an overview of direct and indirect impact of Ireland’s ocean economy, and trends since 2010.

The 2023 Ocean Economy report shows that Ireland’s ocean economy, in nominal terms:

• generates over €7 billion in turnover;
• has a direct economic contribution, as measured by Gross Value Added, of €2.85 billion; and
• employs approximately 33,500 Full-Time Equivalents.

The Ireland’s Ocean Economy Report series provides a time series of nominal values for ocean economy industries. This year’s report reviews these values to also provide an estimate of ‘real values’ to adjust for inflation. The report shows that nominal and real values for the period 2010 to 2020 are similar and stable due to the low annual rate of inflation. However, from 2020 onwards the difference between the nominal and real values starts to increase due to higher inflation and the significant increase in gas prices in 2021 and 2022 in particular.

Preliminary results from the report were presented at SEMRU’s 13th Annual Marine Economics and Policy Research Symposium, which took place on 13th December 2023 in Galway City. The symposium presented an opportunity for national and international researchers to discuss their research in the area of marine socio-economics and policy. This included topics such as national and regional implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning (UCC), community—led coastal socio-economic development in the Connemara Gaeltacht (QUB), building coastal resilience (University of Galway), challenges to eco-innovation in shipbuilding networks (TCD), and incorporating social and economic data into ecosystem-based management and advice (Marine Institute).

The audience also heard from the Korea Maritime Institute on the work undertaken to value the Korean Ocean Economy, as well as hearing from the Center for the Blue Economy in California, on the US Government’s recently launched Fifth National Climate Assessment and some of the related socio-economic challenges.

The methodology used to value Ireland’s ocean economy was also presented by the Marine Institute and University of Galway at a recent workshop organised by the OECD as part of their ongoing work on ocean economy measurement, innovation and foresight. Discussions were held with the OECD and other International practitioners from Portugal, US, Korea and Norway on how best to measure the value arising from our oceans, and the challenges in incorporating spatial information, as well as the importance of the inclusion of non-market values to get a more holistic value of our blue economy and the ecosystem services it provides.

The work undertaken to measure Ireland’s ocean economy is being co-funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage through a Service Level Agreement aimed at providing technical and scientific data and evidence to support Marine Spatial Planning in Ireland.

Dr Rick Officer has been appointed as the next Chief Executive Officer of the Marine Institute, Ireland's state agency for marine research, technology development, and innovation.

Dr Officer joins the Marine Institute from the Atlantic Technological University (ATU), where he held the position of Vice President for Research and Innovation.

Charlie McConalogue TD, Minister for the Marine, announced the appointment earlier today.

“Much like the rest of the world, Ireland is at a crossroads where challenge meets opportunity in marine research and knowledge. As we tackle national and global societal challenges, our marine resource offers significant opportunities for Ireland to prepare for the impacts of climate change, and food and energy security. With Dr Officer’s extensive experience in sustainable fisheries, leading innovative and integrated research programmes and driving strategic collaborations nationally and internationally, the Marine Institute will continue to deliver the robust science and services to government and industry needed as we work towards delivering a knowledge-based, sustainable blue economy for Ireland,” Minister McConalogue said.

Welcoming the announcement, Dr John Killeen, Chair of the Marine Institute, said, "On behalf of the Marine Institute Board, I am delighted to welcome Dr Officer as CEO. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the role, and will be a dedicated champion of the Institute’s values and its mission to promote economic development, create employment, and protect the marine environment."

Speaking about his appointment, Dr Rick Officer said, “Ireland’s marine environment and industries are under enormous and urgent pressures. The Marine Institute has a vital role to play in providing the evidence-base to enable adaptation to changing social, economic, and environmental conditions. The excellent science and advice produced and supported by the Marine Institute are crucial to Ireland’s successful navigation of the major challenges of food security, climate adaptation and energy transition. It is a great privilege and honour to lead the Marine Institute through this exciting period of change. I look forward to working with the dedicated team at the Marine Institute as we embrace these challenges and realise the opportunities that the oceans present.”

Dr Officer joins the Marine Institute from Atlantic Technological University (ATU) where he held the position of Vice President for Research and Innovation. Dr Officer led the integration of Research and Innovation activities at the former Galway-Mayo, Sligo, and Letterkenny Institutes of Technology, through the merger into Atlantic Technological University. He also led the establishment of the Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, now ATU’s largest Research Centre comprising ~100 people. Dr Officer’s experience of international fisheries and aquaculture was gained through his Fisheries Scientist roles in Victoria and Tasmania, and his role as Science Leader for Fisheries and Aquaculture for the State of Queensland, Australia. He previously led the demersal fisheries research and assessment team at the Marine Institute. As Demersal Fisheries Team Leader, Dr Officer’s responsibilities included Chief Scientist roles aboard Ireland’s National research vessels, appointment as National Delegate to the European Commission’s Scientific, Technical & Economic Committee for Fisheries, and Chairmanship of International Working Groups and Expert Groups for the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and the European Commission.

Dr Officer has a Science degree (1990) and PhD in Fisheries Science (1995) from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and a Masters in Business Administration (2019) from University College London.

Dr Officer will commence his appointment in early January 2024.