SEA TRIALS ON TOM CREAN
Sea trials are underway off Vigo on Ireland’s new marine research vessel, the Tom Crean, of which Marine Institute CEO Paul Connolly says: “Great progress on the building of Ireland’s new research vessel “Tom Crean” in Vigo, Spain. What a great platform this will be for the marine science community in building up our knowledge base on the ocean.” Photo shows the CEO at the stern of the new vessel. The Marine Institute has launched this year’s Oceans of Learning series, celebrating Ireland’s research vessels over the years.
DURSEY FISHER AND MEN’S SHED
Allihies Men’s Shed on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork has built a new boat.They say: “We pondered & mulled over the name for our boat for the past month and couldn’t agree on the name. While the most active members were in attendance, we whittled it down to a short list and put it to a vote and Dursey Fisher won out.” She is pictured below. Lovely looking boat.
Strong Public Interest
What a great variety of material is coming into the programme now. It is very encouraging and underlining what I have always believed – that there is a strong public interest in the maritime sphere. I am looking at an extensive range of storylines which have arisen from listeners and readers of this newsletter contacting me. These range from ferries to maritime songs, from the removal of the Kinsale gas platforms to the problems of those who used to fish for eels but no longer have that opportunity, as Ireland appears the only country in the EU to have banned fishing for eels. That is just one of the topics suggested by listeners.
THIS WEEK
The Oireachtas Committee on the Marine held a hearing with the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority about the problems of weighing fish at Killybegs. They defended the position they had taken which led to non/Irish fishing vessels not landing there and temporary closure of processing factory operations. After the hearing the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters’ Association called for “immediate independent oversight” of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority which it declared was “not fit for purpose.”
A whale species never before recorded in Irish waters was confirmed by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). The marine wildlife specimen reported at Glengarriff in West Cork on May 1 stranded and was found dead . IWDG described it as “a dwarf sperm whale,”
THERE IS ALSO A FACEBOOK NEWSLETTER PAGE WITH MORE MARINE NEWS
