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Explorers Calendar 2026
No full textThis EXPLORERS Event Calendar 2026 may be downloaded and printed on one page for your reference.This calendar highlights key events relateted to marine education carried out by the Marine Institute's Explorers Education Programme. This includes ocean events and educational activities, workshops, training and lots more. It also highlights school holidays, public holidays, back to school, education weeks, marine and environmental days, dates of recognition, application reminders, closing dates, teachers training, online teachers training, Explorers Ocean Champions Awards with winning schools and lots more.Marine Institut
Explorers Our Ocean Our Future: Marine Spatial Planning for Kids - Children's Workbook
No full textWorkbook included mapping activities, consideration of various stakeholders, and creative activities including game design!This workbook is designed to accompany the Explorers Our Ocean Our Future module to provide step-by-step guidance through the engaging activities that help children to understand our marine space and how it is and can be used best.Marine Institut
International ORE (Offshore Renewable Energy) Design Flexibility
No full textThis report, led by University College Cork, presents a comprehensive assessment of design flexibility in offshore renewable energy (ORE) development, with a focus on informing Ireland’s evolving regulatory and planning frameworks. The study integrates international policy analysis, environmental modelling, and stakeholder engagement to support the implementation of the Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act 2021 and the Strategic Constraint–Designated Marine Area Plan (SC-DMAP).This award was successful under the Marine Institute’s Research for Policy Awards Call 2023 (Grant-Aid Agreement No. RPA/23/03/01) supported by the Marine Institute under the Marine Research Programme, and funded by the Government of Ireland
Multi-Seasonal eDNA Metabarcoding Highlights a Resurgence in Fish Diversity Across a Severely Impacted Estuarine Ecosystem
No full textAquatic ecosystems have been in an alarming state of decline for decades. In particular, estuarine ecosystems have experienced long-term declines in fish diversity due to factors such as habitat degradation, pollution and altered hydrology. Monitoring these systems is often limited by the difficulty and cost of conventional survey methods. In this study, we applied environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to assess fish diversity in the Mersey Estuary (UK), a historically severely impacted system. Monthly water samples were collected over a year (2023–2024) across saline, brackish, and freshwater zones. Overall, 69 species were detected, surpassing both historical (46 species) and recent (39 species) records. Richness was highest in the upper freshwater zones, and several species were recorded returning to the estuary for the first time since pre-industrial times (∼1850s). Peak species richness occurred during winter (December–February). Species composition varied monthly and spatially, though not consistently by season. Approximately 15% of detected species were diadromous, with the endangered Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) being frequently detected during its key spawning period (October–December), for example. The results presented here indicate a resurgence in estuarine fish diversity in the Mersey and highlight eDNA metabarcoding as a rapid, sensitive tool for monitoring both contemporary and historically absent species, supporting conservation and restoration efforts
Identifying a sustainable operating window for seaweed aquaculture in the Global North: balancing expansion barriers and carrying capacity
No full text© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are credited.
The Version of Record is available at the publisher’s site: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.742907Seaweed aquaculture is a growing blue sector that provides many benefits to society (e.g. biomass provision for food, feed and cosmetics) and the environment (e.g. eutrophication mitigation, carbon uptake and habitat provision). Successful and sustainable production expansion requires that these activities are operated within limits of acceptable change (LAC) i.e. align with ecological and social carrying capacity. Emerging from a three-round Delphi study, this work presents, from a Global North perspective, the most relevant 1) limiting variables from the socio-environmental spheres that influence the cultivation unit (inputs), such as high operating costs or underdeveloped markets or uncertain impacts from climate change, and 2) the negative impacts of aquaculture on environment and society (outputs), such as overhyped and unrealistic expectation for seaweed cultivation, conflicts with fisheries or pollution. Consolidated lists of these inputs and outputs are accompanied by specific thresholds beyond which unacceptable changes are likely to occur. These results are placed into a globally applicable holistic framework for a multidimensional assessment of seaweed aquaculture including barriers and carrying capacity, which has been outlined for the first time for seaweed cultivation. Our results emphasize the need to include socio-economic aspects into ecosystem approaches, like profitability or social license to operate – and the need for broad stakeholder participation. This study provides thus a directly useable lists of aspects to consider for cultivators and decision-makers. And as is as such a crucial contribution for the ongoing discourse on sustainable growth of this emerging blue sector
TC24_01 INFOMAR Survey Report
No full textGeological Survey Ireland (GSI) and Marine Institute (MI) conducted seabed mapping between 2003 and 2005 under the auspices of the Irish National Seabed Survey (INSS) and mapping continued from 2006 to present day under the INtegrated mapping FOr the sustainable development of Irelands MArine Resource (INFOMAR) programme. INSS, which commenced in 1999 under the GSI was one of the largest marine mapping programmes ever undertaken globally, with a focus on deep water mapping. INFOMAR is a joint venture between the GSI and the MI and is funded by the Irish Government through the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC).
INFOMAR Phase 1, 2006 to 2015 focused on mapping 26 priority bays and 3 priority areas around Ireland and creating a range of integrated mapping products of the physical and biological features of the seabed in those areas. INFOMAR Phase 2, 2016 to 2026 intends to map the remainder of Ireland’s entire seabed.Department of the Environment, Climate and Communication
CE25002 and CE25005
No full textThe 2025 Irish Anglerfish and Megrim Survey (IAMS) took place on-board the Research Vessel Celtic Explorer from 3rd to 27th February in ICES (International Council Exploration of the Sea) Divisions 7.b-c and 7.j-k, and 12th to 17th April in ICES Division 6.a. The main objective of the survey was to obtain biomass and abundance indices for anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius and Lophius budegassa) and megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis and Lepidorhombus boscii) in ICES Division 6.a (south of 58°N) and Subarea 7 (west of 8°W). Secondary objectives were to collect data on the distribution, relative abundance and biology of other commercially exploited species.
For the seventh year, additional sampling took place in deep water (up to 1,500m) in order to monitor the recovery of exploited deep-water species following the decline of the deep-water fisheries in Irish waters since early 2000s (Kelly and Gerritsen, 2022). This work was funded under Marine Biodiversity Schemes of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) from 2019 to 2021 and European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) since 2022.
IAMS is coordinated as part of ICES International Bottom Trawl Survey Working Group (IBTSWG) based on protocols developed by Marine Science Scotland (MSS) for the Scottish Anglerfish and Megrim Survey (SIAMISS).Marine Institut
Ireland’s Ocean Economy, 2025
No full textPlease visit the Ocean Economy Dashboard for the latest data https://www.marine.ie/site-area/data-services/irelands-ocean-economyIreland’s Ocean Economy Report, 2025, provides an update on Ireland’s ocean economy across three main economic indicators: turnover, gross value added (GVA) and employment. It provides an analysis of trends over a five-year period and a commentary on rates of change over a ten-year timeframe. The report is accompanied by an online dashboard, where data trends can be accessed. The 2025 Ocean Economy Report is the ninth in the ocean economy series. Ireland’s ocean economy statistics are based on nominal values.Marine Institute; SEMRU, University of Galwa
2. EXPLORERS UNDERSTANDING ENERGY SOURCES THAT GENERATE POWER LESSON PLAN
No full textThe lesson includes two sessions/lesson activities:
• EXPLORING ENERGY SOURCES AND THEIR ORIGINS
• CLASS DISCUSSION, CREATION, AND COMMUNICATION
(Creating Games)
Students will explore and research energy sources worldwide and those used in Ireland.
They will then have a group discussion about the advantages and challenges of renewable and non-renewable energy resources.
The class will work in teams to create a series of board or card games incorporating what they have learned about renewable and non-renewable energy resources.The lesson includes two sessions/lesson activities:
• EXPLORING ENERGY SOURCES AND THEIR ORIGINS
• CLASS DISCUSSION, CREATION, AND COMMUNICATION (Creating Games).Marine Institut
Shellfish Stocks and Fisheries Review 2024: an assessment of selected stocks
No full textThis review presents updated information on the status of selected shellfish stocks in Ireland for 2024. In addition, data on the fleet and landings of shellfish species (excluding Nephrops) are presented. The intention of this annual review is to present stock assessment and management advice for shellfisheries that may be subject to new management proposals or where scientific advice is required in relation to assessing the environmental impact of shellfish fisheries especially in areas designated under European Directives. The review reflects the recent work of the Marine Institute (MI) in the biological assessment of shellfish fisheries and their interaction with the environment