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TC25016
No full textThis report provides the main results and findings of the twentieth annual underwater
television survey on the ‘Smalls grounds’ ICES assessment area; Functional Unit 22. The survey
was multi-disciplinary in nature collecting UWTV and other ecosystem data. A total of 45
UWTV stations were surveyed successfully (high quality image data), carried out over an
isometric grid at 4.5nmi or 8.3km intervals. The precision, with a CV of 4%, was well below
the upper limit of 20% recommended by SGNEPS (ICES, 2012). The 2025 abundance estimate
was 23% higher than in 2024 and at 866 million is below the MSY Btrigger reference point (990
million). Using the 2025 estimate of abundance and updated stock data implies catch in 2026
that correspond to the ICES MSY approach of 2252 tonnes, assuming that discard rates and
fishery selection patterns do not change from the average of 2022 - 2024. One species of sea
pen was recorded as present at the stations surveyed: Virgularia mirabilis. Trawl marks were
observed at 53% of the stations surveyed.Marine Institut
Annual Impact Report 2024/Tuarascáil Tionchair Bhliantúil 2024 (English and Irish versions)
No full textForas na Mara (2025). Tuarascáil Tionchair Bhliantúil 2024. Gaillimh, ÉireThe Marine Institute’s Annual Impact Report 2024, is a new publication that reflects the remarkable achievements of our organisation over the past year. This report illustrates the extraordinary breadth of our work, showcasing how the dedication, expertise, and innovation of our teams translate into meaningful impacts across Ireland and beyond.
Tuarascáil Tionchair Bhliantúil 2024 Fhoras na Mara a chur i láthair, foilseachán nua a léiríonn éachtaí suntasacha ár n-eagraíochta le bliain anuas. Léiríonn an tuarascáil seo fairsinge urghnách ár gcuid oibre, ag taispeáint an chaoi a n-aistríonn dúthracht, saineolas agus nuálaíocht ár bhfoirne go tionchair bhríocha ar fud na hÉireann agus níos faide i gcéin.Foras na Mara/ Marine Institut
Aran, Galway Bay and Slyne Head Nephrops Grounds (FU17) 2025 UWTV Survey Report and catch scenarios for 2026
No full textThis report provides the main results and findings of the 23rd annual underwater television
survey on the Aran, Galway Bay and Slyne Head Nephrops grounds, ICES assessment area;
Functional Unit 17. The survey was multi-disciplinary in nature collecting UWTV, CTD and
other ecosystem data. In 2025 a total of 43 UWTV stations were successfully completed, 33
on the Aran Grounds, 5 on Galway Bay and 5 on Slyne Head patches. The mean burrow density
observed in 2025, adjusted for edge effect, was medium at 0.23 burrows/m². The final kriged
burrow abundance estimate for the Aran Grounds was 278 million burrows with a CV
(Coefficient of Variance; relative standard error) of 3%. The final abundance estimate for
Galway Bay was 13 million and for Slyne Head was 8 million, with CVs of 2% and 3%
respectively. The total abundance estimates have fluctuated considerably over the time
series. The 2025 combined abundance estimate (299 million burrows) is 34% lower than in
2024, and it is below MSY Btrigger (540 million burrows). Using the 2025 estimate of abundance
and updated stock data implies that catches in 2026 should be between 251 and 288 tonnes,
according to the EU MAP and ICES MSY approach and assuming that discard rates and fishery
selection patterns do not change from the average of 2022–2024. Virgularia mirabilis was the
only sea-pen species observed on the UWTV footage. Trawl marks were not recorded at any
of the Aran stations surveyed.Marine Institute; Co-Funded by the European Unio
Using Environmental DNA to Characterize Amphibian Communities at Sites Infected with Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans in the Netherlands
No full textBatrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) fungus has the potential to cause high mortality rates in some European salamanders and newts (urodelans) and is in the process of expanding its invasive range in Europe. Therefore, monitoring its distribution and better understanding both the species threatened and the mechanics of infection are essential in mitigating damage Bsal may cause. Environmental DNA has emerged as a promising noninvasive method for detecting both this fungal pathogen and amphibian communities in infected areas. We applied these methods in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands, where the pathogen has previously been detected and is expanding its range, with the goal of characterizing the natural amphibian community present. We sampled 27 bodies of water in the region surrounding the known outbreak sites, determined the presence or absence of Bsal using a targeted quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay, and applied an environmental DNA metabarcoding approach to characterize the amphibian communities using two different primer sets. The 12S vertebrate primer set outperformed the 16S amphibian primer set and detected all expected amphibians in the study area: Bufo bufo, Lissotriton vulgaris, Pelobates fuscus, Pelophylax spp., Rana temporaria and Triturus cristatus. Bsal was detected at 8 of 27 ponds. A distance-based redundancy analysis found a weak but significant relationship between Bsal presence and composition of amphibian communities. This study may provide a basis for future studies on Bsal and its relationship with amphibian communities in Europe, highlighting the need for further research into mechanisms of persistence and transmission between bodies of water
Lesson Plan 4: Explorers Phytoplankton & The Marine Food Web - Claymation Project
Full text linkThis lesson plan aims to introduce students to the fundamental role of phytoplankton in marine ecosystems and the global environment, fostering an appreciation for these microscopic organisms through a creative, hands-on Claymation project.This lesson plan outlines a project that helps solidify understanding of the importance of phytoplankton and their role in the food web through the playful and creative medium of Claymation.Marine Institut
5. EXPLORERS OCEAN ENERGY ENGINEERS – TRACKING THE POWER AND CREATING SMART CITIES PROJECT PLAN AND LESSONS
No full textThe project plan includes five sessions/lesson activities, including:
• TRACKING THE POWER - FROM SOURCE TO HOME
• PYLON POWER - DESIGNING THE INFRASTRUCTURE & LEARNING ABOUT ENERGY CONSUMPTION
• BUILDING THE SMART OCEAN CITY USING RENEWABLE OCEAN ENERGY RESOURCES
• PRESENTATIONS & EVALUATION
Students are "Ocean Energy Engineers" on a mission to save the planet by developing sustainable ocean energy devices, pylons, and renewable ocean energy solutions for a smart city. They will learn about the national grid system and the importance of infrastructure that enables everyone to have electric power. They will also learn about pylons and energy consumption in our homes.
As a more extensive project, the students will design and build smart cities, considering how their cities can run on renewable energy sources around Ireland.The project plan includes five sessions/lesson activities, including:
• TRACKING THE POWER - FROM SOURCE TO HOME
• PYLON POWER - DESIGNING THE INFRASTRUCTURE & LEARNING ABOUT ENERGY CONSUMPTION
• BUILDING THE SMART OCEAN CITY USING RENEWABLE OCEAN ENERGY RESOURCES
• PRESENTATIONS & EVALUATIONMarine Institut
4. EXPLORERS RENEWABLE OCEAN ENERGY – A STEAM EXPLORATION OF WIND, TIDE, & WAVE ENERGY - PROJECT PLAN AND LESSONS
No full textThe project plan includes four sessions/lesson activities, including:
• MAPPING OCEAN ENERGY POTENTIAL
• TIDAL ENERGY - FROM ANCIENT MILLS TO MODERN TURBINES
• OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY - DESIGN AND ENGINEERING
• WAVE POWER - HARNESSING THE OCEAN'S MOTION.
Students will learn about the availability of ocean energy by reviewing maps of wave energy around the world. They will discuss the different types of ocean energy devices. The students will focus on learning about offshore wind turbines by constructing their own pinwheels and turbines. The students will consider the platforms offshore wind energy requires (fixed and floating). The students may also create interactive infographics showing offshore wind energy devices and platforms.
The next session will cover learning about tidal energy devices, from ancient mills to modern innovative ideas for tidal and wave turbines. The students will also focus on wave power—harnessing the ocean's motion—and develop an understanding of waves and how they form. Following these activities, the students will create dioramas showcasing different wave energy devices and their operations.The project plan includes four sessions / lesson activities, including:
• MAPPING OCEAN ENERGY POTENTIAL
• TIDAL ENERGY - FROM ANCIENT MILLS TO MODERN TURBINES
• OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY - DESIGN AND ENGINEERING
• WAVE POWER - HARNESSING THE OCEAN'S MOTION.Marine Institut
Explorers Renewable Ocean Energy: The Power of the Future—Children’s Class Quiz
No full textThe Explorers Renewable Ocean Energy: The Power of the Future—Children’s Class Quiz provides an introduction to energy and forces, introducing concepts of potential and kinetic energy, energy sources including non-renewable and renewable, wind and wave energy, biomimicry and ocean energy devices, and the largest energy users at home.
The teacher can provide the quiz before completing the Explorers renewable ocean energy modules. The quiz may be completed by the children in teams or individually.The Explorers Renewable Ocean Energy: The Power of the Future—Children’s Class Quiz provides an introduction to energy and forces, introducing concepts of potential and kinetic energy, energy sources including non-renewable and renewable, wind and wave energy, biomimicry and ocean energy devices, and the largest energy users at home.
The teacher can provide the quiz before completing the Explorers renewable ocean energy modules. The quiz may be completed by the children in teams or individually.Marine Institut
Defining Conservation Units in a Highly Diverse Species: A Case on Arctic Charr
No full textThis is the published version of the following Open Access article:
Fenton, S., Bean, C.W., Martin, S.A.M., Poultney, S.J., Smith, A., de Eyto, E., Elmer, K.R., & Adams, C.E. (2025). Defining Conservation Units in a Highly Diverse Species: A Case on Arctic Charr. Evolutionary Applications, published 28 December 2025.
https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70190
© 2025 The Authors. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Defining appropriate conservation units is crucial to the protection and management of biodiversity. These delineations deliver further benefit when they include assessments of population vulnerability to extinction from pressures such as climate change. However, delineations and vulnerability assessments are particularly difficult within highly diverse species, such as the salmonid fish Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus), that show extensive phenotypic and genetic variation within and across locations, variable and complex life histories and broad geographic distributions. As yet, the nature and scope of Arctic charr diversity has not been characterised at the scale needed to delineate key conservation units in Scotland. To identify evolutionarily significant and vulnerable populations to prioritise for conservation, we conducted a genomic study of Arctic charr populations across Britain and Ireland with a focus on Scottish populations (= 64 populations; 24,878 SNPs; 410 individuals). We found that most lake populations represented distinct genetic clusters, with limited gene flow between them and resulting in substantial genetic differentiation. Higher level groupings of genetic similarity across catchments likely reflect historic anadromy and migration, with populations primarily grouping east or west of the central watershed divide in Scotland. Analysing genetic offset, also known as genomic vulnerability, we identified strong inverse correlations between genetic vulnerability and latitude and distance to the sea, suggesting that more southern and more inland populations are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Additionally, patterns of vulnerability across several additional metrics identified other populations that may be at higher risk of loss. We further used our genetic data, along with phenotypic and geographic information, to identify populations of greatest evolutionary significance. This highlighted that the most important ones to protect are those in locations with multiple ecotypes, a key facet of functional Arctic charr biodiversity, and populations that are the only ones in their Hydrometric Area.NatureSco
Treochlár um Ghníomhú ar son na Haeráude 2025
No full textIs é an Plean 2025 (CAP25) an tríú nuashonrú bliantúil ar Phlean na hÉireann um Ghníomhú ar son na hAeráide. Leis an Sainordú gaolmhar um Ghníomhú ar son na hAeráide 2025 tugtar tacaíocht do chomhlachtaí san earnáil phoiblí, lena n-áirítear Foras na Mara, chun dea shampla a thabhairt maidir le gníomhú ar son na haeráide agus tá sé mar aidhm aige an gníomhú riachtanach ar son na haeráide a spreagadh sa tsochaí i gcoitinne chun astaíochtaí gás ceaptha teasa (GCT) na hÉireann a laghdú 51% agus éifeachtúlacht fuinnimh a laghdú 50% faoi 2030. The Climate Action Plan 2025 (CAP2) is the third annual update to Ireland’s Climate Action Plan. The associated Climate Action Mandate 2025 supports public sector bodies including the Marine Institute in leading by example on climate action and aims to inspire the necessary climate action in wider society to reduce Ireland’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 51% and energy efficiency by 50% by 2030. As set out in this Marine Institute Climate Action Roadmap 2025, the Marine Institute is committed to delivering the relevant outputs and activities outlined in CAP25 and the Climate Action Mandate 202