1964-2015 1964-2014 Skipper The SERVING THE IRISH & UK INDUSTRIES - APRIL 2015 €3.50/£3.00 The Saint Josse entering Kilmore Quay. Photo: Aileen McCarthy RECORD BREAKER Skipper Expo Int. Galway 2015 reaches new heights LEADING JOURNAL OF THE IRISH & UK FISHING INDUSTRIES See pages 28-32 2 News Marine & General Insurance Brokers. “Insuring Your World Today” Cavanagh Hooper Dolan INSURANCES LTD. Tel: (0) 28 7136 0501 Fax: (0) 28 7136 0385 Email: [email protected] Web:www.chd.ie Cavanagh Hooper Dolan Insurances Ltd t/a Cavanagh Hooper Dolan Insurances is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland INSIDE THIS ISSUE IFPO INTERVIEW PAGES 4-5 DISCARD STUDY PAGEs 6-7 regional news PAGEs 11-21 INTERNATIONAL NEWS PAGES 24-29 OUT AND ABOUT GALWAY PAGES 30-31 COURTOWN HARBOUR PAGE 48 mara media Published monthly by Mara Media Annagry, Letterkenny, Co Donegal Tel:074 9548935 Fax: 0749548940 Managing Director: Hugh Bonner Email: [email protected] Tel: 074 95 489 35 Editor: Niall Duffy Email: [email protected] Tel: 086 823 9608 Sales: Sharon Boyle Email: [email protected] Tel: 074 95 480 37 Contributors Máirtin Ó’Catháin, Marian O’Flaherty Tony O’Callaghan Gudjón Einarsson Michael Craine Designer: Declan McGrath [email protected] Website: www.maramedia.ie In the compilation of The Skipper, every care is taken to ensure accuracy. Where errors or omissions are brought to the attention of Foilseachán na Mara Teo., future publications will be amended accordingly. However, Foilseachán na Mara Teo. does not accept liability to any person for loss or damage arising from anything contained in this publication or for any error or omission in it, even if such loss or damage is caused by negligence of Foilseachán na Mara Teo., its servants or agents. Opinions and articles featured are not necessarily the opinions of Foilseachán na Mara Teo. The Skipper APRIL 2015 Blue Whiting fishery needs better control Dear Editor, I have often heard the older generation lament that “history always repeats itself”. The Vikings came to Ireland many years ago and raped and plundered our women and our lands respectively. Now they return to rape again and history is ironically repeating itself. This rape however is not of a physical nature, but rather they are raping and plundering the seas of our west coast. All this, while we the Irish fishermen have to sit back and take it on the chin. Unfortunately for us we are part of a spineless union with Europe where fisheries is an incidental nuisance, while nationally we have no one in authority to stand up and fight our corner. We might not be selling steaks to New York, but we do deserve fair representation . Surely someone in authority must have the moral courage to take a stand and fight for justice for the men and women of the sea on this island we call home. The Icelanders and Faroese played hardball with the EU over mackerel and won and the Norwegians looking on at this perceived EU weakness have now decided to play hardball over Blue Whiting. Given Europe’s track record on historical fishery debates, I fear Norway will win too. We the EU fishermen are living under the legacy of the inept stewardship of former fisheries Commissioner Maria Dalmanaki. Norway’s unilateral declaration of a 40% increase in their of the TAC is completely unjustified and is effectively a means of legalising what would otherwise be black fish. Furthermore there is so much damage being done in this fishery, with loss of gear and fish that a moratorium should be put in place to ban fishing for Blue Whiting west off Ireland from the 1st of January to the 1st of March. Can someone please relieve me of my ignorance and explain to me why we have to sit back with boats tied to the wall, while the Norwegians fish almost 500,000 tons of fish off our coastline? Other nations gained increased quota allocations on the mackerel fishery based on the fact that the fish entered into their EEZ. As the Blue Whiting is located (as has been proved by recent studies) predominately in EU waters west of Ireland and to a lesser extent Scotland, surely it is not unreasonable to assume that Ireland should have a TAC on this fishery of 100,000 tons. Yours sincerely, Philip Cavanagh. BIM donate funds to ‘LAST’ charity BIM raised funds for the charity ‘LAST’ (Lost at Sea Tragedies) through the sale of the new lobster gauge at the recent Skipper Expo in Galway. The gauge incorporates the current Minimum landing size of 87mm with the new Maximum landing size of 127mm. The new gauges have been brought in following new conservation measures introduced by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in December in January. Under the new protection measure for lobster, a maximum landing size of 127mm was introduced to support the reproductive potential of the stock. BIM are delighted to announce a total of €800 was raised for this very worthy charity which aims to support and offer guidance to the families of those lost to fishing tragedies. BIM’s Fisheries Development Manager Ian Lawler with the Founder of LAST and Chair of the South-East Fisheries Local Action Group, Noel McDonagh. • Vessel Surveys - all types • Condition, Insurance, Pre-purchase, accident • Project, Conversion & New-build Supervision • Vessel / Licence Sale and Purchase consultancy www.promara.ie Noel O’Regan, MBA, I Eng, IMarEng, MIMarEST, MIIMS Tel: 087 3435666 Fax: 022 22467 Email: [email protected] continued increases APRIL 2015 The Skipper News 3 Licence farce is destroying Irish Aquaculture growth! UP to 2,000 coastal jobs and a potential €150 million in exports are on hold due to the Government’s slow processing of aquaculture licence applications and renewals, according to the shellfish farmers around the country. There is a growing sense of despair among Oyster and Mussel farmers over a situation where Irish shellfish is in demand worldwide as a premium seafood but the very people charged with helping the industry are responsible for hampering its growth. While many Finfish and shellfish have farmers have contacted The Skipper to air their greviances, none were prepared to criticise government departments on the record for fear of reprisals and bias towards their applications. In a statement to The Skipper, Ritchie Flynn, Executive ,IFA Aquaculture gave voice to the frustrations being felt by Irish Aquaculture industry at the ongoing delays in licencing applications In the midst of all the positive messages from Government about supporting exports, jobs and small businesses, a lot of people in the aquaculture sector look at their situation in total frustration and ask “what have we done to deserve this”? As they fill out another form, write another cheque or have yet another meeting with their bank manager, they have some justification for scratching their heads when all they want to do is produce food which needs labour and earns foreign currency. The answer to their question is simple – they invested, built up their hopes and turned down opportunities elsewhere because they had faith in the system, believed in the hype and trusted that they would be dealt with fairly and their personal investment would be recognised. There’s a huge amount to be optimistic about aquaculture. First and foremost, people want the product. If we can get it to market in enough quantities we can control how and when and at what price we sell it. We can make use of the tremendous goodwill that exists for Irish seafood and the positive image we have at home and abroad. We can explore new research opportunities, try new species and products and do an infinite amount of positive things for our communities. If we had the licences and a positive framework of policy support to build upon. Growers who have waited almost 10 years for renewals which are now hopelessly out of date and who want to change their practices, their sites and their markets are rebuffed by a bureaucracy which robotically can’t see beyond the paperwork to the real needs of the farmer. If they get a renewal they must then return to the back of the queue until they can seek a review. Even if it just means changing the species on the licence from one bivalve mollusc to another, science and biology are a no man’s land where snipers and landmines will take you out as soon as you leave your trench to seek a review or change a licence. The list of complaints relating to the Department and its agencies about lost files, lack of information, mixed messages and general confusion is legion. There has to be a solution and even if some bays are in the process of going through the wringer of renewal, the warnings of the IFA about momentum being lost are unfortunately coming true. What energy was there in the beginning of this process when the deal was struck with Europe on SACs appears to have been consumed by inertia and a fear of decision making. IFA has repeated the message that the last lone producer in his or her own in their own little cove is just as important as a multi user bay must hold true, but it appears to be falling on deaf ears now. It’s no wonder the industry is rife with cynicism and mistrust. A new “Food Harvest 2025” is supposed to follow the last one - which didn’t work for shellfish producers. A new pot of money has been leveraged out from Brussels - with no way of accessing it without a full licence. A growing list of costs and challenges in the form of regulation and customer demands have to be met while profit and a decent margin appears to be an unwelcome and foreign concept in official circles. The gap between policy aspirations and the means to achieve it is getting wider all the time for industry. Equipment needs to be replaced, modernisation needs to happen, upgrading of farms and reduction of costs must happen if we are to remain competitive. The only way that will happen is if the burden of waiting forever for a licence renewal is removed. Industry needs a state system that is focused on growing the profit and reinvestment potential of the sector. We need political ambitions based on reality and the only way to achieve that is to channel regulation into a positive force for good, an ambitious and target-led system that rewards investment and risk, that can help producers position the country where its deserves to be – at the cutting edge of aquaculture production for a growing world population. DAFM Aquaculture Licence Section figures supplied to The Skipper • • • • • New Aquaculture licence applications currently awaiting decision - 441 Aquaculture licence renewal applications currently awaiting decision - 190 New Aquaculture licence applications granted in 2014 - 63 Aquaculture licence renewal applications were granted in 2014 - 29 Department projection of license determinations in 2015 - 150 ATLANTIC MARINE SUPPLIES LTD DEPARTMENT OF MARINE APPROVED LIFERAFT SERVICE STATION PRODUCTS Suppliers of Commercial & Leisure Equipment Contact: Cork 021 4554334 - Dublin 01 8457231 Athlone 0906 477000 - Marine Coatings 0861292704 [email protected] www.unionchandlery.com • LIFERAFTS • LIFEJACKETS • RESCUE BOATS • IMMERSION SUITS • PYROTECHNICS • H.R.U.’S • BOARDING LADDERS SERVICES • LIFERAFT SERVICING • LIFEJACKET SERVICING • IMMERSION SUIT SERVICING • HIRE LIFERAFTS Suppliers of full range of approved lifesaving equipment. Service of RFD, DSB, Dunlop - Beaufort, Zodiac and Lifeguard equipment Donegal Road, Killybegs, Co. Donegal. Phone: 074 9731440 Fax: 074 9731699 After hours; 074 9731332 Email: [email protected] 4 News The Skipper APRIL 2015 IFPO focusing on research, representation and rebranding The Irish Fish Producers Organisation is in the process of re-establishing its identity after parting company with the Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) and sees the next few years as critical for all sectors of the fishing industry as new EU regulations come into force. After three years as CEO of the organisation, Francis O’Donnell spoke exclusively to the Skipper about where the IFPO is now and where it is going. Among the issues he sees are the essential restructuring of the IFPO to meet the terms and opportunities of the new Common Fisheries Policy and the new European funding programme. That funding aspect is one which Mr O’Donnell and his directors are keeping a close eye on as the announcement of the allocation is due on the 27th of March. back and look at where we were and where we were going as an organisation and re-orientate a little bit. And we felt that being in the Federation was clouding our judgement, as such.” He added: “It’s quite hard to explain, we felt that maybe we were not always making the right decisions for our members or in the best interest of our members. We believe that an entire look at the Irish fishing industry is necessary.” From Mr O’Donnell’s point of view, the realities that have to be faced by Irish fishermen at present are governed by the new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the new Common Market Organisation (CMO) regulation. Commenting on the recent departure of the IFPO from the Federation of Irish Fishermen, he explains: “In the last couple of years, my board of directors in particular, felt that the Federation had lost traction a little bit and, maybe, was not tackling Government or the Minister the day on some of the important issues.” He is particularly conscious of the pathway contained in the CMO regulation for producer organisations in Europe to become more involved in supply and demand, marketing of their members’ products, being involved in market intelligence and the supply chain. “We are clearly now being asked under regulation to do a lot more in terms of the high-level stuff, such as looking at emerging economies and looking at what is happening to our product.” He emphasises that his organisation is not opposed to the idea of federation, as such. “We believe that a federation may come back into being again. But we felt it was time to take a step Mr O’Donnell believes that, in Ireland, the primary producer always gets a very poor price for the product. Fishermen need to start looking at ways of getting a better price. Perhaps that means fishermen getting more involved in the supply chain and in the processing and marketing of their product. And that is what is being asked of fishermen under the new EU Common Market Organisation (CMO). He predicts: “It will be very, very interesting to see in the next three to four weeks when the Government make an announcement as to what percentage of that money producer organisations are going to get. This will dictate if they are serious about their on policy for the agri-food and fisheries sectors contained in the Food Harvest 2020 strategy” “We had to submit a very detailed business plan, which is called a Production & Marketing Plan, which lays out in very clear terms how we aim to achieve the new objectives set down by the European Commission in these new regulations.” The IFPO chief executive admits that running the organisation is actually costing between €240,000 and €250,000 a year, over and above what is taken in membership fees. “So, we’re running at a loss. All the producer organisations in Ireland are running at a loss because the option of withdrawal and carry-over and other potential mechanisms to make revenue are gone. “Our producer organisation has a significant turnover as we have a Christopher Skipper Hannon & Co Galway Stands No1&2 The Precision & Marine Engineering BERE ISLAND BOATYARD LTD BALLINAKILLA, BERE ISLAND, CO CORK POWER WASHING & CLEANING. STEEL FABRICATING & WELDING. SANDBLASTING, HIGH PRESSURE WATER BLASTING. MARINE CARPENTRY INCLUDING CAULKING. MACHINING, MILLING, PLASTIC WELDING. LATHE WORK & PRECISION ENGINEERING. PAINTING. REFURBISHMENT OF SEA VALVES. ULTRA SONIC TESTING & MEGA TESTING FOR CODE OF PRACTICE. PAINT & ANODES AVAILABLE FROM STOCK. FIBREGLASS REPAIRS PROPELLER & RUDDER SHAFT REMOVED & MEASURED FOR CODE OF PRACTICE. TEL: 027 75975 MOBILE: 086 2766564 FAX: 027 75974 EVENINGS: 027 75062 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.bereislandboatyardltd.com Unit 31 Westside Business Park, Old Kilmeaden Road, Waterford. Ireland Phone:+353 (0)51350856 Fax:+353 (0)51350857 Mobile:+353 (0)872574507 e-mail:christopherhannoneng @yahoo.com HYDRO ARMOR good mix in terms of our make up. We are a broad church so to speak and proud of that. Inshore crabbers are as important as RSW vessels. According to the CMO, we would be entitled to get three per cent of what our members turn over. So, technically, we could probably get , €1.2m a year for the next five years from this EMFF. Now, obviously, we didn’t ask for that but we have asked for a substantial amount of money, costed in line with the new requirements being placed on us by way of regulation. DECOMMISSIONING Looking into the near future, Mr O’Donnell is of the opinion that a decommissioning scheme will probably be introduced by next year. “It will be interesting to see whether things will level out and if it will allow more opportunities for those that remain in the fleet. “They’re looking at over 20metre vessels at the moment but we are getting calls from one or two members and people not in our organisation at all asking us about it, saying that some of the under-20metre people would be interested in it as well. “We have to match our capacity to our opportunities, as such, but the problem being that there’s a perception sometimes that a fishing vessel is seen as a person is seen as the owner - is seen a lot of the time as a person that makes a lot of money. “There are some fishing vessels APRIL 2015 The Skipper that have been very successful. There are some fishing vessels that are not successful and, in fact, are running at a loss or in debt; the bank are on their back all the time. But when you come to decommissioning, it’s one thing talking about decommissioning capacity but you are decommissioning communities and you’re decommission six jobs, seven jobs on board the vessel. You’re decommissioning secretariat - probably another two jobs that are on shore - an then you have all the other industries around that, whether it’s Fluid Controls or somebody providing food for the vessel. “So, I think decommissioning is a double-edged sword and I think it has to be very well thought out. Should active capacity be decommissioned as a priority. It has to be people that want to leave the industry, probably that are not profitable. And I think it’s important that if you decommission, there has to be honesty about it. PENALTY POINTS “Obviously, it’s very important to have a control agency and I wouldn’t say anything bad about any of the personnel working for the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency. It is an organisation laden with expertise and excellent people. When they recruited back in 2006, 2007 they cherry picked expertise from across the public sector, a smart move But, when it comes to the penalty points system, they absolutely need to come forward and be honest as to how it is being implemented in Ireland. “There’s a penalty points system there; it’s part of the control regulations as such. The News 5 Government brought it in through a Statutory Instrument. But it’s the process we have a major problem with. “The system is that you get penalty points for supposed infringements. Once you get 18 penalty points, you’re basically off the water for three months. It can go up but you can only get 12 penalty points for any one landing, as such, or any one detention. And, basically, the penalty points are attached to the licence holder and to the capacity of the vessel. “So that, if you had a vessel that had 200 tonnes and 200kW and that vessel was sold and the capacity was sold and the capacity was chopped 50 different ways, the 12 penalty points go with each part of the capacity, to start with. “But the most important thing about this is that the penalty points system was set up in such a way that, first of all, you get a letter from the SFPA to say that you’ve got 12 penalty points. On such-and-such a day you were inspected by such-and-such a fishery officer. “So, you have 28 days to appeal that. Basically, what you really have to do is put a book of evidence together, which is a significant task, especially considering that the vessel may be at sea, the owner may be the master and may not be in a position to put it together. “But you’re preparing a defence in the absence of having statements from the SFPA. It’s unheard-of. You make your appeal. The Appeals Officer can decide whether or not to give you an oral hearing. The important thing is that the Appeals Officer is appointed by the SFPA. So, the Appeals Officer is not an independent person. “The Appeals Officer can deny you your appeal, in which case you have to go to the High Court to have your case heard. Or the Appeals Officer does hear your case. But the Appeals Officer has been appointed by the SFPA. In the event that you don’t win your case, you then have to go to the High Court. “Now, if the High Court finds that you didn’t commit the offence and you’re exonerated, the way the Statutory Instrument is written, you still retain the penalty points. It is absolute madness. “Somebody needs to set up a review panel. The brakes should be put on it all. We’re never going to get rid of the European penalty points system and there are cases where penalty points are the only deterrent for people that are continuously breaking the law. But we have a major problem with the way its being applied in Ireland. And I would call into question the credibility of the SFPA on this. They should be leading and saying to the Minister that there is a problem with this and we do need to review it. There own people on the ground agree with me on this. A judicial review may be the only option, an option we can ill afford and totally unnecessary. I would like Minister Coveney to intervene and set up an independent review panel, independent being key ” are very supportive of this. We need to have somewhere where members, SFPA personnel, BIM personnel, MSO personnel and the public can come in. They don’t have to be members, the kettle is for communal use”. “But even from a discipline perspective it si better to work from an office. We also intend to take on extra staff this year as a result of our extra workload. We are going to need to have a place for them. And having people working from home, really, it just doesn’t work, including myself. I’m from Carrick, originally and I think by bringing a few new jobs to Killybegs and having a few people located here will be a small contribution to the local economy as well. ENFORCEMENT “When a French or Spanish vessel comes into Killybegs with fish on board, a Fishery Officer has to go down and carry out an inspection. But the inspection is only a walk-on and walk-off. They know that the vessels have quota but they don’t know at any moment in time what quota is available to that vessel. “I think the SFPA themselves don’t know how to deal with this but it’s very hard for us as an industry o allow this to continue. I think that the SFPA has to make the other Member States accountable and, if a vessel comes into our EEZ, within our 200 mile zone, they have to be able to show what quota they have, who they got itBfrom and, on a daily basis, PBP ServiceS - Peter ruce (PatSy) New Office in Killybegs how that’s dwindling B laSt c leaning & P rotective c oatingS Since PBP ServiceS - Peter Bruce (P1968 atSy)or not. With “I have been travelling to Dublin modern technology a fishery BlaStSHIPHALL cleaning & P/rotective coatingS Since 1968 INTERNAL DRY DOCKS UP TO 165 METRES on a weekly basis and abroad for officer can have information INTERNAL SHIPHALL / DRY DOCKS UP TO 165this METRES meetings and also working from available, technology allows for home in Donegal. I just felt as an this. The field is not level and we organisation we needed a business have to work as stakeholders with face. My directors agreedand the SFPA to achieve this”. 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[email protected] www.pbpservices.co.uk T: and +44 (0)1346 514056 E-mail: [email protected] www.pbpservices.co.uk 6 News The Skipper APRIL 2015 Back to the future on the impacts of the Landing Obligation By Dr Ronán Cosgrove, BIM and Dr Norman Graham, MI Key challenges regarding the impending Landing Obligation will include requirements to land undersize quota species, cessation of fishing activity once the quota for the first individual TAC species is exhausted (choking) and costs associated with handling and disposal of catches which cannot be sold for human consumption. In order to ascertain how this obligation will impact fishermen, BIM and the Marine Institute (MI) in collaboration with Industry and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, simulated operational and economic impacts as well as some potential solutions to the choking issue. Two vessels were chartered to undertake the trial in the Celtic Sea: Vessel 1, a 24 m quad-rig trawler targeting Nephrops; Vessel 2, a 25 m single-rig demersal trawler targeting mixed whitefish species. Vessels were required to retain and land all catches of demersal species specified in Article 15.1.C(ii) of EU regulation 1380/2013, namely Cod, Haddock, Whiting, Saithe, Norway Lobster, Hake, Common sole and Plaice. A scientific quota was allocated to cover catches in excess of monthly quotas. This enabled vessels to effectively fish their normal monthly quota allocations for all species, facilitating an economic comparison of a ‘business as usual’ (BAU) scenario where discarding was permitted, versus a Landing Obligation scenario where discarding was prohibited. In order to examine potential solutions, the study was split into two phases. Phase 1, commenced in October 2014, where vessels were expected to operate under Landing Obligation conditions; Phase 2, commenced in November 2014, where skippers were requested to use technical or tactical measures to reduce unwanted catches, thereby postponing choking and extending fishing time under the Landing Obligation scenario. Vessel 1 used a 300 mm square mesh panel in the majority of hauls conducted in November in an attempt to reduce whitefish catches. Vessel 2 primarily adopted a tactical approach by attempting to avoid areas where juvenile fish were abundant but also used a 90 mm cod-end mesh size to reduce catches of undersize whiting. Haddock was the key choke species encountered by Vessel 1 in both months. Vessel 2 choked on haddock, whiting and cod in October, and haddock in November. Vessel 1 caught substantially less whitefish species and postponed choking until 41 hauls were completed in November compared with 27 hauls in October. Vessel 2 achieved substantial reductions in catches of juvenile fish but only managed to postpone choking by an additional two hauls in November compared with October. Based on STECF figures, an additional 1.6 tonnes of haddock was added to the monthly quota allowance of 2.5 tonnes for this species as an example of a potential quota uplift which might mitigate the impact of the Landing Obligation on Vessel 2. An increase in haddock quota to 4.1 tonnes resulted in WANTED - ALL TYPES OF SHELLFISH MCM Insurance Brokers Limited Specialist broker to the Irish fishing sector. Transport can be arranged anywhere in Ireland, North or South & in the UK. If interested contact Andrew Rooney anytime on Mob: 0044 (0) 7739507011 Whole Prawns fresh - Frozen @ Sea Prawn tails fresh or frozen - Brown Crabs Scallops - Queen Scallops - Velvet Crabs Whelks - Yellow Whelks - Live Lobster Periwinkles Razors - Green Crabs - Shrimp The Harbour, Kilkeel, Co Down, Northern Ireland BT34 4AX T +44 (028) 4176 3071 F +44 (028) 4176 2188 E [email protected] Contact our experts: Ballina office on - 096 72977 MCM Insurance Brokers Ltd. are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland APRIL 2015 The Skipper News 7 one day or four hauls in October and by just one extra haul in November. In terms of economics, Vessel 1 operated at a loss under BAU during October due to relatively low catch rates of the target species Nephrops. Consequently, a premature cessation of fishing activity had little impact on profitability that month. Although things improved under the BAU scenario, profits were substantially reduced to just above breakeven point under the Landing Obligation scenario for Vessel 1 in November. Profits earned by Vessel 2 under BAU turned into major losses under the Landing Obligation scenario in October. Breakeven was roughly achieved by Vessel 2 in November under both scenarios. Vessel 1 ceased fishing early on 16th November due to lack of quota, and a poor level of profitability under the BAU scenario caused by lower catches of marketable fish, a likely side effect of attempts to avoid catching juvenile fish. This study confirms that while technical, tactical and indeed quota uplift measures can partially assist in mitigating impacts of the Landing Obligation, they are unlikely to provide a comprehensive solution. A detailed analysis of additional measures such as alternative quota management strategies, ‘de minimus’ or permitted discarding, and high survivability is urgently required to ensure economic impacts of the Landing Obligation on Irish vessels are minimised. The full report is available at http://www.bim. ie/our-publications/fishe. UCC honors Dingle legend with MSc Years of diligent oceanic toil were rewarded recently as a true man-of-the-sea, Dingle’s Kevin Flannery, was honoured by University College Cork with an honorary degree. Kevin, whose devotion to all things marine has been a life-long vocation, donned his cap and gown to receive an honorary MSc. TOTAL SUPPLIER FOR CREEL FISHING Taking over the mantle from the late Michael Long in 1980, Kevin has become a relentless and intrepid discoverer of a wide, and wild, variety of Atlantic species. As founder of Dingle Maritime Weekend, he made sure to honour the memory of his mentor, the late Mikey Long, who contributed a large percentage of the specimens in the Natural History Museum. Kevin took the baton from Michael then, and today continues in the quest to discover and learn more about marine flora and fauna. Producer of creel fishing gear, creels, line haulers, chandlery, buoys, clothes and lots of other accessories. Carapax Ltd Tel: Fax: Email: +46 523-64 22 00 +46 523-64 22 19 [email protected] www.carapax.se “One of the things he [Mikey] used to do was give a pint-bottle to any fisherman who brought in a rare fish. It was a great incentive as many of them couldn’t afford the pint,” In his capacity at Dingle Oceanworld, Kevin Flannery Kevin oversees the running of one of the county’s biggest attractions - home to a vast variety of marine species - and in recent years he has been instrumental in the establishment of a shark tank and a penguin enclosure. Along with advocating on behalf of the local fishing industry and providing a strong voice for the protection of our diverse coastal ecology, Kevin has also played an instrumental role in education, developing courses in marine biology and oceanography for visiting students from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. He is also involved in the effort to establish an international university campus in Dingle. And that’s only the mere tip of the ice-berg when it comes to Kevin Flannery - sure, he even discovered ‘alien’ life on Ventry Beach in the form of Phronimas - creatures that burrow out seasquirts and live in them while they are still alive and the inspiration for Alien sci-fi movie franchise. All in all, it was a big day out for West Kerry in Cork as former Dingle Harbour Master Captain Brian Farrell was also honoured with an MScs at the conferral ceremony.
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