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The Marine Institute has launched a new marine fisheries
Atlas containing the most up-to-date information on commercial
activity in the seas around Ireland.
Geared towards the general public, policymakers, managers,
scientists and all stakeholders, the information is presented
in a very visual format and uses non-technical language. The
focus of the Atlas is on fish stocks that are regulated by
Total Allowable Catches (TAC’s) under the EU Common Fisheries
Policy (CFP).
The Atlas not only gives information for the main fisheries
carried out, but also on the Total Allowable Catches (TACs)
for each of these stocks, on landings' trends and on fishing
activity (effort levels) in the seas around Ireland. In addition,
the Atlas provides a brief overview on the state of the each
fisheries resource as indicated by the latest scientific assessments.
“The ocean waters around Ireland contain a very productive
and biologically diverse marine ecosystem,” said Dr. Paul
Connolly of the Marine Institute’s Fisheries Science Services
team.
“These ocean waters include a large area of shallow continental
shelf less than 200m in depth. There are two important offshore
banks off the west of Ireland - the Porcupine Bank and
the Rockall Bank. The ocean area also includes a steep continental
shelf that extends into the Atlantic Ocean to depths of over
2,500 meters. The Atlas presents maps on these areas and illustrates
the various boundaries that have been developed for management
and regulation of the seas.“
Over the last number of centuries, commercial fisheries developed
and expanded from coastal waters into the shelf area. In the
last few decades, commercial fisheries have extended out into
the deep waters of the Atlantic. In 2007, an estimated
1.9 million tonnes of fish were taken by the fishing fleets
operating in the seas around Ireland - of which 185,000 tonnes
of these fish - or 10% of the international landings - was
brought ashore by the Irish industry. The Atlas provides maps
of the fishing activity of the various countries in the seas
around Ireland.
“The seas around Ireland are critically important to the
life cycle of many fish species,” added Dr. Connolly. “The
largest and most valuable migratory pelagic stocks in the
north east Atlantic (mackerel, horse mackerel and blue whiting)
all spawn off the west coast of Ireland, while stocks of hake,
anglerfish and megrim spawn along the continental slope to
the west and south.”
The Atlas also shows the important herring, cod, haddock,
whiting, plaice and sole spawning areas in the Irish Sea and
the Celtic Sea. The coastal waters are important nursery
areas for young fish. Shellfish stocks such as prawn,
crab, lobster, shrimp, scallop, whelk and cockles are also
abundant in local inshore areas.
To download the Atlas - Click
Here [2MB]
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