TIME RUNNING OUT TO PROTECT IRELAND’S SEAS

Time running out to protect Ireland’s seas. Fair Seas unveils giant sand art as further delays to legislation are confirmed.

Fair Seas, the coalition of leading environmental organisations and networks, has drawn a line in the sand to highlight how time is running out to protect Ireland’s marine environment.

Visual artist Sean Corcoran has etched a giant 200-foot hourglass in the sand at Kilmurrin beach in Co Waterford after it was announced that it will be the middle of next year before any Marine Protected Area (MPA) legislation is passed into law.

The long-awaited legislation, which has been promised since July 2023, is necessary for Ireland to meet its commitments to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.

Minister of State with special responsibility for Fisheries and the Marine, Timmy Dooley confirmed a recommendation will go to the Government before Christmas about whether the legislation will be a stand-alone bill or added to existing marine legislation.

Dr Donal Griffin, Fair Seas Campaign Manager said:

“The confirmation this week that the government needs the remainder of 2025 to make a decision as to what the best legislative route is to introduce Marine Protected Areas is entirely at odds with the urgency with which we need to be approaching this issue. Every month that goes by means it’s more difficult to reach our internationally agreed target of designating 30% of our seas as MPAs by 2030. Meanwhile, fish stocks are declining dramatically with many marine ecosystems on the verge of collapse. If we are to address this slide, and help restore our seas to good health again, we need the legal basis that new national MPA legislation provides.

Jack O’Donovan Trá, Communications Officer with Fair Seas added:

“The quality and content of the legislation is the single most important factor in determining how successful this legislation will be. It must provide a strong framework for delivering meaningful protection on the ground. There has to be stakeholder engagement at every stage of this process. When we have buy-in from coastal communities the result is more effective Marine Protected Areas. This is our opportunity to safeguard Ireland’s marine biodiversity for the future. We need to ensure it’s better protected, managed and restored than it is today.”

The Fair Seas campaign is led by a coalition of Ireland’s leading environmental non-governmental organisations and networks including Irish Wildlife Trust, BirdWatch Ireland, Sustainable Water Network, Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Streamscapes, Irish Environmental Network and Coastwatch. It is funded by Oceans 5, Blue Nature Alliance and the Becht Foundation.