Sustainability – Oceans

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OCEANS

Sustainability news and analysis linked to ocean and marine life.

OCEANS

Sustainability news and analysis linked to ocean and marine life.

<p>In the context of a Government seemingly indifferent to the threat of financial sanction, what will it take to move the protection of our seas to the top of the priority list?</p>

comment-analysis

What will it take for Ireland to prioritise marine protection?

The Irish Government has developed a pattern of setting ambitious environmental targets, not delivering them, then seeking to merely negotiate the penalties

<p>A short-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus) in the thickets of sea grass in the Black Sea in Odessa Bay. There have been only seven records of the short-snouted seahorse here, the earliest from 1837 and the latest dates to 1956. <span class="contextmenu emphasis CaptionCredit">Picture: iStock</span>
</p>

outdoors

Anja Murray: Ireland’s seahorses and the seagrass meadows they call home

<p>Around 40,000 tonnes of seaweed is harvested here each year, with over 95% naturally grown, according to Bord Bia. Picture: iStock</p>

outdoors

Growing benefits: Developing a sustainable seaweed industry

Underwater coral bleaching of critically endangered species Staghorn (Acropora cervicornis)

outdoors

Hot topic: The impacts of El Niño in a warmer world

Curled Octopus in a Rock Pool, Wicklow, Ireland

outdoors

Unfurling the changing fate of octopuses in Irish waters

Fisherman at work pulling fishing net on trawler

news

Decommissioning ‘one option to be looked at’ for fishing fleet

Australian Outback Farmer

Chance of El Niño forming in Pacific Ocean may push global temperatures to record highs

Experts said it is too early to be confident, but there are signals in the spread of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific that suggest an El Niño could form this year

Sun, 08 Feb, 2026

Mexico Seaweed

Scientists warn of ‘regime shift’ as seaweed blooms expand worldwide

Seaweed blooms have expanded by a staggering 13.4% a year in the tropical Atlantic and western Pacific, with the most dramatic increases occurring after 2008

Mon, 19 Jan, 2026

Aerial view of the coastline of Inishbofin, Co. Galway.

Ireland has a chance to get it right on protecting our seas

Ireland has a once-in-a-generation chance to legally protect nature in our seas and along our coasts, and we need to do it properly, writes Jack O’Donovan Trá

Tue, 30 Dec, 2025

The Greenland Ice Sheet, Facing Global Warming, Is Melting

John Gibbons: A big freeze could turn the Irish into climate refugees

We should reflect on 'get-tough' proposals on immigration: If the Amoc currents that moderate Ireland’s climate fail, temperatures will plunge, making grass-based agriculture impossible

Thu, 27 Nov, 2025

Water sample and purity analysis test, liquid in laboratory glassware

Bill will eventually arrive if we continue to trade environmental relief for short-term relief

Decisions made in Brussels and Dublin over the next few years will shape our rivers, lakes, and coasts for decades to come, writes Jenny Lawler

Mon, 10 Nov, 2025

Kerry councillors condemn approval for commercial salmon farm to continue, despite serious breaches

Kerry councillors condemn approval for commercial salmon farm to continue, despite serious breaches

The licence was revoked in 2019 when it was found to have harvested twice the allowed tonnes of salmon in 2016

Fri, 31 Oct, 2025

Irish Examiner view: Small changes add up on emissions

Irish Examiner view: Small changes add up on emissions

Every part of the world exists in delicate balance

Mon, 16 Jun, 2025

Dead elephants and feral sea lions: how poisonous algal blooms harm the planet

Dead elephants and feral sea lions: how poisonous algal blooms harm the planet

As the Earth heats up, the amount of algae in our waterways is rapidly increasing, transforming the colour of lakes and killing entire ecosystems

Tue, 10 Jun, 2025

‘Ticking timebomb’: Sea acidity at critical levels and threatens entire ecosystems

‘Ticking timebomb’: Sea acidity at critical levels and threatens entire ecosystems

Ocean acidification has already crossed a crucial threshold for planetary health, scientists say in unexpected finding

Mon, 09 Jun, 2025

Planet’s darkening oceans pose threat to marine life, scientists say

Planet’s darkening oceans pose threat to marine life, scientists say

Band of water where marine life can survive has reduced in more than a fifth of the world's oceans, in an area equivalent to the land area of Europe, Africa, China and North America combined

Tue, 27 May, 2025

'Ireland needs fresh strategy to protect its extensive maritime area'

'Ireland needs fresh strategy to protect its extensive maritime area'

Valentia Island symposium highlighted some of the challenges — not least that Ireland's maritime area is seven times the size of its landmass

Mon, 26 May, 2025

€23.86m pledged to support sustainable ocean management

€23.86m pledged to support sustainable ocean management

Minister Dooley pledged the sum at the 10th 'Our Ocean' conference in Korea.

Sat, 03 May, 2025

Could this secretive UK project be the key to life beneath the waves?

Could this secretive UK project be the key to life beneath the waves?

In a flooded quarry in Gloucestershire, a group of experts is working on a bold mission — creating permanent human homes beneath the ocean

Wed, 05 Feb, 2025

Improving Ireland's water quality a 'core requirement' for Irish farmers

Improving Ireland's water quality a 'core requirement' for Irish farmers

Just over half of Irish surface water bodies (rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters) achieved at least good status in the latest EPA Water Quality in Ireland report, with the primary challenge being too much Phosphate and Nitrogen

Tue, 17 Dec, 2024

Cork man making waves with drone start-up to restore seagrass

Cork man making waves with drone start-up to restore seagrass

Will O’Brien from Ballincollig and his team of scientists aim to restore ocean seagrass across the world to absorb carbon

Mon, 25 Nov, 2024

Watch: Two critically endangered angel sharks tagged in Tralee Bay

Watch: Two critically endangered angel sharks tagged in Tralee Bay

This marks the first time ever that an angel sharks has been fitted with an electronic tag in Irish waters

Wed, 09 Oct, 2024

SHADOWS OF BLACKTIP REEF SHARK ON THE SUNLIGHT

Sharks deserting coral reefs as oceans heat up, study shows

Climate crisis is driving key predators from their homes and threatening an already embattled ecosystem.

Mon, 09 Sep, 2024

Met Éireann forecasters told of 'profound impacts' from possible collapse of ocean current system

Met Éireann forecasters told of 'profound impacts' from possible collapse of ocean current system

Impact could lead to far more severe winters, warmer summers, and a possible increase in storminess

Thu, 22 Aug, 2024

Decommissioned Ships Are Broken Down At Gadani Shipbreaking Yard

‘Dancing with death': Why dismantling a ship is one of the world's most dangerous jobs

A new international agreement governing ship recycling yards, known as the Hong Kong Convention, is set to come into force next June and is aimed at cleaning up the industry, but critics maintain it is not enough

Thu, 08 Aug, 2024

Tori Towey detention

Irish Examiner view: Ireland's influence abroad helped ensure Tori Towey's safe return

Ireland's independent foreign policy and the hard work of Irish embassies help keep our citizens safe. Plus, as Ms Towey rightly said in Dublin Airport: 'We have each other's backs'

Fri, 12 Jul, 2024

Lack of funding and government support forces Oiled Wildlife Response Network to close

Lack of funding and government support forces Oiled Wildlife Response Network to close

The organisation said they had made the decision to close just as their services were urgently needed when oiled birds were reported all along the east coast

Tue, 02 Jul, 2024

Lack of funding and government support forces Oiled Wildlife Response Network to close

Lack of funding and government support forces Oiled Wildlife Response Network to close

The organisation said they had made the decision to close just as their services were urgently needed when oiled birds were reported all along the east coast

Tue, 02 Jul, 2024

Bluefin Tuna in Net

Climate change forcing bluefin tuna further north away from Irish coast, study finds

An unprecedented marine heatwave off Ireland's west coast last June saw sea temperatures reaching up to 5C above normal

Tue, 11 Jun, 2024

Seaweed, sabotage, and how Ireland could benefit from a sustainable crop under the sea

Seaweed, sabotage, and how Ireland could benefit from a sustainable crop under the sea

Paul Cobb, who has built up a business exporting culinary seaweed from West Cork to Japan, says there is an ocean of untapped potential in Ireland’s Atlantic waters

Sun, 26 May, 2024

Islands of Ireland: Cleaning up the plastic 'treasure' on Inishbroon

Islands of Ireland: Cleaning up the plastic 'treasure' on Inishbroon

But I had no room on my kayak for a 12ft by 6ft refrigerator door which must have come from a commercial ship

Fri, 03 May, 2024