Irish-led team scoops top award for ‘red tide’ project

An Irish-led EU research team has won a top science award for developing a red tide forecast and early warning system that could save the aquaculture industry millions of euro every year.

The Asimuth project, led by the Daithi O’Murchu Marine Research Station in Bantry, Co Cork, was awarded the Copernicus (global monitoring for environment and security) Masters Prize for best earth-monitoring service for European citizens this year.

The project will be awarded a satellite data quota worth €40,000.

The EU-funded project involved scientists and specialist firms from Ireland, Scotland, France, Spain, and Portugal, and Irish partners including the Marine Institute and Galway firm Numerics Warehouse.

They developed a red tide forecasting and online alert system, called the HAB Forecast, to monitor the development of these harmful algal blooms which can cost the aquaculture industry millions in lost revenue.

The first forecast system of its kind, it combines information from monitoring stations, satellite data, biological and physical oceanic models to produce regular forecasting reports for the shellfish industry.

In Ireland alone, algal blooms forced the closure of some shellfish growing areas for up to 10 months.

Red tide blooms in 2005 and 2012 caused devastating losses of farmed fish and widespread deaths of wild fish and benthic organisms.

“Working with neighbouring countries gives us a better chance of early detection of these blooms and inter-regional water currents can be modelled to estimate the potential impact of these blooms in advance of their arrival at aquaculture areas,” said Joe Silke of the Marine Institute.

Project co-ordinator Julie Maguire said the service will give producers time to adapt their culture and harvesting practices before a bloom arrives in their area.