ObSERVE Phase II Aerial Project Reports Published

Ireland’s marine waters are rich in biodiversity and are home to an extraordinary range of species including rare species such as the blue whale, and deep-diving beaked whales, as well as more common species such as pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins. Our seas also provide important foraging ground for leatherback turtles and dozens of seabird species such as puffins, guillemots, petrels, gannets and shearwaters.

ObSERVE is a groundbreaking scientific programme that was established in 2014 and designed to improve our knowledge and understanding of these species and their habitats. This better understanding is achieved by regularly collecting and analysing high quality data on the distribution and abundance of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), seabirds, turtles and other marine species around the Irish coast and in our wild Atlantic waters.

In June 2021, the Government announced the second phase of the ObSERVE Programme. The partners in this phase were the Geoscience Policy Division and International Offshore and Energy Division of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Marine Environment Section of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), which together have provided funding of €1.6 million for the aerial survey project. This brings the total investment of the ObSERVE Programme to date to €4.5 million.

The ObSERVE Phase II Aerial Project reports contain the findings from aerial surveys carried out over the course of two years by a team of researchers in University College Cork (UCC) on the occurrence, distribution, and abundance of key marine species such as cetaceans and birds, as well as a fine scale study of the seasonal distribution and abundance of seabirds, cetaceans and other large marine animals off the south and southwest Irish coast. These aerial surveys have sampled a large portion of Ireland’s maritime area of almost 490,000km-squared.

Ireland’s natural marine environment and its resources can contribute towards meeting our Climate goals, but it is essential to understand and to protect our vital marine life and environment when developing offshore sustainable energy or other maritime activities. This is the second time that abundance and distribution of seabirds has been assessed in most of the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and also the second time that abundance of cetaceans and seabirds has been estimated in the winter months. These results will help to inform the assessment of risk to protected species and provides data for assessment of the conservation status of cetacean and seabird species in Irish waters, as well as contribute to the sustainable management of Ireland’s maritime area.

Speaking on the occasion of the publication of the ObSERVE II Aerial Project Reports, Minister of State with responsibility for Communications and Circular Economy, Ossian Smyth said:

“The ObSERVE II Aerial Project has collected key data that has greatly improved our knowledge of the environment off the coast of Ireland. This information will help inform the way forward for future regulation and sustainable management of Ireland’s maritime area in tandem with advancing the conservation of protected species, and the identification of important areas for their natural ecology and its conservation”.

Representing the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Minister of State with responsibility for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan stated:

“The ecological data amassed through the ObSERVE II Aerial Project is a significant addition to our understanding of the dynamics of our marine environment. This will further enable the development of evidence based approaches for the conservation of Ireland’s biodiversity”.

To view the reports, visit the Department of the Enivironment, Climate and Communications website.