Irish Marine Life
fish
New salmon season, same sea-lice problems
As salmon begin arriving back to our county’s rivers from their epic journeys through the North Atlantic, they do so oblivious to the interest, concern, intense research and sometimes conflict their existence generates among humans on the west coast of Ireland. The IFI, NWRFB, NIG, DAFF and SWI are all acronyms of organisations and boards … Continue reading
Sunspots, the big freeze and our marine life
The Atlantic Ocean’s greatest contribution to this county and country is not the amount of fish it provides, or shellfish it sustains, or even the amount of tourism it generates, but the rather simple way in which its relatively warm water heats the air over it and a constant supply of low-pressure systems push that … Continue reading
Oversize swells, Topographies and Winter visitors.
Strikingly similar to last year, November kicked off with oversize swells, renewed respect for high-tide and small reminders from the Atlantic of its never-too-distant potency. Territory, such as well-intentioned beach car-parks, was reclaimed furtively with angry deposits of sand and stones in the middle of the night, while wintertime walkers on the shore noted how … Continue reading
The Best and Worst of Marine Life
We paint quite the blissful picture of marine life here; considerate crustaceans pausing for examination by curious biologists, obliging fish waiting patiently for a snorkeller to enter the shallows and so on. For some, however, the abiding marine life moment of Summer 2010 will be a sore memory, as they never imagined a trip to … Continue reading
Tuna´s end
An excellent article in The New York Times about Bluefin tuna and global fishing considerations: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/magazine/27Tuna-t.html?pagewanted=1
Snorkel at An Spideal
New pictures – check out na griangrafanna on the right hand side of this page —-» An Spideal yesterday evening kicked off the first snorkel of this year and try-out of my new underwater camera housing. A week of north winds (offshore in Spiddal) meant good visibility but water temperatures are still pretty chilly. Nothing … Continue reading
Ranching The Salmon of Knowledge
The first salmon of the 2010 season was caught on The River Moy on the last weekend in February and in the Delphi valley in the other corner of the county the day before. Almost 30% of Ireland’s total salmon catch is taken in the Mayo / West Sligo region and aptly enough, the region … Continue reading
Irish Marine Life 