News & Events

SEMRU Symposium

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Symposium Agenda 2023‌

The 13th Annual Marine Economics and Policy Research Symposium.
The day will provide participants with an update on a wide range of policy topics related to the marine sector in Ireland. The theme of this year’s event is “Collaborative Marine Policy and Governance”. Sessions on the day will focus on topics such as marine and coastal tourism, maritime spatial planning, marine and coastal environmental protection and the importance of community and stakeholder involvement in marine policy formation.

Register for the event here.

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Ireland’s Ocean Economy Report

19 December 2022

The Marine Institute in partnership with the University of Galway’s Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU) has released the latest update on the performance of Ireland’s Ocean Economy. The report provides an update on Ireland’s ocean economy across three main economic indicators: turnover, gross value added (GVA) and employment, and provides an analysis of trends over the last five years. The full report can be downloaded here - Ireland's Ocean Economy Report 2022‌

Save the date! 12th Annual Marine Economics and Policy Research Symposium

7 November 2022

Save the date! The Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU), in partnership with the Marine Institute, will host the 12th Annual Marine Economics and Policy Research Symposium at the Marine Institute, Oranmore. The event provides presentations on a wide range of policy topics related to the marine sector in Ireland and further afield.

Join us on the 6th of December 2022 by reserving a spot at this link!

SEMRU's postdocs participate in the Post-Doctoral Fellowships Symposium

26 October 2022

Postdoc group photo

SEMRU’s Dr John Deely and Dr Daniel Cassidy with the other Marine Institute Post-doctoral fellows who participated in the Post-Doctoral Fellowships Symposium held at the Marine Institute in Oranmore, Galway on the 25^th of October.

SEMRU Seminar, Tuesday 26th June, 2018

26 June 2018

Two SEMRU researchers will give a lunchtime presentation in the areas of ports & shipping.

12th Annual Marine Economics and Policy Research Symposium

17 October 2022

symposium

SEMRU representing Ireland at Arctic Circle Assembly

17 October 2022

Ireland is a near-Arctic Island nation located in the North Atlantic and the changes taking place in the Arctic impact directly on us. Today’s Arctic agenda covers a range of issues important to Ireland’s national interests, including climate change; law of the sea; energy exploration; new Arctic shipping routes; fish and aquaculture; marine conservation; search and rescue; preservation of minority/indigenous languages and cultures; peripheral communities; and sustainable development. As a globally aware state Ireland wishes to play a constructive role in the Arctic because of the significance of the Arctic region globally and the increasingly adverse impact climate change is having on the Earth’s oceans and environment. With that in mind, the Department of Foreign Affairs hosted Ireland’s first ever panel discussion at the Arctic Circle Assembly which took place in Reykjavik from the 13^th to the 15^th of October 2022. The session highlighted existing and emerging Irish expertise in addressing these Arctic Challenges.

The coordination of research efforts on a regional, national, and international scale is becoming increasingly urgent in order to address the emerging environmental and societal pressures on the Arctic region, which have global significance and impacts. Ireland is determined to facilitate collaboration, sharing, and coordination of scientific, technological, and socio-economical expertise linked to the Arctic and thereby contribute to solving these challenges. Specifically, the Irish session at the Arctic Circle Assembly focused on (1) Ireland’s growing scientific expertise in Arctic marine and terrestrial environments, (2) Ireland’s strength in leading technological innovation in search and rescue operations and (3) Ireland’s leadership in socio-economic research relevant to Arctic inhabitants and Indigenous Peoples. During the session, short presentations highlighted how Irish expertise is relevant to Arctic regions and communities. This was followed by a panel discussion where the speakers took questions from the audience. University of Galway’s Dr Audrey Morley and Prof Stephen Hynes were two of the panel members at this historical event.

Representing Ireland at the event were (l to R) Claire Thompson - Department of Foreign Affairs, Stephen Hynes - University of Galway, John Connolly - Trinity College, Audrey Morley - University of Galway, Kevin Fitzgibbon - Munster Technological University, Tom Barry - University of Akureyri and Olive Hempenstall - Department of Foreign Affairs

Discussion on the socio-economic aspects of the artisanal fisheries and aquaculture, challenges and opportunities for sustainable policies

20 September 2022

On July 18^th 2022, Prof Stephen Hynes of SEMRU, Whitaker Institute was part of a panel discussion at the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission Policy Day held in Vigo, Spain. The event was held in collaboration with the 20^th Biennial IIFET conference. The theme of the Policy Day was “Socio-economic aspects of the artisanal fisheries and aquaculture, challenges and opportunities for sustainable policies”. Prof Hynes was invited by the Commission to be part of a high-level panel discussing “Challenges and opportunities for sustainable policies in artisanal fisheries and aquaculture”. The other panel members were Ernesto Penas, former director at the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission, Amber Himes Cornell of the UN Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (UN FAO) and Will Symes of the OECD Fisheries Committee Secretariat. Angel Calvo, Deputy Head of Unit, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission, moderated the session.

IIFET panel discussion 2022

Ireland's Ocean Economy Survey 2022

23 June 2022

The Marine Institute and SEMRU at NUI Galway, are conducting a survey of marine and marine-related businesses as part of the regular reporting on Ireland's Ocean Economy. Although the CSO and other State organisations provide some data on marine related economic activity, there is a need to supplement this data with company surveys across a number of sectors (advanced marine technology products and services, offshore renewable energy, marine commerce and legal services, marine manufacturing, construction and engineering).

Previous ocean economy reports are available on the reports section of our website. The survey will be open over the months of June and July with the results published later this year. The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OceanEconomy2022Offshore.

In addition to general economic figures collected, this year's survey includes a section on the impact of COVID-19 and other external factors affecting marine businesses.

If you have any queries, please contact Marie-Christin.Lanser@Marine.ie or stephen.hynes@nuigalway.ie

Oyster reefs and nature-based solutions to coastal damage

4 May 2022

An article based on research by Prof. Stephen Hynes has been recently published by Afloat. The article highlights the findings of a study on the costs and benefits of natural-based solutions versus grey infrastructures to protect coastal amenities from climate change-related events. The study was based on the Rinville coastal trail (Co. Galway) that is subject to coastal flooding. By analysing the recreational value of the coastal trail and the costs of green and grey infrastructures, the research found that oyster reefs, as a nature-based solution, are cost-effective and provide additional benefits in terms of biodiversity and marine habitat restoration. The Afloat article can be seen here and the journal paper that the article is passed on can be downloaded here.

Four new Whitaker Institute Policy Briefs from SEMRU

31 March 2022

Four Whitaker Institute Policy Briefs from the SEMRU team have been issued in the past month. The papers highlight the recent research outputs from the unit. Policy Brief no 92 discusses findings from a recent study that examined public preferences for the development of offshore wind farms incorporating electricity trade. Policy Brief no 93 reviewed a recent paper that looks at the role of economic valuation and appraisal in marine policy making. Policy Brief no 94 summarizes the results from a regional assessment of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions on the distribution of employment in the Irish ocean economy while Policy Brief no 94 reviews the findings from a recent study that examined the costs and benefits of protecting a coastal amenity from climate change-related hazards. More information on each policy brief can be found under the Policy Briefs section on the SEMRU Publication web pages.

PB-SEMRU-2022 ‌

SEMRU co-edit special journal issue focused on the evolution of the ocean economy research agenda

28 February 2022

A special issue of The Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics that featured eleven papers drawn from the International Symposium on the Oceans in National Income Accounts hosted by the Whitaker Institute last year has been launched. Prof Stephen Hynes of the Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU), Whitaker Institute and Prof Charles Colgan of the Center for the Blue Economy, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey, California were co-editors of the special issue. The symposium was held on the 24th and 25th of March 2021. In line with the presentations at the symposium the papers in the special issue cover the current status of defining the ocean economy within national accounts, the expansion of ocean accounting to include environmental economic values, and methodological tools to assist the integration. The introductory paper to the special issue, authored by the co-editors “From Monterey to Galway: Evolution of the Oceans in National Income Accounts” reviews the evolution of thinking on ocean economy and environment accounting since the first symposium held back in 2015 and also provides an overview of the selected eleven papers.

The symposium was supported with funding from the European Regional Development Fund and the EU Interreg Atlantic Area Programme via the SEMRU led MOSES project (EAPA_224/2016). The special issue is available to download here: Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics, Volume 8, Issue 2 while the presentations from the Fifth International Symposium on the Oceans in National Income Accounts are available watch here.

OINA

Registration is open! – The 5th International Symposium on the Oceans in National Income Accounts

22 February 2021

The MOSES project will host an international symposium on the oceans in national income accounts on the 24th and 25th of March 2021

As well as showcasing the work of MOSES the 2 day symposium will involve representatives from government, industry, academia and international organisations sharing their national and international perspectives on progress made in measuring the ocean economy. They will discuss ways in which international ocean economy statistics can be improved through satellite and natural capital accounting approaches as well as examining how the usage of such information by policy makers can be improved.

Topics to be discussed at the symposium include:

The big challenges – Why we need improved ocean economy statistics
Revised national standards for ocean and related industry classification
Satellite accounting of ocean economic activities
Tools for improved usage of ocean economy statistics
Pathways to a sustainable ocean economy
Developing marine ecosystem income accounts
Issues for inclusion of marine ecosystem service benefit values in ocean accounts

To view the full event schedule, click here.

More information on the event can be found at www.mosesproject.eu

To register for the event click here.

Save the Date – The 5th International Symposium on the Oceans in National Income Accounts

6 January 2021

The MOSES project consortium are delighted to host the symposium on the 24th and 25th of March 2021 as part of its final Congress.

The measurement of the economic values of the ocean within national income accounting frameworks has received increasing policy attention in recent years. Researchers and governments in a number of countries across the globe have undertaken a variety of efforts to develop methodologically consistent approaches to measuring the contributions of oceans to national income across time and space. More recently a number of international agencies have been going beyond measuring the direct output and employment values of the ocean-related industries by generating ocean economy satellite accounts that capture additional activity that cannot be easily identified in published data and provide insights into the contribution of the ocean economy to non-ocean sectors

The impact of the current and potential human activities on marine and coastal ecosystem are also a key determinant of the ocean´s health and of the derived societal benefits through the outputs of the ocean economy industries and the continued delivery of marine ecosystem services. With this in mind, initiatives such as the EU INTERREG Atlantic Area MOSES project have been examining the ‘blue’ growth pathways for the sustainable development of the major ocean economy industries and developing indicators and tools to monitor the progress toward these sustainable growth paths.

Since the first Symposium hosted by the Centre for the Blue Economy (CBE) at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, USA, in October 2015 this event has provided a crucial platform to develop the methods by which international organisations measure and monitor ocean economic activity. This, the 5th Symposium in the series will involve representatives from government, industry, academia and international organisations sharing their national and international perspectives on progress made in measuring the ocean economy. They will discuss ways in which international ocean economy statistics can be improved through satellite and natural capital accounting approaches as well as examining how the usage of such information by policymakers can be improved.

Due to ongoing Covid-19 constraints, the event will be online. Further information on the agenda and registration will be available shortly.

Topics to be discussed at the symposium include:

The big challenges – Why we need improved ocean economy statistics
Revised national standards for ocean and related industry classification
Satellite accounting of ocean economic activities
Tools for improved usage of ocean economy statistics
Pathways to a sustainable ocean economy
Developing marine ecosystem income accounts
Issues for inclusion of marine ecosystem service benefit values in ocean accounts

Rising to the Challenge, July 2020

15 July 2020

Researchers at the Whitaker Institute have responded to the COVID-19 crisis with innovative research projects and impactful contributions to the national effort to respond to the pandemic. As part of this drive, SEMRU have been looking at major global economic developments that will have the greatest impact on the performance of Ireland’s ocean economy industries in the near- and medium-term, including the COVID crisis. The research explores the case for increased public and private investment in ocean economy industries, with the COVID crisis posing both challenges and opportunities for Ireland’s ocean economy. Prof. Alan Ahearne and Dr. Stephen Hynes presented preliminary findings from their research to the Inter-Departmental Marine Coordination Group (MCG) convened by the Department of the Taoiseach on 11^th June 2020. For more information, please follow the link below:

https://spark.adobe.com/page/YkoY2V9bex3Ok/?ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwhitakerinstitute.ie%2Fwhitaker-institute-covid19-response-group%2F&embed_type=overlay&context=lightbox-expand

SEMRU launches a new report valuing domestic coastal and marine tourism and leisure activities in the Republic of Ireland, 18th MAY 2020

18 May 2020

SEMRU has released a report that presents estimates of the value of domestic coastal and marine tourism and leisure activities in the Republic of Ireland. This current report is a compliment to the overseas marine tourism report launched by SEMRU last September. For the current report SEMRU carried out a household survey of domestic residents in 2019, funded by the Marine Institute through its Marine Research Programme. The purpose of the survey was to examine participation rates amongst domestic residents in a variety of marine activities; to examine where Irish residents go for overnight coastal visits and to provide estimates of domestic coastal and marine tourism expenditures for the reference year 2018. The full report is available to download at the following link: A survey of domestic coastal and marine tourism an leisure activities in Ireland. For more information, please contact stephen.hynes@nuigalway.ie.

Celebrating 10 years of Marine Economics and Policy Research at NUI Galway, 28 - 29th November 2019

5 December 2019

The 10th Annual Marine Economics and Policy Research Symposium was held on Thursday and Friday the 28th and 29th of November at the Marine Institute in Oranmore. Organised each year by the Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU) of the Whitaker Institute, NUI Galway, with the support of the Marine Institute, the one and a half day event provides an update on a wide range of policy topics related to the marine sector in Ireland and further afield.

Exploring Natural Capital Solutions for our Shared Marine Environment Seminar on Wed, 13 November 2019

5 December 2019

Bord Iascaigh Mhara and the Irish Forum on National Capital joined forces to host a senior stakeholder breakfast seminar to explore how Ireland and its marine sector can use natural capital approaches on its sustainable development journey. Dr Stephen Hynes of SEMRU was there to disciuss the ongoing projects of the unit in this exciting area of research.

Pictured are the speakers during the panel discussion; Micheal O'Cinneide, Chair, Gráinne Devine, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Mark Eigenraam, Institute for Development of Environmental-Economic Accounting (IDEEA), Jane Stout, Trinity College Dublin, Carl Obst, IDEEA, Michael Keating, BIM and Stephen Hynes, SEMRU, NUI Galway.

The 4th International Symposium on the Oceans in National Income Accounts, Qingdao, China, October 26-27, 2019

29 October 2019

Stephen Hynes participated in the 4^th International Symposium on the Oceans in National Income Accounts. The theme of this year’s event was “Challenges and Measurements to Evaluate Marine Economy”. The symposium was held in Qingdao, China, from October 26^th to 27th, 2019 and was hosted by the National Maritime Data and Information Service of China and the Ocean University of China The purpose of this annual symposium is to explore how nations around the world are incorporating the economic value of the ocean into national income accounts. The symposium examines current issues in the measurement of ocean economic values, explores how economic uses of the oceans are rapidly changing, and how an understanding of the ocean’s contribution to national income can help sustain ocean resources and ecosystems. Stephen discussed challenges to measuring marine tourism in ocean economy accounts and presented research on measuring the value and contribution of marine and coastal tourism.

Pictured: Stephen Hynes with delegates from the National Marine Data and Information Service of China, Yang Yi, Rui Zhao, Xiang Wenxi, Wang Xiaohui, and Song Weiling at the 4^th International Symposium on the Oceans in National Income Accounts.

EU Interreg Moses Project Meeting in Belfast, 15-16th October 2019

17 October 2019

Participants from Spain, Portugal, UK and Ireland took part in the third Partner Meeting of the MOSES Project in Belfast this week. The group are part of the MOSES project which is funded by Interreg Atlantic Area Programme and looks at blue growth pathways for the key marine sectors.

This event also gave opportunity for engagement with a number of Irish & UK stakeholders in the marine sector at the Policy & Decision Forum, which the theme this time was sustainable ports and shipping, and coastal tourism. The breakaway session saw participants from both the ports & shipping, and the coastal tourism sector discuss some barriers and advantages to blue growth.

Over the final 15 months the project, will be working to assess the sectorial pressures of the marine environment in the Atlantic Region, completing their “Living Lab” case studies to demonstrate sustainable transition pathways and culminating in the development of an integrated marine sustainability toolkit.

A break at the Pass, 14th Sept 2019

14 September 2019
SEMRU members and NUIG partners on the EU MERCES and ATLAS projects, Anthony Grehan and Stephen Hynes, take time out at the top of the Healy Pass during the Tour de Beara, September 14^th, to discuss project deliverables and the next decent!

New Report launched today by SEMRU, Sept 5th 2019 - SURVEY OF MARINE AND COASTAL OVERSEAS TOURISM IN IRELAND

5 September 2019

SEMRU today has released a report that presents estimates of the value of coastal and marine overseas tourism activities in the Republic of Ireland for the year 2018. Launched at the Donegal Marine Tourism Conference, the report presents a profile of overseas tourism activity in coastal Ireland across 20 coastal and marine activities.

SEMRU carried out a survey of overseas visitors to Ireland, funded by the Marine Institute through its Marine Research Programme. The purpose of the survey was to estimate what proportion of total holiday expenditure was in coastal areas (coastal tourism) and what proportion was on undertaking marine related leisure activities (marine tourism). The full report can be downloaded here ().

SEMRU has published its latest figures on Ireland’s Ocean Economy, Monday 10th June 2019

NUI Galway’s Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU) has released its latest update on the performance of Ireland’s Ocean Economy.

Coinciding with the Our Ocean Wealth Summit and the Government’s Annual Review of its Integrated Marine Plan – Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth, the report presents a complete and comparable profile across thirteen marine related industries in Ireland.

The update shows that Ireland’s ocean economy has a turnover of €6.2 billion, with a direct economic contribution, as measured by GVA, of €2.2 billion or 1.1% of GDP. Taking into account indirect GVA generated from ocean related activity in Ireland total GVA is €4.2bn, representing 2% of GDP.

Dr Stephen Hynes, co-author of the report and Director of SEMRU based at the Whitaker Institute for Innovation and Societal Change at NUI Galway, has advised Government that “the latest figures indicate that Ireland’s ocean economy continues to see growth across both established and emerging marine industries. We expect the Government’s 2020 target will be exceeded next year, and the gap is narrowing in terms of the Government’s ambitious 2030 target”.

This year’s report also includes a socio-demographic profile of Ireland’s coastal economy and presents the values of a range of marine ecosystem services to Irish society. As pointed out by Dr Hynes “tracking marine economic activities, monitoring developments in our coastal economy and estimating the marine ecosystem service benefit values to Irish society promotes more informed maritime planning and more effective marine policy formation”.

Ireland's Ocean Economy Report 2019

Photo: Minister for agriculture, food and marine Michael Creed TD discusses the SEMRU Report on Ireland’s Ocean Economy Report with co-author Dr Stephen Hynes, SEMRU, NUIG.

The latest figures have been announced by Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Michael Creed, TD at the Annual Ocean Wealth Summit in Cork. The 2019 Summit will see national and global leaders discuss the health of our oceans. This includes senior Government and UN representatives from island states sharing experiences on oceans’ health and climate change.

Ireland’s Ocean Economy Statistics Series is carried out with the support of the Marine Institute and is funded by the Irish Government’s Marine Research Programme.

To download the full report, please visit Ireland's Ocean Economy Report_2019

For more information contact Dr Stephen Hynes, SEMRU and Whitaker Institute, NUI Galway at stephen.hynes@nuigalway.ie

‘Harnessing our Ocean Wealth’ Targets:

Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth (HOOW) – An Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland, published in July 2012, outlines the Government’s ambitions a number of ambitious targets which seek to expand Ireland’s ocean economy. The Plan sets out two economic targets. The 2020 target aims to increase the turnover from Ireland’s ocean economy to exceed €6.4bh by 2020. SEMRU estimates that end the end of 2018, Ireland’s ocean industries have a combined turnover of €6.23bn.

The second target aims to double its value to 2.4% of GDP by 2030. This ambitious target was based on a total estimate (both direct and indirect Gross Value Added) in 2007 for the Irish Ocean economy that amounted to 1.2% of GDP at that time. The latest marine industry statistics from SEMRU indicate that the total direct and indirect value of the Irish ocean economy is €4.2bn (GVA), or 2% of GDP.

Valuing Marine Ecosystems presented to the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, May 13th 2019

13 May 2019

On Monday 13 May, Stephen Hynes gave a keynote address on Valuing Marine Ecosystem Services at the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA) Plenary on 13th May last. Stephen was also joined by his European Marine Board (EMB) VALMARE working group colleague Prof Melanie Austen (Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK). Stephen and Melanie presented the results of the SEMRU “Valuing Ireland’s Blue Ecosystem Services” report and the EMB's Future Science Brief n°5 report “Valuing Marine Ecosystems”.

British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly

Pictured are Mr Seán Crowe, TD, Prof Melanie Austen, Mr. Andrew Rosindell, MP, Dr. Stephen Hynes.

SEMRU co-author European Marine Board's 5th Future Science Brief, 3rd April 2019

3 April 2019

On Wednesday 3 April 2019, over 50 participants and speakers from across Europe gathered in the European Parliament to attend the launch of European Marine Board's 5^th Future Science Brief on 'Valuing Marine Ecosystem Services'. The speakers and participants discussed how to better account for and integrate values stemming from Marine Ecosystem Services into marine management and policy decisions. SEMRU’s Stephen Hynes was one of the co-authors of the report.

EMB

Working Group Chair Melanie Austen (on the left) and EMB Executive Director Sheila Heymans (on the right) hand over the first printed copies to the hosts of the event: MEP's Gessine Meissner (Germany) and Ricardo Serrão Santos (Portugal).

ALICE meeting, Belfast, 3rd - 5th April 2019

3 April 2019

Participants from Spain, Portugal, UK and Ireland took part in the third Partner Meeting of the EU Atlantic INTERREG Project ALICE in Belfast recently (3-5th April 2019). SEMRU are the Irish partner on the project where they are examining the possibilities surrounding sustainable investments in Blue-Green Infrastructure Networks (BGINs) through identification of the benefits of Ecosystem Services delivered at the terrestrial-aquatic and land-sea interface in the Atlantic Region.

ALICE meeting, Belfast

Launch of the Asian Development Bank’s Outlook 2019 (ADO), 3rd April 2019

3 April 2019

Today the Asian Development Bank’s flagship economic publication was launched, Asian Development Outlook 2019 (ADO). Co authored by SEMRU’s Dr. Thomas Mc Dermott, the outlook provides a comprehensive analysis of macroeconomic issues in developing Asia and the Pacific, including growth projections by country and region.

ADO

The theme chapter Strengthening Disaster Resilience shows that disasters, including their causes and consequences, are shaped by the dynamics of the economy, society, and environment in which they occur. Increasing disaster risk is a growing threat to the development and prosperity of countries across Asia and the Pacific, and the consequences — particularly in terms of fatalities and economic impacts — tend to be more severe in developing countries and affect poor and marginalized people disproportionally.

The full report is available to download at: http://dx.doi.org/10.22617/FLS190070-3

National Biodiversity Conference, 20th and 21st February

20 February 2019

Two SEMRU members presented at the National Biodiversity Conference in Dublin Castle recently. Dr Daniel Norton gave two presentations on two SEMRU projects related to ecosystem services. The first presentation gave an overview of Valuing Ireland’s Blue Ecosystem Services (VIBES) report which was funded by the EPA. He also presented on the DAFM funded project Valuing Agricultural Catchment Ecosystem Services (VACES).

The other SEMRU presenter was PhD student Luke McGrath. He presented work on using genuine savings, a natural capital accounting approach, to measure changes in the levels of sustainable development in Ireland over time.

More details on the conference can be found here including the conference report https://www.biodiversityconfe

Economics students all at sea!, 19th February 2019

19 February 2019

Students taking part in the seagoing training for the MSc (Global Environmental Economics) programme held in Cork, on Tuesday the 19^th of February 2019 onboard the RV Celtic Voyager. The one day training focuses specifically on economic activities taking place in Cork Harbour and a hands-on examination of the methods by which marine scientists collect data that can be used by economists for modelling and analysing the impacts of economic activities on the marine environment.

Students at sea

Moses partners meet in Bilbao, Nov 13-14th, 2018

13 November 2018

MOSES Project Partners

Participants from Spain, Portugal, UK and Ireland took part in the second Partner Meeting of the MOSES Project in Bilbao recently. The group are part of the MOSES project, led by SEMRU, which is funded by Interreg Atlantic Area Programme and looks at blue growth for the key marine sectors.

This event also gave opportunity for engagement with a number of Spanish stakeholders in the marine sector, from which the partners gained valuable transnational expertise.

Over the next 12 months the project will be working to identify and assess the sectorial pressures of the marine environment in the Atlantic Region, using “Living Lab” case studies to demonstrate sustainable transition pathways and culminating in the development of an integrated marine sustainability toolkit.

The 9th Annual Marine Economics and Policy Research Symposium, 8th November 2018

8 November 2018

Dr Michaél O'Cinnéide presenting the Plenary session

The Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU), Whitaker Institute, NUI Galway, recently hosted it’s 9th Annual Marine Economics & Policy Research Symposium (18th Nov). With over 80 delegates, the day was a great success with this year’s theme, ‘The Marine Economy: Access and Infrastructure’. Speakers included Lt. Cdr Paul Hegarty, Irish Naval Service, Dr Christina Kelly, Queen’s University Belfast, Dr Gianluca Grilli of the Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin and Dr Ingrid Mateo Mantecon, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain, to name but a few. The first session addressed marine and coastal resource usage and access, including sea level rise costs, seabass angling – access and effort, valuing marine & coastal tourism to the Irish economy and transforming marine governance. Following that, the mid-morning session gave an eye opening insight into the world of maritime security in Ireland, fisheries protection and policing, followed by the ever hot topic of Brexit and the displacement of fishing. This led nicely into a cosy discussion over lunch overlooking the River Corrib on a sunny November day.

Dr Stephen Hynes, Director of SEMRU said, “One of the highlights of the symposium was the afternoon plenary session, where Dr Micheál O'Cinnéide shared his vast experiences and views on marine governance and spatial planning in Ireland. Micheál advocated for an increase in resources for marine spatial planning equivalent to its land counterpart and pointed to Scotland in terms of a good example in designing the State’s first plan for its marine territory. It was also great to have representative from the relevant government department responding to Micheál’s talk on the day.” Check out the article from the Irish Times on Micheál’s plenary here.

The day came to a close with a final session which zoned in on ports - looking at access and efficiency, with a comparison of Spanish versus Irish ports and container port terminal sustainability.

Next year will see the 10^th anniversary of the symposium.