ObSERVE Phase II Aerial Project Reports

• Aerial surveys of whales, dolphins, porpoises and seabirds in Irish Waters

Today marks an important point of progression in the deepening of our understanding of Ireland’s offshore arena and marine life with the publication of the ObSERVE Phase II Aerial Project reports.

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:

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:

To view the reports, visit the Item was unpublished or removed

ENDS

ObSERVE II Overview

ObSERVE is a major state-sponsored marine scientific programme which aims to greatly improve our knowledge and understanding of protected offshore species and sensitive habitats through high quality, state-of-the-art data collection across Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone.

ObSERVE is overseen by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communication in partnership with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) as part of the Government’s role in the sustainable management of offshore activities and appropriate marine conservation strategies.

The contract for this Aerial Project was awarded to UCC, which carried out a series of broad scale and fine scale aerial surveys of Irish offshore areas. The partners on the ObSERVE Working Group overseeing the project in this Phase II included representatives from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communication, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and SEAI with the participation of an independent expert advisor.

ObSERVE II builds on the information gathered during ObSERVE I, with findings expected to feed into the sustainable management of offshore activities and appropriate marine conservation strategies, including offshore renewable energy projects. 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.

The findings of ObSERVE II will help to identify potential risks and impacts on protected species and habitats and will enable developers to plan mitigation measures. Data from ObSERVE may also support the permitting process for offshore activities by demonstrating that projects comply with environmental regulations.

ObSERVE Phase II Aerial Report Findings

Over the three broad-scale surveys (summer 2021 and summer and winter 2022) there were almost 39,400 sightings of seabirds representing 24 seabird species and almost 2,200 sightings of 17 species of cetaceans. The observations included common species of seabirds such as Northern gannets, black-legged kittiwakes, Northern fulmars, and Common guillemots, while cetacean sightings included common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoise and minke whales, as well as rarer sightings of species such as killer whales and beaked whales. Other species sighted included sunfish, basking sharks, and blue sharks.

Coastal waters were particularly important for seabirds throughout the year. Guillemots, puffins, razorbills petrels, gannets and Manx shearwaters were primarily recorded in summer, while fulmars and black-legged kittiwakes were seen in greater numbers in winter. The entire area was estimated to support over 1.5 million seabirds in both summer and winter, with the broad scale surveys highlighted ‘hotspots’ in the Irish Sea and coastal waters off the southwest and west coasts for seabirds. Fine scale surveys further highlighted the importance of the southwest coastal waters for seabirds, with an estimated 200,000 seabirds in summer, 320,000 seabirds in autumn and 40,000 seabirds in winter. Additionally, fine scale surveys in autumn 2022 allowed an estimate of northern gannet mortality caused by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Avian flu) in colonies off the southwest coast of around 3,000 individuals.

Seasonal and between year differences in abundance occurred in some cetacean species, highlighting differences in movement and migration patterns. At least three species of the deep diving, and poorly known beaked whales were recorded, with an estimated 2,000 individuals in summer and 3,700 in winter, primarily concentrated along the continental shelf break along the west coast of Ireland. Sightings of rarer species such as false killer whale also occurred. Common dolphins were the most abundant cetacean species, showing higher abundances than in Phase I of the ObSERVE programme in 2015-2016. They were particularly abundant in 2021 (approximately 600,000 in summer and 250,000 in winter). Bottlenose dolphins were the second most abundant cetacean in Irish waters, with around 35,000 individuals in summer and 24,000 in winter. The Celtic Sea and coastal areas of the west coast were highlighted as important for both dolphin species. Harbour porpoise, the smallest cetacean in Irish waters, showed particularly low numbers in 2022 (7,500 individuals in summer and 6,600 individuals in winter) compared to Phase I of the ObSERVE programme, and primarily occurred in the Irish Sea. Minke whale was the most frequently observed and most abundant of the baleen whales (between 2,000 and 4,600 in summer and 500 in winter) and were primarily recorded in coastal waters. The larger fin and humpback whales were also recorded. Fin whales occurred in both summer and winter, highlighting the continental shelf edge as an important area for this species, possibly as a migratory corridor or for foraging.