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ObSERVE Programme
From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
Published on
Last updated on
Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers an area in the sea of more than 420,000 square kilometres. It stretches from the relatively shallow and calmer Irish Sea to the deep and exposed Atlantic Ocean to the west of the island. Within this vast marine area an extraordinary range of species, habitats and physical features are to be found. The region also supports a thriving maritime economy and heritage that have nurtured its people for centuries.
Now, more than ever, there's a recognition that we need to protect and conserve our rich marine biodiversity and manage the available natural resources in harmony with surrounding ecosystems, whether they are biological or physical resources such as energy for example. Important marine industrial activities require careful assessment, management and regulation in order to protect our environment and to live up to our national and international obligations.
In October 2014 a major marine scientific programme was established. Called the ObSERVE Programme, its main aim is 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 EEZ. Information generated and analysed under the programme is expected to feed into the sustainable management of offshore activities and appropriate marine conservation strategies.
Two strategic projects were completed under the first phase of the ObSERVE Programme with a combined government investment of almost €2.7 million.
In June 2021, the Government announced the second phase of the ObSERVE Programme, an active partnership and coordination between the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, who together have provided funding of €1.6 million for the Aerial survey project. This brings the total investment of the ObSERVE Programme so far to €4.5 million.
ObSERVE Phase 2 commenced with the awarding of the ObSERVE 2 Aerial project, which surveyed a large portion of Ireland’s maritime area of almost 490,000km2 together with fine-scale aerial surveys of the south-eastern and south-western coast of Ireland. This project builds on the knowledge and data gathered in the first phase of ObSERVE.
In 2021, University College Cork was awarded a contract from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) in partnership with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to undertake extensive aerial surveys of Ireland’s marine waters. Phase II of the ObSERVE aerial survey programme aimed to investigate the occurrence, distribution and abundance of key marine species, with an emphasis on whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans) and seabirds. Broad-scale survey lines (transects) covered the continental shelf, slope and deeper waters over the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and were repeated in summer 2021, summer 2022 and winter 2022. Surveys covered a total of 31,192km of transects. Additional fine-scale aerial surveys were conducted in coastal waters off the south coast in summer and autumn 2021, and off the southwest coast in summer, autumn and winter 2022, covering an additional 13,128km.
For further information about the ObSERVE programme, please contact Eoin.MacCraith@gsi.ie
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 1 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.
In accordance with the Government of Ireland's Open Data Strategy 2017-2022 and in the interest of ensuring the protection of Ireland's offshore habitats and species, the data collected during the ObSERVE projects will be made freely available to all interested parties.
For further information about the ObSERVE programme, please contact us at ObSERVE@decc.gov.ie
To make a request for ObSERVE data, please contact Eoin.MacCraith@gsi.ie
The ObSERVE Acoustic project was carried out by an international consortium, led by the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology with partnership from the Marine Institute, JASCO Applied Sciences, SMRU Consulting and the Irish Whale & Dolphin Group. Field studies began in May 2015 and continued until November 2016. The project was designed to provide independent scientific information on cetaceans based specifically on the underwater sounds that they produce. This challenging project involved the targeted deployment and recovery of underwater listening devices that are designed to withstand extreme pressures in the deep ocean while picking up and recording a wide range of species, many of whose calls, whistles or echolocation clicks are identifiable but some of whose sounds and vocal behaviour are poorly known.
In total 1,657 days were monitored acoustically using eight SAM systems that were moored in waters 1.6-2km deep. Sixty percent of all listening days were covered simultaneously by two types of recording device (AMAR and C-POD) with JASCO's AMARs recording a total of nearly 3.8 million echolocation clicks and 375,000 tonal whistles made by cetaceans.
The ObSERVE Aerial project was carried out by an international consortium led by University College Cork with international partners IMARES, Alnilam and Aerosotravia. It involved a team of trained observers flying over the sea in a specially equipped aeroplane along an extensive set of survey lines, in order to record the occurrence, distribution and numbers of whales, dolphins, porpoises and seabirds. Other species of interest such as sharks and sea turtles were also seen and recorded.
Twenty species of cetacean (that is, whales, dolphins and porpoises) were recorded, analysed and mapped with almost 2,200 sighting records accumulated across both projects and over two years of field study.
A cumulative abundance of 380 Sperm whales was found in this region, using acoustic detection and tracking methods.
Species such as the Beluga/White whale were found - a mainly Arctic species
Minke whales were the most frequently observed and abundant baleen whale species, numbering approximately 12,000 in summer and 5,000 in winter and there were significant sightings of Minke whale calves.
Fin whales occurred in Irish waters both in summer and winter, the analysis showing the continental slope and nearby deep waters to be an important area for this species, possibly for feeding and/or migration.
Many sound recordings were made of rarely-seen beaked whales, which are deep-diving offshore species poorly known to science.
At least three species of beaked whales were recorded during the ObSERVE surveys, primarily in deep oceanic waters along the continental margin, the Porcupine Basin and eastern Rockall Basin. The records collected during the aerial project were sufficient to provide the first estimates recorded for this study area of 2,500 individuals in summer and 4,000 in winter.
Endangered Blue whales could be detected underwater up to 115-200km away and strong seasonal patterns in their sounds were noted and described.
Considerable variation was found in the distribution, abundance and movements of dolphin species.
Bottlenose dolphins were much more abundant during the winter than the summer, with densities in the second winter (2016-17) being among the highest ever recorded.
Aerial surveys highlight the importance of the Atlantic Margin for seabirds with almost half a million seabirds located within the study area during both summer and winter, with bird densities highest in coastal areas. 10,000 sightings of seabirds were recorded, representing 24 species.
The Western Irish Sea is shown to be of major importance for seabirds. 6,687km of fine-scale aerial surveys were carried out there in 2016. These estimated 100,000 birds present in summer, 90,000 in winter with migrating seabirds boosting these estimates to 300,000 in the autumn.
Seabirds such as Puffins, Guillemots, Petrels, Gannets and Shearwaters were regularly recorded in summer, while Kittiwakes, Gulls and Fulmars were more commonly recorded in winter.
White-tailed Tropicbirds were found during the project. This is a species usually seen in the tropics.