Nature Trail: Seabed resources need to be protected urgently
Attenborough is the highest profile advocate of biodiversity conservation globally. In his earlier work he focused on presenting the wonders of the natural world to his wide audience in the belief that people would decide for themselves by putting two and two together and hopefully seeing the urgent need for nature conservation. He later abandoned that approach and became a more vocal campaigner both condemning the ongoing destruction of the natural world and supporting the protection of our environment.
I went to the cinema to see the film Ocean. It highlighted the global issue of overfishing, falling fish stocks, and the collapse of fisheries and showed some striking sequences of the damage that bottom trawling and dredging is having on the seabed and the marine life it supports. A novel and apparently contradictory solution to improving fishing that the film explored was to ban fishing altogether in certain areas.
These places are known as 'no take areas', areas that are strictly protected, where all forms of fishing are banned and where no exploitation of the seas' resources is allowed. Everything is banned; zero tolerance, no exceptions.
Evidence shows that in no take areas the seabed recovers naturally, marine life flourishes and fish begin to multiply. You may well say 'That's all very well, but what's the point in having more fish if fishers aren't allowed to catch them?'
The answer is, of course, spillover. As the fish population increases in the no take area fish colonise areas beyond the boundaries of the protected area. They swim into areas where fishing is permitted, and consequently fishing improves as the no take area continues to act as the goose that keeps laying the golden eggs.
Ireland is one of the last maritime countries in Europe without legislation on marine protected areas and no take areas. Legislation was promised in 2022 with the expectation that it would pass speedily through both houses of the Oireachtas during 2023. That didn't happen. We are promised that the Bill will be published later this year.
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Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Nature Trail: Seabed resources need to be protected urgently
Attenborough is the highest profile advocate of biodiversity conservation globally. In his earlier work he focused on presenting the wonders of the natural world to his wide audience in the belief that people would decide for themselves by putting two and two together and hopefully seeing the urgent need for nature conservation. He later abandoned that approach and became a more vocal campaigner both condemning the ongoing destruction of the natural world and supporting the protection of our environment. I went to the cinema to see the film Ocean. It highlighted the global issue of overfishing, falling fish stocks, and the collapse of fisheries and showed some striking sequences of the damage that bottom trawling and dredging is having on the seabed and the marine life it supports. A novel and apparently contradictory solution to improving fishing that the film explored was to ban fishing altogether in certain areas. These places are known as 'no take areas', areas that are strictly protected, where all forms of fishing are banned and where no exploitation of the seas' resources is allowed. Everything is banned; zero tolerance, no exceptions. Evidence shows that in no take areas the seabed recovers naturally, marine life flourishes and fish begin to multiply. You may well say 'That's all very well, but what's the point in having more fish if fishers aren't allowed to catch them?' The answer is, of course, spillover. As the fish population increases in the no take area fish colonise areas beyond the boundaries of the protected area. They swim into areas where fishing is permitted, and consequently fishing improves as the no take area continues to act as the goose that keeps laying the golden eggs. Ireland is one of the last maritime countries in Europe without legislation on marine protected areas and no take areas. Legislation was promised in 2022 with the expectation that it would pass speedily through both houses of the Oireachtas during 2023. That didn't happen. We are promised that the Bill will be published later this year.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Seafood Made Simple: Try Aishling Moore's monkfish cheek and chorizo rice recipe
I was thrilled to hear that at the age of 99 the environmental icon David Attenborough's latest National Geographic documentary would focus on the place where all life began, the ocean. I was even more delighted to learn I could go and see this in the cinema. After a lifetime of exploration and discovery, Attenborough explains he now understands the most important place on earth is not on land but at sea. Over 3bn of us across the world depend on the ocean as our primary food source. Some 2,000 new marine species are discovered every year. The film exposes the destruction of overfishing, trawling, and the devastation of dredging the ocean bed, destroying ecosystems of incomprehensible beauty and complexity. The illogical aggressive fishing of krill, a species of high importance within the ecosystem of the ocean, being used today in pet food, highlights the very real need for legislative reform. The documentary offers solutions to this carnage. Establishing marine protected areas or 'no take zones' is a proven tactic which has regenerated parts of the ocean and seen species reemerge in areas. Currently, less than 3% of the ocean is protected. According to scientists, to save and regenerate the ocean we would need to protect at least one third of it. Great success has been achieved in the Channel Islands marine sanctuary with migratory species of fish from the protected area spilling over into nearby areas increasing stocks. World leaders will meet this month in France at the 2025 Un Ocean Conference, where 'accelerating action and mobilising all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean' is on the table. Establishing marine protected areas must happen now. David Attenborough's Ocean will be available to stream on Disney on World Ocean Day, June 8. Monkfish cheek and chorizo rice recipe by:Aishling Moore This dish would also work well swapping the chorizo for smoked bacon lardons and peas for sautéed mushrooms. Servings 4 Preparation Time 10 mins Cooking Time 30 mins Total Time 40 mins Course Main Ingredients 2 tbsp rapeseed oil 1 onion, finely diced 3 garlic cloves minced 90g chorizo, diced 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp dried oregano 320g Carolino rice 75ml white wine 1.2l fish stock 100g frozen peas 200g monkfish cheeks or monkfish tail cut into chunks 2 sprigs flat leaf parsley Sea salt Freshly cracked black pepper Method Preheat oven to 190˚C. In a large pot or ovenproof dish sweat the onion and garlic in rapeseed oil on a low heat for a couple of minutes until translucent. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Add the chorizo and increase the heat slightly. Cook for two minutes. Next add the smoked paprika and dried oregano and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the rice and stir to coat it in the lovely chorizo-flavoured oil. Cook for one minute. While that's happening warm your stock in a separate pot, this will speed up the cooking process. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the white wine to the rice and cook until completely evaporated. Next add the warmed stock, stir well, and bring to the boil. Taste for seasoning at this stage. Place the pot in the preheated oven and bake for 12- 15 minutes until all the stock is absorbed and the rice is cooked. You're looking for a moist, risotto-like consistency here, with the surface of the dish beginning to catch. If all the stock has been absorbed and the rice is still a little undercooked, add water and return to the oven. Once confident the rice is cooked, place the monkfish pieces and frozen peas across the top of the rice. Drizzle with a little rapeseed oil and season with sea salt. Return to the oven to bake for 3-5 minutes until the monkfish is cooked through. Finish with chopped parsley and serve. Fish tales I've used Carolina rice for this recipe but any short grain rice like bomba would also work. Instead of monkfish cheeks you could use chunks of cod, hake and pollock or skinned fillets of brill, megrim and plaice which will cook just as quickly. When warming the stock, be careful not to over reduce which will upset the quantities of liquid needed to cook the rice. I like this method of finishing in the oven as you achieve a variance in texture between the exposed surface area colouring and catching a little and the risotto-like texture beneath. You could cook this the whole way on the stove. If you do so, stir regularly to prevent the base of the pot from catching. I've used a fish stock for this recipe, but vegetable stock or a light chicken stock would also work. This dish would also work well swapping the chorizo for smoked bacon lardons and peas for sautéed mushrooms. Read More Seafood Made Simple: My chilli oil recipe is perfect for salads, rice and these steamed mussels
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Irish Examiner
RTÉ ad featuring paid extras costs €77,000 as staff criticise newsroom 'props'
An ad promoting RTÉ's news output, which will feature paid extras, has cost €77,000 to date, with a total budget of €100,000, TDs and senators have been told. Filming has taken place in recent weeks for a promotional film which outlines a day in the life of three high-profile reporters, but has prompted some backlash from staff for its use of extras in the newsroom and what have been described as "props". On Wednesday, the broadcaster's senior management and chair appeared before the Oireachtas media committee to discuss several issues, including a €3.6m write-down on an ICT project that was partially abandoned. However, much focus was placed on the advert, on which staff have asked management to stop working. Asked by Carlow-Kilkenny TD Peter 'Chap' Cleere about the ad, RTÉ director-general Kevin Bakhurst said he was 'delighted' to address the question. He said much of the commentary surrounding the advertisement was incorrect and this had 'infuriated' him. 'There were two plants. Even when you are filming news interviews there will be people who wear make-up, they have lighting, you might have plants so that the shot looks better.' Mr Bakhurst said 'proper conversations' had taken place between the organisation's marketing and editorial teams. 'The initial request was, can some journalists from the newsroom sit in the background — they would be blurred out — while we are filming this for several hours and the answer was 'no our journalists are too busy',' he said. Mr Bakhurst later rejected a claim from committee chair Alan Kelly it was 'bananas' for RTÉ to use an outside company to film an ad for itself. He said while there was an in-house production team, the 'standard practice' was to use external expertise for such projects. Mr Bakhurst said a recent staff survey showed morale in RTÉ was high in some areas but 'needs work' in others. He denied claims staff morale was 'at an all-time low.' "I've always had, since I started, an open-door policy. Anyone can come and see me, and they've taken me up on that. I go around and see teams. There are ongoing challenges for the organisation, and there is a legacy of, I would say, a lack of trust of senior management, a gap between senior management and the organisation, and a high level of anger about what happened during the crisis." Later in the session, RTÉ's director general said he 'cannot promise' there are no further financial scandals at the broadcaster. However, Mr Bakhurst told the committee he was not currently aware of any. Asked by Cork North-Central TD Pádraig O'Sullivan whether Ryan Tubridy had repaid the €150,000 in payments that sparked the scandal surrounding the broadcaster's accounts nearly two years ago, Mr Bakhurst said he had not. He added he would like Mr Tubridy to repay the money but said RTÉ did not have the legal recourse to force him to do so. In a separate exchange, Independent senator Rónán Mullen asked whether Mr Bakhurst would question staff on their personal views on social issues, suggesting a 'silent majority' may feel underrepresented. Mr Bakhurst responded such a move would be 'North Korean', and said he would not interrogate staff on their beliefs. Read More Arts Council director Maureen Kennelly to step down at end of term
