http://hdl.handle.net/10468/536 Mon, 04 Sep 2017 22:23:48 GMT 2017-09-04T22:23:48Z http://hdl.handle.net/10468/4035 The diet of the grey seal [Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791)] in Ireland and potential interactions with commercial fisheries Gosch, Martha Interactions between grey seals and fisheries have seemingly increased in recent decades, with high levels of depredation reported in set-net fisheries. There exists a perception that grey seals are competing for commercial fish stocks, however, the extent to which commercial species contribute to diet composition has not been recently quantified. This study aimed to investigate prey species assemblages occurring within grey seal diet in Ireland, particularly with regards to the presence of commercial species, and provide current baseline data on diet composition. The traditional method for diet reconstruction was used with a number of approaches tested. Prey detection increased substantially when “all structures” were included, while a deficit of correction factors tended to under-estimate the biomass contribution of certain prey species. To assess whether temporal and regional variation in diet occurred, faecal samples were collected from two colonies of national importance on the southwest and southeast coast of Ireland. Results highlighted significant seasonal and inter-annual variations within diet samples collected from the southwest site, while significant regional differences occurred between geographic locations. Differences in prey assemblages are assumed to be related to their seasonal abundance and the foraging habitat type surrounding each haul-out site. While commercial species were found in relatively low abundances, haddock/pollock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus/Pollachius pollachius/ P. virens) species were substantial biomass contributors to the diet in Ireland. Low quantities of fishery target species were recovered from juvenile bycaught seal stomachs obtained from the west and south coast of Ireland. Lengths from a total of four prey fish overlapping with sizes targeted by the fisheries. Results suggest this cohort is not primarily responsible for the reported levels of depredation. The findings from this study are discussed in relation to results from other geographical areas of the grey seals distribution, with potential mitigation measures and future recommendations considered. Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10468/4035 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10468/3750 First observations of the freshwater jellyfish Craspedacusta sowerbii Lankester, 1880 in Ireland coincides with unusually high water temperatures Minchin, Dan; Caffrey, Joe M.; Haberlin, Damien; Germaine, David; Walsh, Colm; Boelens, Rick; Doyle, Thomas K. The freshwater hydrozoan Craspedacusta sowerbii was observed for the first time in Ireland at five localities in two separate river catchments (Shannon and Erne) during the summer of 2013. All collected medusae from Lough Derg on the Shannon catchment were female. Analysis of water temperature data for the period 2001–2015 found that water temperatures greater than 21°C were only recorded in 2013. The occurrence of medusae in three distinct areas during this unusually warm summer suggests that it may have been present in its polyp form for some years, or even decades. While it is not known when the species arrived in Ireland, the spread of this species may have involved different pathways. With climate warming, further appearances of the medusa-stage may be expected. Sun, 10 Apr 2016 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10468/3750 2016-04-10T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10468/3069 Building resilience for social-ecological sustainability in Atlantic Europe Scollick, Andrew Dale This thesis argues that complex adaptive social–ecological systems (SES) theory has important implications for the design of integrated ocean and coastal governance in the EU. Traditional systems of governance have struggled to deal with the global changes, complexity and uncertainties that challenge a transition towards sustainability in Europe’s maritime macro-regions. There is an apparent disconnect between governance strategies for sustainability in Europe’s maritime macro-regions and a sound theoretical basis for them. My premise is that the design of governance architecture for maritime regional sustainability should be informed by SES theory. Therefore, the aim of this research was to gain insight into a multilevel adaptive governance architecture that combines notions of sustainability and development in the context of the Atlantic Europe maritime macro-region. The central research question asked whether it is possible to achieve this insight by using a SES as a framework and analytical tool. This research adopted social ecology and sustainability science as a foundation for understanding society–nature relations. Concepts from complex adaptive systems, SES and resilience theories were integrated into a conceptual framework that guided the investigation and analysis. A study was conducted to conceptualise the European Atlantic social–ecological system (EASES). This was used to represent and understand the Atlantic Europe macro-region as a SES. The study examined the proposition that governance can be focused on building SES resilience to help achieve maritime regional sustainability. A workbook method was developed and used to elicit expert opinion regarding EASES. The study identified sources of resilience and resilience dynamics that require management in the context of multilevel adaptive governance. This research found that the Atlantic Europe macro-region is a key focal level for multilevel adaptive governance architecture. The majority of the findings are specific to Atlantic Europe and not generalisable to other maritime macro-regions in Europe. Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10468/3069 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10468/2737 Options to advance co-ordination and analysis of climate data in Europe Twomey, Sarah; Dwyer, Ned Systematic, high-quality observations of the atmosphere, oceans and terrestrial environments are required to improve understanding of climate characteristics and the consequences of climate change. The overall aim of this report is to carry out a comparative assessment of approaches taken to addressing the state of European observations systems and related data analysis by some leading actors in the field. This research reports on approaches to climate observations and analyses in Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, The Netherlands and Austria and explores options for a more coordinated approach to national responses to climate observations in Europe. The key aspects addressed are: an assessment of approaches to develop GCOS and provision of analysis of GCOS data; an evaluation of how these countries are reporting development of GCOS; highlighting best practice in advancing GCOS implementation including analysis of Essential Climate Variables (ECVs); a comparative summary of the differences and synergies in terms of the reporting of climate observations; an overview of relevant European initiatives and recommendations on how identified gaps might be addressed in the short to medium term. Sat, 01 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10468/2737 2014-11-01T00:00:00Z