Tralee and Brandon Bays in north Kerry are rich in marine biodiversity. Skates and rays, seagrass meadows, breeding seabirds and bottlenose dolphins are all found in abundance. The IWDG are collaborating with the the Irish Elasmobranch Group (IEG) to share their research and information towards building support for future MPA designation.
There has been significant community engagement in the area by both groups for a number of years. The IWDG have been carrying out dolphin surveys from Fenit and Brandon since 2015 including inviting local people to join them onboard their research boat Celtic Mist.
In 2024 with funding from the Local Biodiversity Action Fund from the NPWS and facilitated by Kerry County Council we have been sharing the evidence of positive benefits of area-based management of marine biodiversity, which is essential for local buy-in and will help to build a strategic alliance.
A number of talks and workshops were held during the summer, from Fenit to Brandon including Castlegregory. Research and monitoring including the deployment of new acoustic devices (audio-moths) was carried out, as well as Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUVs) to film endangered skates and rays and a drop-down camera survey to establish a habitat baseline following the voluntary closure of 42km2 of seabed to towed gear by the local Oyster co-op.
These are just some of the initiatives. We will update this page as more outputs from this project emerge
An example of how a community driven MPA might work with a presentation from Áine Purcell Milton and the Community of the Arran Seabed Trust (COAST)
