The JNCC certified course is devised to be a course for use in UK waters only therefore the JNCC course will be taught as an independent module. This will be followed by a separate short half day on the guidelines as applied in Ireland. There will be a separate Ireland module which will be certified separately (IWDG certificate). The course will be taught in person but all materials will be available via the online teaching platform Moodle.
Dates are:
- Sept 14 and 15, 2024 Saturday and Sunday with a boat-based training on the afternoon the 15th at 14:00 hrs from Ballycrovane harbour, finishing by 16:00 hrs.
- September 21 and 22, 2024 Saturday and Sunday with a boat-based training on the afternoon of the 21st at 13:00 hrs (to be confirmed) from Kilrush Marina on Celtic Mist.
The JNCC course will begin with a short introduction to marine mammals and noise and after which the course will include the following modules:
Day 1.
1. Marine mammal and turtle identification for UK waters.
2. Exam on UK marine mammal id.
3. Description of different UK guidelines for different offshore operations with a brief look at noise abatement.
4. A description of the UK regulatory system setup and different regulators that exist.
5. A brief look at PAM (Passive Acoustic Monitoring).
6. Distance Estimation. An examination of correct methods in distance estimation. With some exercises using a measuring stick and reticular binoculars. A look at some of the common mistakes in distance estimation.
7. 13:00 hrs start from Kilrush by boat with instruction on completion of the JNCC and JIP forms with some simple exercises in form completion in sightings and effort and animal id.
Day2
8. A look at Health and Safety requirements in the offshore environment.
9. A final exam on JNCC mitigation measures.
Assignments in Marine fauna id (mammals mostly), distance measurement, form completion and mitigation are delivered through Moodle and each person will be assigned a userid and password. Before certification attendees will have to submit all assignments and reach a minimum pass grade in marine mammal id and mitigation exercises.
Irish NPWS Guidelines (Day 2 cont’d)
1. National Parks and Wildlife Service Guidelines and forms are described along with the various regulatory authorities and licencing procedures.
2. Discussion of the various aspects of the guidelines are discussed with a short exam/assignment at the end which must be passed in order to receive IWDG certification.
The modules will be setup as separate courses on www.manadaenv.net with each student having a unique userid and password. Course days will start typically at 9:00 and finish at 5:30 with short breaks mid morning and mid afternoon and one hour for lunch. On the Saturday with a 13:00 hrs start (to be confirmed) for boat trip, course will complete at the end of the trip. Assignments not completed can be finished after the course but are required for certification.
Course facilitator Patrick Lyne can be contacted on patrick.lyne@iwdg.ie
14-15 Sept-Registration Click HERE
21-22 Sept-Registration Click HERE