Building a Movement of Ocean Stewardship

Fair Seas World Ocean Week Conference 2026.

A gathering organised by Fair Seas of ocean advocates, the fishing community, government, industry and key stakeholders to map out Ireland’s next steps for designating and managing a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

The aim of the conference is to learn from best practices from across the world, be part of the conversation and develop an understanding of how Ireland can become a world leader in ocean conservation.
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Session 1 - Marine Protection and Restoration: A Global Perspective
Conference Opening with MC Susan Hayes Culleton
Welcome to Cork City Hall from Cllr Fergal Dennehy, Cork Lord Mayor
Welcome from Fair Seas with Dónal Griffin, Fair Seas Campaign Coordinator

Keynote Address by Minna Epps, Global Ocean Policy Director, IUCN Centre for Policy and Law

Address and introduction to An Taoiseach from Minister Timmy Dooley
Official address by An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin

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Networking Break
Tea and Coffee

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Session 2 - From Designation to Delivery: Making Marine Protected Areas Effective
Purpose: To showcase international best-practice examples of Marine Protected Area designation and management, highlighting the practical principles and approaches that enable effective marine protection.

- Belinda Bramley, Co-founder Director of the Protected Areas Foundation and Stakeholder Engagement Co-Lead for MPA Europe Project

- Adriano Quintela, Marine Spatial Planning Specialist, Blue Azores & Oceano Azul Foundation

- Zafer Kizilkaya, Chairperson of the Board, Mediterranean Conservation Society

- Will McClintock, Senior Fellow, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California Santa Barbara

Panel Discussion joined by Minna Epps and chaired by MC Susan Hayes Culleton

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Lunch

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Session 3 - Stewardship, Governance, and Marine Protection

Purpose: To explore the role of stewardship, governance, and collaboration in delivering effective Marine Protected Areas, linking global perspectives on ocean guardianship with practical pathways for implementation in Ireland.

- Keynote address by Séan Ronayne

Presentations:
- Grace Carr, Marine Advocacy Officer, Irish Wildlife Trust

- Oliver Ó Cadhla, Senior Marine Adviser, Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment

- John Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of the Irish South and East Fish Producers Organisation (ISEFPO)

- Robert Walsh, Northern Ireland Marine Task Force Officer, Ulster Wildlife

Panel Discussion chaired by MC Susan Hayes Culleton

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Networking Break

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Session 4 - Shared Seas: Stakeholder Perspectives

Stakeholder panel discussion to reflect on the themes and lessons emerging from earlier sessions, exploring practical considerations, collaborative pathways, and the potential benefits of well-designed Marine Protected Areas in Ireland.

Panel Discussion chaired by MC Susan Hayes Culleton

- Karin Dubsky, Founder & Director of Coastwatch Ireland

- Louise Overy, Assistant lecturer in wildlife biology, Munster Technological University

- Patricia Comiskey, Development Director for the Tonn Nua offshore wind project, ESB

- Máire Ní Einniú - Head of Nua Mara, Ireland's Marine Innovation and Development Centre

- Brendan Curtin, Founder at AquaTerra Boat Tours

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Conference Close

Reflections on the day with Dr Micheál Ó Cinnéide, Director of the Irish Ocean Literacy Network and previously with the EPA, Marine Institute and Roinn na Mara

Thank you from Fair Seas by Jack O’Donovan Trá

Fair Seas' aim is to see Ireland, with a renewed appreciation of the ocean, become a world leader in marine protection, giving our species, habitats and coastal communities the opportunity to thrive.

Follow the campaign on,
Facebook: / fairseasireland
Twitter: / fairseasireland
Instagram: / fairseasireland
Linked’In: / fairseasireland

You can visit the Fair Seas website here: https://www.fairseas.ie

You can also sign up to our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all Fair Seas news: https://tinyurl.com/FairSeasNewsletter

#FairSeas #RealVoices

A panel discussion of Irish #shark researchers hosted by Fair Seas Ireland in Dublin's Patagonia Store.

Tune in to learn about shark movements and behaviours in Irish waters...

...and what we can do to help many of these endangered and misunderstood creatures.

Grace Carr,
Marine Advocacy & Policy Officer at the @irishwildlifetrust and Fair Seas.


Panelists Dr Jenny Bortoluzzi, @irishenvironmentalnetwork774
/MARÉIRE.


Dr Grace McNicholas,
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin/MOSAIC Project.


Rachel Coleman Horgan,
PhD researcher at the Atlantic Technological University Galway.

More about the speakers:

Grace Carr,

completed a Masters of Research looking at blue shark distributions in the North Atlantic and how they are impacted by environmental variables. She has worked on tagging projects at home and abroad collecting data on large predatory fish such as atlantic bluefin tuna, scalloped hammerheads and tiger sharks.

Before heading to university she taught scuba diving and used this as a way to spend as much time as possible in the water with these animals. After seeing first hand a major decline in shark numbers, she made the decision to study marine biology and work more in conservation to try and protect the marine environment

Dr Jenny Bortoluzzi,

is a shark scientist and advocate, currently working for the Irish Environmental Network on the environmental dimensions of marine spatial planning and offshore renewable energy in Ireland. She obtained her PhD in 2023 from Trinity College Dublin, looking at the biology, ecology and conservation of blue sharks and porbeagles in Ireland.

She is a board member of the Irish Basking Shark Group and an ambassador and lessons coordinator for Sharks4Kids.

She works in policy advocacy work at a national, EU and international level, is a member representative to the IUCN, is a scuba diver and freediver and continues to engage with active research wherever possible.

Jenny's passionate about using transdisciplinary approaches to conservation and research, working with communities from inception to implementation in an approach for people and nature.

Dr Grace McNicholas,

is a Postdoctoral Researcher Fellow at Trinity College Dublin, working on the MOSAIC project supported by PEACEPLUS. Grace has an interest in large highly mobile marine fish and how their spatial distributions and migrations may be impacted by climate change. She has experience working in the field with a range of elasmobranch species, spending time in the Bahamas, Australia and Ireland.


Having just finished her PhD on Atlantic bluefin tuna spatial ecology and habitat distribution modelling, Grace has moved back into the world of sharks and looks forward to applying these skills on data from several species found around the Irish coat, including Basking shark and Porbeagles. When Grace isn't at her desk modelling, you can find her in/on/under/or next to the water in whatever capacity that might me!

Rachel Coleman Horgan,

is a third-year PhD researcher at the Atlantic Technological University, Galway, investigating shark and ray biodiversity using genomic approaches. Her research focuses on applying environmental DNA (eDNA) and whole genome sequencing to improve the monitoring and conservation of elasmobranchs in Irish and Northeast Atlantic waters.


Working closely with the Marine Institute in Galway, her work combines field-based marine with laboratory work and bioinformatics to study species distributions, develop genomic reference resources, and explore population structure in threatened skate and shark species.

She is particularly interested in how emerging genomic technologies can support biodiversity monitoring and conservation management. Rachel has a master's degree in Marine Conservation but has also spent time working in technology consulting in Dublin.

#FairSeas

#sharkresearch #marinebiology #sharks

Seagrass is a vital habitat in our waters that needs immediate protection. #Seagrass is not only mesmerising to look at but it protected our shores from coastal erosion, it is a nursery for fish and crabs as well as a huge carbon store.

We had an amazing field trip in Kilmore Quay, #Wexford into the seagrass beds, followed by a workshop on #MarineProtectedAreas, as part of National Biodiversity Week.

#FairSeas

Fair Seas' aim is to see Ireland, with a renewed appreciation of the ocean, become a world leader in marine protection, giving our species, habitats and coastal communities the opportunity to thrive.

Follow the campaign on,
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FairSeasIreland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FairSeasIreland
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fairseasireland
Linked’In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fairseasireland

You can visit the Fair Seas website here: https://www.fairseas.ie

You can also sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date with all Fair Seas news: https://tinyurl.com/FairSeasNewsletter

#FairSeas

Life along Ireland's Eastern coastline is shaped by the rolling green waves of the Celtic Sea. But with our seas now face unprecedented threats, can anything be done to turn the tide? However, hope remains as the Celtic Sea reveals its hidden gems, showcasing the life and colour of the underwater world and its proud and passionate local communities.

This film explores the stunning Irish coastline through the eyes of those who know it best. Voices from coastal communities explore their close connection to the sea, sharing their stories, hopes and fears, of how new marine protections could change the Celtic Sea, yet offer new hope for a brighter future.

Fair Seas' aim is to see Ireland, with a renewed appreciation of the ocean, become a world leader in marine protection, giving our species, habitats and coastal communities the opportunity to thrive.

Follow the campaign on,
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FairSeasIreland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FairSeasIreland
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fairseasireland
Linked’In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fairseasireland

You can visit the Fair Seas website here: https://www.fairseas.ie

You can also sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date with all Fair Seas news: https://tinyurl.com/FairSeasNewsletter

#fairseas

We teamed up with The Art Hand & Aerial.ie to bring a giant basking shark to the Copper Coast #Waterford.

Keep your eyes peeled for these goliath visitors all along the coast over the summer.

#FairSeas
#30x30

#worldoceanday2024 #waterford #coppercoast #baskingshark #sandart

Life along the Northwest Irish coastline is constantly moved and shaped by the wild green waves rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean. Below the waves, the life and colour of the underwater world awaits. By exploring these hidden gems, the wildlife and seascapes hidden beneath the surface, and how these waters are now at risk, this film explores Ireland's Northwest coastline through the eyes of those who know it best. Voices from local coastal communities explore their close connection to the ocean, sharing their stories, hopes and fears, and how the introduction of Marine Protected Areas offer new hope for a brighter future.

🚨New Action Alert! 🚨

Time is running out for Ireland’s seas. It’s been almost a year since the government promised to publish vital marine protected area (MPA) legislation, but with fewer than 30 sitting days left before the Dáil summer recess, it still hasn't been introduced.

Take your advocacy a step further and write to Ministers O'Brien and Noonan today to urge them to publish the long-overdue MPA bill and safeguard our seas. Send a personal letter in 30 seconds with our ready-made message tool in the link in bio.

#30x30Ireland #FairSeas

We sat down and had a very honest and open conversation with Skipper Ciaran Powel of MFV Ocean Breeze about Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

In this video, we hear Ciaran's experience of fishing Irish waters on the MFV Ocean Breeze for the past 17 years and he expresses his concerns for what a future of Marine Protected Areas without proper consultation would mean for his livelihood.

Open dialogue will be essential in Ireland's journey to protecting 30% of our waters by 2030. Fair Seas is calling on the Irish government to ensure a meaningful process of stakeholder engagement is carried out from beginning to end.

Our thanks to Ciaran for taking part.

Fair Seas' aim is to see Ireland, with a renewed appreciation of the ocean, become a world leader in marine protection, giving our species, habitats and coastal communities the opportunity to thrive.

Follow the campaign on,
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FairSeasIreland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FairSeasIreland
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fairseasireland
Linked’In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fairseasireland

You can visit the Fair Seas website here: https://fairseas.ie

You can also sign up to our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all Fair Seas news: https://tinyurl.com/FairSeasNewsletter

#FairSeas #RealVoices

If Marine Protected Areas are really going to work, then real voices need to be represented throughout the process.

Travelling the coast with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group we meet communities whose lives depend on healthy seas.

Follow along to hear these important conversations.

#FairSeas
#realvoice

Follow the campaign on,
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FairSeasIreland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FairSeasIreland
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fairseasireland
Linked’In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fairseasireland

You can visit the Fair Seas website here: https://fairseas.ie

You can also sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date with all Fair Seas news: https://tinyurl.com/FairSeasNewsletter

#community #marineconservation