Iarfhlaith Connellan is a marine biologist and shellfish producer in inner Galway Bay, Ireland.
After finishing up with the shellfish research laboratory in Carna, Connemara, Iarfhlaith and a few colleagues moved to a site in Aughinish Bay, Galway. Iarfhlaith says the sole purpose for moving to Aughinish Bay was to restore the native oyster beds that had been severely depleted in the area.
With years of experience, Iarfhlaith recounts the successes of some major oyster restoration projects he has been involved in. On speaking about Marine Protected Areas and restoring life in our ocean Iarfhlaith says, “It’s not rocket science, it is merely allowing the animals their own natural ability to recover, through reproduction.”
Iarfhlaith sums up what needs to be done to restore life in our seas by simply stating: “give them the opportunity and they will do the work for us but we must be the ones to set up the framework which can allow that to happen.”
Our thanks to Iarfhlaith for taking part.
You kind find more episodes from our series Real Voice on Youtube.
Real Voices is a video series produced for Fair Seas by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.
Keep up to date with Fairseas and MPA news and developments, by subscribing up to our newsletter here. Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
We also welcome you to join us in Cork on 8th June, where we are hosting our inaugural World Ocean Day conference. We are bringing ocean advocates, government, industry and key stakeholders together to map out the next steps for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Irish waters.
Help us spread the word - please share!
