SAVE OUR SPRAT BANTRY BAY

"Protected"

When words become worse than meaningless: a cover for just continuing to kill off whatever little nature is left.

Stop a Canadian corporation harvesting huge forests of seaweed from the west coast There should be a public consultation on this plan opening soon but lets gather signatures to demonstrate the fact that up and down the west coast, thousands of people don't want our seaweed rights gi...

''Acadian Seaplants, a massive Canadian corporation and owner of Arramara Teoranta, has put in an application to harvest tens of thousands of tons of wrack from huge swathes of the west coast.''

Sign the petition and lets stop this from happening ✊️

#SpeirGorm

my.uplift.ie/petitions/st...

UN treaty to protect ‘extraordinary’ marine life due to come into force World-first pact aims to protect 10 million species from threats like climate change, overfishing and deep-sea mining.

A big day for the sea as the treaty to allow for the creation of Marine Protected areas on the high seas comes into force today!

www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/...

These unearthly whale songs helped save humpbacks from extinction Once at risk of being wiped out, humpback whales charted a remarkable comeback thanks to their songs. In 1979, National Geographic issued a record-breaking album of those tunes alongside a story about...

How whale song helped save humpbacks from extinction. 🐋

www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

So often, a judicial review has been the only way communities can defend their local ecosystems, like the wild native kelp forests in Bantry Bay, West Cork.

Now the government wants to put that avenue out of reach.

Please tell them you're totally against this disgraceful step.

Session Three: Harnessing stakeholder involvement for better MPA outcomes | FairSeas The potential positives of MPAs, the potential negatives for stakeholders and how would you like to be involved in the MPA process?

2023 Fair Seas Conference recap...
Session Three: Harnessing stakeholder involvement for better MPA outcomes

Registration for the 2026 conference is now open. 

https://fairseas.ie/2023/06/27/session-three-harnessing-stakeholder-involvement-for-better-mpa-outcomes/

#FairSeas

10,000 shark fins worth over $11M seized in major wildlife trafficking bust in Peru The bust, in the port outside of Peru's capital, Lima, led to the arrest of three men tied to a transnational criminal network involved in illegal fishing and wildlife smuggling, according to the U.S....

10,000 shark fins worth over $11M seized in major wildlife trafficking bust in Peru

www.cbsnews.com/news/peru-sh...

Fishermen Lodge New Appeal Over 6 Mile Trawling Ban Legal review proceedings have been lodged by over 20 Fishing Vessel owners against the 6 Mile Trawling Ban of 2025.

It's a shame to see this challenge, though probably not surprising

theskipper.ie/fishermen-lo...

The devastating trail supertrawlers leave behind - Blue Planet Society Have you heard of supertrawlers? There are currently eight Europe-registered supertrawlers licensed to fish in British waters.

Supertrawlers are massive trawlers, up to 144m long, using huge nets up to 1km long to target pelagic fish.

Capable of catching thousands of tonnes of fish per trip, with disgusting levels of #bycatch, these marine ecosystem destroyers must be stopped.
blueplanetsociety.org/the-devastat...

Why are our marine 'protected' areas still nothing more than lines on maps? Blanket bans on certain activities, such as towing trawls and dredges across the seafloor, or fixing nets for long periods, or even prohibiting all kinds of fishing or extractive activities from some ...

A leaked draft of legislation for MPAs that nearly passed in 2024 indicates that the government is taking a minimalist approach with low ambition for restoration of marine life.

www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/ou...

5,018 as we write this message!!!

Wow!! That's 5,018 concerned people who want to stop the overfishing of sprat in Irish coastal waters. Thank you for your support.

Please share our petition further and let's put the pressure on our government to listen!!
share.google/sH692K8MMeHS...

Calls on government to take legal action over EU fish quotas | RadioKerry.ie Councillor is calling on the government to take legal action over next year's EU fish quotas, agreed on Saturday | Radio Kerry News

Maybe we can sue the fish for not showing up?

www.radiokerry.ie/news/kerry-c...

We are SO proud of our member Dolf, who received a Commendation in the Outstanding Individual Award Category from the Environmental Forum, recognising his unwavering commitment to safeguarding West Cork's marine environment, from kelp forests and sprat to sea grass beds.
👏 👏 👏

Change starts here Join over 500,000,000 people creating real change in their communities.

Presumably change.org haven't updated their system.

Anyway, it's nothing to do with us!

I don't mind puffins taking their daily ration of sprats.
But I do object to harvesting small fish just to feed to salmon kept in atrocious conditions in fish farms.
bsky.app/profile/trif...

Sprat are small members of the herring family, and are the basis of whole marine ecosystems. Yet they're being hoovered up by pair-trawlers to feed fish farms.

Please sign our petition calling for a pause on sprat trawling until we have more data.

Thank you!
www.change.org/p/save-our-m...

Chinese fishing firm Kaichuang reports nearly 200 percent increase in krill catch, aligning with nationwide ambitions Shanghai Kaichuang Marine International has largely expanded its krill catch in 2025, causing its profits to soar.

Chinese fishing firm Kaichuang reports nearly 200% increase in krill catch in Antarctica
with profits jumping 270%
Absolutely disgusting they are taking essential food from the whales and penguins and leaving them to starve

www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-...

EBFA Meets Commissioner to Discuss Future of Bottom Fishing in Europe - The Fishing Daily - Irish, UK and European Fishing Industry News The EBFA met with Commissioner Costas Kadis to discuss the future of bottom fishing in Europe waters following concerns about its future

The fishing industry is lobbying hard to maintain business as usual even as their members stare into the abyss.

Most fishermen want a change in direction!

thefishingdaily.com/latest-news/...

@irishwildlifetrust.bsky.social
@fairseas.ie
@irishrainforest.bsky.social
@whittledaway.bsky.social
@seanronayne.bsky.social
@antaisce.bsky.social
@swanireland.ie
@coastwatch-ire.bsky.social

We continue to call for a moratorium (pause) on all sprat fishing within the 6 nautical mile zone and baselines, to allow the stocks to recover, thereby protecting the livelihoods of the fishermen and ensuring food for our marine life.

3. Are the SFPA monitoring all catches from such vessels and also from the over 18m trawlers that have been spotted in Cork and Kerry in recent weeks?

2. With an ICES recommended annual limit on sprat fishing of 2,240 tonnes, and a quota of 2,000 tonnes already fished by larger vessels, do you really believe the ban goes far enough to save the collapse of this species??

1. Why are industrial vessels like these allowed pair trawl in our Special Areas of Conservation??

Today in Bantry Bay and in a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) around Garinish Island, two under 18m vessels have been pair trawling.

While they are most likely fishing for sprat, and that's not illegal for these trawlers, we have 3 key questions for the government ...
🧵

That was the case, for example, when the government granted a private company a licence to rip out *1,860 acres* of wild kelp forest here in Bantry Bay.

Only through judicial review was that prevented. Once this legislation goes through, the only option left to communities will be direct action.

YouTube video by Irish Wildlife Trust IWT Webinar: Trawling & Sprat Protection in Ireland’s Inshore Area

While welcoming the ban on boats over 18m long inside 6 miles, we don't believe it'll protect sprat populations, or the ecosystems that depend on them.

Find out why in this great @irishwildlifetrust.bsky.social webinar with our Dolf D'hondt and the IWT's Grace Carr.
youtu.be/o1HbD934bjM?...

Underwater Forests Return to Life off the Coast of California, and That Might be Good News for the Entire Planet Wondrous kelp beds harbor a complex ecosystem that’s teeming with life, cleaning the water and the atmosphere, and bringing new hope for the future

Wondrous kelp forests harbor a complex ecosystem that’s teeming with life, cleaning the water and the atmosphere, and bringing new hope for the future.
share.google/Z2S1xWnxict3...

At NSW Parliament, Aboriginal Sea Country leaders, scientists, and industry came together to call for urgent action on urchin overgrazing and kelp forest loss along the Great Southern Reef.

Read the full story and the Sea Country Alliance’s plan greatsouthernreef.com/nsw-sea-country-alliance

Fisheries Ministers Risk Breaking EU Law, Jeopardising Baltic Sea Recovery Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the Baltic Sea Multiannual Plan (MAP), prioritising short-term interests over long-term ecosystem recovery.

EU Fisheries Ministers have ignored science again.

2026 Baltic quotas breach the #CommonFisheriesPolicy and the multiannual plan for the Baltic, risking collapse of herring, sprat & cod.

Short-term profits are being prioritised over long-term sustainability. ⤵️

Governments can protect marine environments by supporting small-scale fishing Nearly 30 per cent of the world’s population lives in coastal areas. A changing climate and biodiversity loss represent an unprecedented threat to these ecosystems.

"Industrial fishing can extract in a day what a small boat might take in a year"

Coastal fishing now involves very few fish and very few young people. If this is to change we need to say goodbye to industrial fishing.

theconversation.com/governments-...