SHERKINCOMMENT

IIssssuuee NNoo.. 2233 EEnnvviirroonnmmeennttaall QQuuaarrtteerrllyy ooff SShheerrkkiinn IIssllaanndd MMaarriinnee SSttaattiioonn 11999977 PPrriiccee 5500pp

INDEX

CENTRE PAGES: Underwater World

EDITORIAL: Hedges in Ireland

Land Under the Sea

Investors with a GreenConscience

The Hottest Trends inTyre Recycling

Environmental ImpactStudy

Whooper Swans

Recent EPA Reports

Power Shifts to SportFishing

New Land, AncientBreeds

From Cod to Sharks

National Monuments &Historic Properties

Marine Litter

Tourism in the ModernAge

Drawing the Lines

Pollution by Nitrates

St. Croix Estuary Project

Chlorine - The Good &The Bad

Stephenstown Pond

When the Well Runs Dry

Trigger Happy in IrishWaters?

Hedge Management

Publications of Interest

Junior Pages

The Common Sea-urchinPhotographer: Paul Kay(From the book: Ireland’s Marine Life. A World of Beauty)

Page 2 .............................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

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STAFF: Publisher, Matt Murphy; Editor, Matt Murphy; Editorial Assistant, Susan Murphy Wickens;Typesetting, Susan Murphy Wickens. ISSN 0791-2447 © 1997

EEDDIITTOORRIIAALLBByy MMaatttt MMuurrpphhyyIN the past 30 years we have

seen the removal of hedgerowsand stonewalls from agricul-tural land throughout Ireland.Many older farmers wereshocked at such destruction.They knew that these providedvaluable shelter for stock dur-ing bad weather and acted as awindbreak for both stock andcrops. Also, hedges and treeshelped to remove surplus soilwater.

Recently many hedgerowsand stonewalls have received anew lease of life with the intro-duction of the EU funded RuralEnvironmental ProtectionScheme (REPS).

Its objectives are:* to establish farming

practices and controlledproduction methods whichreflect the increasingconcern for conservation,landscape protection andwider environmentalproblems.

* to protect wildlife habitats

and endangered species offlora and fauna.

* to produce quality food in anextensive and environ-mentally friendly manner.

* to provide recognition offarmers as guardians of thecountryside.

* the scheme is designed toreward farmers for carryingout their farming activitiesin an environmentallyfriendly manner.The uptake on this scheme

throughout Ireland has beenenormous and its contributionto the protection of the environ-ment for future generations willbe immense. Under REPS par-ticipants are required to main-tain hedgerows and stonewallsin the interest of wildlife andscenic appearance of the area.Care must be taken not to useheribcides, pesticides and artifi-cial fertilisers near hedgerowsand stonewalls so as to protectthe plant life and animals.

It is difficult to estimate thelength of hedgerows andstonewalls lost in Ireland in thepast 30 years - a conservativeestimate would be 50,000 milesas Britain has lost 209,000miles between 1947-1990 -

enough to girdle the earth eighttimes. As a result of theselosses large parts of Britain, no-tably in the eastern counties aredevoid of both features andwildlife. There the nooks andcrannies of the countryside - thefield corners, green lanes andold fields have gone.

There the Environment Act1995 has provided a legal basisfor protecting importanthedgerows. The environmentalgroup Council for the Protec-tion of Rural England are pres-suring government by:* arguing for more money for

hedgerow management andnew plants.

* piloting hedgerow surveys* monitoring hedgerow loss.

The wildlife that inhabitshedgerows and stonewalls ismind-boggling - birds, mam-mals, insects. Hundreds ofplants from the commoncowslip to rare ferns and or-chids are found in them. (Seefigure “Life in the Hedgerows”for some of these.)

Surely the time has come forgovernment here to take the ini-tiative and issue guidelines forthe protection of hedgerowsand stonewalls. Local authori-

ties must look at how they carefor roadsides. Much unneces-sary damage is done in the cut-ting and trimming by machines.One realises there is a cost fac-tor but surely the butchery muststop. One can find argumentsas to why they should be in-cluded with the REPS Schemefunded by the EU.

It is hoped that Brussels willincrease the funding of REPSso that farmers receive extrapayment for even more envi-ronmental care on their lands.Some urban dwellers may havea difficulty with farmers receiv-ing grant aid from Brussels forprotecting the environment.They must realise such pay-ments are necessary because ofthe heavy cost factor in the up-keep of the following:* hedgerows and stonewalls* peatlands* woodlands* lakes & ponds* marshes* historial and archaeological

features.All of us, whether rural or

urban dwellers, benefit fromthe countryside. Therefore it islogical that we should, indi-rectly through taxes, pay for theprivilege. Life would be mean-ingless without the wonderfulfeatures of our countryside.

A final thought - it would behelpful if Bord Failte andBirdlife Ireland took a morevocal role in getting govern-ment to put hedgerows andstonewall preservation andrestoration higher up the prior-ity list.

HHEEDDGGEESS IINN IIRREELLAANNDD AshBank-voleBeechBlackberryBlackbirdBlackthornBlue TitBroad-leaveddockBullfinchBurying BeetleButtercupCardinal beetleCelandineChaffinchCleaversCockchaferbeetleCockchaferlarvaCommon frogCommon oakCommon SpikerushCommon VetchCommon VioletCommon WaspCow-parsleyCrab AppleDandelionDunnockEarthwormElderElephantHawkmothElmEmperor MothFieldfareFuschiaGarden SpiderGatekeeperbutterflyGorseGreat Black

SlugGreat TitGreenfinchGrey PartridgeGround-ivyHard FernHart’s-tonguefernHawkweedHawthornHazelHedgeBindweedHedge GarlicHedge ParsleyHedge snailHedgeWoundwortHedgehogHerb RobertHogweedHollyHoney-beeHoneysuckleHopHumming-birdHawkmothIvyKestrelKnapweedLady’sBedstrawLadybird LesserCelandineLilacLinnetLords-and-ladiesMale FernMason waspMesh-webSpiderMistle Thrush

Orange-tipbutterflyPainted LadybutterflyPeriwinklePoplarPrimrosePrivetPygmy ShrewRabbitRed AdmiralbutterflyRed foxRed-tailedbumble beeRobinRoseRowanShield-bugSmallTortoiseshellbutterflySoldier beetleSong ThrushSpeckled Bush-cricketSpeckled WoodbutterflyStinging NettleStitchwortStoatTraveller’s JoyTutsanViolet GroundbeetleWhitethroatWild CherryWildStrawberryWillowWood MouseWood PigeonWood AvensWren

Life in the Hedgerows

RECENT EPAPUBLICATIONS

Price Report on IPC Licensing and Control 1995 (1996) £5

Water Quality in Ireland 1991 to 1994 (1996) £20

Ozone Monitoring Results and EU Threshold Exceedances for Ireland in 1995 (1996) £10

Pesticides in Drinking Water - Results of a Preliminary Survey Dec. 1994 - Dec. 1995 (1996) £5

An Assessment of the 1995 Drought - including a comparison with other known drought years £10

Smoke and Sulphur Dioxide - A Summary of Results from Local Authority Monitoring Networks for 1995/96 (1996) £2

Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations, 1994 - A Handbook on Implementation for Local Authorities (1996) £15

State of the Environment Report in Ireland (1996) £30

State of the Environment Report in Ireland (1996) - Summary Free

IPC Licensing BATNEEC Guidance Note for Board Manufacture (1996, LC11) £5

IPC Licensing BATNEEC Guidance Note for the Production of Cement (1996, LC12) £5

IPC Licensing BATNEEC Guidance Note for the Rendering of Animal By-Products (1996, LC13) £5

IPC Licensing BATNEEC Guidance Note for the Extraction of Alumina (1996, LC14) £5

The Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland - A Report for the Year 1994 and a Review of the Period 1992-1994 (1996) £15

All available from : EPA Publications, EPA Regional Inspectorate, St. Martin’s House,Waterloo Road, Dublin 4, Tel : 01-6602511; Fax : 01-6605848.A cheque or postal order should be enclosed for the price quoted plus £1 p&p forthe first item and 50p for each additional item.

Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23 .............................................................................................................................................................................Page 3

BByy RRaayymmoonnddKKeeaarryy

WE are told in school ge-ography books that Ireland isan island of approximately75,000 kms. sq. I would liketo suggest that this idea is outof date. The total area of thecountry is much more, about1,000,000 kms. sq. of whichonly a small part is visibleabove the water, like an ice-berg. Due west of Co. Done-gal, it extends beyond the 25degree line of longitude. Toput this in context, rememberthat the line of 10 degreeslongitude goes throughAchill Island and that 0 de-grees longitude runs throughGreenwich, near London.The distance from the west

coast to the western boundaryof Irish territory is equivalentto the distance from the westcoast to the Netherlands. Thegreater part of this area is al-most unexplored. We have arough idea of the major fea-tures on the seabed. Oil andgas exploration companieshave looked at some areaswhich are of interest to them.Academic institutes havelooked at a number of smallareas.

A million square kilome-tres of territory about whichwe know almost nothing is aneconomic factor which wecannot continue to ignore.What could we use it for? Itis under water, varying indepth down to 5,000 metres.In fact it may be as importantto us as all the grassland inIreland.

The shape of the seabed in-fluences the movement of

currents, the spawning,breeding and feeding groundsof fish stocks. We have onlya very vague idea of its con-tours.

The currents also have aneffect on our weather. In anera of climatic change thismay be critical in planningterms. Gas is already beingproduced off the coast. Thereis certainly more there in ad-dition to crude oil. As tech-nology develops towardsdeeper-water production theengineering properties of thesea-bed will become a matterof life or death. The fishingindustry is reaching out intodeeper water, searching fornew commercial species innew grounds. A knowledgeof the details of the bottomtopography is essential if thecorrect fishing gear for theground is to be used.

There is an important min-

ing industry in Ireland, onland. It is probable that thereare a large number of valu-able deposits of metallic oreson the seabed.

Within the last decadethree areas of technologyhave developed in parallel,creating a situation whichmakes its feasible to map theseabed over large areas.

The first is a high accuracy,world wide navigational sys-tem known as the Global Po-sitioning System (G.P.S.).This uses satellites to form abase line from which onesposition can be obtained any-where in the world with highaccuracy regarding otherplaces. Previous systemswere either localised or oflow accuracy.

The second is in theacoustic field. Light andradio waves have a limitedpower of penetration inwater. Sound waves, how-ever, work very well underwater. The principle of echo-sounding goes back to theSecond World War. Its appli-cations were very limitedwithout the ability to deal

with very large numbers ofcalculations quickly andcheaply. This was providedby the development of com-puters. It is now possible tosail along in a ship at a rea-sonable speed, always know-ing exactly where you areand carrying an instrumentwhich emits numerousacoustic beams which re-echo from the seabed. Thesereturn to the instrument, hav-ing rebounded from the bot-tom and can be analysed totell you, not only the depth,but the type of bottom be-neath.

In August 1996, an area ofseabed approximately twicethe size of the land area ofIreland was surveyed, usingsuch an instrument. GLO-RIA means Geological LongRange Inclined Asdic. It wasdesigned and built by the In-stitute for OceanographicSciences (now the Southamp-ton Oceanographic Centre -SOC) in England and wasmade available to Irelandunder an E.U. programme.The Marine Institute pro-vided funds for ship charter

and other essentials. The Ge-ological Survey of Ireland(GSI) and the Dublin Insti-tute for Advanced Studies(DIAS) set up Governmentorganisations to plan and runthe project. At present twostudents are in Southamptonundergoing training in pro-cessing the data which wasobtained. Over the next yearwe hope to learn a lot aboutpart of our underwater terri-tory which we did not knowbefore.

This is only a small part ofthe answer to the problemswe face. There is a huge areawhich has yet to be surveyedat a reconnaissance scale.When this is completed, itwill be possible to pick outthe areas of most interestfrom various points of viewand examine them moreclosely. This work, to be use-ful, will have to be combinedwith a number of other typesof study, within the water col-umn and under the seabed.

Raymond Keary, SeniorGeologist, Marine, GeologicalSurvey of Ireland.

Land Under the Sea

GLORIA - ready for launch

Neil Kenyon (SOC), Raymond Keary (GSI) and Brian O’Reilly (DIAS) examining themosaic of scans from the seabed.

Phot

os: D

r. Pe

ter R

eadm

an -

DIA

S

Page 4 .............................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

THE Dutch government recently made invest-ments in green funds fully tax-deductible, in anattempt to attract money for sustainable invest-ments from the Dutch public. And it works. Sowell, in fact, that fierce competition now sur-rounds green projects.

Well - meaning companies applying for loansto erect a number of wind turbines on their sitegenerally get short shift from their bank. The re-turn on sustainable investments is just too low fora long-term mortgage. But since 1995, thingshave been better. In January of that year the gov-ernment introduced a tax scheme to encouragegreen investment. Basically, anyone who investsin green shares or certificates pays no tax on thedividend and interest he receives, no matter howhigh the investment. This has helped the banksattract a great deal of “green money”, which theyare allowed to invest only in projects approved bythe government. Up to now, these have mainlyinvolved wind and solar energy and organicfarming. But forestry, nature conservation, eco-friendly technology and agrification (the process-ing of agricultural products for non-consumptivepurposes) projects are also eligible.

Companies have to meet a whole range of re-quirements to qualify for a “green certificate”.The money has to be invested in the Netherlands.The project must not be so profitable that it couldbe funded in the normal way. But it has to makea certain amount of profit, because the govern-ment is offering no guarantees. The banks bearthe risks themselves. The projects also have to betechnically innovative. Banks cannot slap agreen sticker on any old project. They have toensure that at least seventy per cent of the in-vested money is spent within two years on gov-ernment-approved green projects. They are freeto use the other thirty per cent as they see fit.They tend to use it for low-risk investments suchas government bonds, so that they can cash themin quickly if necessary.

Over-optimisticThe environmental bees have certainly started

buzzing around the financial honey pot. Eightgreen funds were established in the first year,with 1.5 billion guilders’ worth of planned in-vestments. More than 850 million guilders’worth of projects have already been approved.

Most of the investments will be spent on sus-tainable energy - wind turbines being the mostpopular - and organic farming. Forestry and na-ture conservation, sustainable housing and inno-vative environmental technology, the otherprojects eligible for a green label, have attractedlittle interest. “It’s not like a box full of sustain-able ideas has suddenly been opened,” says C.van Arendonk of ASN Bank, one of the six banksthat have a launched a green fund. “Most of theprojects are a continuation of things that alreadyexist.

It might be that people who would really ben-efit don’t know about it yet. Another thing thatwind energy has in its favour is that wind turbinesare very tangible things. You set them up, andthey work.”

Although forestry and the conservation ofwildlife habitats and the landscape are key fea-tures of the green scheme, investments in thesesectors are proving less popular. The idea wasthat 1200 hectares of extra woodland would beplanted each year on agricultural land.

However, by the end of last year only oneforestry project and a few nature conservationprojects had been certified as green. “Trees growslowly and the return is low,” explains JacquesUrselmann, who works at the Ministry of Agri-

culture, Nature Management and Fisheries,which helped set up the scheme. “We were a lit-tle over-optimistic about the yield on forestryprojects.” The green fund was to encouragefarmers to convert their fields to woodland. Thisis not happening, because it would entail a majorloss of wealth for farmers. On average, woodedland is worth a great deal less than agriculturalland. Also, investments in forestry are oftenbased on different, non-commercial considera-tions to investments in the rest of the economy.The availability of cheap loans has done little tochange this.

Poorest countriesForesters, environmental technologists and

banks (who are struggling with a lack of greenprojects) are all calling for an expansion of thegreen certification scheme. The commercialbanks would also like to see “pale green” (lessenvironmentally friendly) investments includedin the scheme. Pieter Hamelink of the Dutch en-vironment ministry’s Environmental InvestmentDepartment is against this. “Then you might geta road tunnel underneath a wood being certifiedas green,” he warns. “After all, it wouldn’t dam-age the wood. But I don’t think that’s the point.We deliberately made a cautious start with certi-fication to wait and see what happened. Nowthere’s scope for the green scheme to be appliedon a broader basis, as long as it has a positive im-pact on green investment.

The ministry is thus more inclined to listen tothe wishes of the environmental sector. A greatmany adjustments have been made to the taxscheme. Since 1 November 1996, foresters havebeen allowed to count grants and membershipfees as profit. This is important because forestsare often entirely dependent on government sup-port. The agriculture ministry is considering in-cluding green market gardening companies andlivestock farmers with low mineral emissions inthe green scheme.

Sustainable new housing was also included inthe scheme recently. Here, too, the ministry isstarting cautiously. For a trial period of twoyears, ten thousand new homes can be financedpartly from green funds, under certain conditions.Green funding can be used for only part of thepurchase price, and only for homes that cost nomore than 400,000 guilders. People buying moreexpensive homes are expected to be able to payfor the environmental investment themselves.

The green scheme will soon no longer be re-stricted to the Netherlands. In December 1996,the Dutch Parliament proposed that it be ex-panded to cover the 48 poorest countries in theworld (known as LLDCs). The proposal wasadopted and the idea will be further elaborated.Most of the people in these countries use elec-tricity at their fuel source, so there is great poten-tial for solar energy. The minister is currentlyconsidering how the sustainability agreementsconcluded with Bhutan, Benin and Costa Ricacan also be brought into the scheme.

BoostThe ultimate aim of the scheme is of course to

encourage the use of sustainable technology. Ac-cording to Hamelink, it’s still too early to sayanything about its effects. “We’ve assessed theeffects of grants in the past, but it’s always diffi-cult to say whether things would have happenedanyway without the scheme. But a number ofprojects have been given a major boost.”

One example is a project which uses residualheat from the Roka 3 electricity generating plantin Bleiswijk, South Holland, to heat a large area

of greenhouse. “This project saves enough en-ergy to power a town with 100,000 inhabitants,”says Hamelink. “But it is also technologically in-novative. The CO2 produced by the plant is usedto promote plant growth in the greenhouses. Andthe heat exchanger developed for the projectmight also be useful to other countries, particu-larly former Eastern bloc countries where energyis still used highly inefficiently.”

For further information:Pieter Hamelink, Ministry of Housing, SpatialPlanning and the Environment, PO Box

30945, 2500 GX The Hague, the Netherlands;tel: +31-70-3394838; email:Hamelink@DB.DGM.min.vrom.nl

Jacques Urselmann, Ministry of Agriculture,Nature Management and Fisheries, PO Box20401, 2500 EK The Hague, the Netherlands;tel: +31-70-3792483

C. van Arendonk, ASN Bank, PO Box 30502,2500 GM The Hague, the Netherlands; tel.+31-70-3569333.

INVESTORS WITH A GREEN CONSCIENCE

We will construct and lay your tennis court,basketball court, hockey pitch, athletic track,

sports ground.

Surfaces available include:Tarmacadam - Hard Porous - Synthetic Materials.

Agents for “Desso Synthi-Grass”, who offer a wide range of artifical turf sports surfaces.

Carrigrohane Road, Cork. Telephone: (021) 542821

Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23 .............................................................................................................................................................................Page 5

BByy JJeerrrryy PPoowweellllResource Recycling

AS a rapidly maturing industry, tyre recyclingis undergoing significant change.

Tyre recyclers are proving as durable as theproduct they process. Even as some are makingmoney and others are losing big dollars, hugevolumes of tyres are disappearing from the Amer-ican landscape, and recent industry trends pointto even greater success ahead.

Trend No. 1:TDF (tyre-derived fuel) to the top

Fueling the growth in scrap tyre recovery is thefuel market, with the majority of scrap tyresbeing processed into tyre-derived chips for use insolid-fuel boilers.

Currently, some 80 facilities in 34 states burntyres to recover energy, including cement kilns,paper mill boilers, electric utility boilers and in-dustrial boilers. In addition, the Scrap Tire Man-agement Council (Washington) estimates that anadditional 80 facilities are in various stages ofpermitting or testing. About 1.3 million tonnes ofscrap tyres are used in these plants annually, re-ports STMC.

Although tyre-derived fuel (TDF) is the vol-ume leader in recovered tyre uses, it is not aneasy market to play. When other solid fuels areplentiful and cheap, as they have been for muchof the 1990s, TDF producers suffer. For exam-ple, National Tyre Services (South ChicagoHeights, Illinois), operator of seven scrap tyreprocessing facilities, filed for bankruptcy in Jan-uary 1996. Waste Recovery (Dallas), the largestTDF producer, has only recently returned to prof-itability.

In addition to problems for some processorscreated by low prices, TDF users are encounter-ing an emerging problem. The presence of zincin boiler ash has raised the interest of federal en-vironmental regulators. The typical scrap tyrecontains about 1.4 percent zinc in the form ofzinc oxide, and federal regulations require the re-porting of any chemical - including zinc com-pounds - when the amount exceeds 1 percent byweight of the fuel. Because zinc oxide is notharmful to humans (we put it on our face as asunblock), efforts are underway to have the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency relax its re-porting requirement on TDF users.

Trend No. 2:Civil engineering applications are hot

Scrap tyre chips have many properties thatmake them good candidates for use in construc-tion projects.

Research by Dr. Dana Humphrey of the Uni-versity of Maine shows that tyre chips are light-weight (one-third of one-half as heavy as gravel),have low lateral earth pressure (i.e., they won’tpush walls over), provide good thermal insulationand offer good drainage (10 to 100 times betterthan some soils). Thus, many contractors areusing tyre chips as lightweight fill, for retainingwall backfill, as insulating layers and as drainagematerial.

For example, a number of landfill operatorshave put a layer of tyre chips on a capped fill fordrainage purposes. Emanuel Tire (Baltimore) hasplaced nearly 21,000 tons of wire-free tyre chipsas a two- to four-inch layer on top of the sealedGarett County, Maryland landfill. The tyre chips,with a soil layer atop, disperse water. Virginia

Recycling (Providence Forge, Virginia) has com-pleted several similar projects. The companyshreds approximately 150,000 scrap tyres peryear for use as landfill cover.

Trend No. 3: Adding that valueAs with other high-volume recyclables, the

push is on in the tyre recycling industry to pro-duce higher value products. This change in theindustry comes in the form of a surge in crumbrubber production and use.

The reason is simple. Tyre-derived fuel oftengarners just one or two cents (US) per pound.Thus, the economics of TDF production are tip-fee-based (scrap tyre suppliers need to be chargeda fee to cover processing costs).

Ground rubber from old tyres, on the otherhand, sells for eight to 50 cents per pound, de-pending on its size and quality. Thus, accordingto Will Ferretti, NRC’s executive director andformer head of New York State’s recycling mar-ket development program in Albany, tyre re-claimers can move towards a “market -basedeconomy.”

A number of crumb rubber producers jumpedinto the field after the passage of the federal in-terstate highway act in 1991. The law requiredstate highway agencies to use rubber from scraptyres in growing percentages as an asphalt modi-fier in federally funded highway construction. Assubsequently reported a firestorm of protest fromstate officials and the conventional paving indus-try lead to a recession of the federal requirement.

Nonetheless, a number of states, including Ari-zona, California, Florida and Texas, are still usingsignificant quantities of rubber-modified asphalt,reports Bob Winters, president of Atlos Rubber(Los Angeles). He estimates that the amount ofcrumb rubber-modified asphalt used in highwaymaintenance projects increased last year by 5 to10 percent.

However, the overall effect of the federal high-way act was negative, as “too many start-upcrumb rubber operations” were launched, saysWinters. Many of these producers make poorquality crumb rubber, thus hurting the overall in-dustry, and conducted “little or no market re-search,” Winters notes. Since 1991, he says,“we’ve shown that all crumb rubber isn’t thesame.” As one industry observer notes, “The tyrerecycling industry is full of dreamers, schemersand wannabes.”

Trend No. 4:Tyre wire is now a recyclable

Crumb rubber producers want to buy rubber,not tyre wire and the other nonrubber materialsfound in a scrap tyre carcass. About 10 percentby weight of a scrap tyre is wire, and a concertedeffort is underway to recover this material.

Volumes can be substantial. For example,Waste Recovery generates 2,000 tons per monthof tyre wire at the firm’s four plants that havewire recovery systems.

And this is high-quality, high-carbon, high-strength steel. For example, steel belting wirecontains a coating with 66 percent copper content,and steelmakers love to have copper in their mix.

However, steel recovery from scrap tyres “isn’tnecessarily easy,” notes Greg Crawford, vicepresident-recycling of the Steel Recycling Insti-tute (Pittsburgh). Of great concern to the nearlyone dozen consumers of tyre wire is the amountof rubber attached to the wire, because rubber-contaminated ferrous scrap causes changes insteel mill air emissions. A second issue is the dif-ficulty in processing tyre wire, given that mostbalers are insufficient in producing a furnace-ready bale.

Trend 5:Some governments are ready to helpAlthough state activities in other areas of recy-

cling are declining, programs targeting tyre recy-cling continue.

For instance, the Indiana Department of Com-merce (Indianapolis) has awarded a $479,000 no-interest loan to Envirotech Extrusions(Richmond, Indiana) to expand its tyre recyclingplant. The company will use 4,000 tons of scraprubber annually in the manufacture of extrudedrubber sheets that are sold to the die-cut industryto make items such as livestock trailer walls,truck-bed liners and landfill caps.

Government efforts to boost tyre recycling areparticularly strong in Canada. The Alberta TireRecycling Management Board intends to spend$13 million ($CN) over three years to help estab-lish and maintain a number of tyre recovery op-erations. The board has aided a number of firms,and now five Alberta companies shred tyres, withtwo making crumb rubber in addition to TDF.Two additional companies in the province manu-facture recycled products from scrap tyres.

A similar, government-established programoperates in Manitoba, and a voluntary tyre recy-cling system has just been launched inSaskatchewan.

Trend No. 6:Recycled rubber in new tyres

A potentially huge tyre recycling market isbeing investigated by Michelin Tire Co.(Greenville, South Carolina).

Several years ago, Ford Motor Co. urgedMichelin to see if a high-quality tyre could bemade that included 10 percent post-consumertyre rubber. Since that time, Michelin researchershave used finely ground scrap tyre rubber in mak-ing prototype all-weather tyres. According to Dr.Kevin Wallace of Michelin, the key properties ofrecycled-content tyres, such as the degree of wearresistance, roll resistance and tread life, are es-sentially the same as regular new tyres.

Other industry experts, including Jack Zimmerof Goodyear Tyre and Rubber (Akron, Ohio),contend that such a recycling application justisn’t feasible. Zimmer notes that the typical scraptyre contains four different types of rubber andeight types of carbon black, thus making recov-ered crumb rubber an unsuitable hodgepodge.

Nonetheless, Michelin scientists are now field

testing the recycled-content tyre and determiningif it can be made at commercial-production lev-els. In addition, recycled content is now beingtested in other types of Michelin tyres.

Trend 7: Specs and standardsare on the horizon

In recognition of the emerging nature of thetyre recycling industry, plus the unreliability ofsome of the recovered products made by someprocessors, a set of standard-setting committeesare at work within the American Society of Test-ing and Materials (West Conshohocken, Pennsyl-vania).

A major impediment to expanded use of crumbrubber is the lack of a universally accepted spec-ification for the material. That may change.ASTM members will soon vote on a draft crumbrubber specification developed by a committee ofrubber scientists, tyre reclaimers and crumb rub-ber users. The draft classification scheme will re-quire crumb rubber producers to list the source ofscrap tyres used to make the crumb rubber (wholetyre rubber, tread rubber, tread buffings, etc.), thesize of the crumbed product and its composition(including the amounts of fiber, metal, acetone,ash, carbon black, natural rubber, etc.).

A second ASTM standards will describe thepreferred equipment and procedures to be used intesting crumb rubber. According to members ofthe ASTM committee, the development of widelyaccepted crumb rubber standards will greatly as-sist in moving this material to a commodity status.

A second ASTM committee is working to de-velop draft specifications for tyre-chip use incivil engineering applications.

ConclusionAccording to numerous industry participants,

scrap tyre use will continue to increase, with anindustry shakeout expected as recovery systemsenlarge and industry standards become widelyused. As John Serumgard, chairman of STMCconcludes, “The contemporary tyre recycling in-dustry isn’t yet a mature industry, though wemight be approaching our teens.”

Jerry Powell is Editor of Resource Recycling,P.O. Box 10540, Portland, OR 97296-0540,USA. Tel: (503) 227-1319 Fax: (503) 227-6135 Email: resrecycle@aol.com. (Printed withPermission.)

The HThe Hottest ottest TTrrends in ends in TTyryre Re Recyecyclingcling

A pile of tyre-derived fuel awaiting transport at Waste Recovery Inc.’s Dupo,Illinois facility, in the U.S.

Page 6 .............................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

BByy BBrriiaann AArrcchheerrEIS stands for Environmental Impact Study (orstatement) and is required by law in certaincases where proposed developments may havepotential for causing significant effects on theenvironment.

EIA or Environmental Impact Assessment isthe process by which developers, regulatorybodies, the public, and particularly, the compe-tent planning authorities, consider what the ef-fects will be, whether positive, negative orneutral. This assessment ultimately leads to adecision to either permit, refuse or modify a pro-ject.

EIS and EIA are, therefore, primarily intendedto lead to sound, informed decision making bybodies such as planning authorities, BordPleanala, The Environmental Protection Agencyand Departments of State. They are also in-tended to inform the public of the likely conse-quences of such projects and to allow them toparticipate in the decision making process.

In this context sound and informed decisionsare those which, to the maximum extent possi-ble, protect the environment and are consistentwith what is called “the proper planning and de-velopment of the area”.

All public bodies, including local authorities,are now required to prepare EIS’s in the case ofcertain large developments.

One very important point to note about EIAand EIS is that they are not primarily intended tobe tools for the prevention of development. Eu-ropean Law (EC Directive 85/337/EEC) ac-

knowledges that developments will take placewhich have significant environmental effects.However, it requires that these effects will bestudied, predicted and that steps to minimisethem will be built into the consent (planning)procedures. Irish Law requires that ... “wheresignificant adverse effects are identified ... (EISshould include) ... a description of the measuresenvisaged in order to avoid, reduce or remedythese effects”. It does not require, where mea-sures cannot avoid the stated significant adverseeffects, that a project must be abandoned or berefused consent to proceed.

In fact, one of the main factors underlying andleading to the EC Directive had very little at allto do with environmental protection. The Coun-cil of the EU felt that, to ensure the proper“functioning of the common market ... it is nec-essary to approximate national laws in thisfield”. In other words, they sought harmonisa-tion, cohesion and similarity of treatment of de-velopment projects and consent (planning)procedures throughout all the disparate memberstates. The reason was in order to avoid “un-favourable competitive conditions” or competi-tive advantage for any one state over the othermember states.

An instance would be the case where anAmerican or Japanese industrial investor, whowished to establish in the EU, might choose Por-tugal or Greece, for example, over Denmark orGermany, simply because the control and pro-ject assessment procedures in the former wereperceived to be less onerous than in the latterstates.

EIS and EIA are expressions which tend toscare a lot of people. Developers or proposers

of projects are nervous that the requirementswill involve them in high preparation costs. In-terested parties and individual citizens some-times feel intimidated by the sheer volume of(often highly technical) data through which it isnecessary to delve. This latter is the casenotwithstanding the legal requirement that asummary in non-technical language should ac-company any EIS

This became quite a problem in the early daysof EIA in America. The process itself is ex-tremely recent - being required by U.S. law onlysince 1970. In 1978 the federal agency (Coun-cil on Environmental Quality) put a limitationon the size of EISs.

The environmental controversies of 1988 and1989 in this country, have given the impressionthat Ireland lagged behind the rest of the devel-oped world in relation to EIA In fact, EIS prepa-ration has been a requirement of Irish PlanningLaw since 1976 (for certain industrial undertak-ings). This compares with France (1976), Lux-embourg (1978) and the Netherlands (1986).Britain had no national statutory requirement forEIA before the EC Directive became applicable.

In respect of the application of the EC Direc-tive and the 1989 Regulations which translatedthe directive into domestic law, this countrycould be accused of an over enthusiastic use ofthe laws.

For example, between July, 1988 and Decem-ber, 1990, the authorities in Great Britain re-quired 166 EISs. In the same period, planningauthorities in Ireland required the preparation of123 such studies. Assuming a similar level ofconstruction and development activity in bothjurisdictions, it can be seen that in Ireland, theincidence of EIS relative to population was ap-proximately 10 times as great as in GreatBritain.

In Co. Cork 85 EISs have been submittedsince July, 1988. 28 of these were required be-fore the coming into force of the 1989 Regula-tions. So, while central government could becriticised for a certain lack of urgency in imple-menting the EC Directive (it was 1.5 years late),local government seems to have more than com-pensated by demanding EISs at a rate that hasnever been equalled since.

The EPA have published draft guidelines onthe information to be contained in EISs. Thesehave general application nationally. This is acomprehensive document but it is not intendedto lead to overlong studies as occurred in theU.S. In fact it makes it clear that minimal topiccoverage is advisable when no significant im-pacts are likely.

It is important to remember that the impactswhich must be addressed in an EIS are the sig-nificant ones. A document in which the criti-cally important considerations are lost in amorass of issues of minor insignificant effects isnot helpful to the efficient assessment of the pro-ject and can, in fact, frustrate the interested indi-vidual or group who would wish to play aconstructive part in the assessment process(whether in support of, or in opposition, to theproject).

An EIS which includes well designed side-tracks leading to a cul-de-sac of red herrings isabout as helpful to the assessment process as op-ponents basing their case on the fact that the pro-posers were involved in environmentalaccidents in another country, in another time,using different processes and subject to outdatedenvironmental controls.

The question of the exact details which an EISshould address, and the degree, has also been thecause of some controversy. As the law currentlystands (arising from the Merrel-Dow case) the

relevant planning authority is solely responsiblefor determining the adequacy of the EIS. (In thecase of an application to the Environmental Pro-tection Agency for an integrated pollution con-trol licence, the EPA would presumably have thesame responsibility.)

In practice, most proposers of large projectswould have prior consultation with the relevantplanning agencies to determine the issues to bedealt with in the EIS This process is calledscoping. It can be an extremely worthwhile ex-ercise insofar as it can help to isolate the reallyimportant and significant topics which need tobe considered. In so doing, it can also help toavoid wasteful concentration on insignificantmatters.

Scoping need not be a matter between the pro-poser/developer and the planning authorityalone. Interested bodies also have a part to playand should make their reservations and anxietiesknown at an early stage. Large investors, suchas Sandoz Ltd., have shown a willingness andindeed a wish to consult as widely as possible atthe start of the EIA process and before finaliza-tion of their EIS.

A formalized scoping requirement for EIS’s isbeing considered at European level and maywell become a statutory necessity in the future.

A fundamental requirement of a good EIS isthat it should have studied alternatives to theproposal being put forward. The most obviousalternatives are locational. For example, localauthorities will always consider alternativeroutes for major bypasses of towns before opt-ing for the preferred route. Another examplewould be the case of a high-tech industry whichmight make a locational decision based on theproximity of an Institute of Technology or aUniversity Town as against, say, an area of highunemployment.

In many cases, locational alternatives do notapply. In the case of mining, for instance, thereis often no choice other than the specific loca-tion of the mineral source. In this case, the ap-propriate alternatives to be studied would bemethods, (whether open-case or underground)processes and technologies.

The important issue is that an EIS should notsimply be a study of the absolute impact of a de-velopment but must include a relative study ofthe impact vis-à-vis alternatives considered.Without this relative dimension, the justificationfor decisions taken (whether locational or tech-nological) can be difficult to establish.

EIA and EIS are here to stay. It is hoped thatthey will, with the help of the EPA guidelines,become progressively more user friendly. Itshould not be forgotten that in this country thereare always a minimum of three parties to theconsideration of a development proposal. Theyare the proposer/developer, the Planning Au-thority or control agency and the receiving pop-ulation - i.e. the people.

Draft guidelines on the information to be con-tained in environmental impact statements - EPA1995.

EC Directive 85/337/EECEnvironmental Impact Assessment. A Hand-book Ed. Ml. O’Sullivan, REMU.Environmental Impact Assessment. A Techni-cal Approach EDS K. Brady, C. Sheehan, G.Walsh.Local Government (Planning & Development)Regulations 1989.Paper: Intensive Course on Planning Law,1992. Dr. Yvonne Scannell, Trinity College.

Brian Archer, Planning Department, CorkCounty Council, County Hall, Cork, Ireland.

Environmental Impact Study

GGoovveerrnnmmeennttPPuubblliiccaattiioonnssOOffffiiccee ooff PPuubblliicc WWoorrkkss

Heritage Publications produced by the Department of Arts, Culture andGaeltacht dealing with general heritage, monuments, archaeologicalinventories and surveys, historic properties, national parks, wildlifepublications, waterways, leaflets and posters.

The Government Publications Division of the Office of Public Works isalso responsible for the sale of specialised technical, scientific andmanagerial publications dealing with the natural and built environment.These specialised publications are produced by GovernmentDepartments in Ireland and by international organisations such as EU,OECD, WHO, etc.

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS,4/5 HARCOURT ROAD,

DUBLIN 2.Telephone (01) 6613111 or Fax (01) 4752760.

Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23 .............................................................................................................................................................................Page 7

BByy OOssccaarrMMeerrnnee

AS the last Swallows leaveIreland for southern Africa inthe early days of October, thefirst Whooper Swans arrivehere from their breedinggrounds in Iceland. Lakes andlagoons in the north-west oneday have a few local MuteSwans floating on them; thenext day - particularly after aspell of cool north-westerliesand clear skies - the wetlandsare alive with new arrivals, ex-citedly trumpeting their loud“whooping” calls. This is theirsignature tune and immediatelydistinguishes the Whoopersfrom the resident Mute Swans,which utter quiet, nasal snorts,hisses and whistles when ex-cited. The two species areabout the same size, but thereare other differences besidesthe vocal ones. At a distanceMute Swans often have archedwings, particularly when theyare being territorial. They alsohave a relatively long, pointedtail which is usually held in a

graceful curve. Somewhatcloser, or when viewed throughbinoculars or a telescope, thebills of the two swans are quitedistinct. The adult Whoopershave bright yellow bills withblack tips, while those of theMute are orange-red, with thinblack margins. Mutes also havea black fleshy knob at the baseof their bills. The first-yearbirds are nearly always withtheir parents and this helps intheir identification. Their billsare much less distinctive, butyoung Mutes tend to have quitebrownish plumage, whileyoung Whoopers are paler andgreyer.

More confusing in someareas are flocks of Bewick’sSwans, which are often mixedwith Whoopers, and appear likesmall versions of their Icelandiccousins. Apart from beingsmaller and more petite allround, Bewick’s Swans have arelatively short bill, which isblack, with yellow at the base.They come here from Siberiaand are relatively scarce, occur-ring at fewer wetlands and to-talling between 700 and 2,200individuals in Ireland in winter.

Whooper Swans breed in thetundra/taiga zones, from Ice-

land in the west to the Pacificcoast of Russia in the east. Forthe winter the whole populationmoves south to more temperatewetland regions. The Icelandicbreeding population, which isgeographically isolated fromthe continental one, migrates toIreland and Britain for the win-ter. Because Iceland is an ac-tive volcanic country, hotsprings keep some of the wet-lands there from freezing inwinter, and a small proportionof the breeding population usu-ally stays there for some or allof the winter.

Until the mid-1970s it wasestimated that there were only5,000 to 7,000 Whooper Swansin Iceland, but since then therehas been a major increase. Afull winter census in Ireland,Britain and Iceland in January1991 produced a grand total forthe Icelandic population of18,035 birds. A repeat censusin January 1995 showed a de-crease of 2,193 birds to 15,842.This decrease is explained byreduced breeding success inthree summers. In 1995 some9,855 of the Whoopers werecounted in Ireland, 5,016 inBritain and 971 in Iceland.From this it can be seen that

Ireland, with 62% of the totalpopulation, is a very importantwintering area for IcelandicWhoopers.

In the past, when overallnumbers were much lower,Whooper Swans were foundwintering mainly on lakes andlagoons rich in aquatic vegeta-tion, on turloughs and grassyflood-plains or callows, andsometimes on saltmarshes andintertidal areas with eelgrass(Zostera) beds. More recently,with greatly increased numbersand through adaptation (andperhaps these are interlinked),many Whooper Swan flocks arenow found on agriculturallands. Particularly favoured arelarge flat fields close to water,where the swans feel securefrom disturbance and predation,and where their limited flightmanoeuvrability is not an en-cumbrance. Here they graze onthe protein-rich new shoots ofsuch species as perennial rye-grass and winter cereals. Theywill also feed on spilt grain in

autumn stubbles, and on theleavings of harvested roots suchas potatoes and beet. Where theswans are feeding on wastegrain and roots there is usuallyno problem, but farmers areoften anxious when large flocksof Whoopers graze their sprout-ing cereals and improved grassswards. Significant damagecan occur in some situations,but such grazing can have ben-eficial effects too - for examplenutrient recycling, tillering, re-

moval of plant parts whichwould otherwise die back.Where damage is being done orperceived to be occurring, reliefcomes in the spring when theWhoopers set off again to theirbreeding grounds in Iceland.

Oscar Merne is a WildlifeResearch Officer with theNational Parks & WildlifeService at the Dept. of Arts,Heritage, Gaeltacht and theIslands.

Whooper Swans

The signature tune of the Whooper Swan is its “whooping”call, which immediately distinguishes it from other swans.

Many Whooper Swan flocks are now found on agricultural lands - particularly favoured arelarge flat fields close to water, where the swans feel secure from disturbance and predation.

Do your bit for conservation -

RREECCYYCCLLEE YYOOUURR CCAANNSSat your nearest bottle bank

Phot

os: O

scar

Mer

ne

IPC LICENSING AND CONTROL -ANNUAL REPORT PUBLISHED

The Agency has recently issued a report on IPC Licensing andControl for 1995. It includes a report on the performance of thefirst twenty-two industries which were granted an IPC Licence bythe Agency. This is the first such report since the setting up of theAgency and covers the period from the receipt of the first applica-tions for IPC licences in July 1994 to December 1995.

The report describes the licensing and control activities of theAgency which include IPC licensing, monitoring and enforcement.

Listed in the appendices of the report are details of submissions andobjections received in relation to IPC applications, the distributionof IPC applications by county and class, monitoring visits to IPCfacilities in 1995 and results of audits completed at licensed fa-cilities.

Copies of the report entitled Report on IPC Licensing and Con-trol 1995 (price £5) are available from: EPA Publications, St. Mar-tin’s House, Waterloo Road, Dublin 4. (Tel : 01-6602511; Fax 016605848).

Further Information: Mr. Dara Lynott, EPA Headquarters,Ardcavan, Wexford. Tel : 053-47120, Fax: 053-47119, Email :d.lynott@epa.ie

Pesticides inDrinking Water Report

The Agency has recently completed the widest study to date ofthe occurrence of pesticide residues in drinking water in Ireland. Itis generally accepted that the quantities of pesticides used in Ire-land are relatively low in the European context. However, any as-sumption that there is no background contamination of Irishdrinking waters by pesticide residues needed some experimentalsupport.

Out of over 3,300 analytical results on the quality of drinkingwater, spread over 26 counties and serving 1.8 million consumers,only five were above the limit prescribed by European standards.The supplies showing high results were retested and shown to beclear.

The report Pesticides in Drinking Water (Dec 1994 - Dec 1995),(price £5) includes details of all samples taken, summaries of theresults for each compound and full results from each Sanitary Au-thority area. Copies of the report are available from : EPA Publi-cations, St Martins House, Waterloo Road, Dublin 4. (Tel :01-6602511 ; Fax : 01-6605848).

Further Information: Dr. Ciaran O’Donnell, EPA RegionalInspectorate, Pottery Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. Tel : 01-2852122 ; Fax : 01-2851766.

OZONE MONITORINGIN IRELAND FOR 1995

The Agency has published the results of ozone monitoring inIreland for 1995. The main finding of the report is that, on a num-ber of occasions during the hot summer of 1995, the ozone levelsin Ireland exceeded the thresholds set down for the protection ofhuman health or vegetation by the EU Directive on ozone. The lev-els also reached and indeed exceeded the level above which thepublic must be informed.

The highest readings were registered during the exceptionallyhot periods when the temperature was greater than 25 degreescentigrade and anti-cyclonic conditions prevailed. In these condi-tions pollutants from the UK and mainland Europe, such as nitro-gen oxides and hydrocarbons, move over the country. Thesepollutants, in conjunction with the high temperatures, cause an in-crease in ozone levels. However, the occurrence of this situation inIreland is rare.

The threshold for the protection of human health is based on theaverage over 8 hours. This was exceeded on 35 days over the sixsites in the monitoring network. The population informationthreshold above which the public should be informed, relates tohourly values and was exceeded for a total of 27 hours on 13 daysat three sites.

The highest concentrations in 1995 were recorded at Glashboyon the NE of Cork city. Overall the maximum levels measured dur-ing the summer of 1995 from the six stations, were the highest everrecorded in Ireland. However, these readings should be comparedto much higher levels of ozone recorded in the worst affected partsof Europe where summer ozone levels may be up to three times ashigh as the highest recorded values in Ireland.

A detailed listing of all exceedances, as compiled for submissionin accordance with the reporting requirements of the ozone Direc-tive, is presented in the report. There were few exceedance eventsin respect of thresholds for hourly concentrations but significantlymore in the case of the lower 8-hour means. The vegetation pro-tection threshold of 65 mg/m3 over 24 hours was regularly ex-ceeded at most monitoring sites but this is not surprising, as thisparticular threshold is close to the mean level for troposphericozone in northern mid-latitudes.

Data from a network of six monitoring stations were used in thecompilation of this report. These are situated at Kilkitt, Co Mon-aghan; Pottery Road, Dun Laoghaire; Glashaboy, Cork; KilkennyCity; Avondale, Co Wicklow and Macehead, Co Galway. Thesesites were representative of city suburbs, forests, agricultural areasand of the extreme Atlantic west coast.

A copy of this report price £10, is available from: EPA Publica-tions, EPA Regional Inspectorate, St. Martins House, WaterlooRoad, Dublin 4. Tel : 01-6602511; Fax : 01-6605848.

Further Information: Mr. Michael McGettigan, EPA RegionalInspectorate, St. Martin’s House, Waterloo Road, Dublin 4. Tel :01-6602511 ; Fax : 01-6605848.

Page 8 .............................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

Recent EPA Reports

Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23............................................................................................................................................................................ Page 9

BByy BBoobb MMaarrsshhaallllDURING his eight years as a state

legislator, Randy Roach had seensome dramatic shifts in politicalpower. But none compared with thesudden swing in 1995 that resulted ingill nets being banned from Louisianawaters.

In the course of one legislative ses-sion, the sport fishing lobby grewfrom minnow to whale.

For several years there was prettymuch political parity on the issues be-tween sports and commercial fishinginterests,” said Roach, who repre-sented Lake Charles in the Housefrom 1988 to ’95. “Things went 50-50, or maybe 55-45, one way or theother. It was usually pretty close.

“But in 1995, the sports lobby cameback and ... Wham! Suddenly theywere on top 90-10. They literallysteamrolled the opposition on the gillnet ban, something they had beenonly able to talk about for 10 years.

“I mean, it was no contest. Sudden,complete dominance. That is a veryrare thing in politics.”

It was unheard-of for sport fishersin Louisiana and the Gulf. Since theearly 1980s, when gill nets firstsparked their political activism, recre-ational fishers had made plenty ofnoise, but won few political battles.

All that changed during a dramatic18 months starting in November

1994, when Florida voters over-whelmingly approved a ban on gillnets in their waters.

Legislatures in Louisiana, Alabamaand Mississippi followed in the springof 1995 with partial bans on the nets,which critics say are wasteful.

Louisiana’s sport fishers capped theturnaround early this year, whenJimmy Jenkins, president of the GulfCoast Conservation Association —the sport fishers lobby — was namedsecretary of the state Department ofWildlife and Fisheries.

The changes are part of a largertrend that has shifted the balance ofpower from commercial fishers tosport fishing interests all across theGulf of Mexico. It is a battle thatcould change the way fish are man-aged and regulations are written foryears to come.

But while the sport fishers’ victo-ries were dramatic, lawmakers andlobbyists say the turnaround had beenbuilding since the mid-1980s, and re-flected two key factors for politicalsuccess: numbers and organization.

The sport fishers have both; thecommercial interests never did.

“It was always a matter of time, be-cause of the numbers; there are manymore recreationals than commer-cials,” said Mark Hilzim, executivedirector of the GCCA from 1986 to’92. “Our job was getting the Legisla-ture to recognize our economic im-pact.”

Marine recreational fishing hadbeen quietly building into a major

economic power since the 1980swhen the Gulf Coast began experienc-ing explosive growth. Studies creditsport fishing with at least half of the$5 billion to $6 billion generated bythe Gulf fishing industry each year.About 57,000 full-time jobs are di-rectly connected to the region’s recre-ational fishing, and the AmericanSportsfishing Association estimatesthat 4.6 million recreational anglersfish in the Gulf, a large voting bloc forlawmakers to consider.

But sport fishers say state agencieswere slow to acknowledge them be-cause saltwater species are generallyconsidered a commercial commodity.Until recently, for example, biologistsassigned to manage marine fisheriesat the Louisiana Department ofWildlife and Fisheries worked in the“Seafood Division.”

“We never went to the Legislatureas favorites,” Hilzim said. “Commer-cial fishing controlled the commit-tees. We were always underdogs.”

That began to change in 1986,thanks to a recipe. Cajun chef PaulPrudhomme’s blackened redfish be-came a national craze, and in a fewmonths what had been a relativelyunimportant commercial species wasfished to the brink of depletion.

Film of commercial boats nettingso many of the fish that they had tothrow away thousands enraged sportfishers.

The GCCA entered the politicalarena and, using the redfish as itslogo, lobbied to have commercial

fishing for the species closed. Com-mercial fishers responded by usingtheir political clout to temporarilyclose recreational fishing as well, amove that galvanized sport fishers toaction.

After two years of bitter debate, theLegislature finally agreed with thesport fishers, and in 1988 it desig-nated redfish a game fish, making itoff-limits to commercial fishers.

Roach considers that decision thebeginning of the end for commercialfishing interests.

“That event really was the first timethe Legislature said that a recreationalfishery was more important than acommercial effort on the samespecies,” Roach said.

The vote was close, but the sportfishing crowd had established abeachhead.

Hilzim, who left the conservationassociation in 1992 to become secre-tary of the state Department of Cul-ture, Tourism and Recreation, haswatched the continued rise of sportfishing’s power with interest and in-sight, and pinpointed four keys to itscurrent dominance.

“First, the commercials lost impor-tant allies on the key (natural re-source) committees in theLegislature,” he said. “Many times wecouldn’t get bills onto the floor be-cause of those guys. By 1992, theywere almost all gone.

“Two, pure demographics. Politicsis numbers. Eventually the sheerweight of the rec numbers — 600,000of us to 1,500 netters — took its tollon the voting.

“Three, the commercials hurt them-selves by refusing to work with therecreational fishing people earlier.They had any number of opportunitiesto take the initiative. I think therewere some commercial guys whoknew that and wanted to change somethings, but they weren’t listened to bytheir leaders.

“And, finally, the Florida vote.”If redfish was the turning point for

recreational fishing in Louisiana,Florida’s ban was the benchmark forthe Gulf Coast.

“That was the catalyst for whathappened in Louisiana,” Hilzim said.“Without that vote, I don’t think theGCCA would have had the success ithad here last year.”

Florida outlawed the nets with a 72percent landslide in a vote of the peo-ple that provided powerful precedent.Texas had banned gill nets by govern-ment proclamation in 1988, butFlorida’s public vote was a clear signthat things had changed.

“For a major state, with a seafoodindustry we can relate to, to take thatkind of step was a major factor,”Roach said. “The Florida vote, inmany people’s eyes, validated theGCCA’s position on gill nets here.People who weren’t that familiar withthe issue saw the big margin and said,

‘Well, there must be something to the(sport fishers’) complaint.’

“Timing is everything. The GCCAwas able to capitalize on the Floridavote. Plus it was an election year.Legislators — especially those fromnorth Louisiana — were only hearingone thing from their constituents: Banthe nets.”

Like Hilzim, Roach said much ofthe sport fishers’ success was rootedin the commercial industry’s twomajor failings: lack of organizationand resistance to change.

Unlike sport fishers, commercialfishers had no single umbrella grouprepresenting their interests. And thecompetitive and independent natureof the business fosters resistance toorganization.

“Several of us (legislators) whowere trying to strike a balance couldnot get the attention of the commer-cials to the reality of the politicalwinds that were blowing,” Roachsaid. “We were never successful ingetting them to back off a little and bemore realistic.”

A week after the Florida gill netvote, Carl Turner, director of theLouisiana Seafood Marketing andPromotion Board, announced a pro-posal by commercial fishers for dra-matic reforms, including a ban on setgill nets, closed seasons, limited entryand other ideas long championed byconservation groups.

When asked why the suddenchange of heart, Turner said, “It’samazing what you will do when youhave a gun pointed at your head.”

But by then, the GCCA smelledblood, and it wasn’t willing to backdown on the push for a total ban.

Six months later, the recreationalfishing lobby flexed its newfoundmuscles and changed the landscape ofLouisiana’s coastal fishery politics.

“I don’t think commercial fisher-men ever faced reality,” Roach said,“until it was too late.”

Bob Marshall is staff writer with TheTimes-Picayune - New Orleans’ (US)only daily newspaper.

The Times-Picayune won thePulitzer Prize for public service for itsspecial eight-day series “Oceans ofTrouble: Are the World’s FisheriesDoomed?”. The project team - JohnMcQuaid, Bob Marshall, MarkSchleifstein and Ted Jackson - underthe direction of editor Tim Morris,worked for more than a year to pro-duce the comprehensive report. The se-ries had previously been honoured bythe Society of Professional Journalists,also in recognition of the newspaper’sservice to the public.

Contact: The Times-Picayune,3800 Howard Avenue, New Orleans,LA, USA 70140. (Printed with per-mission).

Power Shifts to Sport Fishing

BByy DDaapphhnneePPoocchhiinn MMoouulldd

ICELAND is a new land -new, geologically speaking.Built of volcanic rock it’s stillone of the most actively vol-canic parts of the world. Erup-tions happen about every fiveyears, with land still being cre-ated. It’s new too in humanterms, being the last part of Eu-rope to be settled - in the 9thcentury. It has no remote andmisty prehistoric past asrecords were kept of who hadsettled where. People camefrom Norway, as well as othercountries, with links to theNorse settlements in Britainand Ireland, who brought Irishwives and Irish slaves. Ice-landers today are proud of theirIrish blood, and many have thedark hair and blue eyes wethink of as Celtic.

These Viking adventurersand settlers, who were to go onto colonise Greenland and ex-plore the coasts of North Amer-ica, came in their fast,seaworthy longships, loadednot only with domestic gear butwith their domestic animals -horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigsand dogs. Till then, the onlyIcelandic mammal had been theArctic fox and an occasionalpolar bear, swept in on floatingice to the north coast. Farmerfishermen, the Icelanders spentthe long, nightless, summerdays making hay for the winterfeeding of their animals. Ourword “hay” comes from theScandinavian - Icelandic “hey”.They still make hay, but nowuse modern machines. The hay

is rolled into bales and wrappedin white plastic, which dot thegreen fields like over-sizedsheep. Later they are stacked atthe farm animal houses, for thecattle and sheep are over-win-tered indoors.

Because Iceland is a remoteand large island (103 sq. kmbigger than Ireland), these an-cient breeds of animals have re-mained unchanged through thecenturies. The pigs, however,have died out, though theirpresence is stamped on thelandscape in placenames - in-cluding the word “svin”, ourword swine. The sheep aremostly white, but also black,grey and brown, and traditionalIcelandic knitwear uses thesenatural colours to make pat-terned pullovers. It is a strong,springy wool, ideal for keepingout the cold and for sportswear.The cows are great milkers butnot good beef cattle. Theycome in all sorts of colours, in-cluding tiger stripes, and unlikein the past, today they are de-horned. Recently, under verycareful supervision (for Icelandhas been isolated from manyanimal diseases and the nativebreeds have no herd immunityagainst them), beef cattle havebeen introduced. Icelandersdrink a lot of milk and eat thetraditional “sky”, a thick formof yoghurt, which can be eatenas it is, with cream, with thewild blueberries of the hill-sides, or with other fruit.Today, Iceland produces arange of yoghurts and cheeses,and is very proud of its icecream.

The Icelandic dog is a smallversion of the husky, and playsits part in the herding of sheepand cattle. Every sheep andcow has its Icelandic name.

Careful farmers tag the lambs’ears with the mother’s name, soselective breeding is possible.During summer sheep andlambs run free on the hills; inthe autumn round-up the breed-ing animals are brought in, andthe lambs for slaughter selected- it is not possible to house largeflocks over winter. After asummer feeding on the grassand herbs of the hillsides, Ice-landic lamb is claimed to bethe best in the world, and prob-ably is.

But the special glory of theIcelandic animal kingdom is thehorse. The original Vikinghorse, immensely strong andimmensely intelligent, with itsfive speeds (walk, trot, gallop,tolt and pace - “tolt” is fast,smooth running), is today anexpensive and important exportfrom Iceland. Till very re-cently, when the Icelanders, al-

most overnight, jumped fromhorseback to cars and aircraft,the horse did everything on thefarm and was the only transportto go anywhere in the country.In the 1960’s, a popular post-card showed Icelanders ridingonto the airfield to board an air-craft, and even then Icelandair’s

old logo was the winged horse.However the Icelanders’ newhorse was to become the aero-plane.

Today Iceland has ridingschools for visitors who want tolearn more of the special skillsand charms of the IcelandicViking horse. You can go on

long, well organised treksacross and around the wholecountry in summer time, ormake shorter trips at any timeof the year. Viking horses picktheir own way over rough coun-try - leave them to it and onlygiving them the general direc-tion. They are very friendly, al-most dog-like animals, andmost unlikely to bite or kickyou. No wonder horse loversall over Europe and in Americabuy them. There is an interna-tional association of Icelandichorse owners, of which Irelandis a member. Its magazine,published in English and Ger-man, is called “Eidfaxi”, whichaccording to the ancient ac-count, was the name of the firstfoal to be born in Iceland.

The Icelandic horse is theonly unchanged ancient Euro-pean breed of horse - the onethe Vikings rode and loved andcarried with them on their voy-ages to new lands. Today youcan get to know some of themhere in Ireland, or better still goto Iceland and meet some of the75,000 animals on their nativehills.

Page 10 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

NNeeww LLaanndd,, AAnncciieenntt BBrreeeeddss

SHOW TIME: A child competitor at the national Lansmot, 1994. (Horse show)

Riders herding sheep for shearing. The only farm work the Icelandic horse does thesedays is herding sheep and sometimes cows.

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ABOUT four times a year we go tosea to sample fish stocks for data torun models for harvested species quotaallocations. Each cruise samples thesame general areas, but focuses on lo-cations where fish congregate or somesignificant element of fish life occursat the time of the cruise. In New Eng-land, the big three species of ground-fish (fish that live on or near thebottom) are cod, haddock and pollock.These stocks have been depleted andneed to be protected. While we awaitthe Winter Groundfish Cruise statis-tics, the scientists are reporting theirobservations from the three weeks oftrawling. They sense that things areboth hopeful and depressing, depend-ing on where they were betweenCanada and the Carolinas (U.S.).

Hopeful comments arose aboutareas that have been closed to protectspawning and early development. Thepopulations of Cod, Haddock and Pol-lock within those protected areas weremore numerous than outside. With thestocks of fish at depressed levels, theincreased number was sensed also bycommercial fishermen who were fish-

ing for “strays” just outside the bound-aries. While near one such “Fishsanctuary,” the radar revealed fourteentrawlers working the edges. There wasalso a sense of hope stimulated by thesurvey results at the US & Canadianborder where our sample stations areintegrated with those of our Canadiancounterparts. As the vessel movednorthward through the Gulf of Maineand crossed the border, the numbersand sizes of the fish increased. Thismeans that there are more fish of vari-ous ages in those waters. The moreage group representatives there are, themore stable the population is, as it con-tains individuals that will “replace”fish that reach legal size and are har-vested. This finding supports the deci-sion to stop or severely restrict fishingeffort in sensitive areas and duringsensitive life stages.

The presence of commercialtrawlers along the edge of the closedareas, their numbers, those of thesharks and skates in our catches andsome very small catches in the openfishing areas led the Cruise’s ChiefScientist to draw some depressingthoughts. He offered that twenty-fiveyears of New England Fishery Man-agement had proven that well-meaningindividuals can drive a fish communitystructure from one dominated by Cod,Haddock and Pollock to one in whichsharks and skates are the principal

members. He expressed that thoughtafter a half- hour trawl brought up justthree fish. It was reinforced by a checkof previous groundfish cruise log-books on the number of fish that werefound in these same areas.

As the stocks of the big threespecies declined, we encouraged con-sumption of “underutilized” sharksand skates. Fishermen responded byshifting their effort to catching sharksand skate for the American and inter-national markets. It seems we did ourjob of convincing people to eat sharkand skate all too well. Now, we againfind ourselves faced with excessivefishing pressure on stocks that only adecade ago, were felt a good substitutefor depressed stocks. This and someencouragement of erroneous percep-tions are complicating shark manage-ment.

The “Jaws” movies did more to de-monize sharks and encourage theirslaughter than all the old sailors’ tales

and even the worst of the true stories.It spawned Shark Derbies, where num-bers killed were valued, regardless ofthe threat poised by the capturedspecies. Now we have added to thatproblem by creating an appetite andvalue for shark and skate meat. It’seven touted as a cancer cure! I re-member standing on the deck of a re-search vessel knee deep in sharkslooking for a few “good” fish. Nowmy compatriots catch just three fish anhour and even the sharks and skatesare gone.

Many of the sharks bear their youngand deliver them alive rather than lay-ing eggs and swimming away. Eventhe shark species that do not bear theiryoung do not produce a lot of offspringduring each reproductive cycle. Be-cause sharks and skates are top preda-tors, they need a lot of area in which toseek their supporting resources. Be-cause of this there are naturally farfewer sharks and skates than there are

flounder, cod or haddock. These basicdifferences in population size and re-production technique create tremen-dous problems for sustainingpopulations once they are pressured byhuman harvesting. If a shark only re-produces six young every year and weare catching them in large numbers;before they grow to full size and re-produce; or are caught while still car-ried by their parent, it is easy to overharvest them. Stocks of some sharkspecies have been reduced by morethan 80 percent. These sad truths haverecently been revealed and managersthroughout the U.S. have moved tosharply reduce shark landings. Havewe acted fast enough? Only the futurewill tell. However, don’t let anyonetell you that managing an ocean iseasy!

Michael Ludwig, NOAA, NMFS,Milford, CT 06460, U.S.A.

Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Page 11

ROVER Group Limitedhas spent about £700,000 toprevent pollution and clearup the effects of a spillagethat landed the company incourt.

Solihull magistrates finedRover Group £4,000 and or-dered it to pay £500 in costswhen the company admittedchemical pollution of Elm-don Park Lake, an importantlocal amenity.

A “substantial” numberof fish died when trichloro-ethylene, an industrial sol-vent used at the Land Roverworks at Lode Lane, Soli-hull, contaminated the lake.

The chemical is directlytoxic to fish and potentiallyharmful to animals and peo-ple.

The court heard that En-vironment Agency officerswere alerted following re-ports of dead fish in thelake. The contaminationwas traced to the LandRover works.

The error in spilling thechemical was compoundedby a mistaken belief that thespill had been containedwithin the site. The com-pany accepted that a moni-toring system could havesubstantially reduced theimpact on the lake whichhas been “catastrophic” and

had generated a substantialnumber of complaints.

Prosecuting for theAgency, Mark Knowles saidthat to its credit, the com-pany volunteered its helpwith the investigations andcommitted substantial staffand financial resources toclean up the effects of thedischarge.

A company spokesmansaid staff believed the tankwas empty, but when mov-ing it the contents had beenspilled. Steps were taken toprevent the chemical enter-ing the drainage system.

**********************

A BRISTOL companywhich ignored warnings bythe Environment Agencythat it was acting illegallyhas had to pay over £51,000in fines and costs.

Recyclable Metal Ser-vices (Bristol) Ltd of Wil-son Street, St. Pauls,admitted five offences of il-legally depositing and keep-ing waste on unlicensedland.

Bristol magistrates heardthat operations had sinceceased at the company’sWilson Street scrapyard andthe company was about togo into liquidation.

The court was told thatthe company made an appli-cation in April 1995 to reg-ister its scrap metalrecycling facility as an ex-empt activity under wastemanagement licensing regu-lations.

The Agency told the com-pany that improvementswere needed to meet the ex-emption. But in Decemberthe same year, the applica-tion was refused because oflack of adequate concretingand sealed drainage andhazardous storage of scrapmetal including lead acidbatteries.

It was warned on severaloccasions that it was actingillegally and action wouldbe taken. In 1996, wastestaff found that scrap metalwas still being accepted onthe premises and recyclingactivities continued.

**********************

NOTTINGHAM wasteoperator Beverley Soles hasbeen fined £3,000 with£600 costs for the illegalburning of waste.

Soles, 33, of Brookside,Linby Walk, Hucknall, ad-mitted the offence at Not-tingham Magistrates Court.

The court heard that En-

vironment Agency officers,visited a site at WigwamLane, Bakerbrook IndustrialEstate at Hucknall follow-ing a public complaint.

They found a large fire ofplastics, wood, textiles andcardboard. The site was notlicensed to deal with com-bustible waste - only inertmaterial such as hardcore,sand and soil to be used forlevelling the site.

**********************

WHEN Matthew Crockerdumped car parts beside aroad in St. Just, Cornwall,he was spotted by a memberof the public.

The concerned watchernoted Crocker’s vehicle reg-istration number and re-ported him to theEnvironmental Agency onits flytipping hotline.

That call resulted in theflytipper’s appearance be-fore Penwith magistrates atPenzance and he was fined£250 with £250 costs.

Crocker, of Glen Leigh,Treleigh Estate, Redruth,admitted the offence.

(Court Action)Environment Action -Environment Agency (UK).

EENNVVIIRROONNMMEENNTTAALL CCOOUURRTTAACCTTIIOONNSS IINN BBRRIITTAAIINN

FROM COD TO SHARKSTwenty-five Years of Fish Management

WWhhaatt iiss aa RReeeeff??CORAL reefs are one of the most diverse and biologically productive

ecosystems on earth. Their high productivity is the result of efficient bi-ological recycling and a high retention of nutrients in an otherwise nu-trient-poor environment. Coral reefs are tropical, shallow-waterecosystems restricted to latitudes 25o to 30o north and south and year-round surface water temperatures of 25o to 30oC. Hermatypic corals (i.e.reef-building or stony corals) are multicellular animals which collec-tively secrete the hard external skeleton of calcium carbonate that formreef structures. These reefs provide habitats for a wide variety of marineorganisms, such as fish, sea turtles, marine mammals, crustaceans andinvertebrates. A critical aspect of reef-building corals is their symbioticrelationship with the unicellular algae, zooxanthellae. The algae live,conduct photosynthesis, and process the coral’s waste products allwithin the cells of their host. The entire biological productivity of thecoral reef ecosystem rests on this symbiotic relationship.

Corals have very specific requirements for light, temperature, waterclarity, salinity and oxygen. Coral growth is relatively slow, especiallyin areas where sediments are regularly disturbed because silted sub-strates prevent larval settlement. If light penetration is decreased thereis a reduction in photosynthesis by the zooxanthellae algae. Most corals,therefore, are restricted to depths of less than 30 metres. Their lack ofmobility makes them vulnerable to environmental disturbances, such asoil spills, through smothering and oxygen depletion.

Coral reefs in Hawaii are fairly well developed but display lowspecies diversity because of Hawaii’s extreme isolation and morenortherly latitude. The best developed reefs in Hawaii are found on lee-ward (south and southwestern) coasts or in bays which are shelteredfrom wave action. Examples includes the Kona Coast of Hawaii, thesouth coast of west Maui, the north coast of Lanai and Kauai, KaneoheBay, Hanauma Bay and Barber’s Point, Oahu, and the lagoons of theNorthwestern Hawaiian Islands. Source: Oil Spills at Sea: Potential Impacts on

Page 12 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

BByy BBrreennddaann SSccuullllyy

IntroductionTHE purpose of this article is to outline the

pivotal role the Heritage Service plays in the pro-tection of Ireland’s built heritage. Up to recentlywe worked as part of the Office of Public Worksin providing a conservation service to the State.Since 1996 full responsibility has transferred tothe Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht andthe Islands. The Heritage Service, as part of theDepartment, has three main areas of responsibil-ity:* protection of our natural heritage by the

National Parks and Wildlife Service, * management of the River Shannon, The

Barrow Navigation and our canals by theWaterways Service,

* care of the built heritage by the NationalMonuments and Historic Properties Service.The focus of this article is on the monuments

and historic properties.

National MonumentsOur national monuments cover well-known

structures such as the Rock of Cashel or New-grange Tumulus but also many less dramatic fea-tures such as standing stones. Generally they arepre-1700 constructions of architectural, archaeo-logical or aesthetic importance. Of the 150,000national monuments throughout the country over700 sites are in State care. These are carefullyconserved by our skilled workers and many arepresented to the public to enjoy and appreciate.

Of course our archaeological heritage is farmore extensive than the monuments in State care.We have been carrying out inventories of themonuments on a county by county basis. TheSites and Monuments Records (SMR’s) of the 26counties have been completed since 1992 and arenow being updated. These are a paper survey ofour archaeological heritage. They are followedby a more comprehensive survey (Archaeologi-cal Inventories) based on field inspections. 10 ofthese have been published in book form to dateand a further 5 will issue this year. The use ofaerial photography and modern surveying tech-niques has uncovered much more monumentsthan previously recorded. For example, in Co.Sligo the estimated number of monuments priorto the modern surveys was 2,000 sites. The SMRgave an estimate of 4,500 and when the field sur-veys were completed it was discovered that, infact, there were 7,000 sites.

This rich heritage is given statutory protectionin the various National Monuments Acts whichcover not only the monuments on or under theland but also those under water such as shipwrecks.

Historic PropertiesOur historic properties can cover a wide range

of sites. They can be designed landscapes of cul-tural significance or sites associated with an his-toric event or person. We manage 15 historicproperties ranging from the National BotanicGardens in Dublin to the Great Blasket IslandNational Historic Park in Co. Kerry. Some of theproperties are given formal legislative protection.For example, the Phoenix Park in Dublin is gov-

erned by the Phoenix Park Act, 1925. Others relyentirely on State ownership to offer protection tothem, an example being Kilkenny Castle andPark. Many of the finest gardens in Ireland areprotected as historic properties - Ilnacullin (Gar-nish Island) in Co. Cork being one outstandingexample.

Generally, given the size of historic properties,there is a lot of scope to encourage people to visitthem. In all cases, however, access to sites is bal-anced with their conservation - protection takesprecedence. If there is too much pressure on aproperty public access is managed in such a wayas to avoid damage.

Capital ProgrammesWith the advent of EU support through the Eu-

ropean Regional Development Fund (ERDF) wehave managed to plan an 11 year capital develop-ment programme which would normally be doneover a period of 30 years. Between 1989 and1999 we will have spent over £80 million on con-servation works to our national monuments andhistoric properties and on the provision of access

facilities to them.Part of this funding is provided by the EU with

the balance provided by the Irish Exchequer. Thecriterion for such funding is that it must generatean economic benefit to Ireland in the form of in-creased tourism earnings. Given that our mainresponsibility is to protect our heritage not onlynow but for future generations to enjoy we had toensure that any developments proposed weresympathetic to and in balance with the conserva-tion of the site. So at Clonmacnoise in Co. Of-faly, for example, we carefully sited a visitorcentre to control the many thousands of peoplewho wish to go to this unique monastic settle-ment.

Some of our proposals caused controversywhere the fear was that the provision of facilitieswould lead to too much pressure on the sites.One such controversy related to the visitor centreat the Boyne Valley, Co. Meath, which is to act asa gateway to the internationally renowned tombsof Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. In fact, vis-itor pressure at Newgrange has already reachedsaturation point and the new centre will actuallydraw pressure off the monuments and it is a

model for heritage authorities in other countriesto follow.

Much of the capital programme relates to con-servation works to the sites themselves. Therestoration of the Curvilinear Glasshouse in theNational Botanic Gardens cost c£4M and thequality of the conservation work recently re-ceived recognition in the award of the prestigiousEuropea Nostra medal to the project. Other na-tionally significant conservation projects are inhands - one being the restoration of the first Nor-man castle in Ireland at Trim, Co. Meath.

PeopleWe conserve our built heritage for people. We

want Irish people to have pride in their heritageand to have them and visitors from abroad comeand visit our national monuments and historicproperties. In 1969 65,000 people visited 2 siteswhich were open to the public then. By the mid1970’s we had 9 sites attracting 191,212 visitors.Last year this had risen to 52 sites facilitating2,126,744 people. This is not simply a direct re-sult of the capital development programme butalso arises from the fact that people care muchmore about their heritage today and wish to see itat first hand.

Not only have we made more sites accessibleto the public but we also help visitors gain adeeper understanding of a site. We do this byproviding information panels, exhibitions, litera-ture and guides. We employ 320 guiding staff an-nually and market research shows that ourvisitors very much appreciate the service they getfrom them. Through this deeper understandingwe gain greater commitment for the protection ofour heritage and we also provide an economicspin-off for surrounding communities based onsustainable tourism.

The Future?Where do we go from here? The large capital

development programme and the management ofan increasing number of sites in State care to thehighest standards is placing a huge burden on thededicated staff in the Heritage Service. Althoughthere will always be pressure to accept furtherproperties into State care we will be less likely toexpand our portfolio in the future as we do notwish to spread our static current resources toothinly thereby not being able to properly maintainwhat we already have.

It will be important, therefore, to have ade-quate legislative provisions in place to ensurethat private owners play their part in conservingthe nation’s heritage. For example, at the mo-ment we are carrying out a National Inventory ofArchitecture (NIA) on all post-1700 buildings inIreland. This will cover 1 million buildings andit is a huge task which will take time to complete.The NIA will, however, form the backbone of animproved legislative system enabling local au-thorities to list and give better protection to build-ings of architectural merit throughout thecountry.

We will, therefore continue to look after thenational monuments and historic properties inour care for your benefit but we hope to developa deeper partnership with local authorities to en-sure that the wider built heritage is safeguarded.

I hope to offer you further articles on other as-pects of the Heritage Service’s work.

Brendan Scully, Head of the Heritage Service,Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht andthe Islands.

National MonNational Monuments anduments andHistorHistoric Pric Properopertiesties

TINTERN ABBEY, CO. WEXFORD: A Cistercian abbey, founded c. 1200 by William,the Earl Marshall, and named after Tintern in Wales.

EMO COURT, CO. LAOIS: Designed by the architect James Gandon in 1970 for the Earls ofPortarlington, its a magnificent example of this neo-classical style.

Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Page 13

BByy EEddwwiinn DDeerrrriimmaannLITTER in the marine environment comes from two sources.

Naturally, boats and ships are the first potential source to be sus-pected in most instances, when litter is left stranded along the tide-line of beaches and estuaries, causing an unsightly rubbish pile.Such litter consists of discarded netting from fishing vessels, cargosheeting from merchant vessels and “domestic waste” from all ves-sel types, particularly the increasing numbers of pleasure boats weare seeing around our coasts.

Over the last decade a number of international rules and regula-tions have been introduced, aimed at discouraging and eventuallyeliminating the problem. However, the difficulty as always, is theeffective enforcement of those same rules. After all, what are theodds of catching someone “red handed” dumping rubbish at sea? Ican assure you that the odds are extremely high against. Becauseof that fact, the message can only be got across to the individualsconcerned, by means of education as to their obligations and theconsequences of their actions. Progress to date has been frustrat-ingly slow, although indications are now emerging that rubbish isbeing retained on board the majority of boats, for later dumping inthe facilities provided in some ports.

Occasionally it has not been the exclusive fault of the vessel car-rying out the dumping. Port facilities range from excellent to thenon-existent. Some ports and harbours have imposed charges soextortionate, that masters of vessels have preferred to dump at seaand face the consequences if caught, rather than face the wrath oftheir owners. In others, skips and bins are not emptied regularly orfrequently enough, often causing an overspill into the harbour wa-ters. In a recent survey however, British ports were thankfully seenin a good light.

The second source of marine litter is that originating from land.This source often causes unseen problems to the environment, andis far more insidious, than the unsightly collections of visible rub-bish we have talked about previously. All too frequently, it consistsof swathes of plastic sheeting which possesses a negative buoy-ancy, it therefore sinks. The origin of the sheeting is thought to befrom certain factories located on the banks of large rivers, such asthe Severn. The physical properties and longevity of many plasticsbased upon polymerised organic compounds, presents a virtuallyimpregnable barrier to the normal physical, chemical and biologi-cal processes associated with the seabed. Copious amounts ofsheeting are regularly trawled up or netted by fishermen, close tonorth western coasts of Cornwall and Devon. Fishermen who workthat area, claim fish catches have significantly decreased since theappearance of the waste over the last decade.

Unlike the average person ashore, or even most seafarers, whogo about their business in blissful ignorance, fishermen have forseveral years been aware of, and concerned about, the growing ac-cumulations of plastic wastes on the seabed in some areas. Thesediscarded materials are present in a variety of forms, e.g. the pre-viously mentioned sheeting, fertiliser bags and packaging. Thenumbers of fertiliser bags in some areas have to be seen to be be-lieved. This begs the question, how on earth do they get into thesea in the first place???

It is not certain if the localised fish catches have decreased as adirect result of the plastic sheeting being present on the seabed, orfrom other possible reasons such as overfishing. The true cause isprobably a culmination of many factors and cannot be laid at thedoor of one particular element. However, there is one theory beingvoiced by a number of fishing skippers to explain falling catches inareas where plastic litter is a problem. It is thought that trawlsbeing towed along the seabed, pick up the sheeting which tanglesaround chains and wires, and acts as a scarer to any fish in front ofthe net. Similarly, set nets or gill nets, sweeping the seabed underthe tidal influences, pick up plastic sheeting which drastically af-fects the efficiency of the net. Whatever the real impact on fishstocks and other benthic organisms, the detrimental penalties onfishing economics can be costly in terms of lost time when clear-ing nets of the discarded wastes and bagging up for later disposalashore.

So what is the answer to the international problem of marinelitter?

I believe we are already going down the right road. Educationof the individual will ultimately bear fruit, if coupled with highpenalties being imposed upon the odd vessel or factory which iscaught dumping, or releasing, any waste. Teenagers today tend tobe far tidier and aware of human interaction with the natural envi-ronment, than we were when the Keep Britain Tidy Campaignstarted many years ago. It will be a long haul, and it has to berecognised that litter can never be totally eradicated, as some iswind borne, or a result of being washed overboard during in-clement weather conditions.

I do not believe that the answer to the problem is the introduc-tion of further unenforceable regulations. The only people to ob-tain any comfort from such legislation are the draughtsmen,lawyers and proposers. Those who are charged with trying to en-force it, are placed in an impossible situation. The sea is a vast ex-panse and as I have already said, the chances of catching theculprits are minimal.

The marine litter situation has started to improve and we as in-dividuals, committees and companies must ensure that this impetuscontinues over the longer term, if we are to realise the desired aimsof clean beaches and clean seas.

Edwin Derriman, Chief Fishery Officer, Cornwall Sea FisheriesDistrict, Old Bonded Warehouse, Quay Street, Penzance,Cornwall, TR18 4BD, U.K.

MMMMaaaarrrr iiiinnnneeee LLLLiiii tttt tttteeeerrrr

BByy DDrr.. JJoohhnnAAkkeerrooyydd

“ALIEN” plants and ani-mals are a feature of today’scosmopolitan world. They donot come from Outer Space butthey do come from abroad, andhave often travelled long dis-tances. For plants follow peo-ple wherever they go, betweencountries and continents. Someplants, like the weeds that in-fest our crops and gardens, areintimately associated withhuman life. Some indeed haveno known habitat away fromdisturbed ground and rubbishtips.

Thus many weeds - nuisanceplants - have travelled aroundthe world, especially in thetropics. Some grasses, such asthe invasive Johnson Grass,now occur in Africa, Asia, trop-ical America and even theMediterranean region. It isoften difficult to tell where theycome from originally. Theirseeds contaminate crop seeds,and root fragments spread withroad-works and other buildingprojects.

Nearer home we can seehow plants invade new territo-ries. Many of the commonweeds of Ireland have come infrom abroad via trade and inva-

sion. Some have quite exoticstories to tell. Oxford Ragwortescaped from Oxford BotanicGardens in England in the 18thcentury. However, it did notspread until a century later asthe then new railway networkexpanded. Its journeys in Ire-land began in Cork City, but itreally expanded after arrival inDublin in the 1960s. Its habitatin these islands - railway bal-last, rubble and walls - mimicsits native home in Sicily. Thereit grows on Mt. Etna, on vol-canic debris and ash. Its suc-cess in Britain and Ireland isnot only because it has found ahome and its plumed seeds aredispersed by wind, but also be-cause it left its natural enemies- like insects and fungi - be-hind.

Thus alien plants can some-times expand dramatically withdisastrous consequences for na-tive habitats. The invasion ofthe Killarney oakwoods by in-troduced Purple Rhododendronis a classic example. Abroad,things are even worse. Tropicalgarden plants like Lantana andPrickly Pear can run wild anddisplace native plants and theanimals that depend on them.

Oceanic and tropical islandsespecially are susceptible toplant invasions. Plant-rich is-lands like St. Helena in theSouth Atlantic and the Sey-chelles in the Indian Ocean

now have vegetation domi-nated by exotic aliens. At thesame time the native animalshave been displaced by dogs,pigs and rats.

We shall never be able tostop plants from travelling.The world is now too small aplace and with modern commu-nications plants can reach newcontinents within hours. Manyare well adapted to furtherspread by wind or caught inclothes or the fur of animals.Too often the responsible au-thorities take no action until aninvasion is underway.

Above all, we like plantsand often encourage some ofthe worst of them in our gar-dens. In the 19th century theowners of large gardens anddemesnes welcomed JapaneseKnotweed and Giant Hogweed.Now they are striding acrossthe Irish countryside. Simi-larly, homesick British andIrish settlers took Gorse andother shrubs to New Zealandand the West Indies. Their de-scendants are less happy withthe subsequent invasions!

Dr. John Akeroyd is a freelance botanicalconsultant, conservationist and writer.He revised Volume I of “FloraEuropaea”, the standard work onEuropean wild plants, is the author ofthe “Collins Guide to Wild Flowers ofBritain and Ireland”, and edited “TheWild Plants of Sherkin, Cape Clearand adjacent Islands of West Cork”.

PLANT INVADERS

Page 14 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

BByy LLoorreennzzoo CCaannoovvaaWHAT will the tourist trade of the year 2000

be like? Who will be the tourists of the comingmillennium? These are the question which, facedwith the extraordinary boom in tourism, experts,tour operators and politicians have repeatedlyposed over the last fifteen years. These questionsarise either because of the financial profits thetourist industry involves, or from the demands ofconsumers who show new awareness, habits andlifestyles. In the eighties, mass tourism graduallychanged and people began to talk of “tourisms”.Expressions such as cultural tourism, sportstourism, religious tourism, adventure tourism orecotourism have become part of everyday lan-guage. In the past, the dominant practice was totake one long holiday to a single destination;today, people tend to distribute their holidaysover different destinations and different times ofthe year.

From a socio-historical point of view, threetypes of tourist industry can be differentiated. Inthe case of the industrial tourist, for whom workis the centre of existence, the motivations fortravelling can be summed up as rest and freedomfrom responsibilities. This type is gradually de-creasing in number. The hedonistic tourist be-longs to the generation that discoveredentertainment and consumerism. They like to goon holiday to experiment, to explore the un-known, enjoy themselves, meet other people andrelax in unspoilt natural surroundings. These arethe majority today and will continue to be so. Fi-nally, the modern age tourist, someone who tendsto reduce the polarity between work and play: notjust work, but not just fun, either. Their reasonsfor travelling include broadening their personalhorizons and getting back to simple things andnature, with a touch of creativity in the planningof their journey. These are gradually growing innumber and in future will form an important seg-ment of demand.

One characteristic in the expectations of themodern age tourist is the capacity to make a crit-ical appraisal of the offer and to influence it. Pro-ducers should be more attentive and sensitive tothe new demands and be flexible enough to caterfor the tourist in search of higher quality. In thethird millennium in fact, the concept of qualitywill have to take environmental aspects more intoaccount. Recent forms of tourism point to a re-newed interest in nature and a wish for qualitytourism. So much so, that some tourist spots arereorganising their own offers in keeping withthese trends. Quality is the result of a complexstrategy which is organised day by day. The con-sumers, whose environmental awareness is con-

stantly growing, will expect to identify, verifyand be able to differentiate ecologically correctproducts from the imitations now invading themarket.

The present millennium is coming to an endand is leaving Western countries with a high levelof welfare and a large tourist demand to satisfy.Nevertheless, serious environmental problemsalso plague areas that receive a high influx oftourists. Tourists, tour operators, local authorities

andthe general public are therefore called on to findnew forms of coexistence and the right solutionsfor themselves and for the survival of the planet.

Lorenzo Canova, ACTA(Associazione, Cultura,Turismo, Ambiente), Italy. (All of uS) 15 -Environmental Education Dossiers.

TToouurriissmm iinn tthheeMMooddeerrnn AAggee

© V

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arro

© J

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A TOURIST GUIDE TO AWARENESS AND RESPONSBILITY TOWARDS THE ENVIRONMENT AND LOCAL POPULATIONS AND CULTURES

Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Page 15

BByy JJiimm LLiicchhaattoowwiicchhIF it weren’t my job, I wouldn’t come back to see what happens

to these small streams and the forests that nurture them. Forestsproduce timber, a valuable commodity. I understand that. But Ihave a hard time squeezing the streams, the huckleberries, the red-wood violets and trillium, the juncos and chickadees into a smallcorner of the big economic picture. Once I have spent some timein a patch of trees, it’s hard to limit my view of the forest commu-nity to that of a cultured crop.

I slowly make my way down the side of a steep ravine. A thicktangle of salmonberry hides the slash and logging debris whichseems to have the single-minded purpose of tripping me at everystep. The bottom of the ravine is the home of a small stream wherelast spring I watched a little cutthroat trout trying to cross a log jam(I wrote one of these essays about that trout). I pull free of thegrasping salmonberry and break into a small, level clearing. It’s agood spot to stop and observe. Six months ago a green carpet ofoxalis and trillium covered the forest floor here. The delicateplants now lie exposed to the sun, brown and brittle. A few feetaway, a single row of oxalis survives by hiding in a thin line ofshade along the side of a log - a non-merchantable tree felled andleft on the ground. A few trees, mostly small alder, are still stand-ing along part of the stream. The protected riparian zone extendsupstream a hundred or so yards above the spot where the little cut-throat assaulted the log jam. Beyond that point the stream is notprotected.

The line between protection and no protection is clearly ex-plained in the rule book. The dividing line reflects a hard reality,political reality, the product of compromise among men with dif-fering goals. I wonder where the inhabitants of the stream and itsriparian zone would have drawn the line? Of course they won’t

and can’t be asked. To draw the lines that separate productivityfrom degradation. The lines that either create or solve problems.

Given the present condition of many of our streams, I’d say wedrew a few lines in the wrong places. Not all the lines we draw arevisible out here on the streams. Some are on pieces of paper andsome lines exist only as spoken words. Political compromises areusually in the latter form.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about problems in fisheries man-agement. I’ve thought about problems from behind a desk andfrom here on the banks of streams. If we are going to draw thelines in the correct places we need to know what kind of obstacleto productive fisheries we are dealing with. When I try to pick myway through the complicated landscape of fisheries problems, Ihave found it helpful to recognize three general types of obstaclesto productive fisheries. I deal with each type of obstacle in a dif-ferent way.

The first type exists when the actual productivity of a stream isless than its potential productivity. Something physically preventsa stream from realizing full productivity. When the population ina stream is overharvested, when riparian cover is removed andstream temperatures get too warm, when fine sediments smothereggs in the gravel, when rearing pools fill in with excessive gravel,when jams prevent migration; when these or other forms of degra-dation reduce the productivity of a stream, we are dealing with thefirst type of obstacle to productive fisheries. We tend to focus mostor all of our attention and efforts at this level. The problems aretangible. Biologists and concerned citzens can roll up theirsleeves, put on their hip boots and “fix” the problem. We like to“fix” broken streams.

It’s important to “fix” streams, but it’s more important to keepthem from breaking. To a large degree, degraded productivity inour streams is a direct outcome of the second type of obstacle toproductive fisheries which exist when the potential productivity isless than our expectations. When we exceed the carrying capacity

of stream through hatchery plants and end up replacing naturalproduction with artificial propagation, when we accept the possi-bility of a 25 year rotation in our forests, when we assume that thepitifully thin riparian zones in clearcuts protect stream productiv-ity, when harvest rates are based on over optimistic assumptions,we are in the second category of resource problem. When we letpolitically derived compromises set unrealistic expectations of pro-ductivity then let those expectations drive management, we set upthe second type of obstacle to productive fisheries. Prolonged ac-ceptance of this situation leads to the mining of renewable re-sources for short term goals.

Agencies that manage renewable resources are required in theirlegislative mandates to manage those resources for the benefit ofpresent and future generations. Therefore, there is a reluctance toacknowledge management that mines the resource for short termgoals. This reluctance leads to the third type of obstacle which ex-ists when the stated resource management goals are not the truegoals. When we put a positive spin on a bad compromise, when weoverharvest wild coastal coho stocks under the banner of a re-building program, when we call a 25 year rotation “sustainableforestry” we are dealing with the third obstacle to productive fish-eries. A close examination of the difference between public rela-tions and reality will show that third level problems are moreprevalent than we would hope.

If you are going to participate in an intelligent way in the man-agement of your resources, you have to figure out where you are onthe complicated landscape of fisheries problems. Then pick the ap-propriate strategy for the problem you are dealing with. Not allfisheries problems can be solved with a pair of hip boots and astrong back.

Jim Lichatowich is a fisheries biologist and conservation writerwho lives in Sequim, Washington, U.S.A.

DDRAWINGRAWING THETHE LLINESINES

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The XANTHO INCISUS is a crab which often has disproportionately large claws. Itsfound among sand, gravel and loose stones on the lower shore and in shallow water.

The BLUE-RAYED LIMPET, seen here with sea-mat, is often found attached to kelp seaweeds. The shell is smooth andwhen young it has bright blue lines running from the top of the shell to the edge. These fade and disappear with age.

The COAT-OF-MAIL is a mollusc which has a shell of interlocking plates that allows it to roll up into a ball when threatened.

UUNNDDEERRWWAATTEERRWWOORRLLDD

The COMMON STARFISH gets its name from its star-like shape. It five arms each have hundreds of tinytube-feet that it uses for movement.

The COMMON PRAWN is often found in rockpools on the lower shore. Its transparency can make it hard to find in the water.

The GREEN SEA-URCHIN is particularly hard to find on the seashore as it is inclined to hide itself with gravel, shell,weed or other debris.

Photography by Paul Kay

From the book: “Ireland’s Marine Life. A World of Beauty”Available from Sherkin Island Marine Station, Sherkin Island, Co. Cork, for £17.99 postage free.

Page 18 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

Purpose of the CodeTHE objective of the Code is to prevent the

pollution of groundwaters and surface waters bynitrates from agricultural sources. The primarysources concerned are organic fertilisers such asanimal slurries, dungstead and farmyard manuressilage effluent, mushroom compost, soiled waterand chemical fertilisers containing nitrogen.

Background to Preparation of the CodeThe Code has been prepared to fulfil obliga-

tions arising under Council Directive91/676/EEC of 12 December, 1991 concerningthe protection of waters against pollution causedby nitrates from agriculture.

What is in the Code?The Code contains advice and recommenda-

tions on farm practices in relation to:* storage of organic fertilisers,* standards and specifications for construction

of storage facilities,* when to apply organic and chemical fertilisers

to land,* the appropriate rates of application, and* precautions to be taken to avoid causing water

pollution.

Where does the Code Apply?The Code applies in all parts of the country and

is intended to protect the quality of all surface

waters i.e., rivers, streams, lakes and coastal andmarine waters, as well as groundwaters.

Status of the CodeThis is a voluntary Code designed to promote

sustainable farm practices while maintaininghigh water quality standards. However, shouldnitrate levels rise to unacceptable levels i.e. closeto or above 50 mg/l, it will be necessary to desig-nate the areas of land draining into the affectedwaters as vulnerable zones. Action Programmescontaining more stringent requirements and con-trols on the management of organic and chemicalfertilisers than are provided for in the Codewould have to be implemented in these zoneswith implications for agricultural output andfarmers’ incomes.

Concerns about Nitrate PollutionHigh nitrate concentrations in drinking water

supplies, i.e. in excess of 50 mg/l, have direct im-plications for public health, especially for infantsup to six months old (Blue Baby syndrome).There are also concerns about their possible rolein the promotion of cancers.

While nitrate pollution is not at present a fea-ture of the Irish environment, nitrate levels in wa-ters are increasing here. They could reachunacceptable levels in the absence of more envi-ronmentally aware farming practices and respon-sible management arrangements for thecollection and storage of slurries, silage effluentetc. and for the land application of these organic

and chemical fertilisers.A more immediate benefit of the Code is that

the farm management practices recommendedtherein should contribute to a reduction in phos-phorus inputs to waters, a nutrient which is an in-tegral constituent of animal slurries, farmyardmanure, silage effluent, etc. Phosphorus is pri-marily responsible for the increased incidence ofslight and moderate pollution of Irish rivers (upfrom 21.5% of river channel length in 1987/90 to28% in 1991/94) and to the eutrophication/algalbloom problem affecting certain lakes.

What are the Benefits for Farmers?Aside from the important benefits for the envi-

ronment, implementation of the Code shouldbring financial gains to many farmers throughsavings in the use of chemical fertilisers. Organicfertilisers such as animal slurries and silage efflu-ent are valuable sources of nutrients which canplay a vital role in meeting crop nutrient require-ments for growth. These sources of nutrientsshould be applied to land before any considera-tion is given to the use of chemical fertilisers.Where the nutrients in the organic fertilisers areinadequate, chemical fertilisers may be used tosupplement them and so supply the appropriaterecommended rates of nutrients consistent withcrop needs and the protection of water quality.

Recent studies have indicated that farmers na-tionally could reduce purchases of fertilisers by atleast £25 million annually by using to best ad-vantage the nutrients present in organic fertilisersand by tailoring overall fertiliser applications tocrop requirements.

Consultation on Preparationof the Code

The Code was produced jointly by the Depart-ments of the Environment and Agriculture, Foodand Forestry. Teagasc was extensively involvedin the preparatory process, while the EPA and theCentral Fisheries Board were consulted/providedassistance and advice. The two main farmer rep-resentative associations, the IFA and ICMSA,were also consulted and supported the launch ofthe Code.

THE Litter Pollution Billwas passed into law in 1996by the then Minister for theEnvironment, Mr. BrendanHowlin, T.D.. It was neces-sary, he said, to support theAction Against Litter initia-tive.

What it does is to spell outmore clearly what occupiersof property must do to keeptheir property free of litter. Italso sets out the powers andduties of local authoritieswho have the responsibilityfor preventing and controllinglitter.

The Bill contains extensiveprovisions, including the fol-lowing:* The basic duty on

occupiers of property tokeep their premises free oflitter is extended to includealso the footpath orpavement in front of theirpremises; this applies to allbuilt-up areas within theconfines of restricted

speed limit areas.* Local authorities are able

to issue a mandatory noticeto the owner/occupier ofany place that is heavilylittered requiring theperson to clean-up andtake measures to prevent arecurrence.

* Local authorities are ableto issue mandatory noticesto the occupiers of certaintypes of premises such asfast food outlets, or shopswhose business activitiestend particularly to createlitter, to take ongoingmeasures to keep thevicinity of their premisesfree of litter.

* Organisers of major publicevents such as footballmatches or outdoorconcerts have to ensurethat proper litter controlarrangements are providedin the general vicinity ofthe venues.

* Dog owners are required to

clean-up if their dog foulsin certain public places,including on the street or ata park or beach as well asin the garden of anotherperson’s house.

* The placing of advertisingleaflets on the windscreensof vehicles is prohibitedand local authorities arenow able to regulate orprohibit the distribution ofadvertising material in thestreet.

* Maximum fines areincreased from £800 to£1,500.

* The power to issue on-the-spot fines, up to now thesole responsibility of litterwardens, is extended to theGardai.It is expected that local au-

thorities will significantlystep up enforcement of thesenew laws so that offenderswill be prosecuted.

ACTION AGAINST LITTER

New Litter Laws

POLLUTION BY NITRATESCode of Good Agricultural Practice to Protect Water

MEDICINAL REASONS

FOR SAVING RAIN

FORESTSA NEW study provides a medicinal

rationale for saving tropical rainforests. A study of Michael Balick,botanist from the Institute of Eco-nomic Botany in New York, andRobert Mendelsohn, an economistfrom Yale University, estimates thenet income derivable from the harvestof medicinal plants from the rainforests of Belize. They estimated thatthe asset value of land harvested forpharmaceutical products was $4,150per hectare (ha), more than the$3,980/ha from logging and$425/hectare from farming of thecleared land. Forest plants form thebasis of traditional medicine in Belizeupon which 75% of the rural popula-tions depend. Many western pharma-ceuticals are also derived fromtropical plants. Source: Wildflower

Antarctic Fact-file* Antarctica is a continent capped by an inland ice-sheet up to 4.8km thick, containing about 90%

of the world’s fresh water. The ice-sheet is so heavy that it has pushed the land below sea-levelin places. Because of the thickness of the ice sheet, Antarctica has the highest average altitudeof all the continents.

* Antarctica is a cold desert, with snowfall equivalent to only 150mm of water each year. Thissnow builds up gradually, and ice flows towards the coast as huge glaciers. In many places, theseextend out over the sea as massive ice-shelves.

* Only about 0.4% of the surface of Antarctica is free of snow and ice. The tops of mountainchains stick up through the ice - the highest is Mount Vinson, 4900m above sea-level.

* The Southern Ocean is a continuous belt of sea surrounding Antarctica. In winter, over half ofthe Southern Ocean freezes over. Although this seawater ice is only about 1m thick, it has asignificant effect on ocean and atmospheric circulation. Nearly all of the sea ice melts insummer.

* The South Pole is 1235km from the closest coastline, and is situated high on the polar plateau(height 2800m). Here it may be as cold as -75oC, but the world record lowest temperature isfrom an even more remote Antarctic station, Vostok, which logged -89oC.

* There are no native peoples in Antarctica. Eighteen countries operate year-round scientificresearch stations on the continent and the surrounding islands during summer (Europe’s winter)as many as 10,000 scientists and support staff work there, but only about 1,000 in winter.Tourists also visit Antarctica during the summer to enjoy the spectacular scenery and abundantwildlife - currently there are about 10,000 visitors per year.

* Antarctica is a “continent for science”. All countries working in Antarctica carry out research,in a surprising range of physical and biological sciences, from the vastness of space to the minutescale of micro-organisms. Activities are regulated by the Antarctic Treaty, which has been inforce since 1959 and is signed by all countries operating there. The Treaty reserves the continentfor peaceful purposes, and all military and industrial activities are banned.

* Britain has played a major role in the exploration and study of Antarctica. Captain James Cookwas the first person to circumnavigate the continent in the 1770s. Later expeditions weresearching for commercial opportunities, usually hunting for seals or whales. At the start of thepresent century, Scott and Shackleton undertook purely scientific expeditions, a tradition whichcontinues to the present.

* The early Greeks suggested that there was a southern land-mass. This remained unknown forseveral centuries, although “Terra Incognita Australis” - unknown southern land - appears as animmense but quite fanciful continent on a map published in 1531. Even 100 years ago, onlysmall parts of Antarctica had been mapped, and there were several inaccuracies. Only recentlyhave satellite pictures allowed us to build up a complete map of the continent.

Further information can be obtained from British Antarctic Survey publications “British Exploration ofAntarctica” and “The Antarctic Treaty”. The British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road,Cambridge CB3 OET, U.K.

Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Page 19

BByy RRoobbeerrtt RRaaiinneerrACROSS North America, there is widespread

interest and involvement in community-based en-vironmental conservation initiatives. At heart,these initiatives entail mobilizing local peopleand organizations to assume greater responsibil-ity for the protection of air and water quality, theconservation of natural resources, and the devel-opment of social and economic opportunities re-lated to healthy “natural capital.”

In the four Atlantic Canadian provinces (NewBrunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Islandand Newfoundland), public support for commu-nity-based conservation has been advanced in the1990s through the Atlantic Coastal Action Pro-gram (ACAP), a federal program conceived andadministered by Environment Canada. Throughthis innovative program, core financial supporthas been provided in recent years to 13 non-profit, community-based organizations to helpthese groups tackle local and regional environ-ment-development problems in primarily coastalsettings.

One of these groups is the St. Croix EstuaryProject (SCEP), based in the southwest NewBrunswick seaside community of St. Andrews.Founded in early 1992, SCEP exists to “foster acommunity-based response to primarily local en-vironmental challenges, towards maintaining orrestoring ecosystem health and therefore commu-nity sustainability.”

Coastal waters, lands and communities servedby SCEP are found within the “St. Croix EstuaryArea,” an estuarine/marine area that straddles theinternational border between Canada and theUnited States. The St. Croix Estuary is the onlyinternational estuary on the eastern coast of NorthAmerica and is part of the St. Croix InternationalWaterway which forms the easternmost boundarybetween the two nations.

In mid-April, 1997, almost five years to thedate of its founding, SCEP released St. Croix Es-tuary Area: A Profile and Caring for Our Coast:A Plan for Community Management of the St.Croix Estuary Area. These two documents cul-minate nearly two years of intensive effort to de-velop a broad physical, biological andsocio-economic profile of the estuary area, and toderive a practical management plan that covers acomprehensive range of environment-develop-ment issues.

The St. Croix region was and remains thehome of the Passamaquoddy people, one of sev-eral culturally-linked aboriginal groups stretch-ing from the U.S. state of Maine to Cape Bretonin Nova Scotia. The rich biological environmentof this region, based on the highly productive wa-ters of the Bay of Fundy, supported a pre-Euro-pean aboriginal culture that existed for at least3,000 and likely as long as 10,000 to 12,000years.

With the arrival of French explorer Samuel deChamplain in 1604, the natural and socio-eco-nomic environment of the St. Croix region beganto rapidly change. “White” settlement, particu-larly in the late 1700s in the aftermath of theAmerican Revolution, when United Empire Loy-alists fled north to colonize places such as St. An-drews and the upriver towns of St. Stephen, NewBrunswick and Calais, Maine, resulted in somedisplacement of the Passamaquoddy people andthe beginning of profound ecological change. Inthe past 200 years, commercial and recreationalfisheries have been depleted, many populationsof various wildlife species have been reduced dueto local, regional and global habitat loss, and theoriginal Acadian forest with its mix of hardwood

and softwood trees and massive white pines, hasbeen largely replaced by a younger and less di-verse forest.

On the positive side, water quality in the St.Croix River has improved greatly due to substan-tial investments in industrial and municipal pol-lution prevention and control. Where the lowerriver was, for decades, unfit to support manyspecies of aquatic life, including the treasured At-lantic salmon, it is now much cleaner, and fish,shellfish and other aquatic species are not signif-icantly impacted by contamination.

As identified in Caring for Our Coast, how-ever, there are numerous issues requiring action.Indeed, the estuary management plan recom-mends 50 actions in relation to about 30 specificproblems. Critical actions identified by SCEP in-clude:

• reducing bacterial discharge from certainlocal wastewater treatment plants; • developing a local contingency plan for oilspill response;• conducting an educational and prevention-oriented campaign related to the introductionof non-indigenous aquatic species through bal-last water discharge;

• establishing new public access points tocoastal waters and shores;• assessing the environmental impacts ofsalmon aquaculture in Passamaquoddy Bay;• studying the environmental effects of scallopand urchin dragging; and• completing a critical research program re-lated to the environmental effects of harvestingthe marine macroalgae Ascophyllum nodosum(popularly known as “rockweed”).As a community-based organization, SCEP is

determined to pursue funding to undertake manyof the actions directly, and to continue to encour-age other groups, both government and non-gov-ernment, to assume the lead on other actions.Over time, the ongoing use of specific indicatorsof the ecological health of the St. Croix EstuaryArea will provide an objective means of assess-ing whether progress is being made in relation tothe management plan, and any subsequent, up-dated versions of the plan as a “living document.”

Within a broader context, the work of SCEP islinked to efforts by many other community-basedand government organizations around the Bay ofFundy and the Gulf of Maine, the latter a massiveland and water area encompassing most or partsof three U.S. states (Massachusetts, New Hamp-shire, and Maine) and two Canadian provinces(New Brunswick and Nova Scotia). In the pastfive to ten years, there has been increasingly in-tense interest in the ecological health of the bayand gulf. Now, citizens, scientists, public offi-cials, and fishermen and other resource users areincreasingly engaged in collaborative efforts tounderstand these waters and important trends andchanges, and to formulate strategies to maintainand restore ecological health.

Community-based groups like SCEP remain atthe forefront of this work. The great strength ofthe community-based approach to conservation isthe ability of local groups to tap into local or “tra-ditional” environmental knowledge and harnessthe volunteer energy of citizens who care pas-sionately about their home waters and lands. Inthe St. Croix Estuary Area and around the Bay ofFundy and Gulf of Maine, citizen action forcoastal conservation is making a difference.

Robert Rainer, Program Director, St. CroixEstuary Project, St. Andrews, New Brunswick,EOG 2XO, Canada.

TTHHEE SSTT.. CCRROOIIXX EESSTTUUAARRYY PPRROOJJEECCTT::CCiittiizzeenn AAccttiioonn ffoorr CCooaassttaall CCoonnsseerrvvaattiioonn

Todd’s Point is a prominent part of the coastal landscape of the St. Croix area. Behindthe point is Oak Bay where several major clam flats are found.

AQUACULTURE - sea’s the opportunityBIM provides advice and support to the developing Irish aquacultureindustry which currently provides over 3,000 jobs. The pristinecondition of Ireland’s fresh and marine water environments are ideallysuited to the production of superior quality farmed fish and shellfish.BIM continues to ensure fish farming and shellfish growing in Irelandprovides valued employment in harmony with our naturalenvironment.

Bord Iascaigh Mhara,P.O. Box 12, Crofton Road,Dun Laoghaire,Co. Dublin.Tel: 01-2841544Fax: 01-2841123

Page 20 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

bbyy MM..AA.. TToooolleePERHAPS more than any other element, chlo-

rine illustrates the paradoxes of Chemistry. Anelement of great benefit to mankind, it has also,directly or indirectly, brought many dangers.Though a deadly poison when pure, it is eaten byus all, in appreciable quantities every day. It hasgiven us great advances in health and hygieneand has saved countless lives. It has also de-stroyed many lives. It has alleviated much painand caused much suffering. It has proved indis-pensable to modern civilization, yet threatens uswith an ecological disaster from which the earthmay take decades to recover.

An extremely reactive, non-metallic element,chlorine belongs to a group, or “family” of simi-lar substances known as the halogens. The otherhalogens are the even more nasty fluorine andbromine, the less troublesome iodine and the rareand radioactive astatine.

Discovered by the Swedish chemist, KarlScheele, in 1774, it was named, in 1810, byHumphrey Davy as a result of its colour. Thechoking toxicity of this dense, green gas wasquickly observed, though it was not put tohideous use until 1915, when it became the firstweapon of a new and particularly horrible kind ofwarfare. An estimated 5000 allied soldiers diedwithin days of the first chlorine attack, while15000 more suffered effects ranging from skin ir-ritation to permanent blindness. Gas attacksrapidly came to be feared perhaps more than thebullet or the high explosive.

Because of its highly reactive nature, chlorineis never found in Nature as the pure element. Italways exists combined with other elements inthe normally harmless forms of metal chlorides.The most common of these is sodium chloride,the salt we eat every day as a food flavouring andpreservative.

Chlorine and other valuable by-products, hy-drogen and sodium hydroxide, are manufacturedfrom this cheap and plentiful raw material by aprocess in which an electric current is passedthrough a solution of the salt. In one variation ofthis, one of the electrodes used is made of the liq-uid metal, mercury. This is continuously re-cy-cled, though inevitably, traces escape into theeffluent and contaminate the products. In the

1950s, a series of illnesses and birth defectswhich occurred around Minimata Bay, in Japan,were traced to mercury present in effluent fromlocal industries which used chlorine compounds.Rather than being dispersed into the ocean, thismercury was concentrating in the stagnant mudof the bay and entering the food chain, eventuallypoisoning the people who depended on the fish ortheir livelihood.

A high proportion of manufactured chlorine isused to make solvents for oil and grease, orchemicals used as aerosol propellants and refrig-erants. These compounds were originally em-ployed because they were found to be extremelystable. And they are, under normal conditions.They disperse into the atmosphere where, for themost part, they remain harmless.

Over a period of years, however, small but sig-nificant amounts diffuse into the upper regions,where they are exposed to intense ultra-violet ra-diation which splits up the molecules to releasechlorine atoms. These attack and destroy theozone molecules which protect the earth fromultra-violet rays. Each chlorine atom will destroymore than a thousand ozone molecules before itis itself removed from circulation.

Ironically, it is the stability of some com-pounds which leads to another problem.Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) for ex-ample, and other chlorine-based insecticides havebeen instrumental in the control of many insect-borne diseases, such as malaria. Their use hasalso led to huge improvements in crop yields.However, they are not destroyed by soil bacteria,and so persist for many years in the food chain,where they reach a concentration which killsbirds and small mammals. Even creatures livingas remotely as Antarctic penguins now have ap-preciable quantities of DDT in their tissues.

These disadvantages of chlorine need to beweighted against its benefits and those of its com-pounds.

The brighter aspect of chlorine’s toxicity lies inthe fact that in very low concentrations, too loweven to be detectable by humans, it is lethal tobacteria. For this reason, it is added to swimmingpools and even tap water, and forms the basis formost household disinfectants and bleaches. It hasthus proved indispensable for the maintenance ofhygiene and cleanliness and has virtually elimi-nated waterborne diseases in the modern home.

The principle agent in such activities is not

chlorine as such, but a much more manageablechlorine compound such as sodium hypochlorite.

And here lies another of the paradoxes of chlo-rine. Sodium hypochlorite, formed when chlo-rine reacts with the alkali, sodium hydroxide, isan unstable chemical, which slowly decomposesto form sodium chloride and atoms of oxygen.Rather than the chlorine, it is this atomic form ofoxygen, much more reactive than the normalmolecular form of paired atoms that exists in air,which kills the bacteria. The same mechanism isresponsible for the bleaching action of chlorineand sodium hypochlorite.

Other chlorine compounds, such as hexa-chlorophene and trichlorophenol (TCP) also actas anti-bacterial agents, while chloroform hasbeen used as a powerful anaesthetic to eliminatepain during surgical operations.

Hydrochloric acid is the cheapest of the indus-trial acids and is widely used, and though verystrong, causes few problems when handled prop-erly. It dissolves rust from steel prior to gal-vanising, and as a component of “aqua regia” is

the only common acid able to dissolve gold.In a more natural context, hydrochloric acid is

secreted onto food in our stomachs, where itplays an essential part in the digestion of thatfood.

Many important plastics, such as poly-vinyl-chloride (PVC) contain chlorine. Others, likenylon and terylene are frequently made fromchlorine compounds. Many dyes are manufac-tured from chlorine-based intermediates, whilephotography depends on the ability of silverchloride and the related silver bromide to decom-pose to silver under the action of light.

The dangers of chlorine and its compoundshave not always been apparent until their use hasbecome widespread. If we learn from past igno-rance then we may avoid future mistakes, for thebenefits of chlorine are not in doubt, and ensurethat it will remain high in the list of important el-ements.

M.A. Toole, 65, Cheswick Drive, Gosforth,Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 5DW, U.K.

CHLORINE - The Good and The Bad

Location: Adjacent to Por-tumna on the northern shore ofLough Derg.

Habitat: The park is easilyaccessible by water and road.The forest is mainly conifer-ous but also contains a widevariety of broadleaved trees,both native and exotic. In ad-dition to woodlands there arewide open spaces aplenty,green fields, scrub, marsh,water and numerous off-shoreislands. This intermix of for-est, open area, water and is-lands gives a wide choice ofhabitat to support a great vari-ety of flora and fauna.

Length/Type of Trails:Forest Road, Long Walk andNature Trail.

Main Tree Species: Theforest is mainly coniferous,but it contains a wide varietyof broadleaves as well. Themain conifer species are Scotspine, larch and Norwayspruce. There are knarled oldoaks which have been here forcenturies, majestic beecheswhich dominate the skyline,giant evergreens from WesternNorth America, colourfullarches from Europe andJapan, blue Atlas cedar fromAfrica, maples from Canadaand Europe and practically allof the native tree species, in-cluding our two nativeconifers, the yew and juniper.The latter is widespreadthroughout the area, but onlyin the prostrate and shrubform.

Fauna: Sixteen species ofwild mammals reside withinthe Forest Park, of which thesmallest is the pigmy shrew.The largest and most conspic-uous is the fallow deer ofwhich there is a large herdwithin the forest. Less con-spicuous is the otter and prob-ably the most elusive mammalof all is the pine marten(known locally as ‘the cat’), anative tree-dweller which,until recently, was on theverge of extinction. The redsquirrel, stoat, badger and foxmay also be encountered.Bird life abounds in andaround the Forest Park andeighty-five different typesbreed here, while many otherspass through. The mute swanmay be seen on the lake whilethe tiny goldcrest is a perma-nent resident of the forest.The lake and the shore are of-ficial sanctuaries and herewildfowl in their thousandscan be observed from some ofthe observation points withinthe forest. Portumna ForestPark has one of the largest in-land breeding colonies of cor-morant on one of the islands.

History: The name Por-tumna derives from the IrishPort Omna, meaning the land-ing place of the oak tree. Por-tumna Forest Park wasacquired in 1948 and coversalmost 600 hectares (1,500acres). It was formerly ownedby the Clanrickarde family.There is an old abbey, now

under the care of the Dept. ofArts, Heritage, Gaeltacht &the Islands, within the Parkwhich dates back to the 15thcentury. The castle nearby, onwhich considerable restorationwork has been carried out,dates back to the 17th centuryand was the seat of the Earl ofClanrickarde. An earlier cas-tle was located on the lakeshore, east of the harbour,while yet another was con-structed in the late 18th cen-tury where the main car park isnow located. This was de-stroyed by fire and subse-quently demolished.

Facilities: There are forestand lakeside walks, car park,toilet facilities and observa-tion points. There is a viewingtower along the nature trailwhere one gets a bird’s eyeview of the forest, lake andlakeshore. Adjacent to thepark is a marina giving accessto the Shannon waterway sys-tem.

“Discovering Ireland’sWoodlands. A Guide toForest Parks, Picnic Sites andWoodland Walks”, producedby Coillte Teoranta - TheIrish Forestry Board,provides details of forestparks, picnic sites and forestwalks. Portumna ForestPark is one of these forests.Price: £2.00.

PORTUMNA FOREST PARKPáirc Fhoraoise Phort Omna

Growing Fuel by theField

FIELDS full of low-emission fuel are no longer a dream: taxis burning chemically pre-pared rapeseed oil have already traveled over two million kilometres.

Rudolf Diesel himself hit upon the idea of using vegetable oil to fuel his self-ignitingengine. Unfortunately, as Mercedes-Benz developers discovered in extensive tests sometime back, pure oil from the rape plant destroys the engine after around 600 hours.However, if pure rapeseed oil is converted by a chemical process into rapeseed oil fattyacid methyl ester, the diesel engine can handle it with no problems, as dozens of taxis invarious German cities have confirmed. In Freiburg alone, 29 taxi drivers conducted theirdaily business in cars powered by the esterified oil. Altogether, they burned 240,000litres of the “biodiesel” fuel, traveling around 2.5 million kilometres in the process.

Nonetheless, according to the experts, rapeseed oil will not replace fossil fuels in thefuture. Mercedes-Benz developers estimate that the plant-based fuel will be able to re-place at most around ten percent of conventional fuels. To convert all diesel cars to rape-seed oil is neither realistic, nor is such a step intended.

As far as the environment is concerned, the plant-based fuel has a lot to recommendit. Rapeseed oil is non-toxic and biodegradable. It burns without releasing sulfur diox-

Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Page 21

BByy LLoouuiisseeCCoolllliieerr

A UNIQUE Community ef-fort has restored a 5 acrederelict pond and woodlandinto a beautiful local amenity.

Stephenstown Pond and Na-ture Park is outside the villageof Knockbridge which is situ-ated about 5 miles south-westof Dundalk.

HistoryThe pond was originally built

under contract by William Galtin 1817 for Matthew Fortescue,the landowner of StephenstownEstate. The water was neededfor the recently constructed gar-dens and to drive the grindingmills in the farmyard. It wasthe golden age of tree plantingin Ireland and William Galt(who was married to AgnesBurns, the sister of the famousScottish poet Robert Burns)adorned the whole site with abewildering array of trees andshrubs. He stocked the pondwith a variety of coarse fish.The great diversity of plant lifehas remained here ever since.

Sadly, in recent years, thesite has been neglected.Derelict and overgrown it wasused as nothing more than arubbish tip by local people. It

wasn’t until 1995 that a groupof highly motivated and com-mitted people from the Knock-bridge area gathered togetherwith the intention of renovatingStephenstown Pond. The mainobjective of the project was todevelop the area into a coretourism product with emphasison fishing, amenity and ecolog-ical interpretation. TheStephenstown Pond Trust Ltdwas formed. The trust pur-chased the pond site in 1995 onbehalf of the Knockbridge com-munity and the daunting task offund-raising began. Letterswere sent out to everyone in thearea offering a lifetimes fishingin exchange for a donation.Pub quizzes were organised andbegging letters sent to justabout every organisation imag-inable. The end result of all thiseffort was an incredible£30,000 collected locally,£10,000 from the InternationalFund for Ireland (IFI) and a fur-ther £49,000 from the LouthCounty Council under the EURural Towns and Villages Pro-gramme. This made an amaz-ing total of £89,000. Themoney was used to pay for con-tract workers, machinery andmaterials. Stone walls werebuilt, sluice gates constructed,trees planted and areas of debriscleared. The bulk of the man-ual work was undertaken bystudents under the Summer JobScheme and FAS CommunityEmployment workers.

Stephenstown pond was offi-cially opened on the 14th July1996. The Knockbridge/LouthVillage Community Employ-ment Scheme, which incorpo-rated the development ofStephenstown Pond, won theEnvironmental Category of theFAS Community InitiativeAwards for the North East Re-gion in 1996.

EcologyStephenstown Pond encom-

passes approximately 5 acresof woodland, willow copse,wild flower meadow, watermeadow and pond habitats.The pond provides an oasis fora fascinating variety of wildlife.There are at least 88 wildflower species and some 57species of tree and shrub pre-sent. These play host to morethan 47 species of bird andother wildlife such as colourfulbutterflies, dragonflies anddamselflies. The lake is oncemore stocked with a variety ofcoarse fish and is surroundedby a lovely varied wildlife habi-tat.

Stephenstown Pond is a verybiodiverse environment with avariety of habitats. Woodlandsurrounds the outer drier areasof the pond. Beech copse dom-inates the roadside whilewooded areas elsewhere aroundthe pond are dominated bysycamore with a hawthorn un-derstorey. The woodland floor

is scattered with wild flowerssuch as wood garlic, herb robertand lesser celandine. Ondamper soils nearer the pondmargin are scattered areas ofwillow copse. This habitat isdominated by willow speciesand alder trees. Bogbean dom-inates the ground flora. A greatvariety of ruderal (weed)species are found around thewoodland and pond habitats. Awild flower meadow lies at thenorthern end of the pond.These areas are colourful anddiverse. Along the pond mar-gins are large areas of water

meadow dominated by waterlilies, with reeds and yellowirises at the waters edge givingway to sedges and rushes ondrier slopes.

FacilitiesStephenstown Pond has been

developed as a carp fishery,public amenity and site of eco-logical interpretation. Thereare two fishing stands at thepond, one accessible to peoplewith disabilities. There are pic-nic and car-parking facilities.For those not interested in carp

fishing, there is a lovely lakeshore walk around the pondgoing through the various habi-tats. There are illustrated inter-pretative boards to enhanceenjoyment and appreciation ofthe site. Nature booklets andbrochures about the site ecol-ogy are also available.

Louise has written a booklet“Stephenstown Pond”, which isavailable from Brodigan’s Shopin Knockbridge, Co. Louth.

SSSSTTEEPPHHEENNSSTTOOWWNNTTEEPPHHEENNSSTTOOWWNN PPPPOONNDDOONNDD

AANNDDAANNDD NNNNAATTUURREEAATTUURREE PPPPAARRKKAARRKK

The Stephenstown Pond Trust Ltd, formed by a group of highly motivated andcommitted people from the Knockbridge area, purchased the pond site in 1995 on behalf

of the Knockbridge community to develop the area into a core tourism product withemphasis on fishing, amenity and ecological interpretation.

STEPHENSTOWN POND: encompassing approximately 5 acres of woodland, willow copse,wild flower meadow, water meadow and pond habitats.

Phot

os:

Loui

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ollie

r

Page 22 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

A TRICKLE of water sput-ters out of Ramesh andManorama Patel’s well inBoriya village in Gujarat State,India. Their vegetable fieldsneed at least two more good ir-rigations to come to harvest,but their well is going dryagain. They have already spentall of their savings deepeningthe well twice, but the watertable has continued to fall.Ramesh and Manorama be-lieved that tube-wells, whichreplaced traditional wells thatdrew up water through human-and animal-powered lifts, werea good idea when they cameinto the area. The pumps forthe tubewells run on electricity,which the government providesalmost free of charge. There-fore, drawing up water fromtubewells is much cheaper.With the electric pumps, wellscan also go down deeper anddraw up water faster.

But now, after spending somuch money to deepen thewell, they can’t get enoughwater for crops in their fields.Even the village drinking wellsare drying up. Manorama hasto go out to the tubewell in the

field for household water in-stead of using the well besideher house. And what she gets isno longer sweet water, but salty.

Ten other farmers in the vil-lage have wells. All have no-ticed the falling water table, butnone of them, includingRamesh and Manorama, havedecreased the amount of waterunder their land, but they andtheir neighbours are all pump-ing from the same undergroundwater table. So if Ramesh andManorama don’t pump today,they can’t be sure all the waterthey need will be there tomor-row. And even if all the vil-lagers agreed to cut back,farmers in other nearby villagescould continue to deplete thesource of underground water byusing it indiscriminately.

Excessive use of water islowering groundwater levels inthe Middle East, North Africa,and South Asia includingRamesh and Manorama’s vil-lage in India. If the world’ssupply of fresh water wereevenly distributed and properlyused, it would be adequate tomeet people’s needs for theforeseeable future. But water is

poorly distributed across re-gions, within countries, andacross seasons. Virtually all de-veloping countries, even thosewith adequate water overall,suffer from debilitating sea-sonal and regional shortages.About 20 countries today arewater scarce, with lack of waterseverely limiting their socialand economic development andenvironmental quality. By2020, the number of water-scarce countries could approach35. With more than 200 bodiesof water shared by two or morecountries, competition forwater is becoming more acute,increasing the potential for con-flicts between different groupsof water users within countriesand for water wars betweencountries.

“The world does not considerwater the scarce resource that itis,” says Mark Rosegrant, a re-search fellow at IFPRI who hasstudied water issues exten-sively. “Unless this changes,increasing water scarcity couldmake water one of the centralpolarising forces of the 21stcentury.”

The damming of rivers up-

stream often causes conflictswith countries downstream.Tension is mounting betweenTurkey, Syria, and Iraq overTurkey’s Greater Anatolia Pro-ject, now under construction.The project, which will encom-pass 21 dams and 19 hydroelec-tric power plants, could causeSyria to lose up to 40 percent ofits water from the Euphratesand Iraq to lose as much as 90percent. Ethiopia is upriver ofEgypt on the Nile River, andEgypt is totally dependent onthe Nile for water. AlthoughEthiopia has never claimedrights to use the water of theNile before they reach the vastreservoir behind Egypt’s AswanHigh Dam, such a claim couldthreaten Egypt’s lifeline. Indiaand Nepal want to exploit theGanges-Brahmaputra basin’shuge hydroelectric power-gen-erating potential, whileBangladesh wants the watermanaged in a way that willminimise flooding during mon-soon months and water short-ages during dry months. Ofequal concern are water con-flicts between states in Indiathat share river basins.

Excessive water use harmsthe environment. Between 0.3and 1.5 million hectares of landare lost each year world-widefrom waterlogging and saliniza-tion that result from overuse ofwater and leakage from irriga-tion canals. In Pakistan, salin-ization of soils makes someareas of once fertile land looklike they are covered in snow.Because of the great costs in-volved in recovery of affectedland, severe salinization is es-sentially irreversible.

Agriculture is the large userof water in developing coun-tries, accounting for an averageof 80 percent of the water used.But most current governmentpolicies affecting water use en-courage waste. In many areas,urban and rural water users re-

ceive massive subsidies. Waterfor irrigation, the largest use, isessentially free. With waterprovided by public systems atlittle or not cost to the user,there is little incentive to con-serve. As a result, water iswaste and scarcities result.

Water scarcity could be pre-vented through water policy re-forms. Such reforms includeestablishing secure, legal rightsto water use and transferringmanagement and ownership ofwater from government to pri-vate associations made up offarmers. Creating water rightsamong water user associationsencourages farmers to use onlywhat they need and sell whatthey do not need. Adoptingsuch an approach, Chile hascompletely turned over itswater companies to private con-trol.

“A marketing solution canmake a great contribution tosolving water scarcity in the fu-

ture and can make investmentsin water infrastructure morecost-effective in the present,”says Renatio Gazmuri, formersecretary of agriculture inChile. “Farmers will not ap-prove unprofitable capital im-provements. Because of theirincreased water efficiency,Chilean farmers now irrigate 22percent more land with thesame amount of water as be-fore. An investment of aboutUS$400 million in new irriga-tion infrastructure would havebeen required to generate suchwater efficiency gains.”

According to “A 2020 Visionfor Food, Agriculture, and theEnvironment” initiative fromthe International Food PolicyResearch Institute, 1200Seventeenth Street, N.W.,Washington, D.C., 20036-3006, USA. Webhttp://www.cgiar.org/ifpri.

What Do the Poor Pay for Water?SEVERAL studies show that the urban poor

pay high prices for water supplies and spend ahigh proportion of their income on water. Forexample, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the pooresthouseholds sometimes spend 20 percent of theirincome on water; in Onitsha, Nigeria, the poorpay an estimated 18 percent of their income onwater during the dry season compared withupper-income households, who pay 2 to 3 per-cent; and in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and inUkunda, Kenya, the urban poor spend up to 9percent of their income on water. In Jakarta, In-donesia, of the 7.9 million inhabitants, only 14percent of households received water directlyfrom the municipal system. Another 32 percentbuy water from street vendors, who chargeabout $1.50 to $5.20 per cubic metre, depend-ing on their distance from the public tap. Insome cases households purchasing from ven-dors pay as much as twenty-five to fifty timesmore per unit of water than households con-nected to the municipal system. This phenome-non is also found in Karachi, Pakistan;Port-au-Prince; Jakarta; Nouakchott, Maurita-nia; Dacca, Bangladesh; Tegucigalpa, Hon-duras; and Onitsha. Source: World Bank

WHEN THE WELL RUNS DRY:The Risks of Global Water Scarcity

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Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Page 23

BByy DDeeccllaann TT..QQuuiigglleeyy

THE trigger fish (Balistescapriscus) is normally foundin tropical waters on bothsides of the North and SouthAtlantic and in the Mediter-ranean Sea where it inhabitsrocky outcrops and coral reefs.The species owes its name tothe structure of the first dorsalfin which is supported by threestrong spines. The first spineis exceptionally robust and ishollowed out behind to receivea bony knob at the base of thesecond spine. Once erect, thefirst spine remains immovableuntil the second, which actslike a trigger, is depressed. Ifit is threatened by predators,the trigger fish use its dorsalfin spines either in defence orto wedge itself securelyamongst rocks.

For many years the triggerfish was regarded as rare inIrish waters. Indeed, between

1847 (when the species wasreported) and 1958 only sixspecimens were recorded.However, since the late 1960’sincreasing numbers of triggerfish have been appearing inIrish waters, culminating in a

phenomenal influx during theearly 1990’s. What causedthis massive invasion of trig-ger fish and where did theycome from?

Research has shown that thetrigger fish has been gradually

extending its range and abun-dance throughout the Northand South Atlantic during re-cent decades. Prior to 1970the species was regarded asrelatively rare off the westcoast of Africa. However, be-

tween 1971 and 1980 a hugeincrease in trigger fish abun-dance occurred sequentiallyfrom Ghana to Mauritania. In-deed, during the mid 1970’s itwas estimated that the speciesaccounted for over half of thetotal fish biomass on the conti-nental shelf between CapeVerde (Senegal) and Nigeria.The dramatic proliferation intrigger fish was accompaniedby an equally dramatic col-lapse in the west African sar-dine fishery. Both incidentsare thought to be related andassociated with significantchanges in oceanographicalconditions. During the sameperiod, similar, albeit less dra-matic increases in trigger fishabundance and range havebeen recorded off the coasts ofNorth and South America.

The trigger fish is now re-garded as a relatively frequentsummertime visitor to NorthWest European waters. Themain influx occurs off thesouth west coast of Irelandduring July/August and con-tinues through to November.The species is now frequently

sighted by SCUBA divers andis captured by anglers. Thereis no evidence, as yet, that thespecies breeds in Europeanwaters. Indeed, it is thoughtthat the trigger fish probablydies at seawater temperatures<12oC. It currently is unclearwhere the Irish trigger fishoriginate from; they could bemigrating from either side ofthe tropical Atlantic. Perhapsthe recent exceptionally warmsummers may have con-tributed to the phenomenal in-crease in trigger fishabundance. Whatever thecase, it is becoming increas-ingly apparent that uncommonspecies, and particularly thoseon the edge of their distribu-tion, can be essential indica-tors of environmental change.Fish, more than their terres-trial counterparts, can movemore freely in response tochanges in environmental con-ditions.

Declan T. Quigley, GaelicSeafoods (Ireland) Ltd.,Derryclare Hatchery, Recess,Co. Galway.

TTrriiggggeerr HHaappppyy iinn IIrriisshh WWaatteerrss??

The trigger fish is now regarded as a relatively frequent summertime visitor toNorth West European waters.

Phot

o: P

aul K

ay

Page 24 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

HEDGES are important toagriculture, the conservation ofwildlife and the scenic qualityof the countryside. On thefarm, hedges provide stock-proof barriers, deterrents totrespass, and shelter for stockand crops. Hedges need goodmanagement to maintain thesefunctions, especially on farmboundaries.

To help in the cost-effectivemanagement of hedges for thebenefit of farms, wildlife andlandscape conservation, thisleaflet deals with:* The benefits of hedges;* The management of hedges;* Considerations on hedge

removal;* Costs.

Why have hedges?It is often said that hedges

waste land and impede mecha-nisation, and that farm effi-ciency requires large fields.However, the shelter providedby hedges can, in some cases,increase yields of livestock andcereals by up to 20% by in-creasing soil temperatures andreducing evapo-transpirationwhich lead to the earlier growthof grass and crops. Hedgerowtrees also help to remove excesssoil moisture and can provide asource of domestic fuel.

Wild birds are the most effi-cient ‘insecticide’ we have, andtwo-thirds of our birds breed inhedges. As hedges occupymore land than all our naturereserves and national parks puttogether, it can be seen thathedges are a vital wildlife habi-tat. Well-managed hedges con-tribute to the scenic character ofthe countryside and, as such,benefit tourism and, in contrastto neglected hedges, enhancethe value of farms.

How to manage hedgesThere are three main meth-

ods of trimming a hedge:* The reciprocating cutter bar

is most suitable for softgrowth on hedges which aretrimmed annually, and forclearing out hedge bottoms.

* The flail cutter is veryefficient for slightly heavierwork involving two or threeyears growth. When usedcorrectly it will leave anexcellent result withmulched cuttings.Too often, however, flails areused on heavy woody growthresulting in an unsightly andultimately useless hedgewhich is open to decaythrough the frayed branches.

* The circular shape sawshould be used instead of aflail on heavy growth, and is

ideal for shaping upovergrown hedges or forcoppicing.The traditional practice of

hedge laying by hand has al-most disappeared because ofthe time and labour involved.Once a hedge has been laid,however, it can remain stock-proof for 15 years with only oc-casional trimming.

What is the best shapeand size?

To be an effective stock-proof barrier, a hedge should beat least 1.8m (6ft) high.

Hedges should ideally havegood growth at the bottom toprovide cover for wildlife andadequate shelter for stock. Atall, thin, gappy hedge is unde-sirable for farming and wildlife.

When is the best time tocut?

* Trim during winter to fillslack periods of farm work.

* Avoid disturbing nestingbirds by not trimming duringspring or early summer.Autumn trimming candestroy birds’ winter foodsupplies such as berries.

* For the best economy andleast wildlife disturbance,trim only every three years.

* By trimming hedges inrotation around the farm (i.e.always some uncut)trimming can take placefrom late August to Februarywith minimal wildlifedisturbance.

How to deal withneglected hedges

Hedges can grow too tall andwide, and so waste land and

cast excessive shade. Ne-glected hedges can also becomethin and gappy at the base, withbare, exposed banks. The mainmethods of rejuvenating ne-glected hedges are:* Trimming - If the hedge has

value for shelter, it can besidetrimmed with a circularshape saw. It may needplanting or further trimmingto encourage thickening.

* Coppicing - All growth iscut down to 75 mm (3 in)above ground level and leftto re-grow. Coppicing on a6-10 year rotation is aneffective and economicmethod of hedgemanagement in arable areasand provides a valuablesource of firewood.

* Gapping Up - A hedge willdeteriorate over time if gapsare not replanted. Gapsshould be cleared out and cutback to healthy vegetation.Dig in well-rotted manure,otherwise hawthorn plantswill not grow in an oldhawthorn hedge. Plantstaggered rows, 500 mm (18in) spacings, of hawthorn,blackthorn or beech. Youngplants should be weeded andprotected from stock by atemporary fence.

* Protective fencing - Where ahedge bank has beenexposed through excessivetrampling and grazing bystock, a temporary fence,such as an electric fence, canbe erected to allow bankvegetation to regenerate.

Removing hedgesSome hedges may still need

to be removed if fields are verysmall. When deciding whichhedges to take out, consider the

effects on shelter, game,wildlife and the landscape. Re-member that hedges which runnorth-south have a minimalcrop-shading effect, yet providemaximum shelter from prevail-ing winds. A large hedge, ef-fective as a windbreak,compensates for the space it oc-cupies by its positive effects,whereas a small hedge withmany gaps may serve no pur-pose at all, the area it occupiesbeing wasted.

Hedgerows are importantcorridors for the movement ofgame and wildlife. Retainhedges which join woods, wet-lands, or other areas of value ofwildlife. If hedges must be re-moved, it may be an idea toplant up areas which are awk-ward to cultivate, such as fieldcorners or steep slopes.

Hedgerow treesAllowing hedgerow saplings

to mature is a source of ‘free’trees which are already well es-tablished. they need minimalmaintenance and can provideuseful source of timber as wellas contributing to the character

of the landscape. Space at 10metre intervals they can eventu-ally act as narrow shelterbelts.Good straight saplings can betagged with a strip of fertilisersacking to warn the hedge cut-ter operator; the vegetationaround these saplings can becleared with a billhook.

Hazards to hedgesWeed infestation, especially

by scutch grass, may be a prob-lem. Spraying the hedge bot-toms with weed-killer is not theanswer as it offers only a tem-porary solution. It also de-stroys many plants which areused as food by game birds andcrop-pollinating insects. Ifscutch is a problem, keep a 2metre strip regularly cultivatednear the hedge.

Straw-burning can cause se-vere damage to hedges, andgreat care must be taken toavoid accidental damage. Be-fore burning, plough a 2 metrestrip near the hedge, do notburn on a windy day and neverleave fires unattended.

CostsIt is not possible to give more

than a rough guide to some ofthe costs of hedge maintenance,which are in any case cheaperthan the cost of stockprooffencing. An agricultural con-tractor will usually give an esti-mate of trimming according tothe length of hedge, its condi-tion, location and accessibility.

Costs likely to be encoun-tered are about £14-15 per hour.The cost of establishing a newhedge is about £150-200 per100 metres (including cultiva-tion, planting and fencing).

ReferencesBritish Trust for Conserva-

tion Volunteers, Hedging - APractical Conservation Hand-book. BTCV, 36 St. Mary’sStreet, Wallingford, Oxford-shire, OX10 OEU, UK.

ENFO Briefing Sheet 10Hedgerows

Further InformationAn Taisce, Tailors Hall, Back

Lane, Dublin 8.Irish Wildlife Federation,

132A East Wall Road, Dublin 3.Irish Wildlife Conservancy, 8

Longford Place, Monkstown,Co. Dublin.

Issued by ENFO - TheEnvironmental InformationService, 17 St. Andrew Street,Dublin 2. Tel. 01-679 3144Fax 01-679 5204.

HEDGE MANAGEMENT

Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Page 25

“Nurturing Nature - Guideand Directory of

Environmental Groups”Compiled & Edited by Ciaran

C. Ryan

The Cardinal Press,Maynooth/£4.00 (plus p&p)

Available from Ciaran Ryan, 9,Glenview Drive, Killarney, Co.

Kerry.This directory consists of a com-

prehensive series of entries for allthe major, and many of the smaller,environment-type organisations,groups and individuals in Ireland.They are organised county bycounty with contact names, numberof members, status, nature of workand resources. An essential book inany conservationist’s or environ-mentalist’s bookshelves.

“Seeking a PartnershipTowards ManagingIreland’s Uplands”

Edited by D. Hogan and A.Phillips

Irish Uplands Forum, c/o D.Hogan, Cloon, Cleggan, Co.

Galway/1996/£10.00This book contains over 30 pa-

pers given at a conference organisedon the future of Ireland’s Uplands.The paper by Noel Kavanagh, BordFailte “The Long Term Sustainabil-ity of Ireland’s Uplands” shows amost interesting chart in 1901. Theaggregate population in town areaswas 21% in 1901 and by 1991 it hadincreased to 51%. He states: “Forthose Irish people who do not liveon or are not of the land, there is aneed to understand that maintaininga rural population through sustain-able agricultural practices is ofprime importance in socio-culturalterms. The shift from the land tourban conurbation has been relent-less since the beginning of this cen-tury. This is illustrated in thefollowing census figures for aggre-gate town populations and aggre-gate rural populations from 1901 to1991.

It is important that the decline inrural populations is minimised tomaintain a balanced rural quality oflife. This is also important in orderto maintain small towns and villagesas vibrant social and cultural cen-tres, where they service the socialneeds and cultural requirements oftheir rural hinterlands. Should thehinterlands population decline, soalso will the small town and vil-lage.”

Many of the papers have so muchto offer anyone interested in ruralIreland’s Uplands. Planning offi-cers and politicians should have thisbook as a reference.

“Proceedings of theInternational Symposiumon North Pacific Flatfish”

Alaska Sea Grant CollegeProgram, P.O. Box 755040,Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks,

Alaska 99775-5040, U.S.A./AK-SG-95-04/1994/$25.00

ISBN: 1-56612-034-9This book covers 35 of the papers

presented at the International Sym-posium on North Pacific Flatfish,which was held in Alaska. Thekeynote speech by the Director ofthe International Pacific HalibutCommission stressed the need forresearch to better the understandingof Pacific Halibut. He suggestedmore survey data to correlate withcommercial catch data. Halibut by-catch was also discussed. Eleven

papers on early life history focusedon nursery habitats of flatfish, dis-tribution and abundance of flatfisheggs and larvae. Other papers ad-dressed feeding, growth, abun-dance, biomass, distribution anddisease.

Reading this book one thoughtcame to the fore - we do not haveany such data on flatfish in Irish wa-ters. Sadly that situation will notchange in the coming years - orshould I say decades? An excellentbook.

“High Latitude Crabs -Biology, Management and

Economics”Alaska Sea Grant CollegeProgram, P.O. Box 755040,Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks,

Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-5040,U.S.A./AK-SG-96-

02/1994/$30.00.

ISBN: 1-56612-039-XWhy cannot someone here in Ire-

land understand that such researchis needed on our crab populations?Can one imagine the replies fromthe Marine Institute if one asked forinformation on research into crabmanagement, distribution and abun-dance, reproduction, age andgrowth, size, feeding etc... In par-ticular the paper in the proceedings:“Crab Research in Alaska: An Inter-agency Long-term Plan” should beread by all those interested in devel-oping Ireland’s crab species. Theymay learn something. Yes, with thisbook and the book on flatfish by theUniv. of Alaska we as a nation areput to shame with the little researchwe do on our sea resources.

“The Fresh Waters ofScotland - A National

Resource of InternationalSignificance”

Edited by P.S. Maitland, P.J.Boon, D.S. McLusky

John Wiley & Sons/1994/£75.00

ISBN: 0 471 94462 9Based on the 50th meeting of the

Scottish Freshwater Group, thisbook gives a contemporary accountof the fresh waters of Scotland.Scotland is fortunate in being richlyprovided with numerous rivers andlochs. The extent of the fresh wa-ters, their value and uses are exam-ined as well as the threats they facealongside possible remedial mea-sures. The book also looks at thewater’s flora, fauna, paleolimnologyand archaeology. It concludes byreviewing present controls throughpollution prevention, planning, na-ture conservation and agency man-agement, at both national and

international levels. It has 37 chap-ters and will be of interest to all pro-fessionals and students concernedwith fresh water resources. Highlyrecommended.

“The Ecological Basis forRiver Management”

Edited by David M. Harper andAlastair J.D. Ferguson

John Wiley & Sons/1995/£79.95

ISBN: 0 471 95151 XThis book is the result of an in-

ternational conference of the samename held at Leicester University inMarch 1993 to mark the first fouryears of the National Rivers Author-ity (NRA) in England and Wales.Over the past decade river manage-ment has become a multi-discipli-nary profession and this bookaddresses the underlying ecologicalissues in the six major operational

functions of river management i.e.water quantity, water quality, fish-eries, recreation, conservation andplanning. The forty chapters arewritten by leading authorities in thisarea. They include: “The Ecologi-cal Basis for the Management ofFlows Regulated by Reservoirs inthe United Kingdom”, “The Ecolog-ical Basis for the Management ofWater Quality”, “Acidification:Causes, Consequences and Solu-tions”, “The Importance of Investi-gatory and Analytical Techniques inBiological Water-Quality Investiga-tions”, “The Ecological Basis forthe Management of the NaturalRiver Environment”, “The Manage-ment of Riverine Vegetation”, “Eco-logical Impact of Angling”. Allthese, and others, are relevant to Ire-land.

“Particle Analysis inOceanography”

Edited by Serge Demers

Springer-Verlag BerlinHeidelberg/1991

ISBN: 3-540-51763-40-387-51763-4

Individual cell and particleanalysis in aquatic sciences is in-volved in many aspects of oceanog-raphy and limnology, includingoptical physics of particles, phyto-plankton physiology and ecology,marine and aquatic microbiologyand food web interactions. Thisbook concentrates on the optimalutilization of flow cytometry andimage analysis and the ways inwhich oceanographic and limnolog-ical problems can be uniquely orbetter addressed using these tech-niques.

The book stresses the need towork on merging scales in order toincrease our understanding of theproductivity of aquatic systems andemphasized the use of flow cytome-try as a powerful tool for rapidly in-tegrating large amounts ofinformation over a wide range ofparticle scales.

In the future, it is recommendedthat some members of the interna-tional community of ocean scien-tists continue the transfer oftechniques and methodologies de-veloped in other fields, taking intoaccount the challenges of analyzingmarine samples.

“Whales, Dolphins &Seals”

(Collins Watch Guides)

By François Moutou

HarperCollinsPublishers/1995/£5.99

ISBN: 0 00 220089 9This Collins Watch Guide can be

taken out, whatever the weather,without the risk of spoiling it. Thepages are laminated with a sprialbinding. There are simple explana-tions with excellent colour photos ofwhales, dolphins and seals. A su-perb beginners’ guide to take to theseashore or on a boat.

“‘Spiders”(Collins Gem Photoguide)

Text by Paul Hillyard

HarperCollinsPublishers/1997/£3.99

ISBN: 0 00 470904 7This Collins Gem on spiders is a

photographic guide to over 200 spi-ders from around the world. Theguide also has information on theirlikely habitat and range, togetherwith a useful introduction on the bi-ology of spiders.

Publications of Interest

“Paradise on Earth”Harper-MacRae & Associates

Inc./1995/£25.00

ISBN:0-646-19397-XFor its beautiful animal photography alone

this book is fascinating. My favourite is a leop-ard savouring its prey on a tree in Zaire’sGaramba National Park, followed closely by apicture of two young grizzly bears in KluaneNational Park, Alaska.

This book is a journey of discovery and won-der to some of the world’s National Parks inover 45 countries worldwide. Nanda Devi Na-tional Park in India is an area of 155,692 acresfrom 6,890ft to 225,646ft above sea level. Thispark is now closed to almost all visitors, excepta handful of professional mountaineers. Al-though it was only opened to tourists in 1949 ithas suffered a rapid and brutal decline due tocarelessness.

All parks in this book are World Heritagesites and all are selected for their outstandinguniversal value. There are hundreds of beauti-ful photographs with wonderful text giving suchinformation as where they are and what isneeded to be done to protect them for all time.With the title of the book “Paradise on Earth” itis aptly named. Oh, to be able to visit them inthe flesh!

“Caring for the Earth - A Strategy forSurvival”

By Mitchell Beazley

IUCN/1993/£19.99

ISBN: 1 85732 168 5Caring for the Earth is a plan of action for the

survival of our planet and its inhabitants. It isthe considered view of three major global con-servation organisations. It sets out the princi-ples and actions on which the future of oursocieties depend.

The first part of the book explains the issuesof conservation and of social and economic de-velopment. The second looks more deeply intothe problems of human activity and the environ-ment; each chapter deals with one area - such asforests, oceans, farm and range lands, and in-dustry and commerce - and ends with a series ofpriority actions that summarize needs and pointthe way to the future. The final part of the book

looks at the implementation of the proposedstrategies and gives further, more general, ac-tion points to support the detailed plans. Eachchapter is beautifully illustrated in colour withpictures from around the world that show theproblems and some of the solutions.

A book for the school library or as a present.Beautiful colour photography!

“Oceans”General Editors: Danny Elder and John

Pernetta

IUCN/Mitchell Beazley/1991/£19.99

ISBN: 0 85533 923 3Jacques Cousteau, in his introduction to this

book states “The health of the global water sys-tem rooted in the ocean is vital to the future wel-fare of our planet, and is of particular concern tome as an ocean explorer. The future needs ofsociety will be well served, however, only if wechange our short-term mentality and often arro-gant indifference to the results of our actionsand focus on long-term considerations and asound attitude in the use of all our resources.”

The book has six sections. We firstly learn ofthe ocean’s origins, its floor, its moving waters,climate and weather. The next section - TheLiving Sea - includes bio-diversity, life styles,feeding and food webs, and reproduction.Other sections include harvesting the seas, thevarious oceans and finally the challenge of con-servation.

The map section is the most interesting sec-tion of this beautiful and informative book. It isan excellent book for the school library or abirthday present for young people and more sofor their mums and dads!

“Wetlands in Danger”IUCN/Mitchell Beazley/1993/£19.99

ISBN: 1 85732 166 9Much is written about the destruction of the

rain forests, the pollution of rivers and the seasbut somehow the world’s wetlands have rarelyreceived such attention. These marshes, flood-plains, peatlands, lagoons and swamp forestshave been perceived as wasteland, obstacles tothe overriding need for agricultural and urbandevelopment.

Many dozens of birds and other wildlife have

been brought to the verge of extinction becauseof irresponsible governments worldwide, drain-ing and exploiting and polluting these wetlands.

The main section in the book visits 19 re-gions worldwide. Each begins with a previewof the regions’ wetlands, their special value andthe conservation policies that have been set upto stop the threat of conversion or to reverse itseffects.

When one reads that in Canada 71% of theoriginal wetland areas have been lost over thepast 70 years, it begs the question, how much ofIreland’s wetlands have been lost in the sameperiod?

This book leaves one in no doubt that wet-lands should receive equal billing with the rain-forests in the conservation league. Thephotographs throughout the book are superb.

Let us contemplate on the words of the poet,Gerald Manely Hopkins: “What would theworld be, once bereft of wet and of wildness?Let them be left!”

“From Care to Action - Making aSustainable World”

By Martin Holdgate

Earthscan/IUCN/1996/£15.95 (Pk)£35.00 (Hdk)

ISBN: 1 85383 306 1 (Pk)/1 85383 317 7 (Hdk)

This book is yet another contribution fromIUCN (The World Conservation Union) to themost important debate in the in the world - hownearly 6 billion people alive today can shape thecourse of development so that the 8 to 10 billionpeople expected to inhabit the earth a centuryfrom now, may live peaceful lives of high qual-ity, in harmony with the world of nature, onwhich we depend. It lays out the guidelines forsuch action, such as the problems to be facedand how people must be educated and informed.It tells us how to understand nature and how tosustain the use of forests and improve the use ofthe oceans and coastal and inland waters. Thefinal section, “Moving Forward”, has a specialreference for personal and community action forsustainability. If we all could take these onboard for our everyday living we could thenhelp to reverse the great abuse of the environ-ment.

IUCN Publications

Page 26 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

JUNIOR PJUNIOR PAGESAGES

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SSAAVVEEDDI went to sea in a small fishingboat,wrapped up in warm clothesand a waterproof coat.With howling winds and crash-ing waves,I spotted some rockson a beach by some caves.I tried to turn back,but the waves were too strong;I got thrown on the rocks,and before too longmy boat had a leak, the waterpoured in.It filled up my small boat,right up to the brim.I spotted a blue light, headingmy way;There was a lifeboat to save theday.They saw me thereand took me on board;I’m only alive ‘cause of them,thank the Lord.

By Paul Stevens (10) of Cowes,UK. In “Storm Force News”.

Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Page 27

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

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an extinct bird

an amount of medicine

reproductive germs of flowers

the cutting side of a blade

tackle; tools; equipment

parched or dry

a thought in the mind

direction of sunrise

celestial body

a curved structure in a building

to scorch or burn

an open space

everyone taken separately

Write your answers Across in the grid. Each answer isa word of four letters of which the last two letters formthe first two of the next word. Answers below.

HALF WAY

SSQQUUAARREERROOUUTTEE

All of these letters will fit intothe squares provided. Thewords will read the samedown and across:e i i i i i i k l l l r s s w w

Answers below.

DDrraaww && CCoolloouurr UUss

1. Which is the third farthest planetfrom the sun?a. Pluto; b. Uranus; c. Saturn; d. Neptune.

2. Which island is the largest in theworld?a. Madagascar; b. Greenland;c. Ireland; d. New Guinea.

3. Which is the longest river in theworld?a. Nile; b. Yangtze; c. Liffey; d. Amazon.

4. Which is the largest ocean in theworld?a. Atlantic; b. Indian; c. Arctic; d. Pacific.

5. Which is the largest lake in theworld?a. Michigan; b. Superior; c. Caspian Sea; d. Victoria.

6. Which mountain is volcanic?a. Mt. Blanc; b. Everest; c. Mt. Etna; d.Matterhorn;

7. Which is the longest river inEurope?a. Seine; b. Danube; c. Rhine; d. Elbe.

8. Which rock is the molten rockbelow the Earth’s crust?a. magma; b. granite; c. limestone; d. clay.

9. Which scientist measuresearthquakes?a. zoologist; b. chemist; c. seismologist; d. geologist.

10. Which is the biggest continent?

a. Europe; b. Asia; c. Antarctic; d.Australia.

Answers below.

WHICH IS?

To help you draw these unusual fish, redraw the boxes as we have drawn them below andcopy the fish, square by square. You can then colour them in.

ANSWERS:WHICHIS? 1. b; 2. b; 3. a; 4. d; 5. c; 6. c; 7. b; 8. a; 9. c; 10. b.HALFWAY:1. dodo; 2. dose; 3. seed; 4. edge; 5. gear; 6. arid; 7. idea; 8. east; 9. star; 10. arch;11. char; 12. area; 13. each.SQUAREROUTE:: kiwi; iris; will; isle

Remember - £1500 plus costRemember - £1500 plus costss

£1500£1500

Page 28 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

THIS is the first in a seriesof articles on Ireland’s 76 na-ture reserves, where areas ofnatural importance are givenprotection by the HeritageService under the WildlifeAct. Some of our nature re-serves are well known - suchas Lough Hyne, near Skib-bereen in Co. Cork. The ar-ticles feature the lesserknown reserves, startingwith Ballyteige Burrow inCo. Wexford.

The reserve, near KilmoreQuay, covers almost 530hectares of dunes and estu-ary and is 9 kilometres long.This is the remnant of a largeestuary reclaimed over 100years ago. The influence ofman goes back much furtherthan this. For example, inthe middle ages, the monksat the nearby Tintern Abbeyestablished a rabbit warren atBallyteige and they har-

vested up to 4,000 rabbitsannually there.

Ballyteige Burrow hasgreat physical diversity -some of the dunes are upto20 metres high and the de-veloping acid heath there isunusual in Ireland. It sup-ports internationally impor-tant numbers of birds such asBrent Geese and BewickSwans and it is the main lo-cation in Europe for WildAsparagus. Its importancewas recognised when it wasdeclared a nature reserve in1987.

The main aim in lookingafter the reserve is to main-tain the diversity of nature atthe site. This does not meanexcluding human activity.Cattle grazing is necessary tomaintain the rich variety ofwild flowers there - withoutsuch grazing the reservewould be dominated by a

lesser variety of plants. Sothe task is to balance our ac-tivity with nature; the levelof cattle grazing is con-trolled, horse training whichoccurred at the reserve hasbeen discontinued but peo-ple are still welcome to walkand enjoy the splendid wild-ness of the reserve.

One of the more novelprojects at Ballyteige Bur-row is the creation of pondsto see if the Natterjack Toadcan be introduced there. TheNatterjack is rare in Irelandbeing confined to parts ofCo. Kerry. The experimentis aimed at spreading thetoad population so that it isless vulnerable to extinction.

If you want to know moreabout Ballyteige write to thelocal ranger, Eugene Wal-lace, Ross Road, Taghmon,Co. Wexford, who will beglad to help you.

BALLYTEIGE BURROWNATURE RESERVE

Co. Wexford

These burgers with a difference are a tasty treat for kids - but they are goodenough to appeal to adult taste buds too. Cook them outdoors on a barbecue for a

Hallowe’en bonfire party, indoors on the pan for a substantial, delicious T.V.snack.

Ingredients:1lb/450g salmon fresh - minced4ozs/110g breadcrumbs1 spring onion - finely chopped1 clove garlic - finely choppedGrated zest and juice of 1 small lemonSalt and pepperLittle oil and butter to fry

To serve4 burger bunsShredded lettuceSliced tomato4 tablesps. crème fraîche with lemon zest addedChopped chives

Method✦ Add breadcrumbs, spring onion and garlic to salmon.✦ Season and moisten with lemon juice.✦ Form into patties. Chill for at least 1 hour.✦ Fry burgers in oil and butter mixture or if preferred cook on barbecue.✦ Place on toasted buns with lettuce and tomato.✦ Top with a spoonful of crème fraîche and sprinkle with chopped

chives.✦ Serve with salad or baked potato.

Lemon-scented Salmon Burgers

HEAD OFFICE - DRINAGH, CO. CORK.Telephone 028/30116 Fax 028/30266

WELCOMES YOU TO WEST CORK********************

Visit our Superstores at Drinagh and Skibbereen or any of our retail stores locatedthroughout the beautiful valleys and peninsula of this area.

Ballyteige Burrow is the main location in Europe for Wild Asparagus.

LOTS of things make fishes differ-ent from one another.

Some fishes are big; some are small.Some live on the bottom; some live inthe open ocean. Some are good-look-ing; some are ugly. You can probablythink of many other differences amongfishes.

There is one difference, however,that is very important: No two kinds(species) of fishes living in the samearea feed in exactly the same way.

Why is this so important?Although the sea holds a vast supply

of food, that supply has its limits.There is only so much food availablein an area to survive, they must shareavailable resources. Feeding differ-ences ensure that each kind of fish hasits own place at Nature’s dinner table.

In some cases, what helps a fish tobe different in the way it feeds is itsmouth. Some fishes have mouthsadapted for unusual ways of feeding.

Let’s zoom in on some fishes withspecial mouths and see how they usethem.

The ParrotfishThis tropical fish lives in shallow

water around coral reefs. There areseveral kinds of parrotfish, the largestof which grows about four feet long.But large or small, a parrotfish hasteeth that form a parrot-like beak in its

mouth. With this hard beak it bites offchunks of coral.

That is quite a feat, one that wouldnot be possible if the parrotfish had or-dinary fish teeth. Coral, as you proba-bly know, is the hard stuff thatgradually builds up to form coral reefs.It is produced by millions and millionsof tiny animals called polyps (pro-nounced pol-ips). Imagine yourselftrying to bite off a piece of coral. Itwould be like trying to bite off a pieceof a concrete sidewalk.

Scientists aren’t sure whether theparrotfish bites off coral to eat thecoral polyps in it, or to eat algae (al-gee) - a form of plant life - that growsamong the polyps. It doesn’t reallymatter which of these the parrotfish isafter because each is food.

After the coral has been bitten off, itpasses through a set of special grindingplates at the back of this fish’s mouth.By the time the coral has passedthrough the parrotfish’s insides and ispassed off as waste, it has been madeinto fine sand. In fact, it is estimatedthat in every acre of reef, about 1 tonof coral is turned into sand each yearby this beaked fish. With its specialmouth, this fish not only feeds in anunusual way; it also contributes to thebuilding of sandy tropical beaches!

Incidentally, the parrotfish is a noisyeater. If you are in the water near afeeding parrotfish, you can hear itsbeak munching on the coral!

TriggerfishTriggerfishes also live among tropi-

cal coral reefs. All members of thisfamily have a mouth that sticks out alittle bit, as though it were swollen.

The triggerfish’s jaws are powerfuland each is spiked with eight strong,chisel-like teeth. With these big teeththe triggerfish crunches through theshells of oysters, mussels and otherhardshell prey.

What is even more interesting, onemember of this family - the Queentriggerfish - is one of the very fewfishes that attacks and eats the long-spined sea urchin. This urchin lookslike a golf-ball size porcupine. The topand sides of its round body are coveredwith long, poisonous spines. Mostfishes steer clear of this prickly char-acter, but not the Queen triggerfish-thanks to its special mouth. With itslong, strong teeth it grabs the urchin byits spines and flips it onto its back, ex-posing the urchin’s spineless under-side. With its sharp teeth, thetriggerfish bits into the underside andbegins to eat the urchin. It may eatonly the internal organs, or it may eatthe whole urchin - spines and all!

This reef fish has another techniqueof overturning sea urchins. It shoots astrong stream of water from its mouthand blows the urchin over. Mightymouth!

GoatfishThe goatfish, another tropical

species, is something like the freshwa-ter bullhead (catfish). Members of thegoatfish family are bottom-feeders.They have a pair of long whiskers -called barbels (bar-bulls) - under their

chins. With these sensitive organsthey feel their way over the sea floor,detecting bits of food and tiny animalsin the sand. The goatfish’s mouth iswell positioned for bottom-feeding.Finding food, this fish sucks its up -along with a mouthful of sand! Yuk!This is no problem, however. Thegoatfish keeps the food it takes in andgets rid of the sand by puffing it outthrough its gills.

The special mouth of the goatfishlets it touch-and-feel its meal and thensuck it up.

RaysThis is flounder-like fish with a dia-

mond-shaped body and a whippy tail.Its mouth is a slit on the underside ofits head. Rays look much like skates,but they are much, much bigger. Theyglide slowly over the sea floor by rip-pling the thin outer edges of theirbody. (These edges are called pectoralwings.) Rays - there are severalspecies - are bottom-feeders. We havealready seen how another bottom-feeder, the goatfish, finds its prey byfeeling the sand with its barbels. Rayswork differently. In search of shrimp,worms, crabs, small fishes and otherfood they like, they stir up the sand byflapping their pectoral wings. Whenthey do not immediately catch fleeingprey in their mouths, rays trap thembeneath their flappy bodies and ma-noeuvre themselves so their mouthscan reach them

The devil rays are especially inter-esting. In this species, the body edgeextends forward to form a flappy“wing” on each side of the head. Themouth in this ray is not located on theunderside, but just below the front ofthe head. A devil ray uses its “wing” tofunnel fishes and other prey into itsmouth. If you think of the “wings”working something like hands, youcould say the devil ray’s special mouthis a mouth-with-hand!

LampreyThis is an eel-like fish that lives in

freshwater and saltwater. It has theoddest mouth in the world of fishes.

When closed, its mouth is a slit thatruns lengthways on the underside of itshead. When open, the mouth expandsinto an almost-round disc armed withmany horny, hooked teeth arranged in12 or so circular rows.

If Count Dracula has been a fish, he

would have been a lamprey. This fishis a blood-sucker. Using its teeth andthe sucking power of its oval mouth, itclamps onto the side of another fish.

Its teeth gradually work their waythrough the skin of scales of that fishuntil the lamprey is able to suck its vic-tim’s blood. Sometimes as many asthree or four lampreys attach them-selves to the same fish. When its vic-tim has been sucked dry - and dies -the lamprey moves on to another fish.

Here again, a special mouth enables aspecies - the lamprey - to live on a kindof food which few other fish can share.

MackerelThe mackerel lives in the open sea.

You may have seen this fellow in fishmarkets. It is a plump, cylindrical fishbetween 14 and 18 inches long. Wavyblack bars cross its back, and its sidesand belly are whitish. The mackerel’sscales are so small its skin feelssmooth to the touch. This species hasan ordinary-looking fish mouth filledwith small, slender teeth. What is spe-cial about the mackerel is that it canfeed in two rather different ways.

Like many species, it can use itsteeth to capture smaller fishes. Butwhen such prey is not available, themackerel can filter small organismsfrom the water that passes over itsgills. A part of its gill structure calledthe “gill raker” is adapted to this work.It sifts out microscopic plants and ani-mals found in plankton (masses ofplant or animal organisms that driftwith the current). Many fishes havegill rakers of one kind or another, butin most cases these are not adapted forfood filtering.

Sharing ResourcesNo one of these special mouths is

better than any other.Each serves its owner quite well.The point, again, is that a special

mouth allows a fish to eat food that isnot available to most other fishes. I’lleat what you can’t eat, and you eatwhat I can’t eat. This is sharing. Thissystem helps ensure that there isenough food for everybody.

It is important to realise, however,that special mouths play only a part inthe sharing of resources among seacreatures. Other things help to bringthis about, too. For example, manyfishes may eat the same kinds of prey,but they eat them at different times,and in different places. Most fishes,furthermore, can eat a wide variety offoods. In other words, they live on amixed diet. And the mixed diet of onefish is not exactly the mixed diet of an-other fish. This, too, spreads food re-sources among all species. Anotherthink that ensures sharing is that somefishes feed at night, on certain kinds ofprey, while other fishes feed in the day,on other kinds of prey.

Many things contribute the sharingof resources in the sea.

Special mouths is just one of them.

Reprinted with permission fromMystic Marinelife Aquarium, Mystic,Connecticut 06355-1997, USA.

Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Page 29

SSppeecciiaall MMoouutthhss

Parrotfish

QueenTriggerfish

Goatfish

Ray

Mackerel

Lamprey

Page 30 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

Visit this majestic building and follow in the footsteps of 19th Centuryprisoners. Furnished cells, amazingly life-like characters and sound effects.

Spectacular AV, showing contrasting lifestyles and social history ofCork City in the 1800s.

OPEN DAILY 09.30-18.00 hours

OPENING WINTER 1997: Radio Museum ExperienceSituated in original 6CK broadcasting studio, this interactive exhibition deals

with Marconi; Birth of Radio and notable Irish and world events.

Make a MobileHERE’S a chance for you to make a mobile foryour bedroom. You can use these drawings orother pictures you like from magazines (make sureyou ask your parents first before you cut upanything!).

YOU WILL NEED:A scissorCardboard (perhaps a cornflake box)GlueString2 wire clothes hangersCellotape

1. Roughly cut out the drawings and glue them to thecardboard to make them stronger.2. Now that they are glued onto the board you can cutaround the pictures more carefully.3. Make a hole in the picture where its marked.4. Cut five pieces of string, each 18 inches long. Tie abig knot at the end of each piece ofstring and thread one through the holein each picture.5. Hook one of the hangers onto thebottom of the other hanger andsqueeze the hook closed. (You mightneed a strong person to help you.)Make sure that the bottom hanger isat a right-angle to the top one. (Ifyou looked from above they would beshaped like a cross.) Use a piece ofcellotape to hold the bottom hanger inplace in the middle of the top hanger. 6. Tie a picture to each end of thehangers and then the last one in the middle of the bottomhanger.You are then ready to hangup your mobile.

1.2.

3.

4. 5.

6.

Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Page 31

HAVE you ever been so keen about somethingthat you couldn’t talk about anything else? Wellthat’s the way William was about submarines.

His sister Jenny thought he was crazy.Jenny was mad about animals. It was Jenny’s

dream to have a dolphin for a friend, and whenshe walked along the shore she always had hereye on the horizon hoping to see one. But shehadn’t . . . not yet!

Their parents blamed these wild ideas on Jennyand William’s grandfather - Captain Horatio Nel-son Cockle - the famous submariner and inventor,who had built a laser powered can opener whichhad exploded on television, covering a wellknown personality in baked beans.

Captain Cockle had met his wife Catherinemany years before, when she had been a doctor inthe Navy, and they both lived in a lighthousekeepers’ cottage down by the sea. There was evenan outside workshop where the Captain could tin-ker with his new ideas, since Doctor Cockle in-sisted that any workshop of her husband’s mustbe as far from the house as possible, in case hisexploding inventions scared her medical patients.

William and Jenny always visited their grand-parents for their holidays. They would swim in

the bay with their masks and flippers, or watchthe big black cormorant birds flying in untidy for-mations and diving beneath the waves to chasefish.

And it might have gone on that way, had it notbeen for an amazing adventure which happenedone summer, just after William’s ninth birthday,and just before Jenny was twelve.

One evening on the television, news camethrough of a terrible accident in the North Sea.Two divers had been trying to blow up an olddrilling platform, when it had collapsed on top oftheir submarine Deepstar, burying them underhundreds of tonnes of steel. The men inside hadjust over a day’s air to breathe, and there was atleast one other unexploded charge left, tickingsomewhere in the wreckage.

Captain Cockle was unusually silent all thoughsupper. Then he made one phone call from hisstudy with the doors closed. Jenny and Williamcould just make out the words “need more time .. .” “hardly tested . . . ” and “do my best . . .” be-fore their grandmother called them into thekitchen to do the washing-up.

When they came back, Captain Cockle haddisappeared out to his workshop. He didn’t even

come back to read William his usual chapter of20,000 Leagues Under the Sea before bed.

Something strange was going on!The next day, there was still no sign of Captain

Cockle - until William discovered a secret leverin his grandfather’s workshop and found himselfbelow ground in a huge cavern leading to the sea.The first thing he noticed was a beautiful yellowsubmarine, with the name Cormorant painted onthe side, standing on a ramp leading down into apool of dark water. And the second thing he no-ticed was his grandfather, staring at him with thesame guilty expression William himself hadwhen was caught doing something he shouldn’t.

Captain Cockle explained he had discovered away to pack enough electricity to power a smalltown, into a single battery the size of a pockettorch. This had made the super secret submarineCormorant possible. Captain Cockle was goingto use it that night to rescue the two trappeddivers, and William could come too - as long ashe didn’t tell a soul.

“Especially your grandmother,” said CaptainCockle. “She’d only worry!”

But as they tried to sneak out of the house thatnight, who should flick on the light switch but Dr.Catherine Cockle - looking trim and shipshape inher old navy uniform - and Jenny, all done out in

her jeans, jumper, life jacket and the smuggestexpression you ever saw. They were coming too!

“Men!” said Dr. Cockle to Jenny. “I bet thosetwo haven’t even thought to pack any medicalsupplies for those poor divers they hope to save.Let alone for themselves!”

“As a matter of fact . . .” began CaptainCockle. But of course, he hadn’t.

So Captain Cockle, Dr. Cockle, Jenny andWilliam climbed aboard the Cormorant anddived down along the secret tunnel leading to thesea. They had just surfaced in the moonlight,when Dr. Cockle had a thought.

“We’re hundreds of miles away from thosepoor men,” she said. “Their air is bound to runout before we can sail round to them in this sub-marine!”

Captain Cockle smiled and reached for a bigblue lever.

“Now it’s time to show you why I called herthe Cormorant , my dear!” he said.

There was a whirring noise behind the conningtower, and the back of the submarine split openlike a pea pod. Long rotor blades folded out likedragonfly wings, and the good ship Cormorantpulled herself up out of the water in a cloud ofspray, soaring into the clear night sky towards themoon.

“The Cormorant’s no ordinary submarine,”said Captain Cockle. “You’ll be amazed at thethings she can do . . .”

And you’ll be amazed too ... in the nextepisode - Monsters from the Deep - only inSherkin Comment.

Abridged by the author from “Captain Cockleand the Cormorant ” - published in Ireland byPoolbeg Press and available in all good bookshops, price Ir£3.99 Check out Captain Cockle on the Web at theCaptain Cockle Home Page on:http://www.cockle.com

Captain Cockle& the Cormorantbbyy JJoohhnn JJooyyccee

Abridged in four parts.

Episode One - The Flying Submarine!

Page 32 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Sherkin Comment 1997 - Issue No. 23

BByy MMaatttt MMuurrpphhyyI HAD great pleasure in presenting the Sherkin IslandMarine Station Environmental Award for 1996 to one ofIreland’s finest botanists - Tony O’Mahony. Tony is thegreatest authority of the 19th and 20th century on wildplants in Cork County and I do not make that statementlightly. He has amassed more data in 30 years on CountyCork flora than anyone else in the past 150 years. What must be realised is that wild plants are his hobbyand not his fulltime occupation. In this he follows in thefootsteps of the great Irish botanists - Colgan, Hart,Praeger and Scully.Tony’s life long interest in Irish wild flowers developed inearly childhood and by 1966 he became joint botanicalrecorder for County Cork with Maura Scannell, who wasthen in charge of the National Herbarium at GlasnevinBotanic Gardens. This on going, time consuming workhas entailed the collation of data on the distribution andfrequency of native and naturalised plants.

In 1986 he contributed 18 years of ecological/botanicaldata to Cork County Council for inclusion in the CountyDevelopment Plan. Upto 1996 he has written 24 papersdealing with Irish Botany. His major task at present is toput into the public arena all the data he has gathered inover 30 years on Cork flora.Tony’s work has never received the recognition he de-serves. I have no doubt if he were a part of the establish-ment things would be different but a prophet is rarelyrecognised in his hometown. If Tony had the benefit ofstate funding we would now have a flora book on theCounty Cork flora. This may be difficult for people to un-derstand but we in Ireland have only a flora for a dozen ofour counties and most of these were written in the 19thand early 20th century.I have known over the years the dedication and the finan-cial sacrifices that Tony has to make to fulfil his lifetimecommitment to recording the wild plants of County Cork.In 100 years his work will still be a major reference onIreland’s flora, along with Colgan, Hart, Praeger andScully. That statement can be made about very few peo-ple that pass through life.

BByy tthheeCCAADDDDEETT JJaappaanneessee

NNaattiioonnaall TTeeaamm

Introduction

The first solo crossing of thePacific was made in 1962 byMr. Kenichi Horie in a tinyyacht called “Mermaid”. In1996, Mr. Horie made the firstsolo, non-stop, trans-Pacificvoyage in a solar-powered boatmade of recycled aluminium.The boat, called “Malt’s Mer-maid”, sailed 16,000km fromEcuador to Tokyo in 138 days.The themes of the project werepreserving the environment andusing resources efficiently.

Malt’s Mermaid

The “Malt’s Mermaid” isshaped like a cigar, and has anoverall length of 9.47m, abreadth of 1.64m and a dis-placement of 900kg. The shapeof the boat was selected to en-sure its stability for maximumsafety during the voyage.

At present, 70% of smallboats such as fishing vessels arebuilt of fibre-reinforced plastics(FRP). However, aluminium isattracting interest as a ship-

building material as calls forenvironmental protection rise,because aluminium is recy-clable in contrast to FRP whichis difficult to dispose of. In-creasing requests for high-speed boats are also expected tocontribute to the expansion ofdemand for aluminium ships.

With a view to utilising re-sources effectively, “Malt’sMermaid” is constructed of amaterial called “alloy 3004”,recycled from aluminium cansfor drinks. Alloy 3004 adds

strength to aluminium withoutdegrading its workability andcorrosion resistance, by addingmanganese to the aluminium asa main constituent. Magnesium(1%) and a little silicon are alsopresent as minor constituents inthe alloy. Besides aluminiumcans, alloy 3004 is extensivelyused for building materials suchas precoated aluminium sheets,shingles and door panels. Theuse of this alloy for ships hasnot yet been authorised inJapan; however the Ministry of

Transport gave special permis-sion for “Malt’s Mermaid”.

To make the boat light, alu-minium plates of 1-2mm thickwere used so that the hull itselfweighs just 370kg. The amountof aluminium used to constructthe boat is equivalent to 22,000beer cans. The boat was de-signed by Mr.Osamu Takai, andbuilt by Goriki Shipyard Co.Ltd., which had already con-structed more than 50 alu-minium vessels.

Solar Power System

The deck of the solar-pow-ered boat, is covered by 12m2 ofcrystalline silicon photovoltaicmodules which have power out-put of 1.5kWp. The boat isequipped with two newly de-veloped nickel-hydrogen stor-age battery systems; onedriving the boat’s motor and theother supporting the living area.The battery systems, composedof five blocks, weigh about170kg in total and also act as

ballast. When fully charged,the motor power system, ratedat 6.2kWh (12V x 130Ah x 4),will run a 200W motor for 24hours. The average servicespeed of the boat is 3 knots.

The battery system that sup-ports the living area suppliespower for equipment such as asmall refrigerator, lights, radiocommunication and video sys-tems. The photovoltaic tech-nology for this solar-poweredboat was supported by experi-enced technical staff at SanyoElectric Co. Ltd., who set therecord for transcontinentalsolar-powered flight over northAmerica in 1990.

The voyage of the “Malt’sMermaid” started on 20 March1996, from the port town ofSalinas in Ecuador, a countrylocated right on the equator, attwelve noon when the sun, theboat’s only energy source, wasat its zenith. The boat passedthe Galapagos Islands on 28March, cleared the HawaiianIslands on 28 May and crossedover the International Date Lineon 14-15 June. After passingthe Ogasawara Islands on 24July, the boat berthed in TokyoHarbour in the afternoon of 5August, finishing the 16,000kmvoyage in 138 days.

This article has been reprintedwith permission from CADDETRenewable Energy Newsletter, aquarterly magazine published bythe CADDET Centre forRenewable Energy, ETSU,Harwell, Oxfordshire OX110RA, U.K. For furtherinformation on this articlecontact the Japanese Team atNEDO Information Center,Sunshine 60, 30F, 3-1-1,Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku,Tokyo 170, Japan.

Sherkin Island Marine Station Environmental Award 1996

Mr. Tony O’Mahony

Trans-Pacific Voyage in a Solar-poweredBoat Built of Recycled Aluminium