Harbour Porpoise surveys in the Blasket Islands SAC

Tender description

The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (DCHG) is responsible for the conservation of natural habitats and species and the protection of biological diversity in Ireland. It is also responsible for providing advice to Licensing Authorities in that regard. All species of Cetacea (i.e., whales, dolphins & porpoises) occurring in Ireland are protected under Irish and European legislation and through international agreements. These include the Wildlife Acts 1976 to 2012, the EC Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), the OSPAR Convention, the Bonn Convention, the Berne Convention, and the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. As part of Ireland’s conservation obligations concerning cetaceans there is a significant requirement for the monitoring of species occurrence in all Irish waters, including inshore waters and the coastal zone. The State also has a legal obligation through the Habitats Directive to monitor key marine habitats and species and to report on their conservation status to the EU. Since an area of coastal waters surrounding the Blasket Islands, County Kerry comprises a candidate Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for inter alia Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) a number of population assessment studies have been undertaken within this site, the most recent being boat-based surveys carried out during 2014. For more information on the above studies see http://www.npws.ie/marine/marinereports/. In order to fulfil its monitoring requirements the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht now invites tenders for the provision of ecological services to carry out boat-based visual surveys for Harbour porpoise in the Blasket Islands SAC, Co. Kerry. Refer to RfT