Boat operators from Co Kerry and Co Clare were given accreditation by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera, yesterday to engage in dolphin watching on the Shannon Estuary.
The nine operators, from Ballylongford and Ballybunion, Co Kerry, and Kilrush and Carrigaholt in Co Clare, can now carry groups to see Ireland's only resident group of bottlenose dolphins, and just one of six in Europe. A flag they will fly will carry the "Saoirse na Sionna" (Freedom of the Shannon) emblem, signifying they are abiding by the code of conduct, provide monitoring data, and demonstrate competence in environmental interpretation and species identification. The area forms part of the estuary's designated marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EU Habitats Directive.
"There will be a management plan for the Shannon Estuary. It is in draft form and will be available for public consultation before the end of June," Ms de Valera said.
The code of conduct will be displayed on signs at departure points. It forbids a speed above seven knots for vessels, restricts the number of vessels to three in a dolphin-watching area, and forbids chasing or corralling of the animals. The maximum time in the proximity of any dolphin group will be 30 minutes.
"It provides a clear assurance to people that they are dealing with people adopting good practices, with minimal impact on the dolphins," Ms de Valera added. Dr Simon Berrow, project manager for the Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation, said the downside of dolphin watching was, having experienced Dingle and the Fungi phenomenon, how one can lose control. "We have the SAC status. Without that, there is no chance of regulating the industry and protecting the habitat," he said.
The estuary mouth is home to 133 dolphins, up to 40 of which are permanently resident there. Dr Berrow said the process of identifying and naming individual members was continuing, using blemishes and dorsal fin notches to distinguish the mammals.
Dolphin-watching in the area began in 1993 and has steadily grown. Last year, 4,000 people went dolphin-watching, a fraction of the crowd which visits Fungi. "We are committed to bringing in 25,000 people, which would make it a £1 million industry. That is very viable," Dr Berrow said.
Mr Jimmi Conroy, the conservation ranger, said a better picture of the dolphin population would be drawn up over time. If operators were to go outside the code of conduct, they would be struck off the accreditation scheme. "Pressure will come to expand this industry. We have to be sure any expansion will not be detrimental to the species," he said.