Interactive Marine Archive

At the Marine Institute we have a beautiful archive of special historical marine resources. We invite you to explore two collections we hold, the Sea and Inland Fisheries reports from 1839-1987, and the Scientific Investigations collection which spans from 1901-1926.  

You can explore these important series through our Interactive Timeline, Oyster Habitat Map, Scientist Trivia and Vessel Information. You can also delve right into the source material, as we have caringly digitised each volume and made them available in their entirety on our Open Access Repository.

This is your opportunity to explore our unique and rare collection, which has previously only been available by appointment in hard copy on-site at the Marine Institute. This special collection has been digitised and made available through a collaborative project between our library and FEAS department and funded under the EMFF Marine Biodiversity Scheme. 

About this Project

This project was sponsored by the EMFF Marine Biodiversity Scheme. Two important historical collections from the Marine Institute archive have been digitised, made openly available and interactive: Sea and Inland Fisheries reports from 1839-1987 and Scientific Investigations 1901-1926.

Timeline

Travel through 150 years of Irish fisheries history with our interactive timeline. Some of the highlights for each year from the Sea and Inland Fisheries reports and Scientific Investigations have been curated for you. Click on any year, scroll forward or backwards throughout the timeline and enjoy.

Read the Reports

Read the reports using our interactive book viewer. Turn the pages, flip through the books, navigate to important passages and enjoy a little bit of Irish history at your fingertips. Almost as good as the real thing.

Habitat Map

Our interactive map of Ireland pinpoints locations for Oyster Beds throughout the country. Click on our ‘Pre 1875 Oyster Bed Licenses' layer and you can find all the licenses granted prior to 1875. Select a pinpoint and read where the license was granted, to whom, when, and the area of the beds in acres, roods and perches.

Historial Landings

Here you can search through the annual landings data for different marine species as detailed in the Sea and Inland Fisheries Reports. Catch data from across the country was compiled every year into the Reports, which we have carefully extracted and presented here. See the ups and downs in species catch spanning decades of history over Ireland.

Meet the Scientists

In this section of our website you can explore the work and achievements of many of the key scientists working in Ireland since the beginning of our fisheries industry from Rev. William Sportswood (1847) to the Marine Institute’s John Molloy (1940). Links to their work in the reports and investigation series are included.

Vessels

Explore the vessels that supported our Irish fisheries research throughout the years. In 1901 the newly established Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction purchased the 'Helga', a steam liner of 150 feet, as the importance of having a permanent vessel attached to the Department was acknowledged. This acknowledgement continues to our modern RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager.