Ambassador of France visits the Marine Institute

The Marine Institute recently welcomed the Ambassador of France in Ireland, His Excellency Stephane Crouzat, and Attaché for Science and Technology Marc Daumas to the Marine Institute Headquarters in Oranmore.

The French delegation received a tour of the Marine Institute facility, and met with staff to gain an insight into the work of the Institute and collaborations with French organisations.

Welcoming the delegation to the Marine Institute, Dr Paul Connolly, Director of Fisheries and Advisory Services said, "We were delighted to have the opportunity to exchange knowledge and discuss our recent work and research with the Ambassador. Our collaborations with French scientists and the French institute Ifremer and important relationships which also increase our research capacity."

The Ambassador was greeted by Dr Paul Connolly and Thomas Furey of the INFOMAR Programme, and introduced to the broad work of the Institute using the various displays in the reception area.

Dr Paul Connolly outlined the work of the Marine Institute's marine research vessels, and the design for a new state-of-the-art marine research vessel for Ireland is underway. The Ambassador also viewed a series of artwork and watercolour illustrations produced as part of BlueFish marine science project, which links art and science to demystify the concept of climate change in coasta communities. Thomas Furey demonstrated how the INFOMAR Augmented Reality Sandbox is used to explain the concept of seabed mapping to children and adults at public events.

Experts from the Marine Institute shared their involvement in recent research and projects through a number of presentations. Jennifer Doyle explained how Underwater TV Surveys assess nephrops stocks and how the Marine Institute has transferred this technology to the Bay of Biscay, by working closely with the French Institute Ifremer. Thomas Furey discussed INFOMAR's work and links with several French organisations, Guillaume Ball outlined his current research on tuna, and Yves Reecht outlined how mobile phone technology was being used to build a system to map the fishing activity of small inshore vessels.

Aodhán Fitzgerald provided an overview on the Marine Institute's role as coordinators of EuroFleetsPlus, a project which will access to an advanced research fleet and involve a number of French partners. Dr Margaret Rae also presented the work undertaken by the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance (AORA) as part of the transatlantic alliance between the USA, Canada and the European Union. The French delegation also received an overview of Ireland's Integrated marine plan Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth, and the Marine Institute's Strategic Plan 2018 – 2022 Building Ocean Knowledge, Delivering Ocean Services.

ENDS

Photo Caption: Thomas Furey, INFOMAR, Stephane Crouzat. Ambassador of France in Ireland, Dr Paul Connolly, Marine Institute and Attaché for Science and Technology Marc Daumas visit the Marine Institute Headquarters in Oranmore on the 14th March 2019.