Fair Seas meeting in Skerries with Minister Noonan

I met with Fair Seas in beautiful Skerries this morning.

Fair seas is a coalition of environmental organisations working to secure greater marine biodiversity protection in Irish territorial waters.

We took a trip out to Rockabill to see the colonies of nesting sea birds there: Roseate, Arctic and Common Terns, Kittiwakes, and Black Guillemots.

It was an incredible experience and perfect decompression after the intensity of the National Biodiversity Conference.

The birds defend their nests so courageously, inflicting wounds on one or two human heads as we walked through.

Birdwatch Ireland supported by NPWS have done an incredible job in increasing the numbers of breeding pairs of Roseate Terns every year since the project started.

It is critically important that we continue to support this hugely successful and internationally important conservation project.

Thanks to Birdwatch Ireland, our NPWS marine ecologist, David Lyons, Fair Seas, Skerries Yacht Club and the crew who got us there and back safely.