EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Ireland’s Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 Bathing Water In total, 97 per cent of designated coastal bathing waters were classified as being of either ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ quality in 2019. Ireland’s coastal and inland bathing water quality can be considered to be very high, with 95 per cent (140 of 147 coastal bathing waters) meeting or exceeding the minimum EU standard for sufficient water quality (EPA, 2019b). 14 Of these, 131 bathing waters (89%) were classed as being of either excellent or good quality, with most of these ( n = 107) being in the excellent category. Five locations were assessed to be of poor quality. In 2019 there was an increase in the number of ‘prior warning’ notices issued, which advise the public of possible short-term pollution events. This was probably the result of the wetter summer and more local authorities using this precautionary approach to protect bathers’ health. Most of these warnings did not result in bathing water pollution incidents and, overall, bathing water quality continued to improve in 2019. 3. Drivers, Pressures and Impacts Our marine areas are impacted by many human- induced pressures, including fishing, climate change, eutrophication, litter, noise and other forms of pollution. While independently these issues continue to put pressure on our fragile marine systems, their combined influence is difficult to accurately determine and needs further assessment. 14 Ireland’s bathing waters include 138 coastal bathing waters (includes coastal and transitional waters) and nine inland bathing waters. The 2019 classification for inland waters classified eight as being of excellent quality and one as being of poor quality. The 2019 classification for coastal waters classified 123 as being of excellent or good quality, 9 as being of sufficient quality and four as being of poor quality, and two new bathing waters which will be classified in 2020. Marine Fisheries Fish stocks in Irish waters have fallen because of pressures from overfishing, physical disturbance and damage to seafloor habitats. Ireland’s seafood sector was worth €1.25 billion in 2018 (BIM, 2019) and its marine area is considered to be an extensive resource for commercial fishing and aquaculture. However, extensive and prolonged overfishing has had a severe impact on commercial fish and shellfish stocks. The MSFD status results indicate that 34 stocks (18 per cent) of assessed fish and shellfish stocks have achieved Good Environmental Status; however, in the case of 44 stocks (22 per cent) Good Environmental Status has not been achieved. The environmental status of 99 stocks (60 per cent) is currently unknown (DHPLG, 2020). To rectify the impacts of fishing, catches of cod, haddock and herring are now limited. The use or location of nursery and feeding habitats is still poorly understood and many benthic habitats, including reefs, are thought to have been severely damaged by bottom-contacting fishing gears. Physical disturbance to the seabed from international fishing pressures is widespread in the continental shelf area surrounding Ireland within OSPAR Region III, occurring to some degree in 70 per cent of the assessed area, with a high level of disturbance recorded in 46 per cent of the area. This assessment is limited to OPSAR Region III only and does not cover all of Ireland maritime area (Figure 8.3). Physical disturbance occurs in 64,860 square kilometres or 13.29 per cent of the overall area (OSPAR Region III – Celtic Seas, and Region V-Wider Atlantic). OPSAR Region V accounts for 69 per cent of Irelands maritime waters, with the remainder lying in OSPAR Region III. 200