Speech by Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the launch of the Fair Seas Conference 3 June 2026

Check against delivery

Dia dhaoibh a chairde. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil le gach aon duine a chabhraigh chun an t-imeacht seo a eagrú.

Níl aon dabht ach go bhfuil achmhainn luachmhar faoi leith againn in Éireann in ár bhfarraigí. Leis na mílte bliain tá muintir na tíre ag baint tairbhe astu agus ag maireachtáíl leis an baoil atá iniata leo.

Mar sin féin, is léir anois dúinn go bhfuil an muirthimpeallacht faoi bhrú, le dúshláin agus feidireachtaí nua romhainn. Is dúinne atá sé dul i ngleic leis na dúshláin céanna.

Agus sinn i mbun na hoibre, is gá a aithint go bhfuil an fharraige fite fuaite lenár dtraidisiúin, chomh maith lenár bhféiniúlacht chultúrtha. Dá bhrí sin, caithfimid go léir oibriú as lámha a chéile mar mheitheal chun an fharraige a athchóiriú agus a chaomhnú. Ní dúinn féin amháin a thabharfaimid faoin bhfeachtas seo, ach ar son na glúnta atá romhainn, ionas go féidir leosan leas a bhaint chomh maith as an muir atá thar timpeall orainn.

Good morning, everybody, I want to start off by thanking Fair Seas for organising this conference and their continued ambition for an Ireland, with a renewed appreciation of the ocean, becoming a world leader in marine protection, giving our species, habitats, and coastal communities the opportunity to thrive.

The conversations that will happen over the course of the day are important because they concern something central to who we are as a people – our relationship with the sea.

As Taoiseach, and someone who is proud to call Cork home, the sea has shaped our sense of who we are. In our coastal towns and villages, it has sustained families for generations

As an island nation, the sea is not the edge of Ireland, it is the beginning of the rest of the world.

We gather here today at a very important moment.

Across the world, people are coming to understand more clearly that the health of our oceans cannot be taken for granted.

Rising sea temperatures, biodiversity loss, degraded habitats, pollution, and climate change impacts are no longer distant warnings. They are realities already impacting marine ecosystems and coastal communities.

We see those changes in our own waters. We see it in dwindling fish stocks, pressures on biodiversity and the increased vulnerability of coastal environments to storms and erosion.

And we know that what happens beneath the surface of our seas will shape what happens above it — for our economy, our climate resilience, and our communities.

That understanding creates an obligation to act with care.

I welcome that this conference brings together advocates, the fishing community, government, industry, and other key stakeholders.

I am delighted to be here and to be part of these conversations as we map out Ireland’s next steps for designating and managing a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

The Government is committed to addressing these major policy challenges, through restoring healthy, functioning, sustainable marine ecosystems.

Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone covers an area of more than 420,000 square kilometres of sea, stretching from the Irish Sea to the deep and exposed Atlantic Ocean.

Within this vast area we have extraordinary resources of marine species and habitats. This supports a thriving maritime economy and heritage that have nurtured coastal communities for centuries.

Intensification of human activities, on land and at sea, is accelerating marine biodiversity loss in Ireland and globally.

Achieving a balance between transitioning to offshore renewables, coastal enterprise, seafood sustainability, and ocean conservation is challenging.

The National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) has brought together all marine-based human activities for the first time. It sets out the Government’s vision, objectives, and marine planning policies for each marine activity.

The NMPF outlines how these marine activities will interact with each other in an ocean space, under increasing spatial pressure.

It will ensure the sustainable use of our marine resources to 2040 through supporting actions necessary to effectively manage marine activities.

The Programme for Government has set out a framework for a sustainable blue economy. This will generate a total economic impact of over €17 billion, supporting more than 109,000 jobs.

We are uniquely positioned to expand renewable energy and have committed to 'Fast-Track Offshore Wind Development'.

The national Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) for offshore wind approved by Government in 2025 will designate sites around Ireland's coast capable of delivering 15GW of offshore wind by 2040.

I am mindful of the urgency to establish MPAs, as we work to secure this sustainable and resilient future.

The Government is committed to fulfilling our role as stewards of our maritime area, trebling current designations.

Placing 30% of our maritime territory under legal protection by 2030 will halt species decline and restore marine ecosystems.

We know that protecting Ireland’s unique marine biodiversity and meeting our climate and energy ambitions will be challenging.

These challenges must be tackled in a way that brings everyone with us.

Sustainable resource management means meeting social needs, particularly in coastal and Island communities, while harnessing the abundant renewable energy from our seas.

I want to assure you that a review of options for delivering a legislative basis for MPA designation and management – including work on an MPA Bill is underway.

A General Scheme for this Bill is nearing completion and should be published shortly. It is anticipated that this will provide for Designated Area Maritime Plans, used for offshore renewables and to design and designate MPA site proposals.

We will create an ambitious, coherent, and representative network of effective MPAs within the shortest timeframe possible.

Extensive scientific research required to enhance our understanding of protected offshore species and sensitive habitats. To prepare for this legislation, the Government supports analytical coverage. This screens for and identifies suitable areas meriting MPA protection.

Ecological Sensitivity Analyses is complete in the western Irish Sea and Celtic Sea. Work is on-going to complete coverage on the Atlantic seaboard this year.

University College Dublin, University of Galway, and of course my own alma mater University College Cork have partnered on MPA LIFE Ireland since 2024. This €25 million, 9-year project, will co-design outcomes, in close collaboration with marine stakeholders.

I am pleased to see that among the many research initiatives and monitoring programmes which the Government supports to achieve Good Environmental Status in our seas, Munster, and Cork feature very strongly.

For example, the ObSERVE Programme is a European leader and major marine scientific initiative established by the Government of Ireland. Since 2014, it has gathered high-quality data, improving knowledge about marine biodiversity, including the distribution and abundance of species such as whales, seabirds, and turtles.

The third phase of the programme is a large-scale aerial survey project based out of University College Cork.

This will inform marine environmental assessments and maritime spatial planning and ensure MPAs are targeted in the most appropriate locations.

Another example of research which will inform MPA designation is a ground-breaking research project into the highly endangered Flapper skate.

Led by UCC, and funded by Government, it focuses on an area of interest (not just to UCC) off Courtmacsherry Bay, County Cork.

It successfully engages with the local community, sea angling operators, and the fishing community.

Mar a deir an seanfhocal ‘Ní fhanann trá le fear mall’ /time and tide wait for nobody.

We must proceed at pace together to achieve our pledge of "30 by 30". MPAs are a key instrument to ensure clean, healthy, resilient, and sustainably used seas, as we move towards climate neutrality and energy security.

I want to finish up by thanking you for your participation today and to wish you every success with your discussion.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh.

ENDS