Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has taken to the seas today to join a groundbreaking research expedition aimed at establishing if great white sharks frequent Irish waters.<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on climate and biodiversity, has a background in ecology, marine science and environmental law.<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore said:<\/p>\n
\u201cI am excited to be joining this group of Irish shark scientists for this important expedition, which hopes to find out if great whites visit Irish waters.<\/p>\n
\u201cExperts say there every reason to believe that great white sharks may occasionally visit Irish waters and this important research will hopefully provide definitive confirmation of this.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe expedition also presents a valuable opportunity to learn more about the 40 or so shark species that live in our seas \u2013 and about the threats these magnificent creatures face from climate change, exploitative fishing practices and habitat destruction.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sad reality is that scores of shark species in our waters are classified as endangered, critically endangered or vulnerable. We must do more to protect these amazing creatures \u2013 including enacting the Marine Protected Areas Bill.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegrettably, the Government has dithered and delayed when it comes to moving forward with this legislation, which is imperilling our ability to meet off-shore wind energy targets and our obligation to protect 30 per cent of Ireland\u2019s seas by 2030.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe general scheme of this legislation was first published in December 2022 and it beggars belief that nearly two years later, in the midst of a climate and biodiversity emergency, the Government has yet to enact such an important environmental measure.\u201d<\/p>\n
September 5, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n Note:<\/u><\/p>\n 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Before entering politics, Jennifer Whitmore spent 10 years in Australia as a senior policy analyst, working with government ministers to develop environmental law, water management and energy policy. She also spent several years as a scientist with the Marine Institute. Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has taken to the seas today to join a groundbreaking research expedition aimed at establishing if great white sharks frequent Irish waters. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on climate and biodiversity, has a background in ecology, marine science and environmental law. Deputy Whitmore said: \u201cI am excited to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7237,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[517,268,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biodiversity","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Today\u2019s expedition is being led by Dr Nick Payne, of TCD\u2019s School of Natural Sciences, and hosted by OCEARCH \u2013 a US shark research organisation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"