Mr. Richard Cronin:

With regard to the network of marine protected areas, each site is monitored in respect of its own status. The monitoring of a wider network is about what the network does as the sites interact with one another. As the Deputy was coming into the room, I was describing to the Chair how, in a network of sites for large mammals such as whales, there might be hundreds of kilometres between sites. The network might be pan-Atlantic. On the other hand, a network of sites for something that is fixed to the sea floor like oyster beds, mussel beds or cold-water corals would be much more discrete. The network and an understanding of how its components are related to each other will have to be developed using the scientific advice of the expert body. If we have questions on matters like these that we do not have full answers to now, we feel the advice from the expert body will be ideal because that body will have both the authority and capacity to get the best information on how to do things.

It is worth mentioning to the committee that there is still not full scientific consensus with regard to how connected or coherent the wider Atlantic network is. It is there from a coverage point of view but, at the moment, we still cannot say scientifically how connected it is. We can monitor the sites, interconnect them and communicate outside the Irish network to the Atlantic network in respect of species that travel to Scotland, Portugal, the Faroe Islands and the Azores. However, if we do not have an answer, we will have to work on developing an approach.