Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

There has been an unusual level of strandings of sperm whales recently on the west coast of Ireland, and indeed a very large number of strandings of dolphins along the French coast. We must remember that we have to protect our oceans and understand what is happening in them. A major report from the universities of York and Oxford, backed up by Greenpeace, provided some good news today. It calls for 30% of the high seas to be declared as marine protected areas by 2030. Will the Government support such an approach in Irish waters in order to help protect marine life? What is its timescale for the implementation of the legislation promised which will introduce much larger marine protection areas? Is it ambitious enough to recognise that our oceans are in dire state? They are vital, not just for nature but also for carbon storage. Where does the Government stand on this legislation?

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