This article is from page 12 of the 2014-06-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
THREE marine experts from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) will be in Doolin this Wednesday evening to oversee explosive detonations at Doolin Pier and ensure that Dusty or any other marine mammals are injured.
The detonations, which are part of the construction process for the new Doolin Pier, were due to take place last Thursday and Friday but were delayed for operational reasons.
This is the first time that the sonic impact of major coastal blasts on marine mammals has been taken into account during maritime construction and follows new guidelines being put in place by the Irish Wildlife Services in December of this year.
According to recent sighting, Dusty the dolphin has been basing herself on the Aran Islands in recent days and should be safe from harm unless she decided to return to the mainland.
Although based in Doolin, Dusty follows the local ferries to and from the Aran Islands and often spends a number of days off shore.
“Dusty is off the Aran Islands at the moment and she should be very safe out there but there are a whole array of marine mammals in the area.
“Dusty is just one, granted she is the most famous, but there are a large number of mammals that we are looking out for,” said Simon Berrow of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.
“Our objecting is to make sure that no mammals are harmed in the explosions.
“It is a good plan, we have spent a lot of time working on it, and we are hopeful that it will be successful.”
An exclusion zone will be put in place around Doolin Pier on Wednesday evening to ensure that no one gets too close to the detonation works.
Construction work on a new € 6 million pier got underway last month and it is expected to be completed by the middle of next year with Kilmaley based construction company, L&M Keating, carried out the complex build.
A new pier for Doolin has been in the pipelines for more than a decade but the development was subject to an extended planning process following objections by local surfers who felt the pier would damage local waves.
The new pier will also ensure that Doolin is accessible in all tidal conditions, which will be of particular benefit to Doolin Search and Rescue as well as the ferry operators, who currently have to trans-ship passengers onto their boats during low tide.