Ireland launches aquaculture information portal

Detailed information on aquaculture licences in Ireland will be available to the public online as part of a new information management system that the government says will become a “one-stop shop” for aquaculture.

The public online viewer represents phase one of the new system, AQUAMIS (Aquaculture Information Management System) which is aimed to create an overall information system for aquaculture licences in Ireland.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has digitally mapped Ireland’s coastline and integrated data sets from both the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Marine Institute. The aquaculture portal will also allow for the digital processing of aquaculture licence applications by the department.

Phase 2 of the project is currently being developed over a 24-month period to become a fully online system with all application and supporting data being submitted electronically by the applicant. AQUAMIS will also be integrated into other government systems, such as the National Marine Planning Framework online portal and the wider marine spatial planning system.

Commenting on the launch, Irish Agriculture Charlie Minister McConalogue said, “I’m delighted to deliver on the Government’s commitment to the further implementation of the recommendations of the Aquaculture License Review Group.

“This is the first step in digitising our aquaculture licensing application process. I’d like to acknowledge the excellent work of the department in digitally mapping this activity and integrating datasets from the Marine Institute and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

This innovative portal will for the first time provide a valuable online search facility for licensed aquaculture activity available to the general public and all our stakeholders.”

The online viewer will allow members of the public to freely access and view licensed aquaculture sites and mapping information through a public portal and was developed in collaboration with the Marine Institute.

Marine Institute CEO Dr Paul Connolly said: “The aquaculture licensing sites viewer provides an important digital tool to facilitate the management of aquaculture in Ireland’s marine and fresh waters. The system will assist with the licensing and management of aquaculture operations throughout the country.

“This new digital application enables high-quality marine data and information to be more readily available for all, and is part of the Marine Institute’s service delivery to government, industry and the public.”

The viewer can be accessed at dafm-maps.marine.ie/aquaculture-viewer/

Charlie McConalogue, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine