A research station on Sherkin Island facilitates scientific study and educates the public about the riches of the sea.
Sherkin Island Marine Station was founded ten years ago by Matt and Eileen Murphy to study coastal marine life in Cork Harbour and Bantry Bay. The station works to increase awareness of the marine environment in Ireland with educational programmes for young people.
The independently funded research centre is staffed by volunteer scientists like Karen from Detroit. She is part of a team studying Red Tide, a microscopic plankton species which can damage shellfish and also has implications for human health. This is a long term study that hopes to,
Collect enough data to see some trends with the phytoplankton.
Surveys of the Sherkin Island shoreline are ongoing and enable the scientists to learn about the plants and animals in this ecosystem. The data collected will provide a baseline which can be used in the event of a pollution incident.
The Sherkin Marine Station is also home to an aquarium, where members of the public both young and old can observe many types of sea life.
Volunteer scientists Steve from England and Fran from Australia are in the process of conducting a survey of the plants and animals living in Horseshoe Harbour which is located on the southeast side of the island.
Scuba diving is a useful skill for marine biologists allowing them to see the habitats in their natural state.
You get a much more accurate representation.
Matt Murphy and his wife Eileen came to Sherkin with their family in 1971 and ran an outdoor pursuits centre. Four years later, they organised a course on oil pollution which guided them towards,
Educating young people in the environment.
Groups of students both from primary and secondary schools take the ferry to visit the research station, and Matt Murphy also stages exhibitions at Connolly Hall in Cork.
There is no shortage of volunteers to continue the work here. Matt Murphy believes this is because of the marine station’s independent status, location and ethos,
There’s such commitment to the environment.
This report for 'Anything Goes’ was broadcast on 5 January 1985. The reporter is Aonghus McAnally.
‘Anything Goes’ was a young people’s programme on RTÉ Television which went out on Saturday mornings. Presented by Aonghus McAnally, Kathy Parke, Dave Heffernan, Mary FitzGerald and Mary Frances Calayco, it was first broadcast on 4 October 1980 and continued for 6 years.
