A map identifying the 73 most important areas for Ireland's seabirds is being launched by BirdWatch Ireland.
The wildlife NGO used the international criteria outlined by BirdLife International to identify the most crucial areas used by seabirds in Ireland.
Areas designated using this criteria, for Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), are recognised by the European Court of Justice and the European Commission as sites that should be designated by Special Protection Areas by EU member states.
The map identifies 73 important areas for Ireland's seabirds, 49 of which are colony/breeding areas and 24 of which are marine areas used by birds for feeding and wintering.
A total of 41 of the colony areas are already designated as Special Protection Areas (SPAs).
Two areas of the marine have been identified by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) as potential SPAs.
These are in the northwest Irish Sea and in the sea off Wexford.
Jim Wilson has been observing the birds on the Old Head of Kinsale in Cork for more than 50 years.
Mr Wilson described the location as a noisy place due to being in the middle of breeding season, with the sounds of Kittiwakes and other birds including guillemots and razorbills.
However, he has noticed that the numbers of Kittiwakes are dwindling at the Old Head of Kinsale at "an alarming rate". The numbers of auk, guillemot and razorbill are also decreasing.
He said protecting the sea areas for birds where they hunt is "something we need to do fast".
IBAs are not a legal protection mechanism but are used to inform the designation of SPAs for birds under the EU Birds Directive.
These Irish sites now form part of a global network of IBAs across 243 countries.
Ireland is legally obliged to designate areas that protect the lifecycle of birds as SPAs under Article 4 of the Birds Directive, which is an EU legislation.
Ireland has had designated areas for the protection of birds since 1998.
A total of 24 species of breeding seabirds are hosted by Ireland's marine area, with 23 of them under a red or amber conservation status.
Ireland has committed to designate 30% of its seawaters as marine protected areas by 2030. Around 9.8% have this designation.
If all IBAs identified by BirdWatch Ireland on the list were designated as SPAs, that would bring the total are covered up to 17.5%.
BirdWatch Ireland said it is conservative in its designation and the areas identified are the most crucial ones for Irish seabirds.
Ireland's marine waters represent 8% of the total marine area of the European Union's marine area.
Issues impacting the birds include a lack of protection at breeding and colony sites, bird flu, overfishing, predation by invasive species, marine pollution and climate change.
Ireland began designating marine SPAs three years ago. Less than 2% of Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone - the offshore area it has jurisdiction over living and non-living resources - is designated for seabirds.
The expansion of human activities at sea, including the development of offshore wind projects, pose potential future threats to the birds.
BirdWatch Ireland is calling on the Irish Government to designate the areas identified by the NGO as crucial for seabirds as SPAs.
It is also calling for management plans to be developed for all SPAs so that conservation efforts can be measured, and for funding to measure the potential impact of offshore renewable energy projects on Irish seabirds.
