Isle of Man Festival Breaks

The Isle of Man Steam Packet has announced a series of ferry and accomodation packages for the 2012 festival.

Prices on the site start from as little as £92 for return travel and accomadation based on two people sharing twin/double room and include return ferry travel as a foot passenger plus accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis over 2 nights.

Visit Isle of Man Steam Packet for information or call UK:+44 1624 645777 or ROI:1800 523177

Marine award presented to queen scallop fishery

THE Isle of Man’s queen scallops fishing industry was officially honoured in London yesterday when the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) awarded a coveted MSC certificate as a sustainable and well-managed fishery.

The certificate was presented at an industry dinner in Fishmongers’ Hall in central London and follows a 21-month assessment of Isle of Man-registered day boats using otter trawls instead of the traditional dredges.

Presenting the certificate, Claire Pescod, UK Fisheries Outreach Manager for the MSC, congratulated the Isle of Man fishermen on their certification.

“The certificate include a number of conditions on the fishery which will build on the good work already carried out in the run up to, and during the assessment by the fishermen, Isle of Man government and processors. I am looking forward to continuing to celebrate MSC certified queenies on the Isle of Man at the Queenie Festival. ”

Queen scallops are prized by more and more restaurants and a number of celebrity chefs are now using them in their cooking.

John Shimmin MHK, Minister for the Isle of Man Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture said, “MSC accreditation of the Isle of Man queenie fishery has only been possible as a result of the close working partnership between government, fishermen and processors.

“All three parties have worked hard over the last few years to improve the sustainability and quality of Isle of Man Queenies, which discerning consumers can now purchase with confidence.

“I hope in the coming months that we will be able to extend this partnership, and in time that the whole of the Irish Sea queenie stocks will be able to benefit from measures similar to those introduced in Manx waters. ”

Billy Caley, ex-skipper and owner of Isle of Man Seafood Ltd, added, “Fishermen and processors here on the Isle of Man have worked closely together to ensure that only the best quality queenies are landed, with the remainder of the stock being protected for the future.

“This award is recognition of this hard work and we look forward to supplying the first MSC certified queenies when the season re-opens on June 1st. “

Isle of Man Queenie Festival travel breaks announced

We are really pleased to announce that Isle of Man Queenie Festival has teamed up with isleofmanbreaks.com courtesy of Regency Travel.

From 2 day breaks to long weekends why not come an join in the fun and celebrate fine food, stunning nature and leisure and sports on the Isle of Man as part of the Queenie Festival 2009.

Check out Isle of Man Queenie Festival breaks.

Great Marine and Basking Shark Photographs added

Check out our Images page for the latest photographs of Isle of Man Marine life and Basking Sharks.

Lots of thanks to all who have contributed photographs.

Isle of Man Marine Facts – Basking Sharks

We will hopefully develop this site into a great resource for all to use. To educate, inform and make people proud and understand the importance of the sea around the Isle of Man and the key role it has to play in our lives. That’s the reason why we celebrate Marine Day.

So to start the ball rolling we will keep putting up regular facts about the sea around the Isle of Man.

Fact 1

Did you know that the waters of the Isle of Man are home to one of the worlds largest concentrations of Basking Sharks. Bet you didnt know that!

Fact 2

Did you know that the Basking Shark is the second largest fish in the world!

Don’t you feel lucky to live or come on holiday here!

Fact 3

A Basking shark can grow up to 11. 5 meters and even weigh over 7 tonnes!

Apparently the best places to spot them are off the west coast of the island, you can see them from the shore if they are close in, but its best out in a boat.

Fact 4

Basking sharks eat plankton and are harmless to humans. Their huge mouths contain thousands of mucous covered gill rakers that filter plankton out of the water. Basking sharks swim just below the surface of the water, filtering out the plankton.

Fact 5

A Basking shark can filter the amount of water needed to fill a 50m swimming pool in roughly one hour! Thats amazing!

The Manx Wildlife Trust run a scheme called the Manx Basking Shark Watch, the team who co-ordinate this do an amazing job and they are incrediby committed to finding out more about these fascinating creatures and their habits. For more information log onto Manx Basking Shark Watch.

They will also be attending Marine Day on the 9th August, so look out for their stand.

Cool Seas Roadshow hits the Isle of Man schools

It’s great to see the fantastic work the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Department of Education are doing to promote the marine wildlife and marine conservation in the local primary schools this week, a similar aim of the organisers of Marine Day.

A full report is featured on IOM Newspapers.

BBC Springwatch Sea Life programme

The BBC’s Springwatch series on Tuesday night covered Sea Life and included a good eight minute feature on the Isle of Man.

Due to the vagaries of landings over the years Manx Fishermen have worked on technical conservation regulations in order to ensure that stocks have remained robust. These have included restrictions on fishing times, closed seasons and limitations on the amount of dredges permitted. The Island also has two areas in Manx waters, one that has been in place since 1989 and the other created in 2008, that are closed to mobile fishing. These are supported by the fishing industry and indeed the impetus for the Douglas closed area was started by the fishermen. Data analysis seems to support the viability of these areas’.

You can re-watch the programme here: BBC Springwatch Sea Life programme.