145: The Future of Hunting with Richard Prideaux

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0HhwknMTL2usVF4tUmNQqm?si=931592636903417e With declining wildlife populations, expanding urbanisation and dwindling social acceptance of hunting I often question whether this activity has a future. Add to the list the ageing population of hunters and the minimal recruitment of new hunters from young generations and the picture doesn’t look pretty. So is hunting fading into the history books … Continue reading 145: The Future of Hunting with Richard Prideaux →

SeaMonitor-STRAITS Conference

Regular listeners might remember that two years ago I published a series of episodes about the SeaMonitor project and related research. So it was my great pleasure to accept an invitation to the two-day long SeaMonitor-STRAITS Conference, which marked the close of the SeaMonitor project and the launch of the STRAITS project. The speaker list … Continue reading SeaMonitor-STRAITS Conference →

144: How to Cut All Chemical Nitrogen on a Farm with James Foley

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2KEERp5msXQsmC8fLqACK0?si=67224b4eeec6436e I always enjoy speaking with farmers, whether on my podcast or when I’m out in the fields hunting and fishing. Therefore, I welcomed an opportunity to not only talk with James Foley, a dairy farmer from Co. Waterford, but to visit him and spend the day on his farm. Yes, that means it’s one … Continue reading 144: How to Cut All Chemical Nitrogen on a Farm with James Foley →

143: Emergent with Miriam Kate McDonald

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1dFGDPogQaVxPMLt1BXxww?si=d2e3469535b84c7d In conversations about nature and wildlife, we often observe an ideological divide between two groups: farmers and rewilders. This divide can be seen in their different approaches to conservation and land management. Farmers tend to prioritise the production of food and other resources, while rewilders focus on restoring natural habitats and ecosystems, with a … Continue reading 143: Emergent with Miriam Kate McDonald →

The NARGC Seminar on The Open Seasons Order and Sustainable Hunting

When I received the invitation to attend the National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC) seminar on the Open Seasons Order and Sustainable Hunting, I accepted without hesitation. The seminar featured an outstanding lineup of guests and speakers from Ireland and mainland Europe. The timing of the seminar was not coincidental. Ireland is obligated to … Continue reading The NARGC Seminar on The Open Seasons Order and Sustainable Hunting →

How do you feel when you squeeze the trigger?

On several occasions, I have been asked by non-hunters how I feel when I squeeze the trigger. Obviously, this question is meant to ascertain how I feel about taking an animal's life. When I get these questions I often refer back to the very first animal I harvested. A female feral goat that I shot … Continue reading How do you feel when you squeeze the trigger? →

142: Treated Like Animals with Alick Simmons

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1FyIICqk7ii3cT7TKq9gNe?si=983b84ba80874b3e The subject of the humane treatment of animals is not an easy one. As hunters, anglers, conservationists, farmers and pet owners we like to think that we instinctively know which interactions with animals are humane and okay, and which are not. And when someone questions our actions or intentions we often tend to get … Continue reading 142: Treated Like Animals with Alick Simmons →

141: Atlantic Bluefin Tuna with William Roche

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2p5C6ID8D5wl4APZhSul0b?si=6f9f7b8cbd174346 Join me for the conversation with Dr William Roche, a senior research officer at Inland Fisheries Ireland, about angler-driven fish tagging programmes. We put a particular focus on the Tuna CHART programme but we also talk about the Marine Sportfish Tagging Programme which is aimed at elasmobranch species of fish like sharks, skates and … Continue reading 141: Atlantic Bluefin Tuna with William Roche →

The Demise and Recovery of The Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

Bluefin tuna is one of the iconic species of big game fish. It is a large-bodied fast swimming fish that feeds on small fish and invertebrates. It can grow up to 1500lb (800kg) although some official bodies like the Smithsonian or the U. S. National Marine Fisheries Service estimate that the fish can reach a … Continue reading The Demise and Recovery of The Atlantic Bluefin Tuna →

140: Salmon Aquaculture and Coastal Communities with John Aitchison

https://open.spotify.com/episode/68wGiZaj9g8HjK1lw4TFBP?si=04d6ecd6e3b249c0 I knew that salmon farming was bad but I didn’t realise quite how bad it really is. Salmon aquaculture creates massive ecological and welfare issues for the fish. Both farmed fish as well as wild fish populations are negatively affected by open-net aquaculture. And that is even before I mention the impacts the industry … Continue reading 140: Salmon Aquaculture and Coastal Communities with John Aitchison →