Irish Marine Mammal Mitigation Course An online course is now available for those interested in the Irish guidelines. The aim of this is to clarify some of the misconceptions which seem to occur regarding the guidelines. Including where environmental information and requirements for works may be found from the various regulators, which can include additional mitigation requirements. Reporting requirements are discussed and where the forms required by Irish guidelines as well as the guidelines can be found. We discuss common mistakes made when using the Irish guidelines which include but are not confined to: 1. Inappropriate use of mitigation gun 2. Failure to complete required reports or data forms 3. Lack of, or confusion over licence reference 4. Failure to adhere to delay requirements 5. Lack of awareness of licensing conditions Additionally we pay particular attention to determining distance mammals and using this to determine distance to the source, which is critical for determining mitigation requirements in any jurisdiction. This course does not cover the use of PAM (Passive acoustic Monitoring). The use of PAM does not currently require any qualification or experience in Ireland and mitigation is restricted to daylight usage and only in good weather. The course will be of interest to those wishing to be involved in marine mammal mitigation in Ireland but also those interested in mitigation approaches generally. The cost of the course, including accreditation, is €100 to non-IWDG (Irish Whale and Dolphin Group) members and €50 to IWDG members. If interested please email patrick.lyne@iwdg.ie or mmo@manadaenv.com and payment details will be forwarded. While dates are flexible if you have problems it is preferred if the course can be finished before the year end (Dec, 2017). The entire commitment for the course should not exceed two days and is expected to take less time, but will depend on relevant experience. Patrick Lyne Email: patrick.lyne@iwdg.ie / mmo@manadaenv.com Website: www.manadaenv.com