At home, Michael Canny has been criticised over Ireland's so-called sanctuary. The Shannon estuary is the State's only specified "protected" zone - being a marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC) which is home to over 100 dolphins. A recent workshop hosted by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) raised concerns about management of Ireland's sanctuary and the impact of commercial fishing on cetacean populations. A recent IWDG study has expressed concern about the potential impact of the Corrib gas field off Mayo on whale, dolphin and porpoise populations.

Canny refers to the effect of research such as the proposed £21 million seabed survey which is to be undertaken by the Marine Institute. But he does admit that the absence of Duchas representation on policy committees, such as the group set up to formulate Ireland's stance on the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), is a drawback. Canny holds up the Shannon estuary as a model. Earlier this month, he attended the initiation of a boat accreditation scheme for dolphin watching, to be run by the Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation as a form of responsible eco-tourism. "It was great to see the industry approaching us and asking for regulation."

"When our sanctuary was declared in 1991, it was largely symbolic," he says. "We still have a Whaling Act on our statute books, which allows for hunting under licence, and this activity did take place off the west coast. But no one has applied in recent years. I don't suppose an application is likely to be entertained now."