The Marine Institute operates a coastal research site in Cashel, Connemara, in Bertraghboy Bay, known as ‘Lehanagh Pool’. The site is the only licensed multi-species marine research site in Ireland and is 21.5 hectares in size. The site forms part of a national aquaculture research cluster and is an important part of Ireland’s marine research infrastructure.

The site is used to produce multiple species from different trophic levels synergistically and to mimic the natural ecosystem where different animals and plants/seaweed benefit from growing in proximity to each other. On site we have different types of algae growing - primarily large kelp species, we have two species of native scallop Great scallop (Pecten maximus) and the Clusheen/Variegated scallop (Mimachlamys varia), the spiny sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) alongside different types of fish - Atlantic Salmon and (Salmo salar) and lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus). The fish and urchins are fed species, fed using organically sourced feed, and seaweed for the urchins, the other species uptake the particulate organic waste and the seaweed uptakes the dissolved matter from the water column. This approach maximises the use of space by providing more produce within the same area, whilst mitigating environmental impacts through bio-remediation.