Not `all at sea' in stormy weather

There are many wild and windy nights at sea, but that's part of what Grainne Ni Chonchuir loves about her job. The sea voyages can be rough and the ship may have to find shelter and head into land for the night. She was seasick the first time she went out as a fisheries assessment technician with the Marine Institute - but she wasn't put off.

While there might be stormy weather, it is an integral part of the job of marine scientist, she says. Today she is a laboratory technician in the marine fisheries services division of the Marine Institute in Abbotstown, Dublin.

The work is varied and exciting. There are bursts of intensity, working almost around the clock some mornings when she's up at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. to meet the boats coming in to Rosaveal Harbour in Co Galway with their catch of whiting, plaice or cod. These "sampling" sessions involve long hours at the quayside working through the dawn, not finishing until late. Skibbereen in Co Cork is another regular port where she goes to take samples of fish. She must take two bones, called otoliths, from the fish's head. She takes between 600 to 700 samples in any one visit, returning to analyse and compute her findings. She must also carry out surveys on the fish around the coast.

"You have to be a hands-on person, who is not afraid to get in there and get yourself dirty sampling fish. If you are pristine or squeamish, then this is just not for you. You have to dissect fish. At sea the weather is rough. You have to take the rough with the smooth. That's an important part of the job. You have to be organised.

"You also have to be a fairly diplomatic person - because of the decline in fish stocks it's a controversial area and our aim is partly to conserve the fish stocks. "I do love it. I love being at sea and getting to meet the fishermen. We have great fun. They are very helpful. We have a bit of a laugh too. A lot of the time, I'm the only girl."

Growing up in Dingle, Co Kerry, was the perfect setting for a budding marine scientist. Her father, Michael O'Connor, who is a fisherman, would always bring home unusual things that he had fished out of the sea. "We talk a lot about what I am doing. We have a lot in common."

She studied at Colaiste Ide, outside Dingle, and was always determined to be a marine scientist. After her Leaving Cert in 1992, she went to NUI Galway to study marine science, a four-year degree course. In her final year her project was the biology and parasitology of fish. Then she did a master's in fisheries at UCC's department of zoology and animal ecology. Her placement was in Aberdeen, Scotland, where she studied salmon genetics. "I loved it, it was a real learning curve."

On her return home, she spotted the advertisement for a job with the Marine Institute. She decided to apply because jobs in the area are limited enough.

"One of the important elements of working here is that we have a lot of surveys that we carry out aboard ship."

In her job, it's important to be "organised, flexible and adaptable. It's not glamorous, but it has its moments - once you get your sea-legs."