A deep-sea research centre has been established by NUI Galway which promises new studies on the biology and ecology of the ocean floor.
The Irish Centre for Offshore, Biological and Ecological Studies will work with national and international partners to "address the serious deficit of knowledge" about a significant resource, according to Prof Brendan Keegan, chairman of the new centre.
Ireland's seabed is about 10 times the size of the island and is a resource of major significance, Prof Keegan said yesterday.
Deep-sea animals determine the "health" of the seafloor and play an important, yet poorly understood, role in the food web, he said. "This is extremely important when, with the decline of many traditional fisheries such as cod, our attention is being turned towards new food species from deeper waters."
NUI Galway has built up an international reputation in marine taxonomy, which is the identification of marine plant and animal species.
Ireland, as a whole, has had little marine taxonomic expertise beyond its shallow coastal waters, Prof Keegan said.
"This is regrettable, given the increasing interest in the offshore/deep sea area and its natural resources.
However, the Seabed Survey which was started by the Geological Survey of Ireland in 2000 represents an extraordinary first effort to understand this resource".
