Irish Sea

Did you know... The Irish Sea covers 45,000km and is 300m deep at its deepest point.

At least thirty species of shark pass through the Irish Sea, including the enormous basking shark, the world's second largest fish. Others species include thresher, blue, mako and porbeagle sharks.

Beneath the surface of the Irish Sea are many diverse habitats including seagrass beds, rocky reefs, mud flats that are home to sea urchins, Dublin Bay prawns and brittlestars, and honeycomb reefs made up of living worms.

About a dozen species of whale, dolphin and porpoise have been recorded in the Irish Sea. The most commonly seen are the harbour porpoise, the bottlenose dolphin and the minke whale. Leatherback turtles visit the Irish Sea each summer as they pursue swarms of jellyfish, the turtle's staple diet.

Living Seas is The Wildlife Trusts’ vision for the future of the UK’s seas, where marine life thrives, from the depths of the ocean to the coastal shallows.
Together we can make a difference.