Drone finds 'rare' shark nursery, 2,500 feet beneath the surface

Drone footage of a rare shark nursery, found 200 miles west of Ireland, has been revealed. It's being called a discovery on a "scale not previously documented in Irish waters."

The extent of uncased shark eggs, which are similar to those of blackmouth catsharks.

The discovery was made during the most recent survey by the Marine The Netherlands is part of the INFOMAR program, a joint venture between the Marine Institute (MI) and the Geological Survey of Ireland, jointly funded by the Irish Government and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. The goal of INFOMAR is to create "integrated mapping products of the physical, chemical and biological features of the seabed in the near-shore area."

This survey, which took place in July, is a Searover (Sensitive Ecosystem Analysis and ROV Exploration of Reef Habitat) survey.

"This discovery shows the significance of documenting sensitive marine habitats, and will provide a better understanding of the biology of these beautiful animals and their ecosystem function in Ireland's Biologically Sensitive Area," explained David O'Sullivan, Chief Scientist on the Searover Survey.

"It was incredible," he continued, speaking to The Guardian, "Real David Attenborough stuff." This is a major biological finding and a story of this magnitude would have been on Blue Planet if he knew it, "he said. "Very, very little known on a global scale about deep-sea shark nurseries."

The eggs had been ugly on dead coral skeletons. According to the above, coral reefs can provide refuge for newly born sharks.

Sailfin roughshark, a species that could potentially be used in drilling the egg cases.

The Searover Survey was the second of three planned surveys. The team hope to go back next year in an attempt to get away from the eggs hatching.

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