New Sponge Discovered Off The Galway Coast

by | Oct 20, 2014 | Corals, Science | 0 comments

new sponge

Christine Picton, a scientist at the Titanic Belfast, has discovered a new species of Sponge off the West Coast of Ireland. While exploring the continental shelf in a remotely operated underwater vehicle, Picton discovered the sponge growing on a piece of coral. While Ireland isn’t exactly known for their reefs, Ireland does have flourishing deep water coral reefs that are visually stunning. The new species has been named ‘Beauforti’ after the Beaufort Marine Biodiversity Research Award, the award which funded Picton’s research.

  • Francis is a marine biologist with an MBA and over 20 years of professional aquarium experience. Francis is the former Aquatic Development Manager at Hagen USA., makers of Fluval brand aquarium products. He co-stars on Nat Geo WILD's reality TV series Fish Tank Kings where he is the resident "Fish Geek" and was Director of Marketing at Living Color Aquariums. He is an avid explorer having visited over 45 countries and lived in 7. At 17, he was among the youngest aquarists ever hired by the Vancouver Aquarium, where he worked for 7 years. His aquatic biology experience ranges from larval fish rearing to the design, construction and operational management of renowned public aquariums around the world. Francis is currently head of marketing at the world's largest vertically integrated fish farming company.

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