Sherkin Island Marine Station-a jewel of the Emerald Isle

摘要

With a coastline stretching for almost 1500 km, it is perhaps unsurprising that the Irish have a deep rooted maritime heritage, Ireland, whilst offering a wealth of marine habitats for the biologist to study, has historically been poorly served by the necessary research infrastructure. Thankfully, with the growth of the Irish economy, significant inward investment and the drive for science-based knowledge and management, this situation has reversed. Attention is understandably drawn to large, superbly equipped facilities such as the Martin Ryan and the Irish Marine Institutes; however, such developments tend to distract from some of the more established yet perhaps less well known resources that Ireland has to offer. One such unsung stalwart of Irish marine biological activity has been the Sherkin Island Marine Station (SIMS), situated in the spectacular setting of Roaringwater Bay, Co, Cork (Figure 1).