A team of engineers from the University of Limerick braved the murky depths of the Atlantic on a recent expedition to investigate shipwrecks off the west coast.

It comes as research found that plastic is the most common form of marine debris, with up to 80% of marine waste comprising of plastics.

Media giant Sky has pledged to eliminate all single-use plastics from its operations, products and supply chain by 2020, as part of efforts to tackle plastic pollution in the oceans.

Marine mammal, birds, fish and reptile populations have almost halved since 1970, according to a report which is a “wake-up call” to tackle the crisis in the world’s oceans.

The Minister for the Marine says 29,000 new jobs could be created in the marine sector by 2020.

The country’s marine economy could create up to 29,000 jobs and contribute an additional €2.7bn in growth by 2020, according to a report to be launched this morning.

Gardaí have recovered a major haul of stolen marine equipment, including 10 boats, 74 outboard engines, generators, and trailers.

These are the first images of Ireland’s largest wave tanks housed inside a vast €15m marine energy research facility which will open in Cork this weekend.

Linking Ireland’s ever- expanding blue economy to established industry can unlock significant potential for further growth, according to the head of the Marine Institute. Huge scope exists for established companies in the areas of pharmaceuticals, medical-technical, information and communications technology and software to identify niche opportunities in the ocean economy, chief executive Peter Heffernan said.

Ireland has secured €148m in funding from the European Commission for the development of the seafood industry over the next six years.

Forget Seaworld, if you want to see whales and dolphins you need to go no further than West Cork to catch a spectacular marine show.