#MarineWildlife - The future of the Irish Sea's diverse habitat is under threat from "unsustainable" prawn fishing, scientists have warned.
But as Independent.ie reports, fishing groups say Dublin Bay prawns are being caught with sensitivity to vulnerable fish species that may be caught in their nets.
Cod, whiting and sole stocks in the Irish Sea have fallen due to prawn nets, according to the North West Wildlife Trusts, whose marine conservation officer Dr Emily Baxter pinned the blame on the UK Government for backtracking on its marine protection plans.
Dr Baxter said that "vulnerable habitats are already damaged from activities such as bottom trawling and they are at high risk of further damage and deterioration.
"The nephrops stocks are being fished beyond sustainable levels and other stocks are in a severe state of depletion."
However, Dick James from the Northern Ireland Fish Producers' Organisation, said the fishermen "don't accept that the Irish Sea is being overfished."
Meanwhile, learning more about the status of undersea life in the Celtic Sea is the mission of two robots that recently set off from Pembrokeshire to capture images from the ocean floor, as BBC News reports.
Over the next few weeks the robots, controlled by scientists in Southampton and Portsmouth, will gather data in the Celtic Deep - the same area where Ben Fogle and crew are on the hunt for great while sharks.