Despite truly awful weather conditions, Dr Rob McAllen, Dr Mark Jessopp and Eoin O'Gorman, presented touch tanks with species collected by scuba diving at Whirlpool Cliff, one of the most diverse locations within the Lough Hyne Marine Reserve.  A large crowd of young and old were able to see and touch these marine creatures while the scientists gave a talk on their characteristics and lifestyles.

Lough Hyne is Europe's first statutory Marine Nature Reserve and is the most studied site of its size in Europe, so it was an appropriate setting for this educational event. Common and purple sea urchins, scallops, common and spiny starfish, Bloody Henry starfish and brittlestars as well as a host of other marine animals were handled by the spectators while the scientists explained their biological make up and feeding habits.  Over the two hours of the event a large, wet but very enthusiastic, crowd were entertained and educated at this event. This is the third year in succession ZEPS have put on this demonstration and been part of the Heritage Week activities in West Cork.

In conjunction with the UCC event, Karl Bredendieck of Skibbereen-based 'Remote Presence' put their (remotely operated vehicle  [ROV] - a robotic underwater camera system), into the lake.  People queued to see the video monitors onshore, which showed live coverage as the ROV made its way along the bed of the lake.  Viewers were fascinated to see what was underwater in Lough Hyne and Karl was on hand to explain the process.  Such was the demand to see this normally hidden facet of Lough Hyne, Karl demonstrated for almost four hours despite being soaked to the skin. 

Dr Rob McAllen and Professor John Davenport of ZEPS have been working with Karl and his ROV set-up to investigate the deepest part of Lough Hyne in the Western Trough.  At 50m deep, it is beyond the depths of scientific scuba diving, so the ROV has been deployed at different times of the year to investigate the seasonal movements of the animals living at the bottom of Lough Hyne in relation to changing environmental conditions.  The results of this work have just been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.

Written by Dr Rob McAllen, Department of Zoology, Ecology and Plant Science, UCC
Picture by R. McAllen:  Lough Hyne as viewed from the summit of Knockomagh Hill. 

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