What is Irish Sea?
[[File:Irish Sea 4.82844W 53.54821N.png|thumb|right|250px|{{Center|[[NASA]] map of the Irish Sea}}]] The '''Irish Sea''' (sometimes called the '''Manx Sea''') is a body of water that separates [[Ireland]] and [[Great Britain]]. It is known to be one of the most [[pollution|polluted]] seas in the world including the [[North Sea]] and the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. The sea is important to [[region]]al [[trade]], [[shipping]] and [[fishing]]. It is a source of [[power generation]] in the form of [[wind power]] and [[nuclear plant]]s. Annual traffic between Great Britain and Ireland amounts to over 12 [[million]] [[passenger]]s and {{convert|17|e6t}} of traded goods. == Economics == It covers {{convert|17374|sqmi|km2}} and at its deepest point is {{convert|300|m}} deep.<ref name=ISC>{{cite web |url=http://www.irishseaconservation.org.uk/facts |title=Irish Sea facts |author= |website= |publisher=Irish Sea Conservation |accessdate=19 August 2015 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511004428/http://www.irishseaconservation.org.uk/facts |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2008, about {{convert|38|e6t}} of fish were caught.<ref name=ISC/> Shell fish made up three quarters of this amount. The Irish Sea has 17 active [[Petroleum|oil]] and [[Natural gas|gas]] drilling platforms. It is estimated there are about 1.6 [[billion]] barrels of oil in the [[Barryroe]] [[oil field]] alone.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/jul/25/ireland-oil-field-over-1bn-barrels |title=Ireland offshore oilfield has over 1bn barrels, says drilling company |author= |website= |date=25 July 2012 |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |accessdate=19 August 2015}}</ref> === Sealife === At least thirty species of shark can be found in the Irish Sea at different times. These include the [[basking shark|basking]], [[thresher shark|thresher]], [[Blue shark|blue]], [[Isurus|mako]] and [[porbeagle shark]]s.<ref name=ISC/> There are about 12 species of Dolphin, porpoise and whales in the Irish Sea. T