Primary productivity in this part of the ocean is low and the area is considered oligotrophic or less than 100 g carbon per m2 per year, though it experiences short phytoplankton blooms of diatoms in the spring and fall due to the thermocline being weak in those times and strong upwelling and picoplankton blooms in the summer as the thermocline strengthens.

[3] Deep water corals consisting of Lophelia pertusa are the main reef building species present.

They contain the area's highest biodiversity including species such as bryozoans, hydroids, sponges, redfish, saithe, cod, squat lobsters, squid, mollusks, starfish and sea urchins.

Three vent systems have been found in North Eastern Atlantic deep water named Lucy Strike, Menez Gwen and Rainbow.

[3] Apristurus aphyodes preys upon crustaceans, cephalopods and small teleost (ray-finned) fish at depths of 1014 to 1080 m.[4] Information about deepwater catsharks is very rare due to the lack of specimens.

Research was conducted using individuals found in a deep water trawl survey of the Rockall Trough off Scotland in 2014.

Heads of the individuals from the study were analyzed for their ampullae of lorenzini concentrations and distribution and it was concluded that the species is a vertical ambush predator that attacks from below due to the highest concentration of the electroreception pores being located on the dorsal portion of the snouts of full grown adults instead of the ventral portion, a trait shared by other vertical ambush sharks which attack from below.

Researchers concluded that the species shifts its diet and hunting patterns from ambushing prey from above to ambushing prey from below as it grows because the number of ampullae pores remains constant throughout an individual's life giving it a high concentration of pores when it is smaller and a lower concentration when it is larger.

[5] Similar to its hunting behavior, very little is known about aphyodes's reproduction (other than that it is oviparous and lays paired eggs[6]) and aging, partially because their biology is resistant to traditional aging techniques due to having low calcium in their vertebra in addition to those vertebra being resistant to staining and cleaning agents.

The Celtic sea, which contains aphyodes habitat like the Rockall Trough in Scotlant, is densely populated with fishery catchment areas for species like Anchovy and Blue whiting in addition to containing industrial activity and marine tourism.

[3] This problem is compounded by a lack of deepwater monitoring programs in the North Eastern Atlantic because it is difficult to enforce regulation without population data.