Sponge grounds were already reported more than 150 years ago,[1] but the habitat was first fully recognized, studied and described in detail around the Faroe Islands during the inter-Nordic BIOFAR 1 programme 1987–90.
[2] These were called Ostur (meaning "cheese" and referring to the appearance of the sponges) by the local fishermen and this name has to some extent entered the scientific literature.
[6] In general, fish fauna associated with sponge grounds are poorly known, but include rockfish and gadiforms.
[1] Sponge grounds are threatened, especially by bottom trawling and other fishing gear, dredging, oil and gas exploration and undersea cables, but potentially also by deep sea mining, carbon dioxide sequestration, pollution and climate change.
Continuous presence of sponges was recorded on the southeastern region of the Flemish Cap as far as 130 000 BP.