Despite the considerable development in mapping, data collecting and research in recent decades, knowledge about the Israeli marine space in the Mediterranean, and in particular the deep sea that constitutes the greater part, is still very limited. Furthermore, there is a worrying absence of a national policy to promote marine research and data collecting, to provide sufficient funds for its development and make it accessible. The marine space still has fractured administration and limited governance and is severely lacking appropriate legislative tools. All these are detailed at length in the Israel Marine Plan Stage 1 report are the foundation for defining the plan's objectives and for formulating policy measures for realizing them.