Source: Oceans Deeply
Author: Todd Woody
Hydrothermal vent fields on the seabed are rich in copper, gold and other valuable metals, but scientists have found that some are home to unique animals found nowhere else on Earth.
Continue reading The Discovery That Could Throw a Monkey Wrench in Deep-Sea Mining
Source: Science Daily
Author: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Despite being relatively close together, two recently discovered hydrothermal vent fields in the Gulf of California host very different animal communities. This finding contradicts a common scientific assumption that neighboring vents will share similar animal communities, and suggests that local geology and vent-fluid chemistry are important factors affecting vent communities.
Continue reading Challenging prevailing theory about how deep-sea vents are colonized
Source: New Scientist
Author: Karl Gruber
In the depths of the ocean, life can extend far beyond its usual limits. Take the tube worm Escarpia laminata: living in an environment with a year-round abundance of food and no predators, individuals seem to live for over 300 years. And some may be 1000 years old or more – meaning they would have been around when William the Conqueror invaded England.
Continue reading Giant deep-sea worms may live to be 1000 years old or more
Source: The Ocean Conference UN
In respect of the UN Oceans Conference, the DSCC is calling on high seas fishing nations to fully and effectively protect deep-sea ecosystems from ‘significant adverse impacts’ of deep-sea fisheries, including through prohibiting bottom trawling on seamounts, as they have committed to do by implementing UNGA resolutions adopted since 2006. This would be a significant contribution to meeting SDG 14.2 and its target date of 2020 to protect marine ecosystems from significant adverse impacts, strengthen their resilience, and achieve healthy and productive oceans.
Source: Frontiers in Marine Science
Authors: Les Watling and Peter J. Auster
The ecological sustainability of fishing in the deep sea, in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), rose to the attention of the member States of the United Nations and elicited action in 2004 and then more strongly in 2006 (Gianni et al., 2011). Mounting evidence of the effects of fishing in the deep sea, such as the destruction of deep sea coral communities at sites around the globe, and the slow growth, time to maturity and tremendous age reached by some species of deep sea fish, caused many to consider the sustainability of common fishing practices.
Continue reading Seamounts on the High Seas Should Be Managed as Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems
Negotiations are currently underway at the UN in NYC to decide the fisheries resolutions which will go before the General Assembly next month. On November 9th & 10th the highly destructive practice of bottom fishing in the deep ocean will be under scrutiny. Following a review earlier this year to consider the implementation of previous resolutions seeking to control the negative impact, the DSCC is calling for bottom fishing on seamounts to be stopped to preserve fragile habitats. A resolution proposed by South Africa supports this and also calls for a further review in 2020. This and other proposals will be discussed over the coming two days.
Continue reading Ten Years On It’s Time To Protect The Seamounts
Varadero, Cuba—The 38th Annual Meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) concluded today in Varadero, Cuba. This year, expectations were high that NAFO Contracting Parties would take further measures to protect elements of the marine ecosystem and vulnerable sharks and skates, and environmentalists at the Ecology Action Centre, who attended as the only civil society observers, are pleased to see that some of these measures will be moving forward.
This blog was inspired by Dr. Les Watling’s discussion immediately following the recent meeting of the UN General Assembly.
Continue reading Vulnerable and in need of protection, seamounts are oases of the deep sea
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) wrapped up a two-day workshop today in New York to review the implementation of a set of landmark resolutions adopted by the General Assembly over the past ten year calling for action by States to prevent damage to deep-sea ecosystems from destructive fishing practices.
Source: Virgin Unite
Author: Susanna Fuller
I’m planning a trip to St. John’s, Newfoundland this week and while I’ve been there several times, this visit seems more important than others. It was in that city, a little over a decade ago, that I attended a meeting with a number of scientists and began to get substantively involved in efforts to protect areas of the high seas from the impacts of bottom trawling.
Continue reading Why We Must Act Now To Protect The Deep Sea From Destructive Bottom Trawling
