Video: the discovery of Aaptos kanuux
Fascinating news just in - our two month research expedition to the Bering Sea last summer led to the discovery of a new species. Using manned submarines and a Remote Operated Vehicle, the crew of the Esperanza explored two of the world's deepest underwater canyons and took samples of never before seen life on the sea floor. Now, careful analysis has revealed one of them to be an entirely new species of sponge. Discovered in Pribilof Canyon, the new discovery is to be named Aaptos kanuux.
“We named it 'kanuux' after the Unungan word for "heart", explained George Pletnikoff, Greenpeace Alaska Oceans Campaigner and a native of the Unungan communities on the Pribilof Islands. "These canyons are the heart of the Bering Sea, pumping out the nutrients that are the lifeblood of the entire ecosystem. As long as these canyons are at risk, so too will be the communities that have depended on these waters for thousands of years."
Working with other scientists including a member of NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the Greenpeace team were in the Bering Sea documenting the effect of destructive fishing on fragile sea floor habitats. They found considerable evidence of impacts to from bottom trawling and other fishing gears.
John Hocevar, senior oceans specialist with Greenpeace USA, is in no doubt as to the importance of the research: "This discovery highlights how unique these canyons are and how little is known about the deep sea. Half of the 14 coral species and two-thirds of the 20 species of sponge we documented were previously unrecorded in the Bering Sea. Setting aside these areas as marine reserves would reap benefits for fishing communities as well as the environment."
The Bering Sea is just one threatened area that we know very little about. But overfishing threatens almost all every part of the oceans, and no recovery will be possible until large areas are placed off-limits to fishing and other extractive industries like oil, gas and gravel. Which is why we're campaigning for the creation of a network of marine reserves to protect 40 percent of the world's oceans. In the long term, it's the only way to guarantee a future for all marine species - from tiny unknown sponges to the greatest of the great whales.
