Greenpeace Discovers New Species in Groundbreaking Bering Sea Expedition

A Greenpeace research voyage to the Bering Sea has led to the discovery of a new species of sponge, Greenpeace announced today. The organization used manned submarines and a Remote Operated Vehicle to explore two of the world’s deepest underwater canyons and take samples of never before seen life on the Bering Sea floor.
Following publication of a formal description of the species, the sponge from Pribilof Canyon will be named Aaptos kanuux. This discovery will assist in Greenpeace’s campaign to protect the Bering Sea, one of the richest marine ecosystems on earth.

“We named this sponge ‘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.”

The Greenpeace vessel Esperanza spent eight weeks in the Bering Sea in the summer of 2007. The Greenpeace oceans experts and crew onboard were joined by an ecologist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other guest scientists to conduct some of the first-ever in situ surveys in Zhemchug and Pribilof canyons, areas currently undergoing heavy fishing pressure. The team documented considerable evidence of impacts to fragile seafloor habitats from bottom trawling and other fishing gears.

“This discovery highlights how unique these canyons are and how little is known about the deep sea,” said John Hocevar, senior oceans specialist with Greenpeace USA. “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.”

Hocevar and Bob Stone of NOAA presented coral data at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium in January, recommending that “canyon coral habitats be prioritized for protection.” NOAA’s March Report to Congress on the state of deep sea corals cited Greenpeace’s findings, noting the canyons as one of three known coral habitats in Alaska that are currently unprotected. Greenpeace is working with NOAA and the North Pacific Marine Fisheries Council (NPMFC) to help them incorporate these new findings as part of a more precautionary, ecosystem-based approach in the region. The announcement of the discovery comes on the same day that the UN meets in New York to discuss the protection of the high seas.

Source: GreenPeace

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