Media release - April 28, 2008
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.
VVPR info: steve.smith@wdc.greenpeace.org