Hitchhiking Squat Lobster, Deep Sea Fish, and a Bunch of Brisingids
While diving on Unnamed Seamount 11 in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument during our Ala ʻAumoana Kai Uli (NA154) expedition, our Corps of Exploration came across many different examples of life on the seafloor. Check out deep sea fish, including a Macrourid, corals of various colors, shapes, and sizes, a forest of Brisingid sea stars, and even a squat lobster hitching a ride on ROV Hercules’ porch in this highlight video from our H2005 dive.
The Monument is the largest contiguous fully protected conservation area under the U.S. flag, and one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. In total, it covers over 1.5 million square kilometers or 582,578 square miles (comparable to the size of the Gulf of Mexico and larger than all US national parks combined). Although baseline knowledge of deep-water biodiversity and biocultural resources is expanding, large areas remain completely unexplored.
Ala ʻAumoana Kai Uli in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
Ocean Exploration Trust and partners will conduct a telepresence-enabled expedition to explore unseen deep-sea habitats aboard E/V Nautilus with ROV and seafloor mapping operations in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) focused on the largely unexplored northwestern section of the Monument.
