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Scientists Find Pristine Ecosystems on High-Sea Seamounts

Deep-sea coral reefs, sponge gardens, and the deepest photosynthesizing coral in the world found along the Salas y Gómez Ridge

Octopus moving along underwater mountain off the coast of Chile — An octopus documented during Dive 674, an exploration transect on the southeastern flank of an unexplored and unnamed seamount located within the national jurisdiction of Chile, east of Motu Motiro Hiva, an uninhabited island along the Salas y Gómez Ridge. © ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute

ANTOFAGASTA, Chile – An international team of scientists observed 160 species on the Salas y Gómez Ridge that had not yet been known to live in the region and suspect that at least 50 of these species are new to science. The observed species consists of squid, fish, corals, mollusks, sea stars, glass sponges, sea urchins, crabs, and squat lobsters, amongst others. Additionally, the team set a record for sighting the deepest-known photosynthesis-dependent animal in the world: a Leptoseris, commonly known as a wrinkle coral. The expedition follows a scientific research cruise in January, which primarily investigated the Nazca and Juan Fernandez Ridge seamounts and found 100 suspected new species.

The findings come after a team of scientists completed a 40-day research expedition across the Salas y Gómez Ridge to Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island. The ridge lies off the coast of Chile and is a biologically rich region under consideration for a high-seas marine protected area designation. The research team, led by Drs. Erin E. Easton of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Javier Sellanes of the Universidad Católica del Norte, closely examined 10 seamounts and two islands on the 2900-kilometre-long oceanic mountain range. They determined that the individual seamounts harbour distinct ecosystems like glass sponge gardens and deep coral reefs.

The information collected during this expedition will provide the scientific basis to inform the management of existing marine protected areas and potentially expand them, especially around the island of Rapa Nui. Koro Nui o te Vaikava, the Rapa Nui Sea Council, collaborated with the science team on the expedition. The council is the co-administrator of Chile’s most remote territorial seas and Rapa Nui’s marine protected area. They may assist in managing the Salas y Gómez high seas marine protected area, should it be established.

Corals and squat lobster associate © ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute

A squat lobster in a coral garden during Dive 664 along a transect located on the southwestern flank of Rapa Nui. — Corals and squat lobster associate © ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute

An image made with multibeam sonar showing an underwater seamount in the map seamount in the Salas y Gomez Ridge. — The crew on Research Vessel Falkor (too) used multibeam to map seamounts in the Salas y Gomez Ridge. This is a multibeam backscatter image draped onto the 3D bathymetry of the seamount (lighter tone = harder sediment like gravel, darker tone = softer sediment like mud). Both the bathymetry and the backscatter are collected by the same multibeam sonar at the same time and then combined into one image. © Schmidt Ocean Institute

“The observation of distinct ecosystems on individual seamounts highlights the importance of protecting the entire ridge, not just a few seamounts,” said Chief Scientist Dr. Erin E Easton of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, “We hope the data collected from this expedition will help establish new marine protected areas, including on the high seas on the Salas y Gómez Ridge.”

The Salas y Gómez Ridge is one of several global locations under consideration for designation as a high seas marine protected area upon ratification of the UN High Seas Treaty. Parts of the ridge within Chile’s national jurisdiction are protected; however, much of the ridge lies in international waters. While many countries, including the United States, have signed the treaty, only Chile and Palau have ratified it. Once 60 nations ratify the treaty, countries can establish marine protected areas in international waters with sufficient scientific data.

Engineers discuss equipment on Remotely Operated Vehicle SuBastian — Giancarlo Troni, Principal Engineer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, in consultation with ROV technician Mike Rae before installing the hyperspectral camera on Remotely Operated Vehicle SuBastian. © Misha Vallejo Prut / Schmidt Ocean Institute

Chief Scientist Erin Easton examines a sample of coral on R/V Falkor (too) — Giancarlo Troni, Principal Engineer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, in consultation with ROV technician Mike Rae before installing the hyperspectral camera on Remotely Operated Vehicle SuBastian. © Misha Vallejo Prut / Schmidt Ocean Institute

The Salas y Gómez Ridge comprises over 110 seamounts and supports the migration of animals such as whales, sea turtles, swordfish, tuna, and sharks. During the expedition, 78,000 square kilometres were mapped, including six seamounts not yet documented in hydrographic surveys.

“The astonishing habitats and animal communities that we have unveiled during these two expeditions constitute a dramatic example of how little we know about this remote area,” said Dr. Javier Sellanes of the Universidad Católica del Norte, “These expeditions will help alert decision-makers about the ecological importance of the areas and contribute to strengthening protection strategies within and beyond jurisdictional waters.”

The deepest-known photosynthesis-dependent Leptoseris coral documented on Dive 672, a transect on the northern flank of Motu Motiro Hiva, an uninhabited island. The dive started at ~1200 m depth and traveled upslope to ~190 m. — A Deep-Sea Dragon Fish

Much of the expedition occurred around Rapa Nui, near the ridge’s western end. The science team on the expedition explored waters adjacent to the island and spent a day making a cultural exchange visit. Four Rapa Nui community members, including a member of the Rapa Nui Sea Council, participated in the expedition alongside scientists from Chile, the United States, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands.

“The importance of participating in an oceanographic scientific expedition for Rapa Nui lies in the opportunity to know and better understand the marine environment surrounding the island,” said Marcela Heys, observer and Rapa Nui Sea council member. “Natural resources, unknown marine species, and climate phenomena that directly affect the community can be discovered through research and exploration.”

A Bathyphysa siphonophore spotted during Dive 677 along a transect on the eastern flank of an unexplored and unregistered seamount within the national jurisdiction of Chile, east of Motu Motiro Hiva, an uninhabited island. — A Bathyphysa Siphonophore, Family Rhizophysidae © ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute

A hydroid seen during Dive 663 along a transect located on the northern flank of Rapa Nui. The dive began at ~820 m depth and traveled upslope to ~250-300 m. The island is located near the western extent of the Salas y Gómez Ridge of underwater mountains. — A Bathyphysa Siphonophore, Family Rhizophysidae © ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute

This was the second expedition for Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor (too) in Chile. During the expedition, engineers tested new camera technologies, including a hyperspectral and stereo camera system developed by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute). The engineers hope to scale these low-cost technologies to better support biodiversity surveys on the seafloor.

“The international team on board Falkor (too) undertook a long voyage to shed light on this major, yet little mapped, underwater mountain range in the South Pacific and its diverse ecosystem,” said Schmidt Ocean Institute Executive Director Dr. Jyotika Virmani, “Schmidt Ocean Institute supports engineers developing novel technologies and the new cameras tested added immense detail and more easily showed the incredibly vibrant colours underwater and will, in future, aid us in better understanding marine life.”

A galaxy siphonophore seen off the coast of Chile — A galaxy siphonophore was observed during Dive 672 along a transect on the northern flank of Motu Motiro Hiva, an uninhabited island along the Salas y Gómez Ridge. Motu Motiro Hiva is surrounded by the southwesternmost shallow coral reefs of the Polynesian Triangle. The dive started at ~1200 m depth and travelled upslope to ~190 m. The island is located near the western extent of the Salas y Gómez Ridge off the coast of Chile. © ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute

About the Organizations

Schmidt Ocean Institute was established in 2009 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt to catalyze the discoveries needed to understand our ocean, sustain life, and ensure the health of our planet through the pursuit of impactful scientific research and intelligent observation, technological advancement, open sharing of information, and public engagement, all at the highest levels of international excellence. For more information, visit www.schmidtocean.org.

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was reimagined as a university for the entire Rio Grande Valley (Texas) in 2015. It is currently one of the largest Hispanic-Serving Institutions in the United States. Its mission is to transform the Rio Grande Valley, the Americas, and the world through an innovative and accessible educational environment that promotes student success, research, creative works, health and well-being, community engagement, sustainable development, and commercialization of university discoveries.

Universidad Católica del Norte is one of the 13 universities certified for excellence in Chile. The Faculty of Marine Sciences is located in the Guayacán Campus at Coquimbo and has a long history of research in marine sciences, hosting three undergraduate and five graduate programs https://www.ucn.cl/facultad-de-ciencias-del-mar/. ESMOI, its Center for Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Islands (https://sites.google.com/ucn.cl/esmoi-ing/home), bases its work on 4 fundamental axes: 1) frontier research, 2) training of young scientists, 3) formation of national and international collaboration networks, and 4) connection with the national and international sectors. Its goal is to generate the scientific basis necessary for a strategy of sustainable management and conservation of marine ecosystems associated with seamounts and oceanic islands from Chile and the Pacific, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The Koro Nui o te Vaikava promotes the sustainable management of the marine protected areas of the Rapa Nui ecoregion. The Koro Nui o te Vaikava, as co-administrator, has committed to being a key instrument in the management of the marine protected areas of Rapa Nui, with the aim of achieving sustainable use of marine resources. In this sense, the Koro Nui o te Vaikava works in close collaboration with different actors involved in the protection and conservation of marine ecosystems, promoting the implementation of measures and policies that guarantee the preservation of marine biodiversity and the sustainability of its own activities and of the Rapa Nui people around the marine environment. The Sea Council’s mission is crucial in finding a balance between the conservation of marine biodiversity and sustainable development, thus ensuring a healthy future for marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) is a non-profit oceanographic research centre founded in 1987 by the late Silicon Valley innovator and philanthropist David Packard. Our mission is to advance marine science and technology to understand a changing ocean. Visit mbari.org to learn more.

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Seaworthy Collective Opens Ocean Innovation Cohort 6

In a world where the ocean’s health directly impacts life on Earth, supporting innovation in marine technology is more critical than ever. That’s precisely the mission Seaworthy Collective has embraced—and in 2025, the Miami-based nonprofit is taking its commitment to ocean impact even further.

On April 21, 2025, Seaworthy Collective opens applications for Cohort 6 of The Continuum Ocean Enterprise Studio & Incubator, an updated version of its flagship Startup Program. Designed for U.S.-based startups, this year’s program exclusively supports ocean data technologies and services, reflecting a strategic collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its Ocean Enterprise Initiative. The deadline to apply is June 26, 2025.

Seaworthy’s expanded role in its $14 million partnership with NOAA, known as The Continuum, underscores its growing influence in the BlueTech space. The Continuum is a coordinated network of ocean enterprise accelerators—including Braid Theory, Ocean Exchange, St. Pete Innovation District, Tampa Bay Wave, World Ocean Council, and the University of South Florida—working to fast-track startups, scaling ocean impact more efficiently than ever.

“This cohort marks a new chapter in the partnership between NOAA and Seaworthy Collective! We are excited and optimistic about the innovation and opportunities that will arise from this program and the new ventures that Seaworthy Collective will be supporting as they build the next generation of blue economy businesses,” said Zack Baize, Program Manager of NOAA’s Ocean Enterprise Initiative.

Empowering Ocean Data Innovators

Startups selected for the Ocean Enterprise Studio & Incubator gain mentorship, funding opportunities, and access to an interconnected ecosystem of BlueTech leaders. Participants will be eligible for Technology Development Commercialization awards ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, further strengthening their ability to bring impactful ocean solutions to market.

The program’s evolution signals a new phase for Seaworthy Collective. “Our enhanced programming provides unprecedented access to support, connections, resources, and opportunities not only across Seaworthy’s network but also through our industry-leading partners,” said Daniel Kleinman, Founder & CEO of Seaworthy Collective. “This latest iteration of our program will be a catalyst for early-stage or aspiring BlueTech founders looking for clear pathways to navigate the blue economy.”

Expanding Access with The Shoreline

While this year’s cohort focuses solely on U.S.-based ocean data startups, Seaworthy has ensured that founders outside this scope still have access to tailored support. Enter The Shoreline, Seaworthy’s new subscription-based platform, which offers flexible guidance and essential industry resources without the intensive commitment of a full incubator program.

Startups looking to add ocean data collection or utilization capacities can tap into The Shoreline’s offerings, while non-U.S. BlueTech founders can access network connections, industry insights, resources, and personalized support at their own pace. Tamara Kahn Zissman, Director of Founder Success at Seaworthy Collective, emphasized the platform’s adaptability:

“We’re incredibly excited about championing startups leveraging technology to collect, analyze, and provide insights from ocean-related data. Even startups looking to add data collection or utilization capacities can get the targeted support they need to translate their technological advancements into impactful solutions.”

Shaping the Future of BlueTech

Applications for the Ocean Enterprise Studio & Incubator are open from April 21 through June 26, 2025. Founders looking to accelerate their ocean-impact ventures can apply at seaworthycollective.com/seachange.

For startups seeking flexible access to resources, The Shoreline is currently welcoming beta subscribers with an exclusive 40% discount using code BETA40. Details can be found at shoreline.community.

Since its founding, Seaworthy Collective has supported 40 BlueTech startups and 78 founders, collectively raising nearly $20 million in funding. With the next generation of ocean innovators on the horizon, The Continuum and The Shoreline are set to drive even greater impact for marine conservation and sustainable solutions.

For more information, visit Seaworthy Collective and The Continuum.

About Seaworthy Collective:
Seaworthy Collective is a Miami-based 501c3 nonprofit that supports current and aspiring entrepreneurs driving innovation for ocean impact (AKA BlueTech). Our mission is to bring all hands on deck for BlueTech, via programs to co-create and grow early-stage startups, build regional capacity, and educate our community. We empower Sea Change Makers – founders of all backgrounds leading profitable and planet-positive businesses. Since 2021, we’ve supported 40 BlueTech startups and 78 founders, who have raised almost $20 million since graduating. Based in Miami, our local and global community generates scalable solutions for 71% of the planet (our ocean) to regenerate 100% of the planet. Learn more at SeaworthyCollective.com

About The Continuum:
The Continuum is a coordinated network of ocean enterprise accelerators that fast-tracks startups getting to market by making support for BlueTech solutions more scalable, efficient, and interconnected. The Continuum partners include Braid Theory, Ocean Exchange, Seaworthy Collective, St. Pete Innovation District, Tampa Bay Wave, World Ocean Council, and the University of South Florida. Learn more on our website at: https://www.tampabaywave.org/the-continuum

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Genuine Ocean Protection: 100 x 50

By Deborah Rowan Wright

Can we set a longer-term target aiming to safeguard the whole global ocean from harmful exploitation and land and sea-sourced pollution by 2050?

Young male humpback whales, Moorea, French Polynesia Credit: Ron Watkins / Ocean Image Bank

Genuine ocean protection begins in the mind. I believe we need to question our entire approach to protecting the marine world and turn our reasoning on its head.

When it comes to the ocean, today’s guiding political and economic principle can be summed up like this; “commercial exploitation of the sea comes first, but we will allow some protection”. We’re expected to be grateful when governments designate pockets of safeguarded sea, in the form of marine protected areas. The reality is they throw the beleaguered ocean a bone and keep extractive industries happy, because they’re freely able to over-exploit the rest of the sea. And all the while government, business and industry break international law every day by letting the destructive activities continue.

Adding insult to injury, many protected areas are not a safe haven for marine life anyway. It could be because the regulations aren’t enforced, or because restrictions on harmful activities are so minimal they make no difference. Take the UK’s nonsensical ruling to allow destructive bottom trawling within a protected area, which makes a mockery of its marine conservation policy.

The alternative guiding principle of the sea should be;
“ocean protection comes first, but we will allow responsible and respectful exploitation”. Having unpolluted, healthy life-filled seas will then take priority. Human-driven damage and destruction will stop over ALL of the ocean and not just in parts of it.

The rationale for setting a target of 100% ocean protection rests on law, logic, technology and ethics:

Because 100 x 50 is already established in law

The global ocean has been protected by binding international law since 1994, by articles 61;117- 120; 192-216; 242-244 of the United Nations Law of the Sea (the USA hasn’t yet ratified the Treaty but follows it as customary international law). But failure to enforce the law has allowed industries to empty seas of wildlife, pollute waters, destroy habitats and exacerbate the impacts of the climate crisis. While low-lying and fishery-dependent coastal communities face serious economic, climatic and ecological impacts due to governments not taking action sooner.

Mangroves, Orpheus Island, Australia Credit: Matt Curnock/ Ocean Image Bank

Because partial protection doesn’t stop the ocean’s destroyers

Designating marine protected areas and marine reserves can be invaluable in enabling habitats to regenerate and wildlife to return and the collective campaign to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 will be a huge step forward when the target is reached. But it won’t stop the primary cause of ocean decline – which is the ruinous over-exploitation of marine resources – and that will be able to continue in the other 70% of the ocean. The threats will persist and we won’t have solved the problem.

Because use we can

With today’s technologies and expertise, enforcing laws and regulations is possible across the globe. Methods include; preventing landing catches in port, withdrawing operating licenses, impounding catches, prosecuting crew members or ship owners, and imposing fines or custodial sentences. At sea, coast guard, naval and former fishing vessels can be part of a patrolling force, monitoring activity and intercepting vessels breaching regulations.

Using satellite technology, organisations like Global Fishing Watch can track the locations, identities, engine power, tonnage, crews, voyage records, and more of around 70,000 commercial fishing vessels around the world. As history shows, when social progress laws are enforced, more enlightened attitudes and new norms of behaviour follow. Putting ocean protection law into action will enable an ocean-respectful culture to develop.

Because it’s right

There are many practical reasons to manage our use of the sea putting nature first. Low-impact, sustainably managed fisheries for example, yield more fish than over-industrialised, over-exploited ones.

There’s also a compelling moral incentive for radical change. Many human activities in the sea are wasteful and extremely cruel. In 2019, at least 230,000 tonnes of fish were dumped in EU waters, most of which was due to indiscriminate capture by bottom-trawling. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 35% of fish, crustacean and mollusc catches are wasted.

Abandoned fishing gear is a deadly menace worldwide. Over 700,000 tons of ghost gear is left in the ocean every year, inflicting incalculable cruelty and death on marine life. Shark finning is a brutal and cruel practice, killing a staggering number of sharks every year, estimates ranging from 70 to 100 million. Losing so many top predators also seriously disrupts the ecological balance in the sea.

A united, cross-sector, cross-border campaign to pressure governments to honour their Treaty commitments by 2050 could see the whole marine environment protected (as it should have been for 30 years).

The anticipated gains of protecting the whole ocean from over-exploitation and destructive practices are plain to see: diminishing pollution and cleaner seas; coral reefs, kelp and mangrove forests regenerating; seas and skies filling with wildlife.

With well-managed fisheries, those who fish for a living or work in related trades will have more to eat and sell, plus employment for the long term. There’ll be more to spend on housing, education and health care, making millions of people better off, healthier and happier.

The global ocean is also Earth’s undisputed champion in confronting the climate crisis. A robust and resilient ocean can absorb heat and atmospheric CO2 and mitigate serious impacts such as ocean acidification, far more effectively than a weakened and depleted one.

Following the original proposal published by Marinet in 2012 (the Principle of Worldwide Marine Protection) the book Future Sea considers how 100% ocean protection could be reached, drawing on international law, successful fisheries management, conservation programmes, law enforcement systems, citizen action, and suggesting lifestyle changes that everyone can make towards marine conservation.

‘All at once eye-opening, thought-provoking, rage-inducing, and empowering, Future Sea is an excellent read for ocean lovers’. Marine Biologist

‘The freshest, most sensible, most optimistic perspective I’ve seen in a long time’. Drew Harvell, Cornell University

‘Rejecting piecemeal strategies, Rowan Wright encourages total ocean protection’. Science

‘The urgency with which she makes her case is utterly convincing. Future Sea is a galvanising book’. The Inquisitive Biologist

‘This book is too important not to be read by the general public, marine scientists, conservationists, representatives of marine-based industries and especially politicians’. The Biologist

About The Author

Deborah Rowan Wright is an independent researcher who writes about ocean conservation policy. Her work on marine renewable energy, public trust law, and ocean governance reform has been published by the International Whaling Commission and The Ecologist, among others. She is currently working on twin campaigns: to achieve a UN Declaration of Ocean Rights and for Ecocide to be recognized as the 5th International Crime.

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Dr. Vanessa Robitzch, a Communication, Citizen Science, & Outreach Program Manager for Conservation of Coral Reefs & Turtles in the Red Sea

Vanessa is a true multi-hyphenate in marine conservation, a marine biologist, population geneticist, and fish ecologist dedicated to protecting coral reef biodiversity. Her research combines ecological, biological, and genetic insights to explore the forces driving species distribution, evolution, and resilience in reef ecosystems. By focusing on habitat ranges, connectivity, and adaptive potential, Vanessa’s work reveals what helps coral reef species thrive under environmental pressure ⎯ a mission she pursues with both rigour and a deep commitment to conservation.

Her career has taken her around the globe, from the chilled waters of the Irminger Sea and Antarctica to tropical hotspots of biodiversity in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Pacific. Vanessa’s work spans regions as diverse as Zanzibar, Seychelles, Rapa Nui, and Hawaii, with collaborations at institutions like the Museums of Natural History of Australia, Frankfurt, and Vienna, the Alfred Wegener Institute, and the Red Sea Research Center in Saudi Arabia. Each setting and partnership highlights her dedication to advancing marine science and conservation on an international scale.

Originally from San Andres Island in Colombia’s Caribbean, Vanessa’s journey in science began in Germany, where she studied Biology and earned a master’s in Aquatic Tropical Ecology. She completed her PhD in Marine Sciences at KAUST in Saudi Arabia. Her experiences, combined with her Caribbean roots, drive her to protect the world’s oceans with a global perspective and local insight.

As the Communication, Citizen Science, and Outreach Program Manager for SHAMS – The General Organization for Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in the Red Sea – Vanessa leads community-based initiatives to protect coral reefs and sea turtle nesting habitats in this unique marine environment. Founded by the Saudi government, SHAMS focuses on the restoration and sustainable management of these critical ecosystems, ensuring their resilience for generations to come. Vanessa’s work reflects a core belief: conservation succeeds when scientific knowledge and the beauty of nature inspire pride and commitment in the community to their protection.