Gorringe seamount expedition reveals threats facing ocean biodiversity

The Gorringe seamount, located 200 kilometres off the Portuguese coast in the Atlantic Ocean, is the tallest underwater mountain in western Europe. Formed where the African and Eurasian tectonic plates converge, it sits at the confluence of multiple ocean currents, making it a magnet for marine life and a hotspot for biodiversity. With habitats ranging from shallow algal forests to cold-water corals, the Gorringe seamount is a unique and vital ecosystem, say scientists at the Oceano Azul Foundation, who recently undertook a scientific expedition to the region.

Oceano Azul Foundation is an international marine conservation organisation based in Portugal, whose mission is to “create a unified movement of change towards ocean conservation”, through funding, education, ocean science and research. To find out more, New Scientist joined the last leg of its recent expedition to the Gorringe seamount.

A collaboration with the Portuguese Navy and the (Institute for Conservation of Forests and Nature), the expedition consisted of multiple scientific assessments and survey activities aimed at assessing species and habitats in the area. This included the deployment of underwater video systems known as Baited Remote Underwater Video systems, the collection of environmental DNA (eDNA), genetic material sampled from the seawater, and microscopic analysis to identify rare and possibly new species.

The organisation hopes this data will aid in identifying the ecological value of the area, therefore bolstering its protection. “Our objective is really to get to the bottom of the adoption of the legislation that consecrates this area as the marine protected area,” 

The foundation has recently helped to establish the Azores as the largest Marine Protected Area through its previous expeditions. For Pitta e Cunha, the idea that Portugal will not be at the forefront of ocean conservation is “inconceivable”. “Every single seamount must be protected in the high seas. We should be pioneers of the 30 by 30 target,” he says, referring to the global target aiming to protect 30 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2030. The designation of the Azores as an MPA safeguards almost 300,000 square kilometres of ocean around the region, marking a significant milestone in global marine management efforts and setting a powerful precedent for the upcoming negotiations taking place at the COP16 biodiversity summit.

During the Gorringe expedition, scientists not only observed many rare and threatened species but also recorded more than 40 species for the first time. However, they were more concerned with what they didn’t see. “We would expect the seamount to be thriving with predators, particularly sharks, and we have not seen any sharks on this expedition. This is a very worrisome result,” 

This near absence of large predators highlights some of the major threats that human activities, such a deep-sea mining and overfishing, pose to the health of our oceans. The data collected from these assessments will be essential for providing recommendations to establish an MPA at the Gorringe seamount, as well as offering governments a blueprint on how to pass legislation for ocean conservation while bringing communities and businesses onboard.

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