We report the initial observations and analysis of the faunal assemblage associated with a whale skeleton found at a depth of 1400 m in the South Sandwich Arc.  The whale skeleton is situated within a seafloor caldera, in close proximity (<250 m) to active hydrothermal vents.  We have used 210Pb analysis to estimate the age of the skeleton, and molecular phylogenetics to examine its species identity.  Polychaetes colonising the bones include a putative new species of the siboglinid...

Coralline algae are a major calcifying component of most benthic coastal ecosystems. They can be found in most marine habitats from intertidal to deep subtidal zones, where they are of significant ecological importance and play a major role in the carbon and carbonate cycles. However, they are among the calcifying organisms that appear to be the most sensitive to ocean acidification.

Atlantic cod occur throughout the Norwegian coast. It is poorly known to what extent cod is structured into local populations, and to what extend gene flow is hindering local adaptation in putative populations. In any case, cod show large variability in their growth and the total mortality they are exposed to. They also show large variation in age at first spawning (but not in size at first spawning). Our analysis suggests that a major part of the variation in maturity can be attributed to...

Many marine ecosystems are threatened by multiple anthropogenic disturbances that will diminish marine biodiversity and potentially disrupt key ecosystem processes. Most evidence linking biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is drawn from terrestrial ecosystems where many studies report a positive saturating effect of species diversity on ecosystem functioning. However, a recent study reports a positive exponential relationship between nematode species diversity and deep-sea ecosystem...

 A novel deep-sea expedition in Indonesia explored both new techniques in telepresence and the depths below the Coral Triangle - one of the most diverse seas of the planet.  Previous explorations date to the Siboga and Challenger expeditions.  The NOAA  Okeanos Explorer (EX)transmitted high-definition video to participants in three countries to enable virtual guidance of exploration using an ROV in the Celebes Sea of North Sulawesi Province (Sangihe Talaud region).

 

 

The fishery of the striped venus (Chamelea gallina) in the Spanish waters of the Gulf of Cadiz is carried out by a hydraulic dredges fleet of around 100 vessels. Annual landings of this only target species are near 3500 tonnes, discarding the rest of caught species. The fishing grounds are located at depths between 5 and 15 m on sandy-muddy shallow waters, along 100 km of coast.

There is an increasing need for environmental assessments and management of activities, usually focussing on stock sustainability and/or environmental impact.  Historically, the focus tended towards stock sustainability with the the environmental impact taking a back seat.  Relatively recently, environmental effects have become more prominent, especially in fisheries with a direct sediment impact.