CAPTIONS
21 scientists, 21 days, one mission - to discover new species in the Bounty Trough.
This camera system is the scientists' eyes on what lives down to 5,000 metres below
SOUNDBITE KAT BOLSTAD, SQUID EXPERT, AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY " We had a visit from a large deep sea squid .So this large specimen swam through the frame , flashed its light organs once and then disappeared off into the darkness and that was a heart-stopping moment. "
Each of the 1800 samples collected provides another clue to the puzzle of life in the deep ocean
SOUNDBITE SADIE MILLS, EXPEDITION CO-LEADER , NIWA "We've gone to lots of different habitats and we've discovered a whole range of new species. We've already got over a dozen new species of molluscs, we have possibly a new genus of coral, we have new species of fish.
SOUNDBITE ALEX ROGERS, SCIENCE DIRECTOR, OCEAN CENSUS "What I've been most impressed with is just the sheer biodiversity. It does look like we have a great haul of new, undiscovered species."
One find is proving a mystery - experts will debate if this is from a new group of octocoral
After all the specimens are examined the new species count will likely be in the hundreds
All the finds will remain in New Zealand and be owned by its people
11 March 2024
