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STORY: MLV TRAPPING ZONE20221010 NR IAV
HEADLINE: NEKTON DISCOVERY HAS HALLMARK OF NEW ECOSYSTEM
DUR: 6.33
SOURCE: NEKTON
RESTRICTIONS: ACCESS ALL PLATFORMS IN PERPETUITY/ MANDATORY ON SCREEN CREDIT “COURTESY OF NEKTON”. NO ARCHIVE RESALES.
STORYLINE
Scientists on the Nekton Maldives Mission believe they have likely discovered a previously undescribed ecosystem - ‘The Trapping Zone’ - that is creating an oasis of life 500 metres down in the depths of the Indian Ocean.
The discovery has been hailed as hugely significant by the Maldives Government.
Video evidence from Nekton science cameras aboard the Omega Seamaster II submersible, combined with biological samples collected and extensive sonar mapping, point to megafauna predators such as sharks and other large fish feeding on swarms of micro-nekton - small organisms that can swim independently of the current - which are trapped against the subsea landscape at the 500m mark.
These organisms typically migrate from the deep sea to the surface at night and dive back into the deep at dawn, otherwise known as The Vertical Migration - the largest nightly migration on Earth.
The trapped animals are being targeted at the 500 metre mark by large pelagic predators - including schools of tuna and sharks - along with well-known large deep-water fish including the spiky oreo - named after the biscuit - and alfonsino.
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) PROF. ALEX ROGERS, NEKTON SCIENTIST
“We’ve found ‘The Trapping Zone’ at about 500 metres depth. This is a zone where fish migrating from the surface at dawn are trapped against the seafloor and they create a food source for predators that are resident at that depth and they come and feed on those fish that are trapped against the seabed.
Tiger sharks, six gill sharks, sand tiger sharks, dog fish, gulper sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks, silky sharks and the very rare bramble shark have all been documented at 500 metres .
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) PROF. LUCY WOODALL,NEKTON PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST
“We’re particularly intrigued at this depth - why is this occurring? Is this something that's specific at 500 metres, does this life go even deeper, what is this transition,what is there and why and that’s our critical question we need to ask next. Why are we seeing the patterns that we have observed on this expedition? And that will enable us to understand that deep ocean in so much better terms.”
The Maldives Fisheries Minister - who visited the Nekton Mission on its final full day at sea-was briefed on the new trapping zone. Dr Hussain Hassan also praised the mission for mapping a deep ocean seamount which is a rich fishing ground.
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) DR HUSSAIN HASSAN,MALDIVES FISHERIES MINISTER
“The mapping of the seamount was a really important piece of work and also the scientists' hypothesis that the Maldives itself is acting as a trapping zone. I think this is a very important discovery.”
The volcanic subsea strata and fossilised carbonate reefs, which form the base of Maldivian atolls, combine steep vertical cliffs and shelving terraces that have been extensively investigated and sampled by Maldivian scientists and their international colleagues aboard the 34-day Nekton mission.
The expedition,which was a joint partnership with the Maldives Marine Research Institute, has been deemed a success on a range of scientific fronts.
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) MOHAMED SHIMAL, MALDIVES MARINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
"I will say it's a huge success. We have gathered a lot of information that we otherwise wouldn't be able to achieve in a short period of time and to this point I would say we have done a good job, a successful job at documenting the deep sea environments and from deep - about 500 metres.”
The Nekton Mission also included scientists on a knowledge exchange expedition from across South Asian countries.
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) SHAFIYA NAEEM, MALDIVES MARINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
“We are starting to form a lot more regional collaborations as well as outside of this region so that was the greatest thing about the knowledge exchange.”
In all, the science team spanned 10 nationalities and three continents.
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) HANA AMIR , MALDIVES MARINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
“During this expedition we’ve answered a lot of questions we had but we have also been able to lay out the foundation to ask a lot more questions we've been wanting to ask but haven’t had any chance to investigate”.
The mission was visited at sea by the Maldives Environment Minister ,who was briefed by the team on the ocean of knowledge collected during more than a month of deployments.
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) SHAUNA AMINATH,MALDIVES ENVIRONMENT MINISTER
“Knowledge obviously will help us to protect it (the ocean) because then we know which areas we need to protect, which areas we need to manage properly and also how we manage development of tourism as well as the fisheries sector”.
Tourism and fishing lie at the heart of the Maldivian economy. The country is also on the frontline of the climate crisis. Data gathered on the Nekton mission about the state of its coral reefs - which offer a natural sea defence to ever-increasing storm surges, caused by global warming - will be eagerly sought by policymakers who are due to attend the COP 27 climate summit this autumn to push for greater efforts by the international community to meet global carbon emission targets.
LOCATION MALDIVES (FILMED AT SEA BETWEEN SEPT 4-OCT 6.
1. Nekton Mission submersible Omega Seamaster II off coast of Maldives
2. Diver and Omega Seamaster II
3. Omega Seamster II at 500m depth
4. Small fish trapped at 500 m
5. Shark and small fish at 500m as viewed from Omega Seamaster II
6. Omega Seamaster II returning to surface with Nekton mothership RV Odyssey in background
7. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) PROF. ALEX ROGERS, NEKTON SCIENTIST
“We’ve found ‘The Trapping Zone’ at about 500 metres depth. This is a zone where fish migrating from the surface at dawn are trapped against the seafloor and they create a food source for predators that are resident at that depth and they come and feed on those fish that are trapped against the seabed”.
8. Six-gill shark at 500 metre as viewed from bait camera
9. Omega Seamaster II on seabed with marine life at 500 metres
10. Bramble shark as seen from bait camera at 500 metres
11. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) PROF. LUCY WOODALL,NEKTON PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST
“We’re particularly intrigued at this depth - why is this occurring? Is this something that's specific at 500 metres, does this life go even deeper, what is this transition,what is there and why and that’s our critical question we need to ask next. Why are we seeing the patterns that we have observed on this expedition and that will enable us to understand that deep ocean in so much better terms?”
12. Maldives Fisheries Minister boards Omega Seamaster II
13. Fisheries Minister in Omega Seamaster II launching on submersible dive
14. Nekton animation of seamount map
15. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) DR HUSSAIN RASHEED HASSAN,MALDIVES FISHERIES MINISTER
“The mapping of the seamount was a really important piece of work and I think also the scientists' hypothesis that the Maldives itself is acting as a trapping zone. I think this is a very important discovery.”
16. Omega Seamaster II returning from 500 metres
17. Science sample being collected from Omega Seamaster II sample basket
18. Scientist at microscope
19. Scientists in laboratory on Nekton mothership
20. Scientists carrying samples
21. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) MOHAMED SHIMAL, MALDIVES MARINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
“ I will say it's a huge success. We have gathered a lot of information that we otherwise wouldn't be able to achieve in a short period of time and to this point I would say we have done a good job, a successful job at documenting the deep sea environments and from deep - about 500 metres.”
22. Scientists from India in Omega Seamaster II
23. Scientists from Sri Lanka and India on deck of mothership
24. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) SHAFIYA NAEEM, MALDIVES MARINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
“We are starting to form a lot more regional collaborations as well as outside of this region so that was the greatest thing about the knowledge exchange.”
25. Scientist measuring distance underwater
26. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) HANA AMIR , MALDIVES MARINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
“During this expedition we’ve answered a lot of questions we had but we have also been able to lay out the foundation to ask a lot more questions we've been wanting to ask but haven’t had any chance to investigate”.
27. Omega Seamaster II carrying Maldives Environment Minister and Hana Amir
28. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) SHAUNA AMINATH,MALDIVES ENVIRONMENT MINISTER
“Knowledge obviously will help us to protect it (the ocean) because then we know which areas we need to protect, which areas we need to manage properly and also how we manage development of tourism as well as the fisheries sector”.
29. Tourist diving boat leave Fuvahmulah Harbour
30. Diver jumps from boat into water
31. Tiger sharks and shoal of fish off Fuvahmulah island
32. Giant jellyfish
33. Omega Seamaster II operating at coral cliff face
34. Ray swimming
35. Sunset shots from Nekton mothership RV Odyssey
36. Aerial of mothership RV Odyssey at sunset
To download the media briefing in full, please click through on the link below:
10 October 2022
