Surveying Seamounts in SGaan Kinghlas-Bowie Marine Protected Area
During the Northeast Pacific Seamounts Expedition we dove on three seamounts in the SGaan Kinghlas-Bowie Marine Protected Area (SGaan Kinghlas-Bowie, Davidson (Pierce), and Hodgkins) around ~150 kilometers off the coast of Haida Gwaii, Canada. Although these seamounts are relatively close together, we saw an amazing diversity and different distribution of organisms on each. From depths of ~2000 meters to seamount summits, we found everything from large coral gardens to fish-filled rock walls. Long-term study sites were set up to allow scientists to monitor these important ecosystems over time.
Contributed by Lead Science Communication Fellow Amber Hale and Science Communication Fellow Bella Marill.
Northeast Pacific Seamounts
During this expedition, E/V Nautilus will visually survey three offshore Pacific seamounts with Fisheries and Oceans Canada in partnership with Ocean Networks Canada, Oceana Canada, and the Haida Nation. Seamounts are important for the resilience of biodiversity and fisheries, and Canada identifies them as Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas.
