WATCH | 'Smiling' deepsea snailfish, a unique creature in Pacific Ocean

EVNautilus deep-sea exploration project recently encountered a remarkable 'smiling' creature, a deepsea snailfish, in the Pacific Ocean. This fish was discovered by the project's team at a depth of approximately 2,800 metres while exploring the Pacific Remote Islands waters, specifically "Seamount 9."

An unusual appearance with a widespread presence

The deepsea snailfish has a striking appearance, resembling a character from an animated film. Despite its peculiar looks, this snailfish is quite common in the marine world, according to the EV Nautilus project by the Ocean Exploration Trust.

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Belonging to the Liparidae family, these ray-finned fishes are widely distributed across the global ocean, inhabiting various latitudes and depths. In fact, some species of snailfish have even been found in the Mariana Trench, which reaches depths of over 8,000 metres.

EVNautilusmission

The EV Nautilus project aims to explore the uncharted regions of the ocean in search of new discoveries in biology, geology, and archaeology. This ongoing expedition is funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration through the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.

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It marks the project's first live expedition of 2023 and focuses on exploring the deep ocean in and around the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM), specifically the Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll.

Exploring the unknown with advanced technology

The 29-day telepresence-enabled expedition, which took place from May 16 to June 14, 2023, utilised the deep-water mapping and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) capabilities of EVNautilus.

The expedition started and concluded in Honolulu, with the primary objective of investigating the deep-sea geology and biology within US waters. Notably, this year's expedition introduced an innovative tool, the Laser Divebot Spectrometer, developed by SETI and Impossible Sensing.

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This sensor collects precise chemical composition data from various materials, including rocks, sediments, and biological samples. Ultimately, this technology aims to reduce the reliance on physical samples.

Importance of the Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll

The US waters surrounding Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll house some of the most pristine marine ecosystems on Earth. While recent expeditions have contributed to our understanding of the region's deep-water resources, extensive areas still remain unexplored, especially north of the Kingman/Palmyra Unit of PRIMNM.

Further exploration is crucial to address the management and scientific requirements of the region. These efforts include developing a comprehensive monument management plan, gaining insights into the natural and cultural resources of the deep-water environment, understanding biogeographic species distributions, and exploring the geological context of the area.

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