Deep-sea biodiversity

Over half of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone is below 2,000 metres and extends to over 10,000 metres deep, yet only a small number of fish and mollusc lots have been collected beyond 2,000-metre depth.

We not only lack a complete understanding of the fish and mollusca diversity within our waters, we also lack an adequate baseline to measure future change.

Our waters do not exist independently of the surrounding regions, and most deep-sea fishes have very wide ranges, so international collaboration is required to chart the biological, rather than political, extent of our fish fauna.

Research outputs will focus on new species discovery and species associations, while related public programmes will foster a greater public understanding of the deep sea and the species that live there.

Main collaborators: OceanCensus, NIWA, MPI/Fisheries Observers

Representative publications:

• Stewart, A.L., Pietsch, T.W., Moore, J., & Peng, X. (2023). Upside‐down swimming: in situ observations of inverted orientation in Gigantactis, with a new depth record for the Ceratioidei. Journal of Fish Biology. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15609

• White, W.T., Stewart, A.L., O'Neill, H.L., & Naylor, G.J.P. (2024). Dichichthyidae, a New Family of Deepwater Sharks (Carcharhiniformes) from the Indo–West Pacific, with Description of a New Species. Fishes, 9(4), 121. https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/9/4/121

Links:

• Ocean Census – Bounty Trough Expedition

Kerry (front), Thom (back), and voyage co-leader Alex Rogers retrieve specimens from the end of the beam trawl to be examined. Photo by NIWA/Ocean Census: Rebekah Parsons-King