Marine Scientists Set For New Voyage Of Undersea Discovery

3 June 2009

Marine experts are hoping to discover colourful undersea coral gardens and could potentially discover new species of animal life in a previously unexplored deep sea habitat off the coast of Scotland.

The team will be using state of the art technology in a new survey commissioned by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) to explore and map the seabed in what is one of the least studied areas of our seas. Anton Dohrn Seamount, the first area under the spotlight, is an underwater offshore mountain rising from the seabed at a depth of 2,100m. This ancient volcano is in striking contrast to the surrounding flat seabed and creates ideal conditions for an abundance of fish, coral and sponges.

The fourteen strong team, including scientists from JNCC, will set off from Aberdeen in July and spend three weeks at sea mapping the seabed and recording their discoveries. If the fragile habitat and marine life they hope to discover does exist, recommendations could be made to government to ensure its protection in future.

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

The survey will be conducted in July 2009 over three weeks and is funded by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. This survey is part of a wider offshore seabed survey programme gathering data to support JNCC’s work identifying potential offshore Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) under the EC Habitats Directive for UK Government.
The JNCC has a responsibility to identify areas for protection in the offshore environment around the UK and will work in collaboration with the British Geological Survey, the Marine Institute at the University of Plymouth and MMT AB, a Swedish marine survey company. High tech imaging equipment will be lowered to the sea floor nearly 2,000m below (twice the height of Mt Snowden in Wales) to capture video and photographs of what lies beneath.
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is the statutory adviser to Government on UK and international nature conservation. Its work contributes to maintaining and enriching biological diversity, conserving geological features and sustaining natural systems. JNCC delivers the UK and international responsibilities of the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside, the Countryside Council for Wales, Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage. Visit the website.
For more images, interviews and further comment please contact the JNCC Press Office on 01733 866839, or
For further information visit JNCC's Marine Protected Sites webpages.