19 March 2019 — #TaxonomistAppreciationDay

"I find the lure of the unknown irresistible"
~ Sylvia Earle (on the deep ocean)

From the deep
This week Sky News broadcasted a pioneering series from underwater - Deep Ocean Live. Working together with the Seychelles government and the ocean research institute Nekton, they broadcasted live from submarines on a mission to explore underwater life at 300m below the waves. You can watch their dives here.

The deep ocean plays a crucial role in climate regulation. University of Sydney scientists have modelled how carbonate accumulation from 'marine snow' in oceans has absorbed carbon dioxide over millennia and been a key driver in keeping the planet cool for millions of years. 

Meanwhile, a study from New Zealand highlights the sensitivity of benthic communities on seamounts to the impacts of bottom trawling. Based on camera surveys, scientists studied the recovery of the seamount fauna after closure of a trawl fishery, which remained low even after 15 years. This evidence bolsters the case for marine reserves in the high seas, where bottom trawling poses a great threat to vulnerable deepsea ecosystems. Check out marine biologist Enric Sala's TED talk on his vision for creating a giant marine reserve to safeguard the high seas and get the latest news from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition.

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Gif of the week

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Tricky Trawling
In Greenland and many other places, humans catch valuable seafood using bottom trawls – large nets with heavy “doors” that drag along the seabed. Commercially targeted species such as Deep sea prawns and Greenland halibut share their home, the seabed, with other amazing creatures such as brittle stars, corals and sponges, which easily get damaged or displaced by these trawls. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is raising awareness of deep sea trawling around Greenland in schools in Nuuk and Sisimiut, using the Tricky Trawling game.

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#OceanOptimism

• North Americas biggest seafood expo brought together seafood stakeholders around the globe last week, with sustainability high on the agenda - e.g. solutions on renewable packaging and a sustainable seafood cooking/education series. 
• A new Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship initiative aims to bring together scientists and keystone industry actors with the ambition to lead a global transformation towards sustainable seafood production and a healthy ocean.
• Delegates at the 4th UN Environmental Assembly adopted a Ministerial Declaration, 23 resolutions and three decisions, including a resolution on sustainable consumption and production (SCP), which contains the first UN-endorsed language on circular economy and “industry symbiosis”. 

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#TaxonomistAppreciationDay
The World Register of Marine Species released their list of the top-ten new marine species discovered in 2018. The list includes a new endemic species of deep-water dogfish, the Hawaiian Spurdog (Squalus hawaiiensis), which shows the lowest rate of genetic diversity known in a shark population to date. Also remarkable is Confusing Blanket Hermit Crab (Paguropsis confusa), which lives in symbiosis with an anemone that the crab uses as a blanket!

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Meanwhile, in the Arctic
Together with many hundred schools all around the world, students in Nuuk joined in for the #YouthStrike4Climate march last Friday, mobilizing for their future! In Greenland, the rate of global warming is twice the global average.

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