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Australian researchers have developed new technology enabling them to film a deep-sea swimming sea cucumber, also known as "headless chicken monster," in Southern Ocean waters off East Antarctica.
The sea cucumber, which has been filmed before in the Gulf of Mexico, has been discovered by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD).
It is hoped that the pioneering Australian camera technology that captured the rare footage of the organism, Enypniastes eximia, may help the long-running push for the creation of a new Antarctic conservation area.
"The technology is based on a toothfish in the Southern Ocean, so it needs to be extremely sustainable," said AAD leader Dirk Welsford, referring to a type of line deep sea fishing.
"We needed something that could be thrown from the side of a boat, and would continue to operate reliably under extreme pressure in the black pitch for long periods of time."
The Southern Ocean Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
'Breathtaking' imagery
"Some of the footage we are getting from the cameras is breathtaking," said Welsford, quoted by CCAMLR.
"Most importantly, the cameras are providing important information about areas of seafloor that can withstand this type of fishing, and sensitive areas that should be avoided," he added.
The data collected from the cameras are being presented at the CCAMLR annual meeting in Hobart on Monday, where a new maritime protection area will be proposed.
"Australia will be seeking support for the creation of a new East Antarctic Marine Protected Area," said Gillian Slocum, Australia's CCAMLR Commissioner.
"Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) will be proposed to this effect by the CCAMLR's commitment to a representative system of MPAs in the Southern Ocean," she added.
Proposed protection area
The vast area off the coast of East Antarctica, which is rich in cold-water corals and home to penguin foraging grounds, has long been the focus of a bid to create a protection area.
East Antarctica has been established by the Commission's scientific committee at three times. But opposition from China and Russia has been blocked each year, according to a report in Nature.
The report added that both countries have fishing interests in the region, and under CCAMLR rules, all 25 commission members – 24 countries and the European Union – must agree to a proposal to be adopted.
However, conservation groups are confident the area will be agreed at this year's meeting.
"Many changes have been made to the original proposal to address concerns by countries. Almost all CCAMLR members have agreed to it, "said Claire Christian, executive director of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition. "We are therefore optimistic that
She said that China and Russia's previous objections were about the language and regulations of the proposal rather than its conservation justifications and science.
"Marine protected areas are one of the best tools in a comprehensive way," Christian added. "Protecting the Southern Ocean means we protect the world's last great wilderness and help its magnificent species thrive."
The area is highly priced and so need careful conservation, said Slocum.
"The Southern Ocean is home to an abundant abundance and variety of marine life, including commercially sought-after species, the harvesting of which must be carefully managed for future generations," she added.
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