\u201cIt was amazing to have the opportunity to see it for the first time,\u201d Jones says.<\/p>\n
In the photos, Jones and his team identified<\/a> 118 different types of multicellular animals. The scientists would have to physically examine the creatures to determine if they are new species, but Jones says that given the diversity it\u2019s almost certain that some are.<\/p>\n The sea creatures generally seemed to be lonely, Jones says\u2014caught on camera as individuals or in very small groups, quietly patrolling their deep, dark world. \u201cAlmost everything is represented by just a handful of individuals,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s the really unusual thing.\u201d<\/p>\n A few of the solitary fauna the researchers found living on the remote seabed. Photo by NOC\/Nautilus Minerals<\/span><\/p>\n Adrian Glover, a deep-sea specialist at the Natural History Museum in London, England, who recently confirmed the discovery<\/a> of new deep-sea worms elsewhere in the Pacific, says Jones and his team\u2019s findings are ground zero for understanding the biological value of the area.<\/p>\n A value that, some environmentalists fear, is under threat.<\/p>\n In addition to Nautilus Minerals, other seabed mining companies, such as Global Sea Mineral Resources, are gearing up to excavate huge swaths of the seafloor<\/a> near Kiribati and elsewhere<\/a>. The seabed may contain riches worth trillions of dollars, and many, including the government of Kiribati, are cautiously interested<\/a> in participating in their exploitation. But extracting minerals from the seabed is challenging and profits are far from guaranteed. Nautilus Minerals, for instance, has faced financial troubles and is currently restructuring<\/a>.<\/p>\n When asked how he would feel if industrial mining did come to the area, Jones declines to comment. But he says determining the extent of biodiversity in the deep sea is crucial for anyone considering industrial excavation.<\/p>\n Glover agrees. He says this kind of collaboration is an example of the promising dialogue that already exists between mining firms and scientists. He says the International Seabed Authority<\/a> (ISA), the branch of the United Nations tasked with regulating the nascent seabed mining industry, is helping facilitate similar collaborations between commercial firms and scientists. It\u2019s these partnerships, he adds, that open the door for scientists to study seafloor life in areas targeted by mining companies. \u201cThere\u2019s an expectation that contractors will try and work with scientists,\u201d Glover says.<\/p>\n Though mining companies are allowed to explore potential sites, the ISA has not yet permitted actual exploitation. The organization is facing considerable pressure from marine scientists as it decides how and where extraction will be allowed to proceed. Scientists will have to wait until 2020, when the ISA publishes its guidelines for the industry, to see whether the framework adequately protects biodiversity<\/a>.<\/p>\n For ecologists, it feels as though a race is on to find out what lives in the dark reaches of the famously underexplored deep sea. Because if they don\u2019t, governments and regulatory bodies won\u2019t even know what there is to protect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the depths of the Pacific Ocean, near the tiny island nation of the Republic of Kiribati, a box of gadgetry glided through the darkness. Roughly 5,000 meters beneath the surface, the device, called Neptune, illuminated the seafloor. Like a <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/hakaimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/anemone-mining-new-species-520x410.jpg\")
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