Expedition Charts Cook Islands Seafloor Amid Mining Concerns
Thousands of meters below the ocean’s surface, a remotely operated vehicle's camera captured a ghostly white creature gliding above a plain of polymetallic nodules—mineral-rich rocks that look like blackened potatoes. The animal's orchid-shaped fins undulated as it moved, with slender tentacles trailing behind.
This mysterious creature was a bigfin squid (genus Magnapinna), an organism that scientists have observed fewer than two dozen times and have never physically captured.
Scientific Significance of the Bigfin Squid Sighting
Adam Soule, geologist and oceanographer directing the U.S.-based Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, which leads the expedition aboard the research vessel E/V Nautilus, described the sighting as especially thrilling.
“One of the cool things about the Nautilus is that there’s a lot of people following online, watching in real time and sending in comments,” Soule told Mongabay.
About the Expedition
- The Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute and its U.S. partner, the Ocean Exploration Trust, conduct the expedition.
- They are funded by a 10-year, $200 million grant from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Context and Implications
This deep-sea exploration provides crucial data on the seafloor of the Cook Islands amid growing scrutiny over mineral extraction motives, particularly relating to these valuable polymetallic nodules.
Author’s summary: The rare sighting of a bigfin squid during a funded ocean expedition highlights ongoing efforts to explore and monitor deep-sea ecosystems as interest in mining polymetallic nodules grows.