Crew members on an National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries research vessel discovered a possible deep-sea sponge reef within the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
The crew of the Ocean Exploration Trust E/V Nautilus found the vast mounds of glass sponges and their skeletons in October 2020. The glass sponges are rare to find anywhere in the world and were found in an area that has been well explored, according to a May 5 U.S. Department of Commerce news release.
“The patches of living sponge looked like white pom-poms sitting on top of the dead brown skeletons. Such potential bioherms are a rare sighting,’’ Abigail Powell, a marine scientist for NOAA Fisheries, said, according to the release.
The rare sponge mounds were discovered off the coast of California. Researchers have extensively explored habitats below 300 meters at the region's two best-studied sites, Footprint Ridge and Piggy Bank, the release reported. During this trip, the inspection team used a remotely operated vehicle to record and broadcast live video in hopes of finding what lurks in the 600-meter-deep valley between the two sites.
NOAA specialists were on the Nautilus live chat when the remotely operated vehicle dropped into the valley and came across a crusty-looking sponge bed. As the remotely operated vehicle followed and climbed the outcrop, it appeared to scientists the bed seemed endless, the release said. Discovering large sponge parts like these is important. They can provide a habitat for many forms of life and can educate scientists about how the deep ocean responds as environmental conditions change.
