Caribbean scientists document uncharted deep-sea waters in Trinidad and Tobago

A monthlong expedition aboard the research vessel R/V Falkor (too), led by Trinidad-born ecologist Diva Amon, mapped 11,335 square kilometers of previously uncharted seafloor off Trinidad and Tobago, roughly 13% of the country's marine territory. The team, notably composed predominantly of Caribbean scientists rather than the usual outside researchers, documented 25 active cold seep ecosystems and collected more than 700 specimens, at least 20 believed to be new to science.

Highlights included a likely new species of octopus first spotted in 2014 but only now collected, footage of a fish that swallowed prey larger than itself, and a ray carcass being scavenged on the ocean floor. Specimens will be housed at the University of the West Indies' Zoology Museum, increasing its deep-sea collection twelvefold and opening it to public viewing.

Amon noted the country currently has only one marine protected area, a shallow coral reef, and no offshore protections despite active deep-water oil and gas exploration nearby.

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