KAILUA-KONA — New fish have been discovered, and decay observed.
KAILUA-KONA — New fish have been discovered, and decay observed.
A 25-day research expedition aboard NOAA Ship Hiialakai to explore the deep coral reefs of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands uncovered three specimens of deep-water fishes never before seen by divers.
It documented significant coral mortality, as well, and what the future looks like for that coral is still unknown.
“We collected the first specimens of male Hawaiian pigfish in 330 feet of water,” said Randall Kosaki, PhD., chief scientist of the expedition in a press release issued Wednesday. “Males and females have dramatically different color patterns, and prior to this, no males have ever been seen or collected.”
Using advanced dive technology to survey reefs at depths far greater than conventional scuba gear allows, scientists collected two probable new species of fishes, and filmed a third.
“The discovery of new species is surprising, given how thoroughly fishes in Hawaiian waters have been studied,” said Richard Pyle, PhD, an ichthyologist with the Bishop Museum. “This underscores how poorly explored the deeper portions of coral reefs are.”
The new life juxtaposes with the expedition’s other observation: death.
Researchers also documented significant coral mortality resulting from a mass-bleaching event in 2014. Coral bleaching, or loss of symbiotic algae living within coral tissues, occurs when sea surface temperatures remain elevated above normal levels for extended periods of time.
“Unusually warm temperatures in 2014 resulted in bleaching of up to 90 percent of the corals in very shallow water at Lisianski Island,” said John Burns, PhD., of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. “In 2015, we documented up to 90 percent mortality of corals due to bleaching there. This year, those dead corals were smothered by a large bloom of green algae.”
What that means in the long-term is unclear. It could be new life, or decay beyond repair. Scientists will continue to monitor Lisianski Island coral reefs to help determine if recent observations represent an intermediate stage in recovery rather than a permanently degraded condition, NOAA said.