The world's oceans face significant threats from rising sea temperatures, pollution, and overfishing, impacting both shallow and deep ecosystems. A recent focus has been on the mesophotic zone, located between 30 and 150 meters below the surface, where marine life is less understood.
Ocean explorers Ghislain Bardout and Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout, founders of Under the Pole, are conducting expeditions to study these uncharted areas. They have highlighted the detrimental effects of bottom trawling, a fishing method that damages delicate ecosystems by scraping the seafloor.
Key findings from their Mediterranean expeditions include:
Bottom trawling is likened to bulldozing a forest, severely harming biodiversity.
Recovery from such damage can take hundreds of years, especially for slow-growing species like black corals.
In Fourni, Greece, they discovered a rich marine ecosystem threatened by nearby trawling activities.
Greece plans to ban bottom trawling in protected areas by 2030, a significant step towards conservation.
The Bardouts emphasize the need for scientific exploration to inform conservation policies. Understanding where and what to protect is essential for effective regulations. They advocate for local, selective fishing practices that distribute resources more equitably.
Despite existing threats like global warming and plastic pollution, the mesophotic zone may serve as a refuge for marine life. The Bardouts urge immediate action to protect these ecosystems before it's too late.