The mesophotic paper

Friends, I am excited to announce the publication of a new research paper today! This paper highlights the role that shipwrecks play in supporting biodiversity in the mesophotic zone, between 40 and 200 m depth. 

Some of you might remember that in June 2022, I participated in a research expedition offshore of Louisiana. We left the bayou and headed south on a catamaran to explore shipwrecks and naturally-occurring hard-bottom reefs (aka boulder reefs) on the seafloor. Using a remotely-operated vehicle, we recorded ultra-high-definition videos from each habitat. Our shipwrecks included the CP Baker, an historic mobile oil drilling rig, and the Hamlet, a Norwegian freighter sunk by a U-Boat in WWII, plus two smaller, unidentified vessels. 

After the cruise, my colleagues and I spent the next several months analyzing the videos we had captured. I counted and identified all the fishes, corals and other invertebrates, and even planktonic larvae I had collected in my net. My collaborators meanwhile conducted historical research and prepared nominations for CP Baker and Hamlet to the National Register of Historic Places. 

The goal of the project was to understand which shipwrecks in the mesophotic zone are the most important to protect, both historically and ecologically. Our results showed that history and ecology agree: the largest, most intact shipwrecks in our dataset (CP Baker and Hamlet) were also the most valuable for biodiversity. Based on our findings, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will develop criteria for energy installations in the mesophotic zone to protect historic shipwrecks and the biodiversity on them. 

I'm pretty proud of this paper. You can find it in Marine Ecology Progress Series: 

https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v755/p15-28/