By Losirene Dasalusalu, Cook Islands News
The E/V Nautilus arrived in Rarotonga yesterday and will be officially welcomed at Avatiu Wharf this morning. Photo: Cook Islands News / Teitimoana Tairi
A Cook Islands environmental non-government organisation says that visuals being shown by the exploration vessel E/V Nautilus show that there is a very "biologically diverse deep seabed ecosystem in our waters, with so many creatures we know absolutely nothing about".
The E/V Nautilus arrived in Rarotonga Tuesday local time and will be officially welcomed at Avatiu Wharf on Wednesday (Thursday NZ time).
Te Ipukarea Society has congratulated the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) for taking the initiative to have this collaboration with the Nautilus.
"We think it is great that we are finally getting some dedicated scientific biodiversity research on our seabed.
"It is just a shame it has taken so long, and is happening towards the end of the 5-year exploration contracts issued to the three mining companies."
It was earlier reported that the 21-day mission, which included the SBMA and international partners working together to explore and better understand the hidden depths of Marae Moana - a marine protected area that covers the entirety of the Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
It is operated by the US non-profit Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) and supported by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute. E/V Nautilus worked alongside Cook Islands scientists, educators, and community representatives to explore and better understand the deep sea within Marae Moana.
The expedition, Deep-Sea Habitats of the Cook Islands, focused on imaging and cataloguing seabed habitats and biodiversity to improve understanding of the nation's vast EEZ.
All data collected is to be made publicly available and shared with the Cook Islands government to support ethical, science-based decision-making, SBMA had said.
The 21-day exploration concluded after delivering exceptional images of the seabed and its life.
SBMA stated that the deep-sea expedition aboard the US exploration vessel Nautilus successfully recorded deep-sea habitats and biodiversity in the Cook Islands seabed using cutting-edge technology.
It was earlier reported that SBMA knowledge management senior technical officer Rima Browne said the results "speak for themselves".
"For those following the live stream of the cruise, it was a real treat seeing the video feed in real time," Browne said.
"There is no doubt that our mission to identify the larger species present on the seabed in the Cook Islands has been boosted by these high-quality images. Certain species, such as deep-sea corals, need close-up images to be confidently identified from photos."
Te Ipukarea Society says that one thing that is obvious is that the visuals received from the Nautilus, "and that is that we have a very biologically diverse deep seabed ecosystem in our waters, with so many creatures we know absolutely nothing about."
The environmental group says the next steps should include getting DNA samples of the animals for inclusion in a database of DNA from the deep sea.
"We also need to get environmental DNA (eDNA) samples done. This will tell us something about the number of different species that exist down there, most of which we are not able to see in these narrow transects of the ROV.
"The high number of sediment mounds made by some unknown burrowing species was very interesting. We would love to know what species are making these."
"This 20-day mission is only scratching the surface of our deep-sea biodiversity. Much more similar research is needed before the Cook Islands decides whether mining should be allowed," Te Ipukarea Society added.
Meanwhile, the official welcoming ceremony of the vessel will be held at 10am local time at the Avatiu Port. Public tour of the vessel will be held from 1.30pm local time.
-This article was first published by Cook Islands News
