Pink Sea Pig Found in Depths - "You Feel Stunned"

A ‘Barbie pig’ and a creature that could be 15 000 years old. Scientists recently found several mysterious species – right in the middle of an area targeted for large-scale offshore mining.

– We need to know more about the wildlife to protect it, says researcher Thomas Dahlgren, who took part in the expedition.

When the bright pink sea pig was seen wandering around the seabed, several thousand metres down, on the screens in the research vessel’s control room, there was a frenzy of delight.

– Finding new species in the deep sea is not unusual. But when you discover a creature like this, you’re blown away, says Thomas Dahlgren, a researcher in marine ecology at the University of Gothenburg and the Norce research centre in Bergen.

He took part in the 45-day expedition this spring in the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii, led by British scientists. The aim was to explore life between 3,500 and 5,500 metres depth – which is still largely a mystery.

Record length of life

In addition to the pink creature the British call ‘Barbie sea pig’, the researchers picked up a translucent sea cucumber and a funnel-shaped animal with the highest known lifespan on Earth, 15 000 years – and an estimated thousands of other species.

– Work is now underway to identify their species, but it is certain that many of them will be surprises. Nine out of ten species brought up from the deep sea are usually unknown to science, says Dahlgren.

Although these deep-sea plains are the most common environment on Earth, covering more than half of the planet’s surface, there has been little interest in exploring them.

Until now. Countries and companies are now turning their eyes to the seabed in search of rare metals for solar cells, batteries and other green technologies. So scientists are in a hurry to understand what lives in the depths – before it’s too late. Several companies are in the process of getting started, not least for mining in the so-called Clarion-Clipperton zone where the expedition took place last spring.

Potato-sized lumps

What mining companies want to extract are potato-sized lumps containing metals such as cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese, which are in high demand.

Both scientists and environmental organisations warn that deep-sea mining would damage ecosystems and biodiversity. The question is how much.

Before the International Seabed Authority (ISA) can give the go-ahead for mining, it is important to understand more. Last year, a study found that almost 5 000 new species had been discovered in the Clarion-Clipperton zone.

Today, a third of the area is protected. But whether this is enough to prevent the extinction of species in the event of mining is unclear, according to the researchers.

Substances for medicines

Dahlgren emphasises that, in addition to being important components of the marine ecosystem, these species could be useful to humanity, for example for future medicines.

– There is so much left to discover and research.

During the expedition this spring, for example, sea cucumbers were found completely free of fouling, which could indicate substances with antibiotic properties.

– This is on our ‘to do list’ to investigate further, says Dahlgren.

There is currently a temporary ban on deep-sea mining, but this may change with a regulatory framework now being developed by the ISA.

At the same time, there are fears that mining will begin in the next few years before the consequences are fully understood.

– It is therefore important that the regulations are based on knowledge developed about the effects of mining technology on the environment, and on species and ecosystems in the deep sea,” says Thomas Dahlgren.

Plans for offshore mining also exist in our neighborhood.

In Norway, the government has agreed to open up the country’s seabed for exploitation if the negative environmental impact is limited. This is despite strong international criticism, including from the European Parliament!

Extraction in the Baltic Sea

There are also plans in Sweden to extract nodules containing metals from the seabed, although this is not deep-sea mining. Scandinavian Ocean Minerals has exploration licences for two areas in the Gulf of Bothnia and researchers are mapping the consequences.

But Dahlgren sees it as out of the question to extract metals in the Baltic Sea, which is so badly affected by eutrophication, seabed death and overfishing.

– As a biologist, I don’t see any chance in the world of getting a licence to do this in seabeds that are already full of environmental toxins, and given that the Baltic Sea is already struggling.