image credit: Dante Fenolio / DEEPEND
Cruise title: DEEPEND (Deep Pelagic Nekton Dynamics)
Lead PIs: Tracey Sutton
Partners: Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center, Nova Southeastern University; US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Location: Gulf of Mexico
Dates: 04 September 2024
About: DEEPEND will begin a series of surveys examining mesopelagic-benthic coupling over continental slope features of interest in the Gulf of Mexico, with emphasis on deep coral reefs. Preliminary evidence suggests enhanced mesopelagic fish and shrimp abundance at locations where deep scattering layers impinge upon abrupt topographic features. This impingement likely supports benthic and demersal biomass over reef features as well as large pelagic predators (e.g., endangered Rice’s whale) whose distributions are centered on this oceanic rim habitat.