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September 18, 2020: Krill Swarm

During a remotely operated vehicle dive between Veatch and Nantucket Canyons as part of the Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013, the team encountered an enormous aggregation of krill at the beginning of the dive that remained with the vehicle throughout its time on the seafloor. This highly productive area provided an opportunity to view many red crabs displaying noteworthy behavior, including mating, preying on midwater fishes, and preying on what appeared to be eggs on the seafloor.

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013. Download larger version (jpg, 1.3 MB).

During a remotely operated vehicle dive between Veatch and Nantucket Canyons as part of the Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013, the team encountered an enormous aggregation of krill at the beginning of the dive that remained with the vehicle throughout its time on the seafloor. This highly productive area provided an opportunity to view many red crabs displaying noteworthy behavior, including mating, preying on midwater fishes, and preying on what appeared to be eggs on the seafloor.

To get a true sense of the massive amount of krill, watch the highlight video from the dive.