WEBVTT 1 00:00:11.040 --> 00:00:14.060 When we name a species, a species of fish, 2 00:00:14.070 --> 00:00:15.120 for example, we might be interested 3 00:00:15.130 --> 00:00:16.280 in looking at specific characters 4 00:00:16.290 --> 00:00:19.250 like length of fins, number of fins, 5 00:00:19.260 --> 00:00:22.110 how is their head shaped, 6 00:00:22.120 --> 00:00:23.270 how are their fins shaped, 7 00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:24.250 do they have spines, 8 00:00:24.260 --> 00:00:26.270 do they not have spines. 9 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:28.260 Maybe something about their lifestyle, too: 10 00:00:28.270 --> 00:00:31.030 are they shy or are they predators? 11 00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:43.150 Over the nineteen dives on this expedition, 12 00:00:43.160 --> 00:00:45.250 we’ve covered depths from 300 meters 13 00:00:45.260 --> 00:00:48.010 on the shallow end down to as much as 14 00:00:48.020 --> 00:00:50.020 near 6,000 meters on the deep end. 15 00:00:56.100 --> 00:00:58.250 Examining fish communities at 16 00:00:58.260 --> 00:01:00.160 different depths provides us with 17 00:01:00.170 --> 00:01:03.080 some insight into a healthy ecosystem. 18 00:01:05.230 --> 00:01:08.210 Within the Phoenix Island Protected Area 19 00:01:08.220 --> 00:01:12.270 and the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, 20 00:01:12.280 --> 00:01:16.200 we are really just at the beginning 21 00:01:16.210 --> 00:01:18.260 of understanding what the fish communities 22 00:01:18.270 --> 00:01:21.020 are within these environments and 23 00:01:21.030 --> 00:01:22.290 what species are being protected 24 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:25.030 by these protected areas. 25 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:42.110 The bottom line for the managers 26 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:46.000 within both of those reserves is that 27 00:01:46.010 --> 00:01:48.100 they need to know what’s there so they can 28 00:01:48.110 --> 00:01:51.210 better manage, conserve, and protect those 29 00:01:51.220 --> 00:01:54.290 biological resources and habitats that 30 00:01:56.270 --> 00:01:59.230 And so this exploration that we’ve 31 00:01:59.240 --> 00:02:02.200 been doing provides these managers with 32 00:02:02.210 --> 00:02:04.110 that essential information so they can 33 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:07.170 do their job and better manage these species. 34 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:27.240 In the deep sea, we really don’t know 35 00:02:27.250 --> 00:02:30.000 too much about how fish live. 36 00:02:30.010 --> 00:02:32.000 There aren’t a lot of direct observations. 37 00:02:32.130 --> 00:02:34.050 So one of the things that we’re trying to 38 00:02:34.060 --> 00:02:35.130 understand about fishes is 39 00:02:35.140 --> 00:02:36.180 how they’re distributed, 40 00:02:36.190 --> 00:02:38.180 get some ideas about their behavior, 41 00:02:38.190 --> 00:02:41.260 and that might allow us to better protect 42 00:02:41.270 --> 00:02:42.290 some of the species we have 43 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:44.170 in deep water environments. 44 00:02:48.210 --> 00:02:51.170 These communities are still being discovered. 45 00:02:51.180 --> 00:02:54.160 Deep sea fishes are still being identified. 46 00:03:00.030 --> 00:03:02.040 This type of exploration really 47 00:03:02.050 --> 00:03:03.240 helps open our eyes to 48 00:03:03.250 --> 00:03:07.070 how diverse these systems are.