Overview
- Ocean Census reported 1,121 expert‑validated discoveries over the past year, a 54% increase from the previous year.
- The tally stems from 13 research expeditions and nine discovery workshops run by a network of more than 1,000 scientists across 85 countries.
- Standout finds include a deep‑sea ghost shark, a worm sheltered inside a glass sponge, a carnivorous “death ball” sponge, and a bright orange cave shrimp near Marseille.
- Most organisms have not yet been formally described, a step that takes about 13 to 13.5 years and is needed before species receive official names and legal protection.
- The project now posts expert‑checked records to an open database to speed access, as researchers warn that climate change, pollution, overfishing, and potential deep‑sea mining threaten poorly documented ecosystems.