Overview
- A University of Hawaiʻi–led paper in the Journal of Fish Biology published this week reports the first peer‑reviewed in situ recordings of live goblin sharks from the deep ocean.
- The study combines two independent sightings: an archival remotely operated vehicle (ROV) video from a 2019 E/V Nautilus dive near Jarvis Island and a 2024 baited bottom‑lander video from the Tonga Trench slope.
- The Tonga Trench observation occurred roughly 700 meters deeper than previously known for the species and, according to the lead author Aaron Judah, extends the depth record for the shark order Lamniformes.
- Researchers highlight the scientific value of public ROV archives and targeted baited‑lander surveys for finding rare deep‑sea species and say the new records should be added to regional biodiversity inventories.
- Because goblin sharks were previously known mainly from dead surface bycatch, these live in‑habitat records change what scientists know about the species’ distribution and will guide further surveys and management decisions.