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Fish Found at Record Depth

New device can retrieve live creatures from high-pressure deep-sea zones

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 31, 2008 1:50 PM CDT

(Newser) – Scientists have captured a live fish from a record 7,500 feet under the Atlantic Ocean, the BBC reports. A new device allows recovery of live creatures from much farther down than was previously possible. The expedition to learn more about life around hydrothermal vents deep beneath the ocean also brought back three species of deep-sea shrimp.

The creatures from 1,250 fathoms below will now be transferred to an experimental tank and studied. The deep-sea ecosystem covers 60% of the Earth's surface but it remains largely a mystery to scientists. It is being severely damaged by overfishing. "We urgently need to find out more about the place we are destroying," said a marine biologist.

[Images (3)]

[Videos (1)]

A fathead sculpin investigates a recording device near a hydrothermal vent thousands of feet beneath the sea. (Zoologist2007)

Hydrothermal vents deep beneath the ocean surface support a surprising diversity of life forms, despite the deadly heat, elevated pressures, and the absence of sunlight. (pktheunbearable)

This 30-foot tall chimney is one of dozens of undersea structures scientists are exploring in the "Lost City," a hydrothermal vent field atop an undersea mountain range in the mid-Atlantic. (KRT Photos)

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A look at life around hydrothermal vents deep beneath ocean surfaces. (pktheunbearable)

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Fish Found at Record Depth