National Geographic expedition dives deep into Fiji’s ecosystems

TheNational Geographic Pristine Seas (NGPS) team has wrapped up its nearshore work in Kadavu, Fiji, and is now focusing on offshore surveys, where expedition leader Kelly Moore reports promising biodiversity discoveries.

The two-month Fiji expedition, which began in Suva in July, is part of a wider Pacific survey that includes Tuvalu and Rotuma before arriving in Kadavu. The NGPS team aims to fill scientific gaps, assist Fiji’s marine spatial planning, and document habitats identified as priorities by local communities and the government through extensive consultations.

The nearshore leg in Kadavu concluded earlier this month, where researchers surveyed fore reefs, lagoons, and passages. Moore says the dives provided a “broad picture” of Kadavu’s underwater world.

She says that sharing finding directly with communities was a highlight for the team. While final species identifications are pending, the team documented organisms that could represent new discoveries or range extensions.

“There's certain things that we see on every expedition that maybe we can't identify right away with the expertise we have on board and that's one of the great things about being here. Even though we have wonderful fish experts, coral experts and deep-sea experts on board, we still find things that we're just not sure we can identify confidently,” Moore says.

“So that begins these conversations with partners, other experts from the region or here in this area of the Pacific. Those conversations are now underway as we look back through photos and other documentation to try to determine what we are seeing.

Listen to Kelly Moore's full interview below

“Is it a new species? Is it just a range extension for a species that maybe just hasn't been seen in this region of the ocean before? So, nothing that we can confirm is new, but there's definitely things that have potential for those kinds of discoveries.”

Moving offshore, the team spent a week surveying Yasawa’s waters and is now focused on the Great Sea Reef, or Cakaulevu. This coral reef system is the world’s third-longest continuous reef system and an important site for biodiversity and coastal protection. It is one of the priority areas for potential future protection, alongside Kadavu.

Since there are limits to scuba diving at extreme depths, researchers are deploying pelagic baited cameras at depths of five metres to attract sharks, rays, tuna, and turtles, as well as drop cameras that can reach depths of 2000 metres.

National Geographic Explorers and Pristine Seas’ team members Ana Belen Yanez Suarez and Whitney Goodell wave goodbye to the surface before they dive in Pristine Seas’ submersible, the Argonauta. Photo/National Geographic Pristine Seas/Johnny Holder

“They have the capacity to drop down to 6000 metres, so they're really advanced cameras capturing those deep sea areas of the ocean… so our team is now deploying these new methods in the deep sea. We did that off of Yasawa,” Moore says.

The scientists are also collecting environmental DNA, or eDNA, which detects genetic traces left in the water. Moore says this allows the team to identify species they may never physically see. She says they have done 11 deep sea camera deployments and 40 pelagics.

“So we've gotten a lot of footage so far: the deep sea, we've seen tons of great sharks, six-gilled sharks, grey reef sharks, and hammerhead sharks. We've seen chimaeras, snailfish, and other species that we haven't been able to identify yet. We have to do a little bit more research. We’re well underway getting to know this deep water ecosystem here in Fiji, it's exciting.”

As the offshore leg continues, the Pristine Seas team is documenting life along the Great Sea Reef and it plans to deploy submersibles and deep water cameras to capture further glimpses of Fiji’s hidden marine ecosystems.