Stretching over 2,000 kilometers from the northwestern tip of the Hawaiian Islands to the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, the Emperor Seamount Chain and Northern Hawaiian Ridge are rich in biodiversity and have been important seafaring routes throughout history.
An article from Delgado et al. highlights the cultural significance of the region: “While seemingly “uncharted”, that does not mean this is an unknown area devoid of human interaction and understanding. The Emperor Seamounts have been an active highway for an extended period. That navigation began long before European “discovery” and possibly as early as voyages of Ice Age mariners and then later peoples.”
These animals at the top of the chimney are deep- sea octocorals or soft corals (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea), and sometimes go by the common name “mushroom coral.” The mushroom coral has stinging cells or nematocysts within its flashy tentacles that are used to capture minute prey. Credit: NOAA – Ring of Fire 2002 Expedition.While acting as navigational routes for seafarers throughout history on the ocean’s surface, the seamount chain also performs a similar role for migratory species, such as whales, tuna and turtles, who use the seamounts as waypoints and rest stops in the open ocean. The Hawaiian-Emperor Chain provides vital habitat for marine life, including for a variety of fish species, cold-water corals, sponges and crustaceans. They are also home to one of the oldest organisms on Earth -black corals. Some colonies of black coral in the region have been dated at over 4,200 years old, which is around the same time that the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt were being built. The world’s oldest wild bird – Wisdom the Laysan Albatross – is also known to forage in the area.
Seamounts can also play a key role in mitigating the global climate crisis. The nutrient upwellings around these underwater mountains promote plankton growth, which absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. These plankton form the foundation of the ocean’s food web and contribute significantly to the ocean’s capacity to sequester carbon.
These seamounts have been affected by decades of coral harvesting and bottom trawl fishing activity, with scars of the trawls dragged along the surface still visible during recent expeditions. By banning bottom trawling on these fragile ecosystems, we can prevent habitat destruction and, in turn, support feeding, breeding and nursery grounds for important deep-sea fish stocks and ensure long-term resilience of the deep sea ecosystem.
Large primnoid coral loaded with brittle stars on Dickins Seamount. Gulf of Alaska Seamount Expedition. Credit: NOAA Office of Ocean ExplorationEfforts to protect seamounts align with global commitments to preserve marine biodiversity more broadly, including the Global Biodiversity Framework and the High Seas Treaty, and UN General Assembly resolutions made 20 years ago that called for global action to safeguard seamounts and VMEs from destructive fishing practices. These commitments provide a strong foundation for advancing seamount protection, and with a series of key global events upcoming in 2025 and 2026, building momentum for delivery on those commitments will be critical in achieving protection and conservation of the ocean at large.
Futureproofing the ocean means ensuring its resilience, both now and for future generations. The upcoming North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC) meeting, to be held in Osaka, Japan, from March 24-27th, 2025, offers a crucial opportunity to strengthen protections for the North Pacific’s seamounts.