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Moray eel and black cup coral in the Gulf of Mexico.
Oceana
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After completing an experiment to map the underwater oil plume in the Gulf of Mexico, our expedition crew has turned its attention to the marine life near the Deepwater Horizon.
More specifically, the crew has been using a deep-diving underwater robot, or ROV, to explore the underwater mountains known as the Pinnacles. One section in particular, affectionately dubbed “The Alabama Alps,” is one of the gulf’s ecological gems. Our scientists were curious to see if the area was affected by the spill.
Thankfully, the crew saw no obvious signs that this area was harmed by the oil spill. What they did see was a diverse underwater community, including many coral, sponge and fish species. As Oceana chief scientist Mike Hirshfield said of their discoveries, “This is certainly an area worthy of protection.”
Check out some of the species they spotted using the ROV:
Check out Oceana's blog for daily updates, check out more videos and photos from the boat and join the more than 155,000 people who have take action with us to stop offshore drilling.
Written by Emily Fisher, online editor at Oceana.
Watch video on Oceana's mission and more in Ocean Currents where we dive deep into water issues.
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