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The Ocean Census Philippine Sea is a Participant Expedition that aims to explore the Kyushu-Palau Ridge and Minami-Daito Jima Island areas in the north western Pacific.
As part of the wider JAMSTEC Ocean Shot Expedition, led by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), the Ocean Shot Research Grant, and NHK TV, two Ocean Census participant scientists are joining JAMSTEC Principle Investigator Yoshihiro Fujiwara, and other researchers and crew onboard the JAMSTEC research vessel KAIMEI from 27 April to 19 May 2024.
Minami-Daito Jima Island is the largest island in the Daitō Island group southeast of Okinawa, and will see the majority of the research focus. The Kyushu-Palau Ridge is a 2,600-km-long area extending north–south at the center of the Philippine Sea south of Japan. Home to a chain of extinct volcanoes, this diverse area has long fascinated geological oceanographers.
Now, it is the potential for new species discovery amongst these intricate habitats that is equally compelling.
Joining the expedition are Ocean Census participant scientists Jann Vendetti and Kurt Bryant Bacharo. Jann is the Malacology Curator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and specialises in Gastropods. Kurt Bryant Bacharo is a Masters Student at the University of the Ryukyus in Japan. Originally from the Philippines, Kurt specialises in Cnidaria, especially black corals.
This expedition has the potential to discover and collect molluscs new to science, and because one exploratory focus is caves, there is the potential to find “living fossil” species in these special habitats. Whatever discoveries are made, they contribute to a greater understanding of the tremendous biodiversity of the deep sea, which is still largely unexplored and under-sampled.
With the opportunity provided by the Ocean Census/JAMSTEC expedition, I will be on my first cruise where I will be encountering many deep-sea critters. These include deep-sea black corals that I used to just see in photos of literature that I read or in the live Schmidt Ocean Institute expeditions that I used to just watch. Much of my enthusiasm centers around the possibility of potentially undescribed black coral species present in the limestone caves and ridges. Lastly, I am also excited about the fruitful interaction of taxonomists on board.
The 100.5m R/V KAIMEI is one of the world’s most advanced research vessels, equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories and submersibles. One of the most innovative aspects of the upcoming expedition will be the use of two ROVs operating in tandem to explore and catalogue the deep-sea limestone cave systems and their unique biodiversity.
With a focus on new species discovery, the Ocean Census participant scientists Jann and Kurt bring a diverse skill set aboard, complementing the extensive list of world-leading experts from Japan and abroad. The voyage will also provide an opportunity for knowledge exchange and training in at-sea field skills and taxonomic techniques.
We will be working closely with our participant scientists as well as the JAMSTEC, Ocean Shot, and NHK onboard teams throughout the expedition.