Hook, line, and sinker! 🎣

If a human plans on catching a fish, there are lots of questions to answer first. What sort of reel will you use? What kind of bait is best? Where do the fish you want to eat even live? In the midwater, between about 200 and 1000 meters, fishing — or hunting — comes naturally for the animals that live in these dark waters. This ctenophore, or comb jelly, possesses long filaments with sticky cells called colloblasts that extend out into the edgeless realm around them. This allows them to ensnare unsuspecting snacks that happen to swim or drift by. The #SamplingGap expedition team spotted this fishing pro at 275 meters during ROV operations. They are exploring the Romanche Fracture Zone along the world’s longest underwater mountain chain, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Although the deep sea covers 66% of the planet, it remains largely unexplored — only 28.7% of the seafloor is mapped, and less than 3,000 square kilometers have been visually studied. In the Romanche Fracture Zone, past net sampling led to the misconception that little life existed, despite conditions ideal for complex ecosystems. The area has never been visually studied with a remotely operated vehicle before. Led by Dr. Jose Angel A. Perez from the University of the Itajaí Valley, Brazil, and Prof. Kerry Howell from Plymouth Marine Laboratory, U.K., the international team is looking for ecological patterns of deep-sea benthic species and communities in this dynamic environment. Data collected here will advance the potential to classify specific areas of this high seas region as Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems. Credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute