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Life

A glimpse at Greenland's deep-sea ecosystems threatened by fishing

By Christa Lesté-Lasserre

9 September 2021

A grenadier fish swimming along the sea floor near an anemone

A grenadier fish swimming along undisturbed sea floor near an anemone

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON

Sponges and corals living in newly discovered underwater fields and meadows are at risk of destruction as they are continuously raked over by halibut fishing boats off the shores of Greenland.

More than a kilometre below the ocean surface, the highly varied ecosystems of the deep sea are home to life forms that thrive on stability. But as fishing boats drag heavy equipment across the ocean floor, they are stirring up chaos in these vulnerable, typically quiet ecosystems. This causes damage that could potentially…

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