Corals
Seamounts are literally mountain ranges under the sea. These mountains are usually of volcanic origin. They rise from the sea floor and peak below sea level.
They are hotspots of marine biodiversity - and they are under threat from deep seabed trawling.
Seamounts can be more than 1000 metres high. The mountains that actually break the surface of the sea are known as oceanic islands - such as those of Hawaii,
the Azores and Bermuda. These were all underwater seamounts in the past.
Scientists and conservationists have only begun to learn more about these vulnerable deep sea environments. As many as fifty percent of the species observed
during recent seamount cruises have been new to science.
Little is known about the unique species that inhabit seamounts. But scientists do know that deep-sea coral and sponge species are typically slow-growing and
long-lived, which makes them particularly sensitive to disturbance. Deep sea fish, which can live for up to 150 years and sometimes don't reach reproductive
maturity until 30 years of age, are especially vulnerable to overfishing.
