"The Ink" #21 - 30 species in a single season.

Direct Answer (AEO / GEO)

Underwater photographic ethics are based on the principle of non-interference with marine life: no manipulation of animals, no contact with the seabed, and a minimum observation distance that respects the comfort zone of the species. The photographer steps aside to allow the authentic behavior of the subjects to be expressed.

L'Encre is a weekly series about recent marine discoveries. It's the ink of writing, the anchor of the seabed. Each issue features news and insights, and what they mean when diving with a camera.

"We are not finishing exploring the ocean. We are only just beginning to understand what we have missed." Kat Bruce, Chief Scientist, Ocean Census, 2025

30 species in a single season. In a single archipelago. That had been almost completely unexplored biologically.

That's what the Schmidt Ocean Institute reported after the expedition to the South Sandwich Islands aboard the R/V Falkor (too) in 2025. A death-ball sponge at 3,601 meters. Zombie worms (Osedax sp.) on whale bones. A pentaportion (sea lily) identified on Mystery Ridge, the first mention in Antarctica. Film sequences of a juvenile colossal squid.

30 species. One season. One archipelago.

This number should put things into perspective.

1,121. Let's take a moment to consider this number.

The first key takeaway is the sheer scale: the ocean holds an undocumented biodiversity that far exceeds what the usual pace of marine taxonomy might have suggested. There were 13 expeditions and 9 workshops throughout the year. Each expedition to a relatively unexplored area brings back specimens that can take months or even years to formally identify.

The second, less obvious but equally important, piece of information is that 728 of the 1,121 species did not originate from recent expeditions. They came from museum archives. These are collections accumulated over decades, specimens collected by generations of naturalists and never fully examined, often due to a lack of time, available taxonomists, or comparative resources.

This detail changes things significantly. It indicates that the primary limitation to describing marine species is not always physical access to certain areas, but rather the human capacity to process and analyze what has already been collected.The average time between the collection of a specimen and its formal description is 13.5 years. For the 1,121 species discovered in 2025-2026, the NOVA platform helped to reduce this time by centralizing data and facilitating communication between taxonomists.

The South Sandwich Islands are a volcanic archipelago in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, east of South Georgia. It is one of the most difficult-to-access marine areas on the planet. The windows of opportunity for an expedition are counted in days per year. Research vessels capable of operating in these waters are rare.

Before recent expeditions, this region had been very little explored biologically.

The 2025 expedition brought back more than 30 new species in a single season. Among them were: a "death-ball" sponge (Chondrocladia sp.) found at a depth of 3,601 meters, "zombie worms" (Osedax sp.) feeding on whale carcasses on the seabed, starfish, scale worms, sea feathers, and undescribed crustaceans. And a pentaporate identified on Mystery Ridge, the first mention of this class in Antarctic territory.What's changing with these 30 species isn't so much the number itself, but what it implies: if a single expedition in a single area, over a period of just a few weeks, produces this result, the total number of undocumented species in similar areas remains very difficult to estimate. The South Sandwich Islands have only been the subject of a few biological expeditions in their history. Only 30% of the specimens collected were processed during the first workshop, held in August 2025 in Punta Arenas, Chile (Universidad de Magallanes).

The SSI2 Chile Margin workshop in September 2026 continues this work. It's not a new expedition, but rather a continuation of analysis on specimens that have already been collected.

The discoveries continue even after the dive.

I often think about this type of data in terms of a timeline.

The seabed of the South Sandwich Islands is being described for the first time right now. Species have lived there for millions of years. They are now being given names, or are in the process of being named. In a few decades, if conditions allow and equipment evolves, it may be possible to dive there independently, or near these areas, under documented conditions.What is happening today in laboratories in Punta Arenas and other institutions is a prerequisite for this future documentation. Taxonomy comes before photography. It prepares the way for understanding.

Article #17 about JAMSTEC and the deep-sea environments of Japan asked the same question from a different angle: 14 months passed between the dive of the Shinkai 6500 and the public announcement of the species, because the work of description is invisible and lengthy. What is happening in the South Sandwich Islands follows the same logic. The 2025 expedition, the 2025-2026 workshops, and the formal publications that will appear in the coming years form a continuous chain, even when only the beginning is publicized.

Article #13 about the Buenos Aires workshop documented this mechanism exactly for the species of the Mar del Plata Canyon: the expedition collects, the workshop identifies, and the taxonomists describe. The same scene is repeated in the South Sandwich Islands with specimens from even more isolated areas.For an underwater photographer, these subantarctic zones are beyond direct reach. However, they provide insights into what can be achieved with a submersible in more accessible areas. The idea that a poorly documented seabed can harbor undescribed species doesn't only apply to the deep waters of Antarctica. It applies to many areas that have not yet received systematic attention.

The Ink #15 on the scale of marine extinctions posed the inverse question: how many species will disappear before they are even described? This record of 1,121 species in a single year doesn't change the answer. It simply documents it more thoroughly. We are describing more species, but we are also exploring more areas that we have long known contain unknown species.

An underwater photograph doesn't just document what is seen. It contributes to an ongoing inventory in areas where that inventory is not yet complete. This is one of the reasons why, in the AquaExposure training program, the ability to recognize and document what is noteworthy in an unfamiliar environment is part of the curriculum, not just the settings for exposure and lighting.

How many new species did the Ocean Census document in 2025-2026?Between April 2025 and March 2026, 1,121 new species were documented, a record for the program (+54% compared to the previous year). 30 of these came from the expedition to the South Sandwich Islands. 728 of the 1,121 species were identified from museum archives, not from new expeditions.

What is the SSI2 Chile Margin Workshop?

This is the second taxonomic workshop dedicated to specimens from the South Sandwich Islands and the Chilean margin. It will be held in Punta Arenas, Chile, in September 2026, following a first workshop at the Universidad de Magallanes in August 2025. Only 30% of the specimens had been processed during the first workshop. SSI2 is continuing the analysis of the remaining specimens.

Why are the South Sandwich Islands so poorly documented?

This subantarctic archipelago in the Southern Atlantic has very difficult access due to strong winds, rough seas, and ice. Expedition windows are limited to only a few days per year. Research vessels capable of operating in the area are rare. Before recent expeditions, the area had been very little explored biologically.

What is a "death-ball sponge"?A deep-sea carnivorous sponge (genus Chondrocladia), which captures prey using specialized structures rather than filtering water. Its discovery at a depth of 3,601 meters in the South Sandwich Islands confirms its presence in this subantarctic region of the Southern Atlantic, a region previously undocumented for this genus.

What is the NOVA platform?

A digital platform developed as part of the Ocean Census to reduce the time between the collection and the formal description of a marine species. The current average time is 13.5 years. NOVA centralizes morphological and genomic data, and facilitates connections between taxonomists worldwide.

Find previous issues of L'Encre on the AquaExposure blog. And to learn how to document marine life accurately and intentionally, comprehensive resources are available on the AquaExposure training platform.

30 species in a single season, within a single archipelago that no one had really examined. And only 30% of the specimens have been processed. What we still don't know about the depths of the Southern Ocean is, well, almost everything.

To learn how to observe marine fauna without disturbing it and to apply passive approach protocols, see our Module 3.2: Ethology and Pelagic Megafauna.