|
YES Mag - Canada's Science Magazine for Kids
Deep Sea Counting
By Liam O'Donnell
Originally published in the
YES Mag, March/April 2004.
Want to explore the final frontier? Then ditch your space helmet and grab your wetsuit. Scientists aren't travelling
into space to discover new life forms. They're going swimming.
Oceans covers 70 percent of the planet, but much of it is still shrouded in mystery. The Census of Marine Life (CoML)
project is changing all that. 300 scientists from 53 countries, including Canada, are exploring the depths of the
ocean and taking a head count, er fin count, of all who live there.
So, how many different species of fish are in the sea? 15 304 and still counting. The CoML is only in its third year
and scientists are very surprised by all the new species they are discovering. Since the project started in 2000,
scientists have recorded 160 new species of fish a year. By the time all the counting is done, scientists estimate
that they will uncover 5000 new species of fish.
"This is the start of the first great voyage of discovery of the 21st Century," said J. Frederick Grassle of the CoML
Scientific Committee. In addition to opening the secrets of the deep sea, the Census of Marine Life will identify
threaten species in the oceans and help protect breeding areas.
The project will wrap up in 2010. By the time they're done counting, scientists estimate that over 20 000 different
types of fish will be recorded.
|
