The world’s oceans make up the largest ecosystem on Earth. They cover almost three-quarters of the Earth, produce half of the oxygen we breathe, and regulate climate and chemistry vital to planetary health. In spite of this, researchers estimate that less than 10% of marine life has been discovered, and only a fraction of the ocean floor has been mapped.
The fundamental reason for this lack of knowledge is the difficulties that marine scientists face in gaining access to the resources necessary to research ocean environments. In response, EYOS collaborated with Nekton, Arksen, BOAT International, and the Ocean Family Foundation to help create Yachts For Science (YFS), an organization aiming to bring together yacht owners with marine scientists, researchers, and content creators and provide access to the oceans by utilizing the thousands of yachts that are traveling the globe as platforms for research.
One such project is Dr. Paige Maroni’s “Decoding the Deep Sea.” A Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia (UWA), Dr. Maroni is making waves in the field of marine biology. After completing her undergraduate and first-class Honors degrees at Murdoch University then earning her Ph.D. from UWA in 2023, and Dr. Maroni has quickly established herself at the forefront of deep-sea research. Recently, she led an expedition with the Schmidt Ocean Institute to explore the Nazca Ridge, where her team uncovered over 100 new species—an extraordinary achievement that was live-streamed around the world. Now, Dr. Maroni is embarking on an ambitious project to test an innovative deep-sea preservation tool designed to sequence the transcriptomes and genomes of collected specimens in remote locations. This cutting-edge technology will not only advance understanding of evolutionary relationships among deep-sea organisms but also create a vital baseline for future environmental changes.
Join us for a Q&A with Dr. Maroni on her fascinating and important work.
- Your recent expedition to the Nazca Ridge revealed over 100 new species. Can you describe some of the most remarkable discoveries and their potential significance for deep-sea biodiversity?
One of the most striking discoveries was “Seamount Solito,” a previously undocumented 2,306-meter-high underwater mountain, taller than Australia’s tallest mountain Mount Kosciuszko. This seamount hosted an extraordinary variety of life, including many previously unknown species and surprising new depth or distribution records for known organisms. We observed a rich ecosystem of squat lobsters, octopuses, corals, fishes, and glass sponges, all interacting with the volcanic seafloor to form vibrant and complex reef systems. Many of the corals and sponges exhibited novel morphologies, suggesting the presence of species new to science. These findings reaffirm the Nazca and Juan Fernández Ridges (Southeast Pacific Ocean) as deep-sea biodiversity hotspots and emphasize how much remains to be discovered in these remote ecosystems.
The discovery of Seamount Solito also reinforces the importance of establishing Marine Protected Areas in the high seas. Such protections would connect existing MPAs in the region and safeguard critical habitats like Solito, ensuring the conservation of vulnerable species and maintaining the ecological integrity of these interconnected underwater landscapes.
- Operating in remote marine environments presents numerous challenges. What were some of the biggest logistical hurdles you faced during your work, and how did EYOS Expeditions and Yachts for Science help overcome them?
Operating in remote marine environments like the high seas or polar regions presents immense logistical challenges—from securing ship-time and advanced equipment to managing operations in harsh, unpredictable conditions. As an early-career researcher, one of the biggest hurdles I face is simply gaining access to the infrastructure and support systems that make such fieldwork possible. Unlike more established academics with large grants and extensive networks, I don’t yet have the independent resources to conduct research in these complex environments. This is where the support of EYOS Expeditions and Yachts for Science has been transformative. They provided not only access to a state-of-the-art vessel but also operational expertise, coordination, and mentorship that would otherwise be out of reach for someone at my career stage. The opportunity to work in such a remote setting using cutting-edge technology has been invaluable, not just for data
collection, but for building experience, visibility, and collaborative relationships that are critical for advancing in this field.
For early-career scientists like me, these kinds of opportunities are truly career-defining. They enable us to generate impactful research, contribute to global scientific understanding, and begin establishing ourselves in a competitive and often exclusive space. Supporting early-career researchers in this way is essential for building a more diverse, innovative, and resilient future for marine and polar science.
- How do you envision the genetic data collected through this project contributing to long-term research on deep-sea evolution and the impacts of environmental change? What makes this project unique, and how will it enhance our ability to study deep-sea species?
The data collected through this project and season will make a lasting contribution to our understanding of deep-sea evolution and the impacts of environmental change, particularly in understudied polar regions. By using consistent survey methods across diverse habitats from the southeast coast of Greenland to Svalbard and the Shetland Islands, we are generating a rare, large-scale dataset that captures biodiversity patterns across latitudinal, depth, and habitat gradients.
This kind of standardised, high-resolution dataset is critical for detecting long-term trends in species distribution, community composition, and habitat relationships in the face of accelerating climate change. Beyond documenting new species and distributional records, our work will help validate global Species Distribution Models with direct, in situ observations, enhancing their predictive power under future environmental scenarios.
The findings will also support efforts to identify and protect Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems and assess the effectiveness of existing Marine Protected Areas. By contributing to evidence-based conservation strategies, this research will directly inform policy decisions and marine spatial planning in the Arctic and beyond. The genetic data we’re collecting acts as a molecular archive of deep-sea and polar life, helping us understand speciation patterns, biogeographic connections, and resilience to environmental change. For example, by comparing DNA across seamounts or between fjords, we can track evolutionary divergence and even infer historical connectivity or isolation, crucial for predicting how these systems might respond to warming oceans or human impacts like deep-sea mining.
Equally important is our commitment to communication and outreach. The imagery and stories emerging from this project will play a powerful role in raising public awareness and building support for protecting fragile deep and polar ecosystems—ecosystems that are both ecologically vital and increasingly at risk. In this way, the project not only advances scientific knowledge but also strengthens the societal and political foundations needed for long-term marine conservation.
- Looking ahead, what regions or ecosystems are you most eager to explore, and how can partnerships like Yachts for Science continue to play a role in facilitating your future research?
I’m especially interested in exploring the Southern Ocean and the isolated sub-Antarctic islands of Australia and New Zealand—areas with high endemism and almost no biological data. Partnerships like Yachts for Science make these ambitious expeditions possible by bridging the gap between science and access. I see a future where private vessel owners regularly support critical research in places governments can’t easily reach, and thank all who are currently contributing
EYOS, through its partnership with Yachts for Science (YFS), is seeking private vessels and cruise ships with available berths to serve as research platforms in the Northern Hemisphere during the summer months and in Southern Antarctica between November and March.