The DEEPEND Consortium just had an image from their field work make the cover of one of the most significant scientific journals in the world - Science. Dr. Fenolio took the image during one of the research cruises out on the Gulf of Mexico. The deep-sea fish featured on the cover possesses highly modified eyes and the article in the journal depicts how some deep-sea fishes can see in color (it was thought they were color-blind, only seeing shades of blue). More on the fish featured on the cover: This fish, the tube-eye (Stylephorus chordatus), is known from tropical and subtropical waters across the world’s oceans. One hypothesis explaining the strange binocular eyes is that the structures serve as an adaptation helping these fish detect faint bioluminescence in the dark depths of the oceans - where this species is found. The light these animals might be looking for would be produced by small crustaceans (copepods) that they target as food items. Remotely operated vehicles and subs documenting the deep-sea fauna have captured this species oriented vertically in the water column. It is also believed that this species is part of the “deep scattering layer” (DSL) – a community of marine organisms that migrate from deeper waters toward the surface every night, where they feed in the productive epipelagic zone under the cover of darkness. At dawn, the DSL heads back down to deeper and darker waters. Interestingly, this DSL represents the largest migration of wildlife on Earth and said migration takes place every day. One other oddity involving the DSL, it is entirely reliant on ambient light conditions to begin their movements toward and away from the ocean’s surface. During an eclipse of the sun, the DSL was documented to start moving toward the surface!

On April 18th, an art exhibit was opened at the Nelson Poynter Library on the USFSP campus to highlight work that USF System researchers have been conducting related to the DWH oil spill. DEEPEND and C-Image scientists gathered with the public to discuss current findings and answer questions related to our work. It was a fantastic opportunity to share our science and link it through the arts which included twenty images taken by Dante Fenolio for the DEEPEND portion of the exhibit.

DEEPEND will be joining several other non-profit organizations focused on ocean conservation to educate fans and promote ways to save our oceans. The festival will take place in the sand on Fort Lauderdale Beach this weekend April 12-14. Fans will be able to learn about life in the deep-sea and the creatures that live there by playing some interactive games and conversing with our outreach coordinators. They will also have a chance to share their knowledge on social media in our photo booth while making a pledge to help #RockTheOcean. Be sure to get your official glow-in-the-dark DEEPEND anglerfish tattoo!

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On August 3rd, 2018 Dr. Tracey Sutton's Oceanic Ecology lab at Nova Southeastern University was featured on the new series "In Search Of" on the History Channel with host Zachary Quinto. Check out this episode about the deep sea!! You will learn about a new snaggletooth species (Astronesthes) discovered through DEEPEND's research!