New marine expedition: exploring the waters of the end of the world
Our team carried out a 10- day marine expedition in the Beagle Channel and the waters of the projected Yaganes Marine Park, one of the eight no-take marine zones we aim to create to augment from 1 to 10% the protection of the coastal waters of Patagonia. Major findings were red hydrocoral fields, different kinds of macroalgae forests, and great abundance of Squat Lobster, which play an essential role in the food chain of species such as whales, birds, sea lions, and fish.
As part of our marine strategy, we are developing marine expeditions to identify biodiversity hotspots in Chilean Patagonia, map threats, monitor and improve the environmental status of unique habitats. The idea is to collect data to help inform new marine park proposals, network with universities and scientists to validate the expedition’s findings as technical arguments for park creation proposals, and design ocean restoration programs.
As of date, and after nine marine expeditions, we have registered over 150 marine species in 1,5 million acres explored in the Route of Parks of Patagonia, including + 430 hours of navigation, 1,500 miles, and + 120 meters depth reached with ROV (remote operated vehicles), and 35 mts. with divers.
This past December, our team carried out a 10-day marine expedition in the Beagle Channel and the waters of the projected Yaganes Marine Park. The main objective was to register the presence of species and habitats through a quantitative methodology in defined transects to help inform a long-term monitoring plan for the future marine park.
We found great fields of red hydrocoral and different kinds of macroalgae forests, providing shelter for species like the King Crab, one of the most commercially valuable crustaceans in the Magellan region. Also, our team registered a great abundance of Squat Lobster, which play an essential role in the food chain since they serve as food for a wide variety of species such as whales, birds, sea lions, and fish. This explains the presence of the big mammals we saw, including Sei and Minke whales, sea lions, South American fur seal, and a group of endemic and scarce to see, Chilean dolphins, among dozens of birds such as the Magellanic penguin and the Southern giant petrel.
