Kermadec Trench

The Kermadec Trench is a submarine channel in the floor of the southern Pacific Ocean just to the east of the Kermadec Islands and northeast of mainland New Zealand. The Kermadec is Earth’s fifth deepest oceanic trench, plunging more than ten kilometers beneath the ocean’s surface — about five times deeper than America’s Grand Canyon. This unique geographic feature includes a string of hydrothermal vents that have allowed a fascinating array of deep-sea bacteria, mussels, worms, shrimps, and corals to thrive in extreme conditions. A unsettling discovery revealed that amphipods that live in the Kermadec Trench have an alarmingly high amount of toxic, industrial chemicals. Fortunately, in September 2016, the New Zealand government confirmed that it will move forward with plans to establish an ocean sanctuary encompassing the trench. This sanctuary – if secured – could become one of the largest marine no-take zone in the world!

Protected Species

Corals Deep-sea Bacteria Mussels Shrimp Worms