Expedition charts Cook Islands seafloor, amid scrutiny over mining motives

Expedition Charts Cook Islands Seafloor

Thousands of meters beneath the ocean’s surface, a remotely operated vehicle’s camera recorded a ghostly white creature gliding above a field of polymetallic nodules — mineral-rich rocks resembling blackened potatoes. This rare animal was a bigfin squid (genus Magnapinna), known to scientists from fewer than two dozen sightings and never physically captured.

Bigfin Squid Sighting Sparks Excitement

Adam Soule, a geologist and oceanographer directing the U.S.-based Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, which leads the expedition aboard the vessel E/V Nautilus, described the sighting as thrilling. The Institute operates alongside the Ocean Exploration Trust, supported by a decade-long, $200 million grant from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“One of the cool things about the Nautilus is that there’s a lot of people following online, watching in real time and sending in comments,” Soule told Mongabay.

Exploration Transparency and Public Interest

The expedition’s live feeds allow worldwide audiences to witness rare deep-sea discoveries, fostering engagement and transparency in ocean exploration.

These findings contribute valuable knowledge about the enigmatic deep ocean ecosystem surrounding the Cook Islands, amid ongoing debates over deep-sea mining practices in the region.

Summary: The E/V Nautilus expedition captured rare footage of a bigfin squid over mineral-rich nodules near the Cook Islands, delivering unique insights while engaging global viewers through live exploration.

Mongabay — 2025-11-07