June 16, 2016 by Caleb Jones
Researchers in Hawaii have
discovered three probable new species of fish while on an expedition in the
protected waters of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
In a statement released
Wednesday, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said
divers collected two previously unknown species of fish and filmed a third.
NOAA's Randall Kosaki, the
expedition's chief scientist, said the team collected the first specimens of
male Hawaiian pigfish about 300 feet below the surface.
The scientists also observed
significant coral mortality in the region that was the result of a mass
bleaching event in 2014.
Hawaii Institute of Marine
Biology researcher John Burns said a 2015 trip found about 90 percent of the
coral around Lisianski Island had died. This year, the team found that
dead coral was covered in a
green algae bloom.
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