by | Oct 18, 2016 | 0 comments

OGL Combats Coral Pirates of the Deep Sea

With lifespans as long as 4,000 years, deep-sea black corals are some of the longest-living creatures on earth. They are also some of the world’s most threatened species. That’s why Ocean Genome Legacy (OGL) is embarking on a new initiative to preserve, document, and archive these beautiful corals.

Black corals come in myriad bright, beautiful colors that cover their dark skeletons. Unfortunately, these skeletons are highly prized for jewelry, and black corals are under threat by illegal and destructive harvesting methods.

Deep-sea black corals photographed below 1,000 meters by the NOAA Okeanos Explorer. Credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

To protect these species from piracy, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded OGL a grant to build a reference DNA collection of black corals. OGL’s collection of legally obtained, well-documented black coral DNA samples can help scientists and law enforcement identify unknown samples for conservation purposes as well as basic research. OGL already holds 22 DNA samples from 12 black coral taxa, including samples collected by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Okeanos Explorer.

To publicize the initiative, OGL’s Dr. Charlotte Seid presented at the 6th International Deep-Sea Coral Symposium to discuss new areas of collaboration with coral researchers. OGL eagerly awaits the newest black coral DNA samples from the Okeanos Explorer’s 2016 research cruises, and we look forward to supporting both science and conservation by building this valuable coral DNA collection.

The OGL biorepository works with scientists around the globe to preserve valuable DNA samples that can lead to new cures and discoveries. Please consider helping us protect the biodiversity of our marine life by making a gift.

RECENT NEWS BRIEFS

Watch Dan Distel’s Darwin Festival Talk!

Did you know that there is currently a marine ecosystem off the coast of Alabama that is being powered by an ancient undersea forest!? OGL's Dan Distel gave an amazing talk about how this is possible at Salem State's Darwin Festival in February. If you missed it, you...

How our DNA got all marked up

We are all familiar with the genetic code—the simple set of three-letter words that translate the As, Ts, Cs, and Gs of DNA into the diverse and complex forms we know as animal life. But, if every cell in an animal has the same DNA, how does one cell know to become a...

A new paper from OGL solves an old mystery

Shipworms are wormlike wood-eating clams that have been the nemesis of mariners since the first wooden boat set out to sea—and for good reason. Shipworms can gnaw their way through a wooden hull in a matter of months. Since at least 350 BCE, scientists have pondered...

The Wacky Underwater World 

What animal lives more than 250 years but never eats a thing? If you guessed the deep-sea tubeworm Escarpia laminata, you would be correct—and also probably a deep-sea biologist!   Escarpia laminata lives near deep-sea cold seeps, places where methane...

X