Record 1,121 New Marine Species Found in Deep-Sea Expedition
Marine scientists have discovered a record-breaking 1,121 new marine species in a single year, marking the largest single haul of new species ever documented and a 54% jump in annual species identification, according to ABC News. The discoveries were made under the auspices of The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census, the world’s largest mission to accelerate ocean species discovery, and span 13 expeditions across some of the most remote ocean regions on Earth.
A Landmark Year for Ocean Discovery
The findings, announced on May 19, 2026, represent discoveries made between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026. Scientists identified creatures at depths of up to 6,575 meters (over four miles beneath the ocean surface), from volcanic seamounts off Japan to the Coral Sea off Australia, and from sea caves in France to the coastal waters of Timor-Leste.
According to the Ocean Census press release, the effort involved 13 expeditions and nine species discovery workshops, with contributions from over 1,400 taxonomists and scientists across 660 institutions in 85 countries. Key partners included JAMSTEC (Japan), CSIRO (Australia), and the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
Remarkable New Species
Among the most striking discoveries is the ‘Ghost Shark’ Chimaera, a distant relative of sharks and rays found in the Coral Sea Marine Park off Queensland, Australia, at depths of 802–838 meters. Chimaeras diverged into their own evolutionary lineage nearly 400 million years ago, predating the dinosaurs. Today, a third of sharks, rays, and chimaeras are vulnerable to extinction.
In the Shichiyo Seamount Chain off Japan, researchers discovered a symbiotic bristle worm — named Dalhousiella yabukii — living inside a ‘glass castle’: the intricate chambers of a glass sponge whose skeleton is made of crystalline silica. The discovery was published in The Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
A striking ribbon worm found in the shallow waters of Timor-Leste, measuring less than 3 centimeters, displays vivid pigmentation that warns predators of potent chemical defenses. Some toxins from this phylum are being investigated as potential treatments for Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia.
Closer to home, a new Mediterranean shrimp species was identified in a sea cave off Marseille, France, at depths of 15–35 meters. Defined by vivid orange banding and intricate appendages, it demonstrates that major discoveries are still being made in well-studied European waters.
Breaking the ‘Discovery Bottleneck’
Historically, the average time between a species’ initial discovery and its formal description in scientific literature has been 13.5 years — meaning species can face extinction before they are officially catalogued. Ocean Census is addressing this by recognizing ‘discovered’ as a formal scientific status that can be immediately recorded.
“With many species at risk of disappearing before they are even documented, we are in a race against time to understand and protect ocean life,” said Dr. Michelle Taylor, Head of Science at Ocean Census, as reported by Ocean News & Technology. “For too long, thousands of species have remained in a scientific ‘limbo’ because the pace of discovery couldn’t keep up. We are now breaking that bottleneck.”
The mission has launched NOVA, a new open-access digital platform that makes collected data available within weeks or even days, driven by a science network of over 1,400 contributing taxonomists.
Implications for Policy and Conservation
The data from these discoveries supports critical international frameworks, including the High Seas ‘Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction’ Treaty and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. With up to 90% of ocean species still undiscovered, the findings highlight the vast unknown biodiversity of the ocean and the urgency of documenting it before it is lost.
“This year, Ocean Census has shown what is possible when scientific ambition is matched by global collaboration at scale,” said Mitsuyuku Unno, Executive Director of The Nippon Foundation. “Through expeditions reaching polar depths to tropical seas, and the science to turn samples into discoveries, this team is revealing the extraordinary richness of ocean life.”
What’s Next
Ocean Census co-founder Nekton is seeking $100 million in catalytic capital to unlock over $75 million already pledged by partners, driving progress toward the long-term ambition of discovering 100,000 new marine species. As Oliver Steeds, Director of Ocean Census, put it: “We spend billions searching for life on Mars or going to the dark side of the moon. Discovering the majority of life on our own planet — in our own ocean — costs a fraction of that. The question is not whether we can afford to do this. It is whether we can afford not to.”