New underwater world discovered in the Pitcairn Islands

An expedition has revealed a unique marine ecosystem in the waters of the Pitcairn Islands, British territory in the Pacific Ocean. The Islands are one of the most remote locations on the planet, thousands of miles from any continent and, so far, the Islands were able to escape the pollution and overfishing that decimates various marine ecosystems around the world.

The Islands are inhabited only by 53 people, most descended from mutineers 18th century sailors. Was the isolation of the territory which attracted the Pristine Seas expedition of National Geographic to the site.

"The isolation means that the Islands have been preserved the most possible crystalline," says the leader of the expedition Enric Sala, the Guardian. "As soon as you jump into the water and oxygen bubbles disappear is surrounded by sharks," indicates. Unlike other places in the world, the expedition found that on this site are the sharks who dominate the marine ecosystem around the Islands.

The grey-de-Shark Reef is the most common species, followed by the White tip of recife and xaréu-black. As for the carnivorous fish, the fish-unicorns and the fish-surgeon-de-bar-white are the most common species.

In addition to the marine diversity, the waters are extremely clear and transparent. "We couldn't believe it. The water was so clear that we could see up to 75 meters ", reveals the room. The clarity of the water means that the coral barriers thrived at depths greater than 100 metres, even at normal, which is a world record. In total, the exploration team identified 80 new species of fish, corals and algae in Pitcairn.

To preserve the marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Islands, the inhabitants of Pitcairn are advancing a plan to create a protected area of 830,000 square miles around the Islands. If they are successful, this will be the largest marine protected area, higher than that which the Government of the United States wants to create.

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