It was the first thorough exploration of the cold, oxygen-rich waters north of Bodega Head, a small promontory that lies along the California's Sonoma coast just 70 miles north of San Francisco. Submarine canyons, such as Bodega Canyon, extend from the continental shelf to the deep sea – making their exploration a difficult but worthwhile endeavour. The canyons are important because they act as a refuge for important species of fish and provide a habitat for sensitive species of deep-water corals and sponges.

Isabelle Côté, a Simon Fraser University professor of marine ecology and conservation, has co-authored a new study that finds little would be lost by eliminating high seas fishing.

In this study Côté and her colleagues evaluated the impact of closing deep-sea fishing on fisheries' catches and values, and their economic consequences for individual countries, identifying which nations would stand to financially gain or lose.

Pacific bluefin tuna are unique amongst bony fish as they are endothermic (warm bodied) and can raise their core body temperature to 20°C above that of the surrounding water.

These animals are also capable of diving to depths of more than 1000 meter where the water is frigid. This chills the heart because it receives blood directly from the gills which mirrors water temperature. During deep dives their body temperature stays warm but their heart temperature can fall by 15°C within minutes. In other animals, humans included, this would stop the heart.

The Madagascar government has established its first shark sanctuary in an area celebrated for marine biodiversity. According to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the new marine protections apply to Antongil Bay, located in northwestern Madagascar and renowned for its coral reefs and seasonal humpback whale population.