D553 Transect PB24 Muddy slope with occasional epifauna. Priority. Features: NPWS selected. Water depth: -2200 m. TL: 1.8 km SOL: 15° 8.425' W 52° 0.477' N
Highlights: Mud with sea cucumbers Octocoral
Flat muddy sediment throughout the dive with heavy marine snow, creating poor visibility towards the end. Elpidiids, Anthomastus sp., brittlestars and sea pens are common.
Occasional eels, grenadiers, a slick head and a ray are encountered. Burrows, possibly formed by large crabs are also seen regularly. Plastic pollution is evident.
START VIDEO [00:00:00]/18:24. The whole transect is set on muddy sediment on gentle upslope and moderate upslope. No hard substrata encountered. [1] Muddy sediment with dominant Peniagone sp. until [00:10:00] [2]Anthomastus grandiflorus and Peniagone sp. co-dominate. [00:26:00] [3] Now Pennatulacea (indet) and Anthomastus grandiflorus co-dominate. [00:47:00] Mud cloud/vision obscured. [01:31:43] ROV stops for sampling 1 pushcore until END VIDEO 20:01.