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A Global Mission

The Ocean Census is a global mission to discover, document and share the diversity of life in our ocean — before it’s lost.

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PRESS RELEASE: The Ocean Census Embarks on First Deep-sea Expedition in Japan, Partnering with JAMSTEC 
3rd June 2025 | maya
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Microscopic meiofauna moves across a glass slide under a microscope. This extremophile organism, known for surviving extreme environments, is part of the biological sampling effort during the deep-sea expedition at the Nankai Trough dive site.
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The Hidden Majority: James Fleming on the wonderful world of meiofauna

At a glance, marine sediment might seem lifeless, just mud beneath the waves. But for James Fleming, postdoctoral researcher at JAMSTEC, that mud holds entire worlds.

20/06/25
Diver clears Shinkai 6500 after attaching crane. dive site, Shichiyo Seamounts, and deep-sea expedition.
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JAMSTEC Shinkai Expedition – Dive Site: Shichiyo Seamounts

Rising from the deep seafloor south of mainland Japan, the Shichiyo Seamounts, a dive site of the JAMSTEC Shinkai expedition, are part of a chain of underwater volcanoes formed by tectonic activity along the Izu–Ogasawara Arc.

18/06/25
Crew members in brightly colored safety gear guide a deep-sea submersible being lowered into the ocean from a research vessel during a scientific operation. The submersible is suspended mid-air by a large deployment crane as it prepares to descend to a designated dive site in the Nankai Trough, a geologically active trench off Japan’s coast. The operation is part of a deep-sea expedition focused on exploring and documenting marine biodiversity in extreme ocean environments.
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JAMSTEC Shinkai Expedition – Dive Site: Nankai Trough

The Nankai Trough, stretching along the southeastern coast of Japan, is one of the most geologically active and biologically important deep-sea regions in the western Pacific.

17/06/25
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Return to the Deep: Dr Verity Nye reflects on being back in Shinkai 6500 after 12 years

Twelve years after her first submersible dive, Dr Verity Nye has returned to Japan to descend once again aboard Shinkai 6500, the iconic submersible operated by JAMSTEC.

09/06/25
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PRESS RELEASE: The Ocean Census Embarks on First Deep-sea Expedition in Japan, Partnering with JAMSTEC 

In June 2025, the JAMSTEC will collaborate with the Ocean Census, deploying the renowned submersible Shinkai 6500 on a 20-day scientific voyage into some of Japan’s most mysterious deep-sea ecosystems.

03/06/25
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PRESS RELEASE: New Coral Gardens and Hydrothermal Vents Found in the Icy Depths of the Remote South Sandwich Islands

An Ocean Census Flagship expedition and GoSouth team of scientists found suspected new species, discovered one of the island chain’s shallowest hydrothermal vents, and explored the deepest trench in the Southern Ocean.

29/05/25
Expedition
JAMSTEC Shinkai

The JAMSTEC Shinkai expedition is a 20-day research mission in collaboration with Japanese Agency of Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)

23/05/25
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Expedition Awards

The Ocean Census Expedition Awards provide support to taxonomists, biodiversity and community scientists who wish to take part in an existing expedition onboard a research vessel.

19/05/25
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PRESS RELEASE: First Footage of Live Juvenile Colossal Squid – filmed on the Ocean Census expedition to the South Sandwich Islands

In an astounding moment for ocean science, a juvenile Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni—the elusive colossal squid—has been captured alive on camera for the first time in its natural habitat.

15/04/25
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