we can then use that to inform the decisions that we are making about how we use these parts of the planet," said Dr. Amon.
Environmental assessments on land typically mandate baseline surveys before starting industrial projects. Researchers argue this standard should apply to international ocean floors.
"First of all, documenting what's there," said Dr. La Daana Kanhai, Researcher at The University of the West Indies.
Marine ecosystems provide essential services that directly sustain coastal fisheries and Caribbean economies dependent on marine resources.
"We're also hoping to understand how we as humans are impacting the deep sea," said Dr. Kanhai.
Establishing regulatory protections requires empirical biological data gathered directly from target marine locations.
"If we had to designate protected areas, where do we designate those areas?
That would be based on the science that we collect from this expedition," said Dr. Kanhai.
The Council of the International Seabed Authority continues its meetings in Jamaica to establish rules governing resource exploitation in international waters under UNCLOS guidelines.
"Our global interconnected ocean is really very important in providing us with key services," said Dr. Kanhai.
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"If we impact our ocean negatively, then we lose some of those very important services."
