Benin's presumed-dead coral reef rediscovered teeming with life - Oceanographic Magazine
Researchers have rediscovered a deep-water coral reef off the coast of Benin that was previously thought to be dead since the 1960s. Using modern sonar and underwater drone technology, the team confirmed the reef is a thriving mesophotic ecosystem.
Why it matters
The discovery highlights the importance of advanced exploration technology in identifying and protecting deep-sea biodiversity that was previously misclassified as extinct.
A deep-water reef off Benin, presumed dead since 1960s surveys, has been found thriving using modern sonar and camera technology - hosting eight coral types and eight fish species.
A deep-water coral reef that vanished from the scientific record more than half a century ago has resurfaced and – in a dramatic twist of fate, has been found thriving.
Surveys conducted in the 1960s – aimed at charting productive fishing grounds off Benin – picked up hints of a possible reef structure but concluded it was almost certainly dead. Now, armed with modern sonar and the Deep Sea Camera System supplied by the National Geographic Exploration Technology Lab, researchers have confirmed the reef not only survived, but appears to be flourishing.
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