Some Of The Oldest Living Creatures On Earth Are Getting Crushed By Cruise Ship Anchors In Antarctica

LOS ANGELES — Scientists have captured the first documented video of cruise ship anchor damage in Antarctica, potentially damaging one of the oldest living creatures on Earth. The underwater video reveals crushed colonies and scoured seafloor at Yankee Harbour, including nearby giant volcano sponges that may be over 15,000 years old.

This international study, published in Frontiers in Conservation Science, shows clear evidence of anchor chains carving destructive paths through Antarctic seafloor communities that have remained largely untouched for millennia. These slow-growing organisms may take decades or even centuries to recover, if they recover at all.

Ancient Antarctic Marine Life Under Threat

The research team documented three massive giant volcano sponges (Anoxycalyx joubini) near the damaged areas, each standing 1-2 meters tall. These ancient filter-feeders are believed to be among the planet’s oldest animals. Yet nearby, the scientists found crushed sponge colonies and clear striations in the seafloor where anchor chains had scraped across the bottom.

Despite the widespread damage, researchers also discovered rich biodiversity thriving in areas untouched by anchors, showing the contrast between healthy ecosystems and the destruction left in anchors’ wake.

Antarctica’s tourism boom is partially driving this underwater damage. The 2022-2023 season saw over 70,000 people visit Antarctica aboard 70 tourism vessels, marking the highest passenger numbers in history. Most of these ships operate in shallow coastal waters where they can drop anchor, exactly where the most vulnerable marine life exists.

The study team, led by researchers from institutions including Memorial University of Newfoundland and New Zealand’s National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, conducted 36 underwater surveys across the Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea, South Shetland Islands, and South Georgia Island. Using 4K deep-sea cameras lowered from tourism vessels, they captured 62 hours of underwater footage while ships were anchored or drifting.

At Yankee Harbour specifically, cameras revealed clear scour marks separating disrupted substrate from undisturbed seafloor supporting marine life. Researchers also documented deposited mud likely kicked up when anchors or chains were retrieved, and observed that mobile animals like brittle stars and snails had begun recolonizing the damaged areas.

Ship tracking data from March 2023 alone revealed eight passenger vessels anchoring in Yankee Harbour, with each ship potentially deploying 150-200 meters of anchor chain onto the seafloor. The minimum impacted area from just these eight anchoring events totaled 1,600 meters of seafloor, and that doesn’t account for ships swinging or moving while anchored.

Why Antarctic Recovery Takes 100+ Years

Antarctic marine life is unique to the region, grows extremely slowly, and many species are sessile, meaning they’re permanently attached to the seafloor and can’t escape anchor damage. Unlike tropical marine environments where some recovery might occur within years, Antarctic species face extreme conditions that dramatically slow healing processes.

Other seafloor habitats have not recovered from mechanical disruption from debris after 77 years, according to the study, suggesting Antarctic ecosystems would likely not recover for at least 100 years from anchor strikes. Climate change is already reducing sea ice coverage, potentially opening up more shallow areas to ship anchoring.

Other than giant sponges, the study documented numerous other vulnerable species in waters shallow enough for anchoring throughout the region, including Antarctic sun stars, soft corals, sea fans, brittle stars, and various fish species. These communities play crucial roles in filtering water, storing carbon, and providing food and shelter for other marine life.

Currently, no public database tracks anchoring events in Antarctica, making it impossible to assess the full scope of damage. The authors estimate that if March 2023 anchoring patterns are typical, Yankee Harbour alone could face 40 anchoring events each tourism season.

In Antarctic waters, 52 research vessels operate in the region, along with 20-30 private yachts each season and approximately 45 licensed fishing vessels. Some of these may also anchor in shallow coastal areas near research stations.

Protecting Antarctica’s Seafloor

Several solutions could help protect these ancient ecosystems. The researchers recommend establishing permanent moorings at frequently used sites, creating designated areas where anchoring is permitted, and encouraging ships to use dynamic positioning systems instead of anchors for short stays. They also suggest identifying and protecting vulnerable marine environments where anchoring would be prohibited entirely.

Most modern vessels already have dynamic positioning technology that allows them to maintain position without anchoring. During months when sea ice is more prevalent, ships naturally operate in deeper waters and anchor less frequently, proving that Antarctic operations can function safely without seafloor damage.

Scientists also suggest creating databases to track all anchoring events, using ship positioning data to estimate impacted areas, identifying additional damaged sites, and studying how long recovery actually takes in these extreme environments.

As Antarctic tourism continues to grow and climate change opens previously ice-covered areas to shipping, the pressure on these pristine ecosystems will only intensify. Without immediate action to regulate anchoring practices, some of Earth’s oldest and most unique marine communities may be lost forever. People travel to Antarctica to witness its pristine wilderness, yet their very presence is contributing to the destruction of ecosystems that took millennia to develop.