Fiji joins global effort to protect ocean's twilight zone

By Ron Rocky Coloma

Fiji has joined Panama in launching a new international effort to protect the ocean's mesopelagic, or "twilight," zone, committing to stronger safeguards for one of the world's least understood marine ecosystems.

The initiative, announced during the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, establishes the voluntary Mesopelagic Zone Conservation Challenge, which calls on governments to adopt precautionary measures against emerging threats such as commercial fishing and deep-sea mining while expanding scientific research on the ocean layer.

The mesopelagic zone stretches about 200 to 1,000 meters beneath the ocean's surface and supports marine species that form the foundation of global ocean food webs. Scientists also consider the zone critical to storing carbon that would otherwise remain in the atmosphere.

"As a Pacific island state deeply dependent on healthy marine ecosystems, Fiji strongly believes in the critical importance of protecting the ocean twilight zone for the long-term health of our ocean and the well-being of Pacific communities," said Sivendra Michael, Fiji's permanent secretary for environment and climate change.

The challenge asks participating governments to apply a precautionary approach before expanding fishing or other activities affecting twilight zone species, improve scientific understanding of the ecosystem, establish management frameworks for any future development, and advocate for stronger international recognition of the zone through United Nations fisheries discussions.

The initiative is led by Ocean Conservancy in partnership with the Marine Conservation Institute and Environmental Defense Fund.

The twilight zone is home to lanternfish, squid, shrimp and other marine life that provide food for commercially valuable species such as tuna and swordfish.

According to Ocean Conservancy, advances in fishing technology and growing demand for fish meal, fish oil, pet food and health supplements have increased commercial interest in harvesting these deep-sea species.

Beyond supporting fisheries, the zone also plays a major role in regulating Earth's climate. Billions of marine animals migrate between deep and surface waters each day, transporting carbon into the ocean's interior through what scientists call the biological carbon pump.

Portugal and Vanuatu also voiced support for the initiative during the conference, although Fiji and Panama are the first countries to formally join the challenge.

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"The mesopelagic zone is not only a reservoir of biodiversity; it is also central to the ocean's role in regulating the global climate, transferring significant amounts of carbon to deep waters each year," said Samson Vilvil Fare, director general of Vanuatu's Ministry of Fisheries, Oceans and Maritime Affairs.

"Protecting this function is critical for the future of our planet."

Ocean scientists say much of the twilight zone remains unexplored, with only a fraction of its species formally identified.

Kristin Kleisner, associate vice president of ocean science at Environmental Defense Fund, said growing commercial interest has outpaced scientific understanding.

"What's so alarming about the increased commercial interest in the twilight zone is that we still have so much to learn about this part of the ocean and the unique ecosystems it contains," Kleisner said.

"We have only cataloged a fraction of the species living in this layer, and we don't fully understand their role in ocean food webs and the ocean's carbon cycling, but we know enough to know that protecting this zone is essential for a healthy ocean and a thriving planet," she added.

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