Welcome to CenSeam: a Global Census of Marine Life on Seamounts.
2005 marked the launch of CenSeam: a Global Census of Marine Life on Seamounts. Bringing scientists together from all continents of the world CenSeam will mark a new era in seamount research. Through the Census of Marine life we invite you to be a part of our research, join in our surveys, have a look at the creatures that we find and learn how to play a role in seamount conservation.
Seamounts (undersea mountains) are prominent features of the world's underwater topography. Globally, there are estimated to be over 100 000 seamounts. These features can be hotspots of biodiversity and are extremely valuable; not only ecologically but also economically as they are the target of offshore commercial fishing, and are of potential interest for seabed mining.
However, our knowledge of seamounts is poor. To date they have been relatively understudied and every new voyage that visits a seamount makes many new and unique discoveries using exciting technologies.
This website is intended as a resource for the seamount research community as well as the general public. As the project grows so will the website, so be sure to keep coming back and be a part of CenSeam!