Scientists working through The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census have discovered 1,121 marine species in a single year, marking a significant step forward in efforts to document life in the world’s oceans.
From the ‘ghost shark’ chimaera, a distant relative of sharks and rays found in the Coral Sea, to symbiotic worms on volcanic seamounts in Japan, the findings have uncovered a variety of new species previously unknown to science.
The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census, now in its third year, is a collaboration between scientific partners such as JAMSTEC, CSIRO and the Schmidt Ocean Institute, with the goal of discovering 100,000 new species by 2030.
The initiative uses mobile laboratories and AI-driven identification platforms to expedite the often long-winded world of taxonomic identification.
Even with so many new species found this year – from a total of 13 different expeditions – scientists estimate up to 90 per cent of ocean species remain undiscovered, highlighting the importance of collecting data that policymakers can use to help protect the marine environment.
‘With many species at risk of disappearing before they are even documented, we are in a race against time to understand and protect ocean life,’ said Dr Michelle Taylor, Head of Science at Ocean Census.
‘For too long, thousands of species have remained in a scientific ‘limbo’ because the pace of discovery couldn’t keep up. We are now breaking that bottleneck.
‘By accelerating discovery and sharing data globally, we are not just finding new life, but generating the evidence needed to drive global science and policy at a critical moment.’
The ‘ghost shark’ chimaera (Chimaera sp. 1)
Location: Coral Sea Marine Park, Australia
Depth: 802–838 metres.
Description: Often called “ghost sharks,” chimaeras are among the most mysterious inhabitants of the deep ocean. Distant relatives of sharks and rays, they diverged into a distinct evolutionary lineage nearly 400 million years ago – predating the dinosaurs. The species was discovered by taxonomist Dr William White during a CSIRO expedition to the Coral Sea Marine Park, off the Queensland coast. Today, a third of sharks, rays and chimaeras are vulnerable to extinction.
‘Life in a glass castle’ Symbiotic Worm (Dalhousiella yabukii)
Location: Shichiyo Seamount Chain, Japan
Depth: 791 metres
Description: Discovered on a volcanic seamount during the 2025 Ocean Census JAMSTEC-Shinkai Japan expedition, this polychaete worm makes its home inside a ‘glass castle’: the intricate chambers of a glass sponge, a creature with a skeleton made of crystalline silica. Named after the mission’s principal investigator, Dr Akinori Yabuki, this discovery was made by Dr Nato Jimi and published in The Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
Ribbon Worm (Drepanophoridae sp1)
Location: Timor-Leste
Depth: 1-5 metres
Description: The striking pigmentation of this ribbon worm may serve as a visual warning to predators; a signal of the potent chemical defences common to the phylum Nemertea.
Beyond their ecological role as predators, these worms may have biomedical significance; some of their unique toxins have been investigated as potential treatments for Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia.
Discovered by Dr Svetlana Maslakova, the worms are less than 3cm long and their vivid pigmentation serves as a warning to predators, signalling potent chemical defences.
Mediterranean Shrimp (Caridion sp. 1)
Location: Marseille, France
Depth: 15-35 metres
Description: A striking new species of shrimp found in a sea cave off Marseille proves that major marine discoveries are still being made right on Europe’s Mediterranean coast.
Defined by its vivid orange banding and intricate appendages, the specimen was identified by taxonomist Dr Hossein Ashrafi, building critical data for effective conservation in the pressured Mediterranean region.
Ocean Census NOVA
Historically, the average time between a species’ initial discovery and its formal ‘description’ in scientific literature is 13.5 years – meaning species are at risk of extinction before they are even catalogued.
To address this, Ocean Census and collaborators are recognising ‘discovered’ as a formal scientific status that can be immediately recorded in NOVA, a new digital platform for marine species data.
Ocean Census NOVA can make collected data available within days, through a systematic, open-access approach, using data collated from a network of more than 1,400 taxonomists and scientists from 660 institutions across 85 countries.
The 1,121 new marine species represent the outputs from a coordinated global alliance committed to transforming the speed at which marine life can be discovered.
The results of collaboration provide vital scientific data to the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty – also known as the BBNJ or ‘High Seas’ Treaty – the United Nations agreement to protect marine life in international waters – and also the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the International agreement to reverse biodiversity loss by protecting at least 30 per cent of the world’s lands and oceans by 2030.
As a result of the three years of its success from the systems, networks and infrastructure it has developed, Ocean Census co-founder Nekton says it is now seeking $100M in capital to fulfil the project’s ambition of discovering 100,000 new marine species.
‘We spend billions searching for life on Mars or going to the dark side of the moon,’ said Oliver Steeds, Director of Ocean Census.
‘Discovering the majority of life on our own planet – in our own ocean – costs a fraction of that. The question is not whether we can afford to do this. It is whether we can afford not to.’
More from Ocean Census
- ‘Death ball’ sponge among 30 new Ocean Census species discoveries
- Ocean Census heads to deep-sea Japan
- Ocean Census announces discovery of 866 new species
- Ocean Census Arctic Deep documents extraordinary biodiversity
- Ocean Census endorsed as UN Ocean Decade programme
