The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census, the world’s largest mission to accelerate ocean species discovery, marks a pivotal third year with 13 expeditions across some of the world’s most remote and least explored ocean regions, in partnership with JAMSTEC, CSIRO, and the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
With up to 90% of ocean species still undiscovered, the findings highlight both the sheer scale of life yet to be documented and the importance of building scientific data that policymakers and marine managers need to protect the ocean.
Dr. Michelle Taylor, Head of Science at Ocean Census, said: “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. 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.”
Species Spotlights:
The ‘Ghost Shark’ Chimaera (Chimaera sp. 1)
Location: Coral Sea Marine Park, Australia Depth: 802–838 meters
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 meters
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 sp.1)
Location: Timor-Leste Depth: 1–5 meters
The striking pigmentation of this ribbon worm may serve as a visual warning to predators; a signal of the potent chemical defenses 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, signaling potent chemical defenses.
Mediterranean Shrimp (Caridion sp. 1)
Location: Marseille, France Depth: 15–35 meters
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.
Mitsuyuku Unno, Executive Director of The Nippon Foundation, said: “This year, Ocean Census has shown what is possible when scientific ambition is matched by global collaboration at scale. Through expeditions reaching polar depths to tropical seas, and the science to turn samples into discoveries, this team is revealing the extraordinary richness of ocean life.”
Powering Ocean Discovery: New Open Access Platform 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 cataloged. To address this, Ocean Census and collaborators are recognizing ‘discovered’ as a formal scientific status that can be immediately recorded in NOVA, a new digital platform for marine species data.
Ocean Census NOVA makes collected data available within weeks, or even days, through a systematic, transparent, and open-access approach. Driving NOVA and Ocean Census is a science network of over 1,400 contributing taxonomists and scientists from 660 institutions in 85 countries.
Bridging the Knowledge Gap for Global Action
These 1,121 new marine species represent the outputs from a coordinated global alliance committed to transforming the speed at which we can discover marine life. High-quality data of this kind is the foundation for international action, providing the vital science required for the High Seas ‘Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction’ Treaty and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. As the Ocean Census scales, its global network and open-access platform, NOVA, will help ensure that this critical data is available to inform global decision-making.
Ocean Census has spent three years building the systems, networks, and infrastructure required to discover ocean life at speed and scale. The method is proven – now it must be applied at the pace the challenge demands. Ocean Census co-founder, Nekton, is seeking $100 million in catalytic capital to unlock $75 million+ already pledged by partners, driving progress toward the ambition of discovering 100,000 new marine species.
Oliver Steeds, Director of Ocean Census, said: “We spend billions searching for life on Mars or going to the dark side of the moon. 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.”
