Jonatha Lauren Giddens

Fellow - NGS · Exploration technology

Intergenerational diversity is central to achieving sustainability goals. As such, one of the main challenges faced by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) is bridging the generation of Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) and the community of senior researchers and decision-makers currently at the helm of ocea...

The Caribbean Sea has several large deep-sea basins that remain poorly surveyed. Here we report observations of benthic faunal communities (invertebrates, teleost fishes, elasmobranch fishes) attracted to remote, deep-sea video landers deployed at depths between 262m and 1100m in two deep basins in The Bahamas, namely the Tongue of the Ocean (n = 1...

Technological advances have enabled the expansion of ocean exploration to include the deep ocean, providing new species observations. Here, the authors present two new observations, captured by deep‐sea cameras, of the sleeper shark Somniosus cf. pacificus from the Solomon Islands and Palau. This presents the first observation of S. cf. pacificus i...

Our changing climate poses growing challenges for effective management of marine life, ocean ecosystems, and human communities. Which species are most vulnerable to climate change, and where should management focus efforts to reduce these risks? To address these questions, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Climate...

Marine Life 2030 is a programme endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (the Ocean Decade) to establish a globally coordinated system that delivers knowledge of ocean life to those who need it, promoting human well-being, sustainable development, and ocean conservation. It is an open network to unite exist...

The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center conducted a climate change vulnerability assessment for six species groups in the Pacific Islands region (Giddens et al. unpublished). This data report summarizes the following assessments of each species in the deep slope species group: overall climate vulnerability rank (certainty determined by bootstr...

The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center conducted a climate change vulnerability assessment for six species groups in the Pacific Islands region (Giddens et al. unpublished). This data report summarizes the following assessments of each species in the coral reef species group: overall climate vulnerability rank (certainty determined by bootstr...

The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center conducted a climate change vulnerability assessment for six species groups in the Pacific Islands region (Giddens et al. unpublished). This data report summarizes the following assessments of each species in the coastal species group: overall climate vulnerability rank (certainty determined by bootstrap...

The Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges are underwater mountain chains that stretch across 2,900 km in the southeastern Pacific and are recognized for their high biodiversity value and unique ecological characteristics. Explorations of deep-water ecosystems have been limited in this region, and elsewhere globally. To characterize community composition o...

There is a growing need for marine biodiversity baseline and monitoring data to assess ocean ecosystem health, especially in the deep sea, where data are notoriously sparse. Baited cameras are a biological observing method especially useful in the deep ocean to estimate relative abundances of scavenging fishes and invertebrates. The National Geogra...

Fig. 1 In situ imagery of Hydrolagus melanophasma (1367 m) at Clipperton Atoll (N 10.23993, W − 109.21736). a Adult male approaching camera; b aggregation of males; c adult female with egg cases visible; d female with egg cases co-occur with two males over rock and sand habitat with low relief Communicated by L. Menzel Electronic supplementary mate...

This study reports the first records of cowsharks (Hexanchidae) in the Galápagos Islands, in particular Notorynchus cepedianus and Hexanchus griseus, observed between depths of 210 and 418 m on footage from free‐falling autonomous deep‐ocean cameras. These sightings provide new information on the habitat preferences and range distribution for N. ce...

Clipperton Atoll (Île de La Passion) is the only atoll in the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) ecoregion and, owing to its isolation, possesses several endemic species and is likely an important stepping stone between Oceania, the remainder of the TEP, including other oceanic islands and the west coast of Central America. We describe the biodiversity...

Deep-sea fauna of the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) have remained largely undescribed because exploration has historically been a challenge in these remote locations. Consequently, little is currently known about deep-ocean biodiversity in the TEP. An enriched understanding of biogeographic patterns and the factors that influence them is crucial t...

Declining natural resources have contributed to a cultural renaissance across the Pacific that seeks to revive customary ridge-to-reef management approaches to protect freshwater and restore abundant coral reef fisheries.We applied a linked land–sea modeling framework based on remote sensing and empirical data, which couples groundwater nutrient ex...

Declining natural resources have contributed to a cultural renaissance across the Pacific that seeks to revive customary ridge‐to‐reef management approaches to protect freshwater and restore abundant coral reef fisheries. We applied a linked land–sea modeling framework based on remote sensing and empirical data, which couples groundwater nutrient e...

The peacock hind Cephalopholis argus (family Serranidae), locally known as ‘roi’, was introduced from French Polynesia to Hawaii in the mid-twentieth century as a food fish. However, because of its association with ciguatera fish poisoning, it is rarely fished for food. Previous research indicates that roi could have a negative impact on native ree...

The vast and complex coast of the Magellan Region of extreme southern Chile possesses a diversity of habitats including fjords, deep channels, and extensive kelp forests, with a unique mix of temperate and sub-Antarctic species. The Cape Horn and Diego Ramírez archipelagos are the most southerly locations in the Americas, with the southernmost kelp...

Invertebrate taxa recorded during shallow (< 20 m) scuba surveys. Func. Grp. = Functional feeding groups: 1 –passive suspension feeder, 2—active suspension feeder, 3—herbivorous/browser, 4—carnivore, 5 -omnivore, and 6—deposit feeder. (DOCX)

Taxa observed on deep sea Drop-cams. (DOCX)

Sustainable fisheries management is key to restoring and maintaining ecological function and benefits to people, but it requires accurate information about patterns of resource use, particularly fishing pressure. In most coral reef fisheries and other data-poor contexts, obtaining such information is challenging and remains an impediment to effecti...

S1 Appendix: Source information for effort, catch and catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) estimates.

Sustainable fisheries management is key to restoring and maintaining ecological function and benefits to people, but it requires accurate information about patterns in resource use, particularly fishing pressure. In most coral reef fisheries and other data-poor contexts, obtaining such information is challenging and remains an impediment to effecti...

Sustainable fisheries management is key to restoring and maintaining ecological function and benefits to people, but it requires accurate information about patterns in resource use, particularly fishing pressure. In most coral reef fisheries and other data-poor contexts, obtaining such information is challenging and remains an impediment to effecti...

In 2007, due to growing concerns of declines in nearshore fisheries in Hawai'i, a ban on gillnets was implemented in designated areas around the island of O'ahu in the main Hawaiian Islands. Utilizing a 17 year time-series of juvenile fish abundance beginning prior to the implementation of the gillnet ban, we examined the effects of the ban on the...

A creel survey to assess near shore fishing in Puako, west Hawaii.

Invasive species are a growing concern for marine biodiversity, particularly in Hawai‘i with its large proportion of endemic species. This research focused on the feasibility of removing the introduced predatory peacock grouper Cephalopholis argus, locally known as roi, as a management tool for Hawaiian coral reef ecosystem restoration. The objecti...

Ecological processes including disease, competition for space, and predation strongly influence coral reef health from the colony to reef level. The leeward/west coast of the island of Hawai’i consists of the largest expanse of intact reefs in the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI), yet little is known about the health of its coral communities. We measure...