Deep Seafloor
Deep seafloor habitats are usually cold, dark and subject to intense pressure, making it a challenging habitat to access and study. Organisms living here are specially adapted to their environments; many grow slowly and are vulnerable to physical disturbance and changing ocean conditions. Shrimp, rockfish, halibut, and whiting, are often found living in, on or just above the seafloor, attracting commercial, recreational, and subsistence harvesters. Most of the deep seafloor in Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary is composed of soft sediments. Rocky habitat often occurs in patches – like on scattered boulders and rocky outcrops or along steep canyon walls. Although relatively scarce, hard bottom seafloor habitats often support long-lived communities of deep sea corals and sponges which in turn provide habitat for rockfish and other seafloor dwellers. Thousands of methane seeps, and the unique communities associated with them, have been identified in OCNMS in recent years.