to see what lies below the expedition submarine is launched on board the antarctic specialist suzanne lockhart what she sees is a stunning underwater realm composed of all manner of life life not yet touched by mankind enormously at risk not least from the effects of industrial scale fishing it has one hundred percent coverage in the sea floor i've been isn't it has a great three d. structure which i. the other organisms to come in and live there and a really interesting species composition and all these factors make it really difficult for a community to become after a disturbance such as bottom fishing we call these areas fundable marine ecosystem and the estimated fourteen thousand species on the seabed vulnerable not just to fishing but to other threats like warming sea temperatures and plastics pollution and that's why the expeditions all round research so important in the bid to protect these waters all the scientific data will be compiled to form a body of evidence in support of the sanctuary proposal and presented to the antarctic commission in less than a year's time. but the team nee