next Image 1 of 2prev Image 2 of 2Scientists will explore new sites in deep waters surrounding Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to learn more about coral and fish habitats as part of a 22-day mission led by the U.S. government. They include marine protected areas and the site of a 1918 earthquake that generated a tsunami, killing more than 100 people in Puerto Rico. Scientists will use sonar systems and remotely operated vehicles to track deep-water fish, sponges and corals, as well as to explore valleys, trenches, submarine canyons and two large tectonic plates located north of Puerto Rico. Studies of populations of groupers and red snapper are a priority because they are commercially popular fish, scientists said. The scientists say that waters around Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are among the least explored waters in any U.S. jurisdiction.

Source: Fox News October 29, 2018 22:07 UTC