Goal: Catalyze conservation measures in an area of approximately 1,097,846 km² within the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO) by 2027

The Alliance is collaborating with the Coral Reefs of the High Seas Coalition, a global association that works to protect coral reefs in areas beyond national jurisdiction, and generate the scientific evidence and political support needed to protect the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges. 

Off the coast of Chile and Peru lies a vast underwater mountain range spanning 2,900 km. Isolated from the coast by the Humboldt Current and a deep trench, this region contains over 110 seamounts that create critical habitat for many species found nowhere else on Earth. The Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges are recognized as an Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area (EBSA) by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.  

The cultural heritage of the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges is equally rich and diverse. For centuries these waters were an important part of a voyaging highway linking Polynesian seafarers from the Western Pacific to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) at the western edge of the ridges, and beyond to the shores of South America.   

While Chile and Peru have established several marine protected areas in the wider region, these protections do not cover significant parts of the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges that lie outside any one national jurisdiction. The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO) regulates fisheries in this area of the South Pacific and has the power to enact much-needed conservation measures. 

In January 2024, as a result of years of preparation, the government of Chile presented a fishery closure proposal to the SPRFMO Commission. After a week of negotiations under the strong and committed leadership of the government of Chile, and with dedicated support from the Coral Reefs of the High Seas Coalition team, the SPRFMO Commission tasked its Scientific Committee with conducting an analysis of the area and recommending possible conservation measures. 

To help build the scientific basis for formalized protections, the Coral Reefs of the High Seas Coalition and others contributed to two expeditions with support from the Alliance in early 2024 to study the ridges’ previously unexplored depths. Using underwater vehicles capable of descending more than 4,500 meters (14,760 feet), the expeditions uncovered over 150 potential new species, like a bright red toadfish that walks along the seafloor, ancient corals dating back thousands of years, and translucent “glass” squids. 

Findings from these expeditions will help solidify the case for more robust conservation measures in the area, including the fishery closure currently under analysis by the SPRFMO and formal marine protected area establishment once the United Nations High Seas Treaty is ratified and enters into force.