SYDNEY, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Two remote coral atolls in the Marshall Islands, northeast of Australia in the Pacific Ocean, have been found to be some of the ocean's "very last wild and healthy ecosystems," untouched by humans, according to researchers.
Bikar and Bokak, the northernmost atolls in the Marshall Islands, lie about 116 and 385 kilometers from the nearest inhabited atoll, respectively, according to a study summary on the Australian Science Media Center website on Wednesday.
A scientific expedition in 2023 found extensive seabird colonies, mature native vegetation, active turtle nesting, high reef-fish biomass and large predators, coral-dominated reefs at Bokak, structurally complex mesophotic habitats, and diverse and poorly known deep-sea communities.
Researchers from the United States, the Marshall Islands and Australia found 15 seabird colonies that were confirmed or likely to be breeding, and recorded at least 266 groups of reef fish, 138 groups of fish living at greater depths, and 79 groups of deep-sea fish, including two potentially new species.
The findings, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, provide an ecological baseline for the atolls from the sky and land to the deep sea, and highlight some of the most intact ecosystems remaining in the region, the researchers said.
Following the assessment, the Marshall Islands declared a marine sanctuary covering about 48,000 square kilometers around the two atolls, the country's first national marine sanctuary. ■