Overview

• Underwater video from 36 sites in the 2022–23 season documented anchor chains scouring the seafloor and crushing sponge colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia Island.
• At least 195 tourism, research and fishing vessels dropped anchor in waters shallower than 82.5 meters last season with visitor numbers forecast to reach 452,000 by 2033–34.
• Slow-growing benthic organisms such as giant volcano sponges that may live up to 15,000 years could require decades to recover from anchor damage.
• The Antarctic Treaty System currently imposes no binding restrictions on ship anchoring, leaving protections to voluntary industry compliance.
• Researchers suggest wider use of dynamic positioning, designated anchoring zones and permanent moorings to reduce seabed disruption.