SAMOA’S newly protected marine areas will be surveyed over four weeks by National Geographic Pristine Seas, as local and international scientists begin gathering data to support the Pacific nation’s plan to manage all of its waters sustainably.
The expedition, undertaken at the invitation of, and in partnership with, Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, will study reef, mid-ocean, and deepwater sites within new marine protected areas, as well as locations outside them, to understand ecological linkages and address broader data gaps.
Samoa’s Marine Spatial Plan provides a national framework for the sustainable management of 100 per cent of the country’s ocean.
The plan expands national marine protections through nine offshore marine protected areas and a formalised network of coastal community marine protected areas. Together, the areas protect 30% of Samoa’s ocean, approximately 36,000 square kilometres.
Prime Minister and Acting Minister for MNRE Laʻauli Leuatea Schmidt said the plan had brought Samoa’s Marine Spatial Plan into effect, but that effective ocean management required strong scientific information.
“This expedition responds directly to research priorities identified by Samoa and will strengthen our understanding of biodiversity within our new marine protected areas, as well as the ecological connections across our wider ocean,” Schmidt said.
“The findings will provide an important baseline for long-term monitoring and help guide effective implementation and management of our MSP.”
The plan was endorsed in 2025 after a multi-year consultation process involving government agencies, communities and other stakeholders. In April 2026, Schmidt signed the executive order bringing it into effect.
Samoa’s waters support up to 991 recorded fish species, about 2,000 species of sea snails and 200 species of coral. They also lie along important migration routes for endangered humpback whales and other threatened whale species, while endangered hawksbill sea turtles nest on Samoan beaches and breed in Samoan waters.
Many of the new marine protected areas have yet to be comprehensively studied. Pristine Seas will survey the offshore seamounts of the Toamoana marine protected area, deep reef slopes off northern Savaiʻi, and inshore areas around Upolu and Savaiʻi where scientific information remains limited.
Working aboard the research vessel Argo, the team will conduct SCUBA surveys, deploy deep-sea cameras for overnight footage, float video systems 10 meters below the surface and survey bird life above the waves.
Environmental DNA sampling will collect small bits of matter that can later be sequenced to identify organisms not always seen with cameras or the naked eye.
Scientists and partners from Samoa will also use Pristine Seas’ Argonauta submersible to observe the deep-sea “twilight zone,” a biodiversity frontier teeming with marine life. The submersible is outfitted with mud and water samplers, a nearly 360-degree underwater view and imaging sonar.
“Local communities have extensive knowledge of the waters we’ll research and are essential partners in designing this expedition,” said Tye Kindinger, scientific lead for Pristine Seas’ expedition to Samoa.
“MNRE is skillfully guiding our planning to ensure we focus our research on areas that have yet to be explored.”
Pristine Seas began its Global Expedition in 2023 with a mission to spend five years exploring the tropical Pacific and supporting communities and governments in their efforts to protect the ocean. Since then, the team has explored and studied the Southern Line Islands.
Pristine Seas filmmakers will capture footage for a documentary about Samoa’s marine biodiversity, including filming in communities and aboard the Argo.
The Samoa Voyaging Society’s traditional voyaging canoe will become a floating classroom, inspiring communities across Samoa to understand better and steward their land and ocean.
Samoa’s Ministry of Education and Culture and Pristine Seas are also working to extend ocean literacy into classrooms. In collaboration with The Pacific Community, educators and ministries of education from six countries co-created resources for national curricula, while attendees received training on environmental DNA analysis and toured the Argo. “By incorporating science into their Marine Spatial Planning implementation process, they are ensuring that the biodiversity they have protected is studied and understood to support future monitoring and management efforts, including strengthening of protection,” said Kevin Chand, Pristine Seas’ senior director of Pacific Ocean Policy.
