Key West, United States - December 02, 2024 Beneath the waves off the Florida Keys, towering underwater seamounts host thriving marine life, including the elusive Greater Amberjack (GAJ). But these deep, high-current habitats pose significant challenges for researchers from the MERR lab, a collaboration between FWRI and UF, who have been tracking GAJ movements and fidelity since 2015. Shark depredation is a constant threat, with predators targeting freshly tagged fish. To counter this, researchers use underwater cameras on descending devices to monitor conditions and detect nearby sharks. Adding to the complexity, the extreme depths of these seamounts lie beyond scuba limits, requiring the deployment of specialized acoustic receivers, which are operated remotely from the surface. Despite the hurdles, the effort has uncovered remarkable patterns of habitat use, not just for GAJ but for numerous species tracked through collaborative networks like iTAG and FACT. These findings shed light on the hidden lives of marine creatures in one of the ocean’s most challenging environments.