“It is estimated that Norway’s submarine canyons cover an area of around 17,000 square kilometres,” Harris says. “While this is less than one per cent of the total area of the Norwegian exclusive economic zone, these submarine canyon habitats are very special places."

“While Norway has good marine management, there are currently no canyons within marine sanctuaries.”

Submarine canyons are important features and nearly 10,000 large canyons are estimated to exist around the world.

"Some submarine canyons are larger than the Grand Canyon in the United States,” says Miles Macmillan-Lawler, the other co-author from GRID-Arendal. “They may be out of view but recent studies have increased our understanding of just how important they are.”

The study of canyons has shown that many are rich in nutrients, which makes them feeding grounds for fish, whales and dolphins. And where there are fish, there are humans fishing so canyon environments contribute to the maritime economies of many countries. In turn, human activities affect canyons’ overall ecological condition.

Besides fishing, other pressures from human activities include litter, dumping of land-based mine tailings and oil and gas extraction. The effects of climate change may modify the intensity of currents within canyons, which is predicted to affect the structure and function of canyon communities as well as the food supply to the deep-ocean ecosystem.