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Scientific Correspondence

Nature 398, 116 (11 March 1999) | doi:10.1038/18142

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Are vent shrimps blinded by science?

Peter J. Herring1, Edward Gaten2 & Peter M. J. Shelton2

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The exploration of deep-sea hydrothermal vents has depended on the use of manned submersibles, which are invariably equipped with high-intensity floodlights. But the eyes of many deep-sea crustaceans, which are exquisitely adapted for the dim conditions at such depths, can suffer permanent retinal damage as a result1, 2, 3. We suggest that the use of floodlights has irretrievably damaged the eyes of many of the decapod shrimps (family Bresiliidae) that dominate the fauna at vents on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge4.