Ecological Importance and Conservation
The flora and fauna are considered similar to other southern Antarctic marine regions. Particularly in Summer, the nutrient-rich sea water supports an abundant planktonic life in turn providing food for larger species, such as fish, seals, whales, and sea- and shore-birds.
The coastal parts of the sea contain a number of rookeries of Adélie and Emperor penguins, which have been observed at a number of places around the Ross Sea, both towards the coast and outwards in open sea.
The Ross Sea is one of the last stretches of seas on Earth that remains relatively unaffected by human activities. Because of this, it is remains almost totally free from pollution, overfishing and the introduction of invasive species. Consequently, the Ross Sea has become a focus of numerous environmentalist groups who have campaigned to make the area a world marine reserve, citing the rare opportunity to protect the Ross Sea from a growing number of threats and destruction. The Ross Sea is regarded by marine biologists as having a very high biological diversity and as such has a long history of human exploration and scientific research.
In October 2012, Philippa Ross, James Ross' great, great, great granddaughter, voiced her opposition to a New Zealand proposal to expand fishing in the area. New Zealand says it is protecting its toothfish industry, while the United States wants more restrictions on fishing so it can conduct scientific research. Ms Ross lives in New Zealand's Northland region.
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