The main objective of the cruise was to characterize and compare deep-sea benthic ecosystems across multiple Azores seamounts, specifically to (i) map benthic communities on Condor and Voador seamounts; (ii) identify new cold-water coral areas and potential Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs); (iii) compare fish communities in areas with and without corals; (iv) collect biological, geological, and seawater samples; and (v) conduct multibeam bathymetric surveys. Despite significant technical failures with the ROV that forced changes to the mission plan, the cruise obtained valuable data in three distinct areas, contributing to the understanding of the distribution and status of these deep-sea ecosystems in the Azores region.

The CORALFISH 2010 cruise was a partnership between IMAR/DOP of the University of the Azores and other national partners, under the projects CoralFISH (FP7), CONDOR (EEA), CORAZON (FCT) and Hermione (FP7). The expedition aimed to explore the Condor and Voador seamounts and the Açores Bank, using the ROV Luso aboard the NRP Almirante Gago Coutinho, to map cold-water coral ecosystems and characterize benthic communities.