A Greenpeace expedition to survey seamounts and other deep sea habitats has set off this week.

With two specialist marine scientists on board, Greenpeace is aiming to use remotely operated deep sea cameras to survey seamounts and other features in both New Zealand waters and the high seas of the South Pacific.

Speaking from on board the vessel, the Greenpeace expedition leader Ellie Hooper said many of these deep sea areas have not been studied before.

"We know that seamounts and other underwater hills, knolls and ridges are critical habitats for coral and sponges, as well as feeding and spawning grounds for other creatures further up the food chain. But we have big gaps in our knowledge," says Hooper.

"We’re heading out to the deep ocean to try and survey these vital habitats, some of which are threatened by bottom trawl fishing."

One of the sites the team plans to visit is the location where the New Zealand bottom trawler the Tasman Viking pulled up 37kg of deep sea coral in the Lord Howe Rise area, renowned for diverse marine life. The aim is to record the species at the site and document any damage.

Requests from Greenpeace for the coordinates of the coral encounter area were declined by the New Zealand Government due to ‘commercial sensitivity,’ with the location eventually released to the Expedition’s Lead Researcher by Australian officials.

Hooper has called the New Zealand government’s refusal to share the coordinates "ludicrous" and "a blatant example of the Luxon led government running interference for the fishing industry."

"We need more ocean research, not less. So often we have to rely on the bycatch that comes up in trawl nets to understand what lives in the deep sea, that’s why we’ve decided to conduct this work so we can better understand what’s out there.

"We want to add to our collective understanding of these deep sea ecosystems, about which so little is known, and to shine a light in the dark.

"This is a challenging mission, and like all deep sea work we’re at the mercy of the weather and the waves, but we’re committed to giving it a shot as part of our mission to protect the oceans better for the future."

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