How we found the giant squid | Edith Widder

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

譯者: Ingrid Fan 審譯者: Coco Shen

The Kraken, a beast so terrifying

挪威海怪，一隻如此恐怖的生物

it was said to devour men and ships and whales,

據說它會吞食人、船隻和鯨魚

and so enormous it could be mistaken for an island.

巨大得足以讓人誤以為是一座島嶼

In assessing the merits of such tales,

在判斷這種傳說的真偽時

it's probably wise to keep in mind that old sailor's saw

最好謹記老水手所看見的

that the only difference between a fairytale and a sea story

童話故事和海洋傳說唯一的區別是

is a fairytale begins, "Once upon a time,"

童話故事開頭都是 「很久很久以前」

and a sea story begins, "This ain't no shit." (Laughter)

海洋傳說的開頭則是「這可不是開玩笑的」(笑聲)

Every fish that gets away

每一條逃脫的魚

grows with every telling of the tale.

都會隨著傳說的敘述次數而逐漸變大

Nevertheless, there are giants in the ocean,

儘管如此，大海裡仍有巨物

and we now have video proof,

如今我們有影片證明

as those of you that saw the Discovery Channel documentary are no doubt aware.

在地理探索頻道上看過這紀錄片的你們肯定知道

I was one of the three scientists on this expedition

這個去年夏天在日本開始的探險旅程

that took place last summer off Japan.

有三位科學家參加

I'm the short one.

我是照片中最矮的那位

The other two are Dr. Tsunemi Kubodera and Dr. Steve O'Shea.

其他兩位是窪寺恒己博士和史蒂夫歐謝亞博士

I owe my participation in this now-historic event

我能參與這項歷史性的事件

to TED.

多虧了TED

In 2010, there was a TED event called Mission Blue

在2010年，TED舉辦了一場叫做藍色使命的活動

held aboard the Lindblad Explorer in the Galapagos

在停靠加拉巴哥群島的林德布拉德探險號舉行

as part of the fulfillment of Sylvia Earle's TED wish.

作為達成西維亞艾爾TED願望的一部分

I spoke about a new way of exploring the ocean,

我提出探索大海的一個新方法

one that focuses on attracting animals instead of scaring them away.

其中一個重點在於吸引動物而非嚇跑牠們

Mike deGruy was also invited,

麥克德葛魯也受邀

and he spoke with great passion about his love of the ocean,

他激情滿懷地談論他對大海的熱愛

and he also talked to me about applying my approach

也跟我談論如何應用我提出的方法

to something he's been involved with for a very long time,

到他參與許久了的一個項目

which is the hunt for the giant squid.

也就是獵尋巨型烏賊

It was Mike that got me invited to the squid summit,

是麥克讓我受邀到烏賊研討會

a gathering of squid experts at the Discovery Channel

一個地理探索頻道的烏賊專家聚會

that summer during Shark Week. (Laughter)

是夏天鯊魚週其中的一個節目 (笑)

I gave a talk on unobtrusive viewing

我發表了一個有關無擾觀察

and optical luring of deep sea squid

和用光引誘深海烏賊的演講

in which I emphasized the importance

其中我強調了利用

of using quiet, unobtrusive platforms for exploration.

無聲、無擾的勘探平台的重要性

This came out of hundreds of dives I have made,

這個結論來自我幾百次潛水的經驗

farting around in the dark

利用這些平台

using these platforms,

在黑暗中四處觀察

and my impression that I saw more animals

印象中我從潛水器所看到的動物

working from the submersible

比從使用遠程遙控潛水艇

than I did with either of the remote-operated vehicles.

更多

But that could just be because the submersible has a wider field of view.

但也可能是因為潛水器有較廣的視角

But I also felt like I saw more animals

但我也覺得我從堤伯倫看到的動物

working with the Tiburon than the Ventana,

比從維塔娜看到的更多

two vehicles with the same field of view

這兩台潛水艇的視角一樣

but different propulsion systems.

但推進系統不同

So my suspicion was that it might have something to do with the amount of noise they make.

所以我懷疑可能跟他們所產生的噪音大小有關

So I set up a hydrophone on the bottom of the ocean,

因此我在海底安裝了一個水聽器

and I had each of these fly by at the same speed and distance

然後我讓每個潛水艇以同樣速度和距離經過

and recorded the sound they made.

並記錄他們產生的聲音

The Johnson Sea-Link -- (whirring noise) --

約翰生連海潛水艇的聲音 --（呼呼聲噪音）--

which you can probably just barely hear here,

你可能幾乎聽不到

uses electric thrusters -- very, very quiet.

它使用電動推進器 -- 非常、 非常的安靜

The Tiburon also uses electric powered thrusters.

堤伯倫也使用電動推進器

It's also pretty quiet, but a bit noisier. (Louder whirring noise)

也是相當安靜，但噪音稍微大一些 (稍大的呼呼聲噪音)

But most deep-diving ROVs these days use hydraulics

但現今能潛到最深的遠程遙控潛水艇大多使用的是水力推進器

and they sound like the Ventana. (Loud beeping noise)

它們的聲音跟維塔娜潛水艇一樣（大聲嗶嗶噪音）

I think that's got to be scaring a lot of animals away.

我想這樣的話會嚇跑很多動物

So for the deep sea squid hunt,

因此針對深海烏賊的獵尋

I proposed using an optical lure

我提議使用光誘

attached to a camera platform

安裝在一個相機平台

with no thrusters, no motors,

不用任何推進器、引擎

just a battery-powered camera,

就單純一個利用電池驅動的相機

and the only illumination coming from red light

唯一的紅光光源

that's invisible to most deep-sea animals

是大部分深海動物所看不見的

that are adapted to see primarily blue.

牠們習慣看到的是藍光

That's visible to our eye,

我們肉眼所能看見的紅光

but it's the equivalent of infrared in the deep sea.

在深海裡等於是紅外線

So this camera platform, which we called the Medusa,

這個我們稱為美杜莎的相機平台

could just be thrown off the back of the ship,

可以從船尾直接丟入水中

attached to a float at the surface with over 2,000 feet of line,

以2千英呎的繩索連接水面上的浮筒

it would just float around passively carried by the currents,

它被動地被隨水流漂浮

and the only light visible to the animals in the deep

深海動物唯一可見的光源

would be the blue light of the optical lure,

將會是光誘的藍光

which we called the electronic jellyfish, or e-jelly,

我們稱做「電子水母」的東西

because it was designed to imitate

這個設計是模仿

the bioluminescent display

常見的深海水母 (Atolla) 的

of the common deep sea jellyfish Atolla.

生物發光

Now, this pinwheel of light that the Atolla produces

Atolla 水母所發出的這種旋轉光

is known as a bioluminescent burglar alarm

被視為一種生物警報光

and is a form of defense.

也是一種防禦的形式

The reason that the electronic jellyfish worked as a lure

電子水母之所以可以當做誘餌

is not because giant squid eat jellyfish,

並不是因為巨型烏賊以水母為食

but it's because this jellyfish only resorts to producing this light

而是因為這類水母只會在被捕食者咀嚼的時候

when it's being chewed on by a predator

才會發出這種光

and its only hope for escape

作為他逃生的唯一希望

may be to attract the attention of a larger predator

可能可以吸引更大的補食者

that will attack its attacker

來攻擊水母的攻擊者

and thereby afford it an opportunity for escape.

提供水母一個逃生的機會

It's a scream for help, a last-ditch attempt for escape,

是一種救命的吶喊，逃生的最後一搏

and a common form of defense in the deep sea.

也是深海中常見的防禦形式

The approach worked.

這種方式奏效了

Whereas all previous expeditions had failed to garner

當以前所有的探索活動都沒能成功取得

a single video glimpse of the giant,

巨型烏賊的任何一個影像資料

we managed six, and the first triggered wild excitement.

我們拍到了六個，第一個就讓我們欣喜若狂

Edith Widder (on video): Oh my God. Oh my God! Are you kidding me?Other scientists: Oh ho ho! That's just hanging there.

伊迪斯威德 (影片中)：我的天。我的天啊! 你在開玩笑嗎? 其他科學家：哇哈哈! 他就在那裡!

EW: It was like it was teasing us, doing a kind of fan dance --

伊迪斯威德：它好像在戲弄我們，跳一種風扇舞 --

now you see me, now you don't --

你現在看得到我， 現在又看不到 --

and we had four such teasing appearances,

牠們這樣戲弄了我們四次後

and then on the fifth, it came in and totally wowed us.

第五次，牠終於靠近，震撼了我們

(Music) Narrator: (Speaking in Japanese)

(音樂) 旁白：(日語)

Scientists: Ooh. Bang! Oh my God! Whoa!

科學家：喔喔 砰! 我的天啊! 哇!

(Applause)

(掌聲)

EW: The full monty.

伊迪斯威德：十足震撼

What really wowed me about that

讓我真正震撼的是

was the way it came in up over the e-jelly

是它靠近電子水母的方式

and then attacked the enormous thing next to it,

然後攻擊旁邊的龐然大物

which I think it mistook for the predator on the e-jelly.

我想他應該誤以為是電子水母的捕食者

But even more incredible was the footage shot

但更令人難以置信的是

from the Triton submersible.

從提伯倫潛水艇所拍攝的影像

What was not mentioned in the Discovery documentary

地理探索紀錄片沒有提到

was that the bait squid that Dr. Kubodera used,

窪寺恒己博士使用的烏賊誘餌

a one-meter long diamondback squid

是一隻一公尺長的菱鰭烏賊

had a light attached to it, a squid jig

利用延繩釣漁夫使用的一種烏賊釣勾

of the type that longline fishermen use,

將光源接在它身上

and I think it was this light

我想就是這個光源

that brought the giant in.

把巨型烏賊吸引來的

Now, what you're seeing

現在你所看到的

is the intensified camera's view under red light,

是紅光源下的強化相機影像

and that's all Dr. Kubodera could see when the giant comes in here.

這就是窪寺恒己博士在巨型烏賊出現時所看到

And then he got so excited,

他興奮到

he turned on his flashlight because he wanted to see better,

把手電筒打開想看得更清楚

and the giant didn't run away,

結果巨型烏賊並沒有逃跑

so he risked turning on the white lights on the submersible,

所以他冒險把潛水艇的白光打開

bringing a creature of legend

把傳說中的怪物

from the misty history into high-resolution video.

從迷濛的歷史變成高清晰影像

It was absolutely breathtaking,

這實在令人驚奇不已

and had this animal had its feeding tentacles intact

要是這動物把牠的觸手完整

and fully extended,

完全伸展開來的話

it would have been as tall as a two-story house.

會跟兩層樓的房子一樣高

How could something that big

這樣一個生活在我們大海中的巨物

live in our ocean and yet remain unfilmed until now?

怎麼會到今天才拍攝到？

We've only explored about five percent of our ocean.

我們只探索了大海的百分之五左右

There are great discoveries yet to be made down there,

海底還有很多驚奇等著被發現

fantastic creatures representing millions of years of evolution

像是代表著數百萬年演化過程的奇妙生物

and possibly bioactive compounds

或是為人類帶來意想不到的好處的

that could benefit us in ways that we can't even yet imagine.

生物活性化合物

Yet we have spent only a tiny fraction

相較於太空探索花的錢

of the money on ocean exploration

海洋探索

that we've spent on space exploration.

只花了極少的錢

We need a NASA-like organization for ocean exploration,

海洋探索需要一個像NASA這樣的組織

because we need to be exploring and protecting

因為我們需要探索並保護

our life support systems here on Earth.

地球上的維生系統

We need — thank you. (Applause)

我們需要 -- 謝謝 (掌聲)

Exploration is the engine that drives innovation.

探索是推動創新的引擎

Innovation drives economic growth.

創新則推動經濟的成長

So let's all go exploring,

讓我們去探索吧

but let's do it in a way that doesn't scare the animals away,

但要用不嚇跑動物的方式

or, as Mike deGruy once said,

或者 如同 麥克麥克德葛魯說的

"If you want to get away from it all

「若你想要擺脫一切

and see something you've never seen,

去看見你從未看過的

or have an excellent chance of seeing something that no one's ever seen,

或是有絕佳的機會看到世人未曾看見的

get in a sub."

那就到潛水艇裡吧」

He should have been with us for this adventure.

他本該和我們一起進行這場冒險

We miss him.

我們懷念他

(Applause)

(掌聲)