“…Deep-sea sponges are found globally in a range of settings, such as fjords, continental shelf edges/slopes, mid-ocean ridges, and seamounts (Cárdenas and Rapp, 2015;Roberts et al, 2018;Kazanidis et al, 2019;Meyer et al, 2020). They also occur across a wide depth range, through the mesopelagic and bathyal zones and even at abyssal and hadal depths (Vacelet, 2007;Hestetun et al, 2019). The numerous known sponge-dominated communities spread throughout the North Atlantic Ocean include boreo-Arctic astrophorid grounds (Klitgaard and Tendal, 2004;Murillo et al, 2012;Cárdenas et al, 2013;Knudby et al, 2013;Roberts et al, 2018): multispecific assemblages of large astrophorid species and/or glass sponges (Hexactinellida), which are often further classified as either boreal (e.g., off the Faroe Islands, Norway, South of Iceland, the Labrador and Newfoundland shelves, and parts of Davis Strait) or cold-water grounds (e.g., north of Iceland, the Denmark Strait, off East Greenland, and north of Svalbard).…”