Humans have explored less than 2% of the ocean floor, and dozens of new species of deep sea creatures are discovered with every dive. The submarine DSV Alvin—owned by the US Navy and operated by the Woods Hold Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts—exemplifies the type of craft used to explore deep water. This 16 ton submarine can withstand extreme pressure and is easily maneuverable despite its weight and size.However, studying deep sea creatures is problematic, since with the extreme change in pressure, and environment in general, these creatures can't survive for very long, if at all, on the surface. This makes in depth research difficult because so much of what we want to know about only occurs while the creature is alive. Recent developments have allowed scientists to look at these creatures more closely, and for a longer time. A marine biologist, Jeffery Drazen, has explored a solution, a pressurized fish trap. This captures a deep-water creature, and adjusts its internal pressure slowly to surface level as the creature is brought to the surface, in hopes that the creature can adjust. Another scientific team, from the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, has developed a capture device known as the PERISCOP that maintains water pressure as it surfaces, keeping the samples in a pressurized environment during the ascent. This allows for close study on the surface without disturbances in pressure to the sample.

DSV Alvin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_sea_creature#Deep_Sea_Research

Kaszanyi, Posted. "Huge thriving ecosystem from bottom of the ocean." Blue Line. n.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2012. http://blueline2011.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/huge-thriving-ecosystem-from-bottom-of-the-ocean/.