Tuesday 13 August 2019

A research team from CSIRO and The University of Western Australia are heading off to Ningaloo Marine Park today to take a peek at deep-water fish communities and continental shelf habitats.

During their week-long trip, the team will deploy deep-water cameras at 200 sites across Ningaloo Marine Park. This survey technique, known as Baited Remote Underwater stereo-Videos or stereo-BRUVs, allows scientists to record footage of fish and habitats.

Back on deck, the team will analyse this footage to identify fish species and habitat types: they’re expecting to see beautiful corals, extensive sponge gardens, red emperors and gold band snapper. The team will also be counting the size and number of individuals at each site, data that will help us understand the structure of fish communities and how they differ between locations and depths.

Marine park managers will use the outputs from this project to develop their understanding of the park’s natural values and inform management. This research is funded by the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program – Marine Biodiversity Hub.