Tasmania’s amazing deep-reef creatures feature in new research videos

Research into some of the fascinating deep-reef species found in the marine parks off Tasmania has been showcased in 2 short documentaries produced by the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and Parks Australia. 

Created as part of projects funded by the Australian Government’s Our Marine Parks Grants program, the videos look at research into handfish across multiple parks in the South-east Marine Park Network, and the black corals of Joe’s Reef in Freycinet Marine Park. 

More than a dozen species of handfish live in the oceans off southern Tasmania, and these quirky little fish are found almost nowhere else in the world. Although they can swim, they are more often observed ‘walking’ along the seafloor with hand-like fins. 

Black coral is an extremely slow-growing species of coral. The large specimens at Joe’s Reef are estimated to be hundreds of years old, and form part of the evidence base for the new National Park Zone that protects the reef. 

With both species found in deep water, the research has been made possible by advanced underwater robots equipped with high-resolution cameras and lights. 

Research projects like these provide the information needed to support evidence-based management of biodiversity and deep-reef habitats. Australian Marine Parks protect some of the most unique underwater environments on Earth. 

There are 60 marine parks managed by Parks Australia, covering about 3.8 million km2 of Australia’s oceans. 

Research partnerships are critical to helping Parks Australia better understand, manage and protect these ecosystems. 

The Our Marine Parks Grants program has so far invested $28.2 million in 91 projects.