March 11, 2015

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 11 March 2015

NERP Marine Biodiversity Hub scientists have been evaluating the benefits of no-take protection (ie no fishing) on deep reef systems of Tasmania’s wild southwest coast.  Working from the Australian Maritime College's flagship vessel Bluefin, they have just returned from Maatsuyker Island off southern Tasmania.  The team of scientists and support staff relied on an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to supply highly detailed imagery of the rocky reefs and sediments, together with an assessment of the marine animals that live in on the seafloor in these deep offshore systems.