Deep ocean divers acting as citizen scientists have taken the first close-up look at stunning marine life on a deep granite reef in the Freycinet Commonwealth Marine Reserve off Bicheno, eastern Tasmania. Their footage shows an explosion of colourful sponges, gorgonian fans and other corals, clouds of butterfly perch, and large, tree-forming black corals that may be new to science. Researchers with the National Environmental Science Programme (NESP) Marine Biodiversity Hub mapped the 200-metre-long reef using multibeam sonar, and conducted surveys using an autonomous underwater vehicle in 2011.

Download the media release at the link below.

Resources

• Media release - "Citizen scientists film black corals at spectacular unexplored reef off Tasmania’s East Coast", Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (University of Tasmania), 25 August 2016
• Resources for media - images and video on Dropbox
• Video on Marine Hub YouTube channel - https://youtu.be/kgKgNgx4UP4
• Marine Hub research project - Evaluating and monitoring the status of marine biodiversity assets on the continental shelf
• Profiles - Neville Barrett (IMAS), Tasmanian Scuba Diving Club
• Australian Geographic "New to science" black corals filmed off Tasmania, 24 Aug 2016
• ABC News online “Deep sea divers provide first close up look at colourful reef off Tasmanian east coast” 25 Aug 2016