"We'll attract what is swimming down there using tasty bait attached to the remote underwater video cameras (BRUVs), and use a towed sled to sample what doesn't move", says Cruise Leader Andrew Heyward, Australian Institute of Marine Science.

Cameras, which these days are capable of capturing very high resolution images that facilitate species-level identification yet cause minimal disturbance to the environment, play a key role in both seabed and fish sampling during the voyage.

Image - On deck, AIMS Cruise Leader Marcus Stower (foreground) with crew members Mike Walker and Wayne Flaherty, getting ready to deploy a BRUV (baited remote underwater video).

Image credits:  Jamie Colquhoun and Marcus Stowar, AIMS