Scientists say a reef discovered off the coast of Victoria rivals the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef.(below).
A
remote-controlled vehicle was sent to depths of 100 metres by Parks Victoria to
explore deep sea life in Wilsons Promontory National Park and what they
discovered blew them away.
The $120,000
vehicle found fish species not usually found in Victoria, such as the Jackass
Morwong, Australian barracuda and longsnout boarfish.
Parks
Victoria marine science manager Steffan Howe told the ABC the extent and
abundance of spectacular sponge gardens and corals was a particularly exciting
find and that discoveries exceeded scientists'
expectations.
Dr Howe said
the reef habitats were teeming with life and home to abundant marine ecosystems
comparable to Australia's better-known tropical reef
areas.
He said the
discovery of coral reefs and fish species followed previous research mapping the
park's sea floor.
'The maps
identified some amazing underwater structures very deep beneath the ocean, but
we did not know what sort of marine life was there,' he
said.
'These latest
expeditions used cutting-edge technology, including underwater video cameras and
a robotic vehicle to record the spectacular marine life found in many of the
deeper areas of the park for the first time.'
With many thanks to Sky News
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