CSIRO Science Image

Gorgonians captured in the artificial light of CSIRO's remote operated vehicle on the seabed off far northern Queensland. An area 50 km offshore between the coast and the Great Barrier reef, known as the lagoon, hosts diverse gardens of marine life: soft corals, sponges, sea-whips and fish. A study by CSIRO Marine Research and the Queensland Department of Primary Industries found that prawn trawling in the region had a cumulative effect on this marine life, depending on trawling intensity and the capacity of individual species to recover between trawls.

Photographer : CSIRO Marine Research.

Libraries and tags

•  corals   fishing industries   marine   sponges   fish and shellfish   fisheries and aquaculture   marine life