Huon Marine Park lies off the south-east corner of Tasmania on the continental shelf, slope and abyssal plain. Huon Marine Park wholly includes the Tasman Seamounts Marine Reserve, proclaimed in 1999, which contains a cluster of seamounts rising from abyssal depths to between 2000 and 1000 metres below the sea surface. This network of seamounts is amongst Australia's largest cluster of these majestic underwater mountains, and they are believed to support many endemic species unique to individual seamounts. The biodiverse benthic communities include extensive thickets of stony corals, an array of sponges and hydroids and 2 metre tall bamboo corals believed to be over 370 years old. The area is also important habitat for the white shark, and a spawning or nursery areas for many species of important commercial fish, including ocean perch and blue warehou.
Video
In April 2015 the Marine National Facility research vessel Investigator headed south to the Huon Marine Park to test benthic sampling equipment and map deep water regions of the Marine Park. The vast province of submerged volcanos within the Huon Marine Park are shown here in this short video.
Research
These short articles highlight the findings from ongoing scientific research within the Huon Marine Park, including exciting new discoveries and ideas for future projects.
Small and/or camouflaged fish species hidden on or near the reef surface are commonly referred to as ‘cryptic’ or ‘cryptobenthic’ fishes. These species are characteristically difficult to see but are diverse and abundant throughout Australian Marine Parks and may play an important role in supporting the larger predatory fish species protected within park boundaries.
A collaborative research voyage on the state-of the-art research vessel RV Investigator in 2018 explored Tasmania’s hidden seamounts (under-sea mountains). Extensive areas of deep-sea coral reefs supporting diverse communities were surveyed, mostly between 700 and 1500 metres below the sea surface. These seamount reefs represent a globally significant reference site to monitor recovery of deep-sea coral communities following the impacts sustained from bottom trawling in the 1990’s. We now better understand the biodiversity and distribution of these vulnerable ecosystems and their ability to recover from impacts such as a bottom trawling.
Over the last decade scientists at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) have been using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to conduct photographic surveys of seafloor (benthic) communities in Australian Marine Parks (AMPs) across the South-east Marine Parks Network (the SE Network). This project used this imagery to provide the first description of the biological communities across these marine parks and how they have changed over time.
Parks Australia manage 60 Australian Marine Parks, many of which include shallow reefs. These reef habitats are hugely diverse, and include tropical reefs dominated by hard corals; current-swept offshore bommies covered in sea whips, sea fans and soft corals; temperate rocky reefs with sea urchin barrens or low lying colourful seaweeds; and deeper rocky reefs with sessile invertebrates and large black coral trees.
Huon Marine Park displays multiple levels of seabed habitats from the large cluster of seamounts on the continental slope to low profile reefs and sediment plains on the continental shelf.
In Autumn 2019, the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Science (IMAS) completed a two-week continuous multibeam mapping program in shelf waters of the Freycinet, Huon and Tasman Fracture Marine Parks to extend current knowledge of habitat distribution in these parks. In addition, several areas outside the park were mapped to provide external reference areas for the Tasman Fracture Marine Park. This mapping will underpin future biological inventory and monitoring programs.
How does bottom trawling impact deep-sea communities
Natural values
Our marine parks have a number of different values, including natural, cultural, heritage and socio-economic values. The natural values of our marine parks refer to the habitats, species and ecological communities within them, and the processes that support their connectivity, productivity and function. Below are the key datasets that help inform park managers about the natural values that exist within our network of Australian Marine Parks. For more information on other park values refer to the relevant park Management Plans on the Parks Australia website.
See which wetlands of international significance are protected by Australian Marine Parks.
Maps
The information provided by these datasets was integral in the planning and development of our national network of marine parks. Learn in detail about how scientists and marine park planners used these important marine features together to design Australia's network of marine parks, or explore the datasets for the Huon Marine Park individually through the links below.
See which areas of Australia's marine environments have been World Heritage listed.
Latest maps
Since the initial planning of the Australian Marine Parks Network in 2012, new mapping data has emerged that allows us to see in finer detail the features that exist within our parks. These datasets help marine managers to understand more about what's under the surface, where there are overlaying management or protection regimes, and/or where pressures on the marine environment may be increasing.
Thresher, R, Althaus, F, Adkins, J, Gowlett-Holmes, K, Alderslade, P, Dowdney, J, Cho, W, Gagnon, A, Staples, D, McEnnulty, F and Williams, A. (2014).
Strong depth-related zonation of megabenthos on a rocky continental margin (? 700-4000 m) off southern Tasmania, Australia..
Pethybridge, H. R, Nichols, P. D, Virtue, P and Jackson, G. D. (2013).
The foraging ecology of an oceanic squid, Todarodes filippovae: the use of signature lipid profiling to monitor ecosystem change.
Alderman, R, Gales, R, Tuck, G. N and Lebreton, J. D. (2012).
Global population status of shy albatross and an assessment of colony-specific trends and drivers.
TOP