Critters from the Kimberly Marine Park

These are examples of different organisms that were sampled during a Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) trip to Lynher Bank, approximately 120 nauticle miles north of Broome. This area is an important foraging ground for the Flatback turtles, and the trip focused on collecting samples from the seaflooor and water column to determine what food is available to these protected species. Clockwise from the top left is a crab, fish, seapen, cuttlefish, feather star, crab, jellyfish, octopus and nudibranch. The chemical composition of these samples, and many others, will be tested and compared to that found in flatback turtle tissue to determine if the turtles are eating these organisms.