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A giant starfish! (Pintaceraster gracilis)
A giant starfish! (Pintaceraster gracilis)

© all rights reserved
Cartier Island benthic coral community
Cartier Island benthic coral community

This image was taken as part of a photo transect on the reef at Cartier Island.

© courtesy AIMS - LTMP
Crab in a sponge
Crab in a sponge

Reefs are incredibly important habitats. They provide a hard surface to which benthic organisms such as corals, kelps and sponges can attach, and once these organisms establish they provide complex 3D structures which can alter the environment by influencing factors such as water flow and the amount of light reaching the seafloor. A healthy reef ecosystem can contain thousands of different species of fish and invertebrates which are well adapted to these unique conditions, and use these habitats for shelter, foraging and recruitment grounds. This crab in the Kimberley Marine Park has made it's home inside a sponge, where it was found hiding with a host of juveniles.

© courtesy CSIRO
Critters from the Kimberly Marine Park
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.

CC BY by CSIRO
Diver at Ashmore Reef
Diver at Ashmore Reef

Monitoring sites were surveyed along permanent transect lines, photographed at 1 metre intervals

CC BY NC ND by AIMS
Diverse Mesophotic Communities
Diverse Mesophotic Communities

Diverse benthic communities were observed in the mesophotic zone at Ashmore Reef, including a mix of colourful sponges, gorgonians and soft corals

CC BY by Schmidt Ocean Institute / AIMS
Flatback turtle
Flatback turtle

Flatback turtle (Natator depressus)

© courtesy Phillipa Wilson
Flatback turtle
Flatback turtle

Flatback turtle on an emergent reef

CC BY by AIMS
Flatback turtle with satellite tag
Flatback turtle with satellite tag

Flatback turtle with satellite tag

CC BY by AIMS
Great Spotted Cowrie
Great Spotted Cowrie

The great spotted cowrie – discovered for the first time in Western Australia during the Ashmore Reef Mesophotic voyage

CC BY by Schmidt Ocean Institute / AIMS
Habitat utilisation distributions of flatback turtles in the Kimberley marine region
Habitat utilisation distributions of flatback turtles in the Kimberley marine region

This map shows the home ranges of the 11 tracked flatback turtles during the inter-nesting period in waters off the Kimberley coast in northwest Australia. The coloured contours represent the 25, 50, 75 and 95 % habitat utilisation distributions of the turtles, and the Australian Marine Park boundaries are shown in black. For more information on about this image see Thums et al. 2017.

© courtesy Adapted from Thumbs et al. 2017
Istigobius decoratus
Istigobius decoratus

Istigobius decoratus, known as the Decorated Sandgoby is found on sand patches near reefs.

CC BY by Ian Shaw
Mesophotic Halimeda Beds
Mesophotic Halimeda Beds

Halimeda beds in the shallow mesophotic at Ashmore Reef. These habitats are home to a diverse array of marine species and contribute greatly to the diversity of the reef.

CC BY by Schmidt Ocean Institute / AIMS
Mesophotic Sponge Communities
Mesophotic Sponge Communities

Sponge communities in the mesophotic zone at Ashmore Reef Marine Park

CC BY by Schmidt Ocean Institute / AIMS
Neon Eviota at Ashmore Reef
Neon Eviota at Ashmore Reef

A wide diversity of tiny cryptic fishes are associated with lagoon bommies in the Coral Sea and at Ashmore Reef (NW Network), including the Neon Eviota (Eviota atriventris).

CC BY by Rick Stuart-Smith
North Ashmore Reef 2016
North Ashmore Reef 2016

The northern sites at Ashmore had some of the highest coral cover in 2016 and were dominated by tabulate, branching and foliose corals.

CC BY NC ND by AIMS
North Ashmore Reef 2017
North Ashmore Reef 2017

Communities at the northern sites at Ashmore Reef were worst affected by bleaching in 2016/17. Recently dead foliose corals were observed at this northern site in 2017.

CC BY NC ND by AIMS
Pleurosicya mossambica
Pleurosicya mossambica

Pleurosicya mossambica also known as the toothy goby or the Mozambique ghost goby is found on many substrates, including corals, sponges, giant clams and seaweeds, and can vary colour according to the substrate.

CC BY by Ian Shaw
Pretty in pink
Pretty in pink

A starfish, sponge and crinoid community in the Kimberley Marine Park.

CC BY by AIMS
Red emperor and gold band snapper in Ningaloo Marine Park
Red emperor and gold band snapper in Ningaloo Marine Park

Researchers captured stunning vision and measurements of fish species at the bottom of Ningaloo Reef in Ningaloo Marine Park using a stereo pair of baited remote underwater video systems, also known as ‘BRUVs’. 

© all rights reserved
Short Nosed Sea Snake
Short Nosed Sea Snake

The short-nosed sea snake, thought to be extinct in the Ashmore Reef region, was re-discovered during the voyage

CC BY by Schmidt Ocean Institute / AIMS
Soft coral and sponge community, Kimberly Marine Park
Soft coral and sponge community, Kimberly Marine Park

Soft coral and sponge community

CC BY NC SA by AIMS
Whale shark in the Ningaloo Marine Park
Whale shark in the Ningaloo Marine Park

This whale shark was photographed in the Ningaloo Marine Park off Western Australia. Whale sharks are the worlds biggest fish. The name whale shark arose because they are as big as a whale (recorded up to 18 metres) and also filter feed much like many whales. However, whale sharks breath via gills, and have cartilage instead of bone, which makes them a true shark. The Ningaloo Marine Park is a well known for the whale sharks that visit the region from the months of March to July each year. There is still a lot to learn about whalesharks and where they go when they are not at Ningaloo.

CC BY by Wayne Osborne