IMAS researchers exploring Beagle Marine Park come across shark sleepover
Returning to the seabed off northern Flinders Island, researchers have found that the Beagle Marine Park remains a girls-only shark slumber party – no boys allowed.
Tasmania
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Marine researchers returning to the seabed off northern Flinders Island after a six-year absence have found the Beagle Marine Park is a girls-only shark slumber party – no boys allowed.
The mysterious gathering of Port Jackson sharks was captured by an underwater robot, known as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), being ‘flown’ above the sea floor from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) research vessel MRV Ngerin.
A team of IMAS researchers, including Voyage leader and senior IMAS research fellow Dr Jacquomo Monk, were on board the vessel and were hoping to catch the sharks on camera again after the research vessel’s visit six years prior.
“We came across the group on our last visit and were in awe of the imagery we captured,” he said.
“The team that ventured out all said ‘how amazing would it be if they were there?’
“When the ROV finally reached the seabed and had searched around for a while, we stumbled across them in the hundreds and thousands just snoozing on the sea floor.”
Port Jackson sharks grow to 1.65m in length and are found across southern Australia.
However, Dr Monk said scientists were stumped as the sharks appeared to be only female, indicating the area was important for the species.
“This poses more questions than answers for us, but we know that the males and females of this species often live apart, unless mating when they travel up to coastal Victoria and New South Wales areas,” he said.
“We don’t know exactly why the females are here, but we think it may have to do with the large populations of squid and cuttlefish in the area that the sharks normally feast on.”
The ROV footage that captured the shark slumber party is part of a long-term surveillance of Beagle Marine Park to identify and monitor the different species populations in the area that sits 60 to 80m below sea level.
“Research and data collection is only in the early stages,” Dr Monk said.
“We may have collected some photos and footage, but this will be what we trawl over for months to identify species of fish, coral and other sea mammals and analyse their behaviour and population numbers.”
The ROV camera, which moves autonomously in the water, has already had a run-in with a dwarf minke whale, who was filmed following the camera and investigating its appearance.
A more disappointing find for researchers has been the sponge bleaching in the marine park and the spread of the long-spined sea urchin, both caused by marine heatwaves.
“This is part of a bigger project to monitor the health of all of Australia’s 60 marine parks, but we are reliant on funding to continue our work.”
MRV Ngerin will return to Beauty Point on Sunday, August 18.
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