Coral Sea Frontier expedition
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Leader | Will White (chief scientist) |
| Start | October 2025 |
| End | November 2025 |
| Goal | Deep-sea biodiversity assessment of the Coral Sea Marine Park |
| Achievements | Identification of more than 110 species new to science; first complete mapping of the Mellish Seamount |
The Coral Sea Frontier expedition (voyage IN2025_V06) was a 35-day deep-sea research voyage conducted aboard the CSIRO research vessel RV Investigator in the Coral Sea Marine Park off the coast of Queensland, Australia, in late 2025. The voyage, led by chief scientist and shark taxonomist Will White, surveyed benthic marine life at depths of 200 to 3,000 metres and led to the identification of more than 110 fish and invertebrate species new to science, announced in April 2026.[1][2]
Background
The Coral Sea Marine Park is the largest marine park in Australian waters, covering 989,836 square kilometres and reaching depths of 6,000 metres. It protects 34 reef areas and 67 cays and islets, and is managed by Parks Australia. Much of its deep-water environment had never been systematically surveyed before the voyage.[3]
The expedition was a collaboration between CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, and The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census programme, with participants from institutions including the Australian Museum and James Cook University.[2][4]
Voyage
RV Investigator departed Brisbane in October 2025 and travelled as far as Mellish Reef, approximately 1,000 kilometres off the Queensland coast.[2] Researchers focused on two key ecological features of the marine park: the reefs of the Marion Plateau and the Tasmantid Seamount Chain. The voyage included the first modern deep-water investigation of marine life on the extinct volcanic peaks of the northern Tasmantid Seamount Chain, which rise more than 3,000 metres from the seafloor, and the offshore Kenn Plateau.[3]
The science team used a newly developed deep-towed underwater camera platform to observe seafloor habitats, capturing footage of a rarely seen deepwater sand tiger shark, a relative of the grey nurse shark.[4] The voyage also completed the first complete bathymetric mapping of the Mellish Seamount, an underwater mountain taller than Mount Kosciuszko, and discovered a previously unknown complex canyon system on the Marion Plateau.[3]
Findings
In April 2026, CSIRO and Ocean Census announced that taxonomists working through the collected specimens had identified more than 110 fish and invertebrate species new to science, a figure expected to exceed 200 as further cryptic species are distinguished.[1] The identifications were made during a series of taxonomy workshops held around Australia, combining morphological analysis with DNA sequencing.[2]
Chief scientist Will White identified four new chondrichthyan species during the workshops: two rays in the genera Dipturus and Urolophus, a deepwater catshark in the genus Apristurus, and a chimaera in the genus Chimaera.[2] New invertebrates, including jellyfish, sponges and polychaete worms, were recorded from deep waters adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef and from remote seamounts.[1]
Specimens from the voyage were deposited in collections across Australia, including state museums and the CSIRO Australian National Fish Collection, to support future taxonomic description, a process that can take many years per species.[4][5]
Significance
The findings substantially improved bathymetric and habitat data for the Coral Sea Marine Park and were described by researchers as crucial for protecting Australian marine biodiversity.[3] Ocean Census head of science Michelle Taylor said the workshops helped close global gaps in knowledge about undocumented marine life.[4]
References
- 1 2 3 "More than 110 new species from the Coral Sea revealed". CSIRO. 1 April 2026. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "More than 110 new species from the Coral Sea Discovered". Ocean Census. 2 April 2026. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "The Coral Sea frontier". CSIRO. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "'Incredible discoveries': CSIRO reveals 110+ new species in Coral Sea". Cape York Weekly. 8 April 2026. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ "Revealing deep-sea life: memorable new species discovered by RV Investigator". CSIRO. April 2026. Retrieved 30 July 2026.