The Coral Sea frontier

Voyage Number

IN2025_V06

Voyage Dates

10 Oct, 2025 to 14 Nov, 2025

Voyage Location

Brisbane to Brisbane

Chief Scientist

Dr William White

Institution

CSIRO

View the full voyage

Voyage summary

RV Investigator will undertake a 36-day research voyage to the Coral Sea to investigate benthic (on or near the seafloor) marine life in the southern and eastern areas of the Coral Sea Marine Park.

The Coral Sea Marine Park is the largest marine park in Australian waters, covering 989,836 km2 and reaching depths of 6000 metres. The marine park is managed by Parks Australia and protects 34 vast reef areas, and 67 cays and islets.

Researchers will focus their surveys on two of the three key ecological features of the marine park: the reefs of the Marion Plateau and the Tasmantid Seamount Chain. This will be the first modern deep-water investigation of marine life found on the extinct volcanic peaks of the northern Tasmantid Seamount Chain, which rise over 3000 m from the seafloor, and the offshore Kenn Plateau. This research will be critical for understanding of regional biodiversity and natural values of the Coral Sea, helping to inform management of the marine park by Parks Australia.

The voyage has a strong focus on education, outreach and engagement with public audiences, and support for these activities is being provided by Bush Blitz and The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census.

There are 3 other projects on the voyage:

• A deep dive into chemosynthesis: how do microbes sustain current and future oceans? (Francesco Ricci, Monash University): profiling seawater microbial composition.
• Dropline survey of seamounts in the Coral Sea Marine Park (Will White, CSIRO): collecting crucial biodiversity data for large, active fish species in the Special Purpose Zones where commercial fishing can occur.
• Developing Jonathan: on-vessel Automated Seabird Detector (Carlie Devine and Rich Little, CSIRO): seabird counts using an automatic on-vessel seabird detector.

This voyage has 38 science participants from 12 institutions and 23 ship crew from Cyan Renewables. There are two Indigenous students on the voyage under the Indigenous Time at Sea Scholarship (ITSS).

Voyage outcomes

This voyage has delivered critical baseline data on biodiversity and seafloor habitats in the Coral Sea, one of Australia’s least understood marine regions. During the voyage, 61 sites were successfully surveyed, exceeding the planned 55 sites, generating an extensive dataset spanning depths of 200–3600 metres. The voyage completed the first complete mapping of the Mellish Seamount and discovered a complex canyon system on the Marion Plateau, significantly improving bathymetric and habitat data for the Coral Sea Marine Park. 

Over 6,000 fishes and more than 80,000 invertebrates were collected during the voyage, along with thousands of voucher specimens. More than 120 species of fish and invertebrates have been identified as new to science, and this number is likely to grow over time. These and other voyage data will provide important insights into the marine life and ecosystems of the Coral Sea Marine Park, Australia's largest marine park. By co-designing outputs with Parks Australia, manager of the Coral Sea Marine Park, the work ensures immediate relevance for management, enabling evidence-based decisions on fishing, conservation, and responses to climate change.

Beyond management, the project strengthens Australia’s scientific capability by advancing marine taxonomy and biodiversity knowledge, and increases public awareness of the value of our marine estate. Outcomes from the voyage have also captured the imagination of the public through discovery of diverse species and habitats, including revealing a previously unknown and pristine mesophotic coral ecosystem on Mellish Seamount. Overall, the voyage provides the knowledge foundation needed to protect marine ecosystems while supporting sustainable use for the benefit of the nation.