INDUSTRY NEWS WORLD’S RAREST FISH FOUND OFF TASMANIA PHOTO CREDIT: ANTONIA COOPER VIA UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA
THINK DIFFERENT
Divers in Tasmania have found a new population of what is believed to be the world’s rarest fish. Known for walking on the seabed, red handfish (Thymichthys politus) were previously only found in a 50 metre by 20 metre long reef in Frederick Henry Bay near Hobart in south-east Tasmania, with a single population of just 20-40 of the species identified. Seven divers confirmed the second site – a nearby similar-sized reef – which is estimated to be home to the same number of fish. The divers from the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and the citizen-science project Reef Life Survey (RLS) spent two days searching the reef after a member of the public reported seeing a red handfish in the area. “We were diving for approximately three and a half hours and at about the two-hour mark we were all looking at each other thinking this is not looking promising,” IMAS Technical Officer Antonia Cooper said. “My dive partner went to tell the other divers that we were going to start heading in and I was half-heartedly flicking algae around when, lo and behold, I found a red handfish.” “Finding a new population that is definitely distinct from the existing one is very exciting. It means there’s potentially a bigger gene-pool, and also that there are potentially other populations out there that we’ve yet to find,” she added. Rick Stuart-Smith, a University of Tasmania researcher with the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, co-founded Reef Life Survey in 2007 with Professor Graham Edgar to collect data on global marine life. He said eight individuals in the new group were identified, and that this could offer hope that there might be other undiscovered populations out there. “Finding this second population is a huge relief as it effectively doubles how many we think are left on the planet,” Dr Stuart-Smith said. The future could be looking up for these odd little fish, as Stuart-Smith said researchers would “review the viability of a captive breeding programme for red handfish now that the known wild population was large enough to cope with the capture of a few breeding pairs.”
SeaKing touches down at Vobster Quay
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Inland dive site Vobster Quay in Somerset has a new attraction – a SeaKing helicopter fuselage from Vector Aerospace. The helicopter is now safely installed in the lake as the latest diving feature and lies at 24m, between the two wheelhouses. It’s also close to the caravan, yacht Poppy and the Crushing Works. Vobster’s Tim Clements said: “Thanks to the expertise of AJ Brunt Haulage, Rileys Cranes and the hardworking lads from 22 and 26 Engineers, the SeaKing made its final journey in spectacular style. “Where she is sitting, in among existing attractions, it will make an excellent excursion, linking these together. We’re sure it will offer plenty of opportunity for underwater photographers, photogrammers and the ‘plane’ curious. For the ‘spotters’, we will try to dig up a bit of history on this particular airframe – watch this space!”. www.vobster.com
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