Great Australian Bight Marine Biodiversity Expedition 2026

Date

17 April 2026 - 27 April 2026

Background

The Great Australian Bight Marine Biodiversity Expedition 2026 was a collaboration between Parks Australia and the South Australian Department for Environment and Water (DEW) investigating one of Australia’s most remote and least understood marine environments. Both marine park management agencies have been working together to improve the understanding of biodiversity, habitats and the ecological connectivity across their respective marine parks. With limited large-scale biodiversity inventories undertaken across the remote marine parks in the Bight, the expedition aimed to explore how species and habitats are connected across the broader region, providing important information to support future monitoring, conservation and collective marine park management.

Outcomes

During the two-week voyage aboard the MRV Ngerin, the expedition documented habitats and marine biodiversity within the Commonwealth Great Australian Bight Marine Park and South Australia's Far West Coast and Nuyts Archipelago marine parks.

Researchers completed 126 Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems (BRUVS) deployments and collected 56 environmental DNA (eDNA) samples, including along the Bunda Cliffs and Nuyts Reef Sanctuary Zones. These surveys will generate valuable new information on demersal fish assemblages, habitat condition and ecological connectivity across Commonwealth and State marine parks.

The expedition successfully tagged six white sharks in State waters using a combination of acoustic, satellite and fin-mounted tracking technologies and strengthened the regional monitoring network through the deployment and recovery of acoustic receivers.

Before departing Ceduna and heading offshore, Traditional Owners and Rangers from the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation had the opportunity to visit the MRV Ngerin and learn about the research program and discuss future opportunities for involvement in marine science and Sea Country monitoring.

For additional information, read the Department for Environment and Water's blog article on the expedition DEW's Blog article, visit the DEW website Department for Environment and Water and explore South Australia's network of marine parks Marine Parks | Enjoy life in our marine parks.

Acknowledgements

This project was funded by Parks Australia and led by the South Australian Department of Environment and Water. The expedition was made possible through sea time provided by the Southern Coastal Research Vessel Fleet (SCRVF), supported through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), and the expertise of The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), a division of the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA and crew aboard the MRV Ngerin). We also acknowledge the contributions of Flinders University, Deakin University and the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation Traditional Owners and Rangers.