An exciting new discovery has been made off Tasmania’s coast which could double the estimated population of one of the world’s rarest fish.
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The red handfish (Thymichthys politus) is endemic to Tasmania’s coast and uses its fins as hands to wander along the seafloor.
A team of divers from the Institute for Marine and Antarctica Studies (IMAS) and citizen science project Reef Life Survey discovered the new estimated population of 20 to 40 individuals at an undisclosed site off Tasmania’s coast.
Only one other remaining population of between 20 and 40 individuals is known at Fredrick Henry Bay, off the south east coast of Tasmania.
IMAS scientist Dr Rick Stuart-Smith said Tasmania was a global hotspot for this family or rare and endangered species.
“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.
“We’ve already learned a lot from finding this second population because their habitat isn’t identical to that of the first population, so we can take some heart from knowing red handfish are not as critically dependent on that particular set of local conditions.”
Eight individuals in the group were identified, he said.
The seven divers were ready to head in when IMAS technical officer Antonia Cooper flicked algae away and discovering a red handfish.
They had been diving in the area for two days after a sighting was reported by a member of the public.
Covering the size of two tennis courts, the divers scoured the sea floor where the fish live.
“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,” Ms Cooper said.
“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’re yet to find, so it’s very exciting indeed.”
The Reef Life Survey, which Dr Stuart-Smith and Professor Graham Edgar founded in 2007, collects data on global marine life.
The survey work is supported by Australian Government funding.