“Forests” of red coral have been filmed for the first time off Fiordland’s coast, thrilling researchers.
The footage was captured by researchers from Victoria University of Wellington, who said the communities of protected red coral had not previously been seen in such large numbers. They said tens of thousands of corals were seen.
The research team used a remotely operated vehicle to capture the footage at depths greater than 100 metres. It showed the bright red coral scattered across the rocks with other marine life swimming and crawling around it.
The species discovered is Errina novaezelandiae, more commonly known as red coral, and is not actually a true coral — instead, it is a related animal called hydrocoral.
Researchers discovered the forests while working on a project to map and explore marine life in Fiordland’s deep waters.
“We were filming at depths of 80 to 130 metres and found amazing marine communities. The most incredible find — unlike anything we have seen elsewhere — was about 4 kilometres north of the entrance to Doubtful Sound/Patea,” Professor James Bell, a marine biologist at the university, said.
“On the ocean floor, we saw forests of bright red coral.
“We’ve been exploring these deep reefs in Fiordland for many years, but we’re rarely able to work on the open coast outside the fiords because of the weather. On our most recent trip in January, the weather was finally on our side.”
Bell said researchers had never seen communities like those filmed off the open coast outside Doubtful Sound/Patea.
“In other parts of the country, we usually find reefs at these depths are dominated by sponges. In this area off the Fiordland coast, red corals dominated,” he said.
“The water was also incredibly clear down at 100 metres, and we could see the reef from a distance of about 30 to 40 metres,” he said.
Red corals are known to live in some places around the fiords and are associated with sheltered fiord conditions. What set the most recent discovery apart was its massive size.
Bell said coral forests like the ones filmed played a “key role” in maintaining habitat diversity and supported fish and crayfish species.
“Filming the animals that live on these deep-water reefs provides us with more information about the extraordinary biodiversity in our seas.
“This information is crucial to decisions about the use and protection of our marine environment. While much of Fiordland’s inland waters are protected, this is not the case for the open coast. In fact, most deep-water reefs around Aotearoa are not protected in marine reserves,” he said.
DOC senior science adviser Lyndsey Holland called the discovery a “breakthrough” in the research of coral in the area.
“Our understanding of protected coral distribution in Fiordland is dominated by black corals. Other protected corals in the area haven’t been studied as extensively, so this finding is a breakthrough.
“We do know that New Zealand boasts a diverse array of cold-water corals offshore, so this discovery validates the need to survey and monitor Fiordland corals so we can best protect them.”