field guides to the shallow reef life of australian marine parks

Reef Life Survey provides standardised monitoring of shallow reef condition across the Australian Marine Park network, supporting comprehensive field guides for more than 2,000 reef species.

Australian marine parks

Australia has one of the world's largest marine protected area (MPA) networks, with almost half of its marine estate under protection.

The Australian Marine Parks network spans 59 marine parks, stretching from 3 nautical miles (5.5 km) offshore to the edge of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone. These parks protect some of Australia's richest and most diverse reef ecosystems.

Reef Life Survey (RLS) monitors more than 500 reef sites across the network, recording nearly 2,000 species of fishes, invertebrates and other reef life, along with hundreds of coral and macroalgal species.

These field guides draw on thousands of RLS surveys conducted across these reefs, providing a comprehensive guide to the remarkable biodiversity found within Australia's Marine Parks.

Field guides

Select a field guide from the lists below or click a marine park marker on the map to explore the diverse reef communities of Australia's Marine Parks.

fish + invertebrates

AUSTRALIAN MARINE PARKS WITH AVAILABLE FIELD GUIDES

Coral

North marine parks network

Arafura Marine Park Arnhem Marine Park Gulf of Carpentaria Marine Park Oceanic Shoals Marine Park Wessel Marine Park West Cape York Marine Park

Explore long-term trends in australian marine parks

Bringing decades of underwater changes in shallow reef condition in Australian Marine Parks to the surface.

EXPLORE TRENDS

LATEST IMAGES FROM OUR AMP SURVEYS

Glaucosoma hebraicum, Geographe Bay. Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith

Paristiopterus gallipavo, Geographe Bay. Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith

Geographe Bay. Photo by Rick Stuart-Smith.
Queenfish (Scomberoides lysan) cruising past divers. Photo: Meryl Larkin.
Transect along the reef. Photo: Meryl Larkin.

RLS site 'Cod Gardens'. Photo by Toni Cooper
RLS diver, Geographe Bay. Image: Rick Stuart-Smith

Blue devil (Paraplesiops meleagris), Geographe Bay. Image: Rick Stuart-Smith

RLS Diver; by Toni Cooper
Grey Reef Shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos. Photo by Yanir Seroussi.

Comet Wreck, Ashmore Reef. Photo by Yanir Seroussi.

Reef Scene East Diamond Islet, Coral Sea. Photo by Graham Edgar
Norfolk Island sunset. Image: Antonia Cooper

Moon wrasse (Thalassoma lutescens). Image: Antonia Cooper

Norfolk team; Maddie, Lizzi, Nat, Toni, and Graham
Grey nurse shark (Carcharius taurus), Cod Grounds. Image: Rick Stuart-Smith

RLS Diver, Pimpernel Rock. Image: Rick Stuart-Smith

Amphiprion perideraion, Rowley Shoals Mermaid Reef. Image: Graham Edgar
Female Pseudanthias squamipinnis, Coral Sea. Image: Andrew Green

Bobbing Booby, Coral Sea. Image: Andrew Green

Symphorichthys spilurus, Rowley Shoals, Mermaid Reef. Image: Graham Edgar
Caranx ignobilis, Fredrick Reef. Photo by Graham Edgar.

Tropical reefs in the Coral Sea
RLS Diver, Kenn Reef. Photo by Graham Edgar

Kenn Reef, Coral Sea. Photo by Graham Edgar

Sub-tropical reef, Norfolk Island. Image: Antonia Cooper
RLS Diver, Kenn Reef. Photo by Graham Edgar.

Epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum), Swain Reefs. Photo by GJE.

Lost chick, Bird Islet. Photo by GJE.