Acoustic Technologies –
Voyage of discovery: Searching in the deep seas of the southwest

The deep sea is considered to be the last frontier for discovery on our planet. New technologies such as multibeam acoustics, high-resolution video systems and robust collection equipment have enabled man to better understand this unchartered region. The Voyage of Discovery was a project to document biodiversity off the south west coast of Australia to depths of 1584 metres. This provided reliable information to the Australian Government for the establishment of a national network of marine protected areas to come to fruition by 2012. This survey found 2021 animal species including 396 species new to science. The specimens collected during this study are held in Museums throughout Australia, including our very own WA Museum.