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Marine life

The world's most southern coral reef

Unique marine life contributed significantly towards the Island being listed as World Heritage. Here tropical and temporal marine species cohabit, where many are at their ecological limits and where endemism is high. These waters are pristine, relatively untouched with a long standing prohibition of nets, spear guns and other commercial forms of fishing.

The coral from Australia's most southerly fringing reef allows for a development of complex marine communities as it provides an abundance of both food and shelter (there are over 90 types). 490 species of fish, thirteen being endemic only to Lord Howe, Norfolk and Middleton Reef region, and many hundreds of invertebrates (urchins, starfish, crabs, snails, slugs and worms) have been recorded, a process carried out by two surveys.

In 1973 scientists working from the survey vessel El Torito carried out a marine survey, sponsored by a grant from the National Geographic Society. This month long research produced the results of 447 fish from 107 families in the surrounding waters. Neville Coleman's underwater photography in 1979 and 1980 added another 43 species to the list.

Most of the fish at Lord Howe are widely distributed in the Indian and West Pacific Ocean areas as well as the adjacent waters in eastern Australia. With approximately 75 per cent of tropical inshore species, and 15 per cent being temperate, the fish fauna is an amalgamation of tropical and temperate Australia. However this composition differs from one period to another as the periodic influx of cooler southern currents causes fluctuation in the water temperature; temperatures in the lower degrees limit the number of tropical species.

Fish common to the inshore Island waters:

  • Amphiprion maccullochi -McCullochs anemonefish, Anampses elegans - Elegant wrasse, Apogon norfolcensis - Norfolk cardinal fish, Goniistius ephippium - Painted morwong, Paraglyphidodon polycanthus - Spiny demoiselle, Parma polyepis - Sailorfish, Pseudolabrus luculentus - Parrotfish wrasse, Trachypoma macracanth - Pacific perch, Pterois volitans - Butterfly cod, Coris bulbifrons - The Double header, Thalassoma lunare - Moon wrasse, Chaetedon sp. - Butterfly fish, Lethrinus nebulosus - Spangled emperor, Coris picta - Comb wrasse, Thalassoma purpureum - Green blocked wrasse, Kyphosus sydneyanus - Silver drummer

Offshore Island Waters:

  • Seriola lalandii - Kingfish (local schools rather than migrants from Australia or NZ), Girellacyanea - Bluefish (main angling fish caught on Island waters but occasionally Trevally, Garfish, Salmon and Pearl Perch are taken.)
  • Game fish - Marlin, Wahoo, Tuna and "Greenbacks" (giant Kingfish).

See Snorkelling and Diving Lord Howe.