Research on fishes of the Great Barrier Reef

Abstract

In spite of the amazing species richness and diversity, there has been relatively little research undertaken on fishes of the Great Barrier Reef. The majority of research published in the last 20 years on Great Barrier Reef fishes has been concerned with establishing diversity and species numbers, investigation of home range and territoriality phenomena in small species and reproductive/life history studies in relatively small, accessible species. Despite the comprehensiveness of some of the work undertaken, and a-part from some relatively recent work, the vast majority of the research undertaken to date is of a distinctively academic nature, of rather small relevance to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's planning and management needs.