They spent eight years studying the seafloor in the Heard Island and McDonald Island Marine Reserve in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean, south-west of Australia.

Scientists found it in an almost completely pristine condition.

The cameras show 98 per cent of sensitive seafloor biodiversity remains pristine after 16 years of commercial fishing. 

Researchers developed the study to investigate the potential impacts of trawling and longlining for Patagonian toothfish in the Australian Fishing Zone.

Read the full story at the Australian Broadcasting Corp.>>

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