Scientists 'fly' to study the Great Barrier Reef

ABC North Qld

Topic: Great Barrier Reef

Wednesday, 8 July 2026, 7:37am

Scientists have been dragging a rope underwater for 40 years to study the Great Barrier Reef.

Daniela Ceccarelli holds a rope with her hands up as she moves through the water, counting fish and coral.

Every two minutes, the boat stops so Dr Ceccarelli can write down what she sees with a special pencil.

Then she goes again, moving underwater in a special way called a 'manta tow'.

Dr Ceccarelli likes doing manta tows, which help check the health of the reef.

Manta tows help track big problems like coral bleaching and starfish that hurt the reef.

Sometimes Dr Ceccarelli gets to ride the waves while doing her job, which can be fun.

Dr Ceccarelli has seen many parts of the Great Barrier Reef from underwater.

She has seen the calm sides, the sandy areas, and the steep parts of the reef.

Manta tows have been done on the reef for 40 years to help understand it.

Sometimes Dr Ceccarelli swims with dolphins, whales, or other big sea animals.

One time, she saw an octopus punch a fish, which was very strange.

The data from these trips is 40 years old now.

These trips are part of a big program to study the reef and help keep it healthy.

The program has data from 490 parts of the Great Barrier Reef.

The team does these trips in all kinds of weather, even when the sea is rough.

They also do detailed checks of the reef using scuba gear to see what lives there.

Dr Ceccarelli has done about 3,000 of these manta tows in five years and thinks the program is very good.

Anyone can see the data from these trips on a special website.

The website has all the data from every manta tow, which helps track the reef's health.

Dr Ceccarelli is often asked about the reef, and now people can see the answers online.

The website is like a special tool that helps us understand the reef.

You can look at specific parts of the reef and see how they are doing.

The program helps us see if government plans are working.

The program started after a big problem with starfish on the reef.

The team leader, Mike Emslie, says the program was new and different when it started.

Mike Emslie thinks the program has proven itself many times.

He says it was a new idea to study the reef in such a big way.

Now, it's likely the longest program to study a coral reef in the world.

The program also includes detailed checks by scuba divers to see what lives on the reef.

The data helps us understand if government plans are good or not.

For example, the data showed that making some areas off-limits to fishing helped the reef.

The data also showed that the reef recovered well after a big bleaching event.

Without the data, we wouldn't know if the government's plans are working.

The program has shown its value many times.