Australia is surrounded by a network of 60 marine parks, and scientists are still making incredible discoveries about the wildlife that live in them.

A recent scientific expedition to the Beagle Marine Park in Bass Strait discovered thousands of Port Jackson Sharks - a species normally seen in shallow coastal waters - gathered on the seabed. What exactly they're doing is a mystery still to be solved.

In this episode we take a dive into the Beagle with expedition leader Dr Jacquomo Monk from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania and find out what makes this part of the ocean so special.

The Beagle expedition is supported by the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program and a grant of sea time from the Southern Coastal Research Vessel Fleet (SCRVF). The SCRVF is a partnership between the South Australian Research and Development Program and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, with funding from the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and support from the CSIRO Marine National Facility, to provide the marine research community with better access to coastal research vessels in Southern Australia. The survey is a collaboration between Parks Australia, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (University of Tasmania) and the University of Western Australia. 

Image: Port Jackson Sharks gathering on the sea bed of the Beagle Marine Park. NESP-IMAS.