Overview
- A CSIRO‑led paper published Wednesday reports the aggregation may contain as many as 2.8 million basketwork eels and more than 3,500 metric tons of biomass based on surveys from 2023–2025.
- Researchers used hydroacoustics to map dense fish layers and matched that data to underwater camera footage to separate basketwork eels from co‑occurring orange roughy and estimate numbers.
- Caught eels had empty stomachs and many females carried advanced eggs, which supports the conclusion that the congregation is linked to reproduction and peaks in the southern autumn months.
- Patience Seamount lies within the Huon Marine Park and is covered by a management plan that restricts bottom trawling; surveys report early signs of ecological recovery such as returning corals and rebuilding orange roughy.
- Key questions remain about why this particular seamount draws such a vast, persistent aggregation and exactly where and when spawning takes place, making the site a high priority for long‑term monitoring because basketwork eels are vulnerable to bycatch and steep declines elsewhere.