| TASMANIA |
| Tasmania
has approximately 5,400km of coastline, amounting to more coastline
per unit land area than any other state in Australia. No place in Tasmania
is more than 115km from the sea. This is more coast than Victoria and
New South Wales combined. |
| What's
it like? |
| Tasmania
exists under the vortex of ocean currents that have a profound effect
on the marine life of our state. The waters of the Leeuwin Current, the
Zeehan Current and the East Australian Current produce at various times
of the year widely divergent sea temperatures. |
| What
lives here? |
| Tasmania
has roughly 230 species of fish living in its coastal waters. They can
be found in such places as rocky reefs, sandy bottoms or sponge gardens.
Tasmania has a high degree of endemic marine biodiversity, with the spotted
handfish for example, being native to only the Derwent Estuary. |
| There
are eight bioregions represented in the coastal waters. Undersea mountains
exist not far south of mainland Tasmania. These places too, are unique
centres of biodiversity. Marine fauna include delicate basket stars and
sea dragons, rarely seen endemic handfish as well as dolphins, seal, fairy
penguins, great white sharks and migrating whales. |
