Year 11 and 12 Students Complete Marine Biology Course on Maria Island

The 11th annual Practical Introduction to Temperate Marine Biology course has wrapped up on Maria Island, giving 24 selected Year 11 and 12 students from across Australia a hands-on week of marine science with the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania.

Across the week, students surveyed fish assemblages, intertidal communities, zooplankton and sediment infauna, building real field skills while contributing to an 11-year biodiversity dataset from Maria Island.

This year’s group surveyed 6,015 m2 of reef, 10 litres of sediment and 18,000 litres of seawater over four days, recording an impressive 63,699 individual animals across 176 taxa. The next course will be held in April 2027 and is open to any Year 11 or 12 student from across Australia interested in studying marine biology.

#marinebiology #temperatemarine #fieldstudy #studentresearch #oceanscience