Fish stocks off icy Heard Island bounced back when illegal fishing stopped and sustainable fishing continued

By Joel Williams, Research Associate in Marine Ecology, University of Tasmania
Nicole Hill, Research Fellow in Marine Ecology, University of Tasmania

In the middle of the Southern Indian Ocean lies a vast underwater volcanic ridge known as the Kerguelen Plateau. At its centre sits Australia’s most remote territory: Heard Island and McDonald Islands. These icy outposts about 4,100km southwest of Perth are home to Australia’s only active volcanoes.

These isolated islands are a biodiversity hotspot. Seals and penguins abound on rocky beaches. Underwater, seabed fish species have evolved antifreeze-like compounds in their blood to cope with near-freezing temperatures.

Isolation doesn’t mean protection. The discovery of many…

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