Hero fish may save reef

SCIENTISTS have discovered a masked superhero protecting the Great Barrier Reef: batfish.

The mild-mannered dusky batfish has emerged as the saviour of coral in distress from a weed infestation.
Research has led scientists to warn we still know dangerously little about the complex ecosystem that keeps the World Heritage-protected reef functioning.

Scientists at the Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in Townsville were doing experiments to simulate over-fishing on a coral reef when underwater cameras recorded batfish -- not known as a weed feeder -- decimating a choking overgrowth of sargassum weed.

Batfish are not a protected species and coastal mangrove areas where they spend their juvenile period are in decline.
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