Many marine protected areas often cover large expanses of deepwater habitat that are beyond
depths that are practical by other methods, such as SCUBA diver-based techniques (~<35 m).
Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) offer a robust, non-intrusive, video-based survey
approach to accessing these inherently difficult to survey environments. ROVs are a
relatively novel tool for biological monitoring, where they have primarily been used for
surveys along the coasts of North America and Europe. Studies around Australia have begun
much more recently, in 2014, with a total of only 4 studies having used this method. Once
properly evaluated and standardized, ROVs could be developed as a platform for robust
video-based surveys of biodiversity in deepwater habitats across temperate Australia and the
Southern Ocean.