Scientific divers find richer marine life inside Madeira's Garajau reserve than outside

Scientific divers on the Madeira Ocean expedition surveyed two nearby sites at depths of 10 and 20 metres, one inside the Garajau nature reserve and one about a kilometre away with no protection. Inside, they recorded groupers, dogfish and a ray, while outside those species were absent and fewer species overall were seen on the seabed, which the team reads as ecological imbalance. Samples, photographs and records are being catalogued aboard the support ship Santa Maria Manuela, and the findings are meant to inform political decision-makers. The expedition, with over 100 scientists, runs until the end of October.