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ISRA FACTSHEETS

AUSTRALIA AND SOUTHEAST INDIAN OCEAN

ISRA FACTSHEETS

AUSTRALIA AND SOUTHEAST INDIAN OCEAN

Beva Reef ISRA

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Beva Reef ISRA

Beva Reef

Summary

Beva Reef is located in the Coral Sea, Queensland, Australia. It is situated east of the outer reefs of Torres Strait between Ashmore and Boots Reefs. The area is on top of an extinct underwater volcano and is characterised by coral reefs and steep outer walls. It is influenced by strong tidal currents, seasonal wind regimes, and surrounding water mass interactions between the Coral Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria. The area overlaps with the Coral Sea Marine Park. Within this area there are: threatened species and undefined aggregations (Silvertip Shark Carcharhinus albimarginatus).

Beva Reef

Beva Reef

DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT

Beva Reef is located in the Coral Sea, Queensland, Australia. It is situated 25 nautical miles east of the outer reefs of Torres Strait between Ashmore and Boots reefs. The area is on top of an extinct underwater volcano and is characterised by coral reefs and steep outer walls, dropping to >500 m depth within a few hundred metres (Hoey et al. 2024).

The area is influenced by strong tidal currents, seasonal wind regimes, and surrounding water mass interactions between the Coral Sea and Gulf of Carpentaria (Wolanski et al. 2013). North-westerly monsoon winds in the austral summer and south-easterly trade winds in winter drive low-frequency circulation (Church et al. 1988). The area is also influenced by seasonal upwelling when the poleward boundary current along the shelf is weakened or reversed by eddies forming in the Gulf of Papua (Condie & Dunn 2006).

Beva Reef overlaps with the Coral Sea Marine Park – National Park Zone (Parks Australia 2025).

This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthic and pelagic and is delineated from surface waters (0 m) to 118 m based on the bathymetry of the area.

CRITERION A

VULNERABILITY

One Qualifying Species considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species regularly occurs in the area. This is the Vulnerable Silvertip Shark (Rigby et al. 2024).

CRITERION C

SUB-CRITERION C5 – UNDEFINED AGGREGATIONS

Beva Reef is an important aggregation area for one shark species.

Between 2023–2025, four recreational dive trips per year were conducted in the area during April, November, and December, with five dives completed in the area on each trip (20 dives per year; P Cogollos unpubl. data 2025). Scattered aggregations of 3–5 Silvertip Sharks were observed on 100% of the dives within the area by dive guides collecting opportunistic data during dives (iNaturalist 2025; P Cogollos unpubl. data 2025). All sighting records were of aggregations with sharks estimated to be 150–200 cm total length (TL; P Cogollos unpubl. data 2025). Size-at-maturity is 160–200 cm TL (Ebert et al. 2021), indicating that Silvertip Sharks observed were mainly adults. Due to the remoteness of the area, the available observations are limited, however, the dive site at this reef is known by the name of ‘Silvertip’ due to the regular and predictable presence of the species in the area. Although Silvertips Sharks are also observed on adjacent reefs, aggregations are most common at this dive site.

Silvertip Sharks typically form loose aggregations around seamounts or reef channels involving relatively few individuals or spatially dispersed individuals. Aggregations in the Pacific Ocean are typically formed by smaller groups than in the Indian Ocean, generally ranging from three to ten individuals, as reported in French Polynesia and Vanuatu (Jabado et al. 2023, 2024). Within this regional context, Beva Reef holds important small aggregations which are sighted on 100% of dives. Further information is needed to confirm the nature and function of these aggregations.

Beva Reef

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