"The resiliency and health of the coral reefs with their biodiversity and endemism makes the reefs of Madagascar a high conservation priority," said Gerald R. Allen, a leading ichthyologist who conducted underwater fish surveys on the expedition.
Jean Maharavo of Madagascar's National Center for Environmental Research, who took part in both expeditions, noted that much of the island nation's marine biodiversity has yet to be studied.
"During each of these two expeditions, we discovered new fish and coral species," Maharavo said. "That shows the need to protect what's out there before we lose biodiversity that we never even knew existed."