“It is really amazing to see this number of sharks and diversity of fish,” he added.

“Our cameras recorded nearly 12,000 individual animals, from 64 species.”

The cameras were attached to a rig which was dropped in to the sea using weights and baited with chopped up fish to draw a variety of marine species.

Dr Kristian Metcalfe, associate professor in marine conservation science at the university, said the “relatively low-cost camera systems” could be used to improve the monitoring and effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas.