The 2026 Coral Reef Condition report assessed its overall health using detailed surveys of fish and coral in 71 fixed locations, and manta tow surveys of 121 reefs ranging from Cape York to Gladstone. These surveys involved towing a reef specialist behind a boat to cover 200 metres of reef within two minutes. The study found hard coral cover had increased in many parts of the Great Barrier Reef since 2025, rising by 16.7 per cent in the northern region and 10.2 per cent in the central reef. Only the southern region of the reef saw coral growth decrease during the period, falling by two per cent. A late summer monsoon that lowered water temperatures helped to keep coral cover in most areas above historic norms, according to the institute’s reef fish ecologist Daniela Ceccarelli.