Visual surveys overlook camouflaged and night-only creatures, therefore the researchers resorted to the reef's sounds. They discovered a soundscape similar to that of unaffected reefs.

Working on underwater sound on coral reefs has frequently been rather miserable, said lead author Tim Lamont of the University of Exeter.

The return of a varied assortment of animals in this instance demonstrated it was more than "a coral gardening project", according to Lamont.