THE WORLD'S largest ocean monitoring programme is to be launched across UK Overseas Territories.

The £2m system of underwater cameras will help to protect marine life and is being rolled out in five oceans by the UK Government.

Wildlife in 10 of the UK's overseas territories will be monitored using the camera network, known as baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS).

They are to be deployed across the UK’s Blue Belt programme of marine protected areas around the globe, in the Caribbean, South Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans in conjunction with Australian firm Blue Abacus.

Boris Johnson said the new scheme is part of the UK's "crusade against climate change".

The Prime Minister explained: "The marine wildlife living along the coastlines of our Overseas Territories is some of the most spectacular in the world and we must do more to protect it.

“Cutting-edge technology, such as these cameras, will be vital in our crusade against climate change. Our marine experts are world leaders in protecting our ocean and the myriad of species that live within it."

The project is said to be the first of its kind, and the world's largest ocean monitoring system.

It will help to keep track of species numbers and other crucial information about wildlife such as the threatened blue fin tuna, white marlin, silky sharks, black triggerfish, loggerhead turtles, Gould’s squid and sea snakes.

It is hoped that the data provided will allow scientists to further understand the threats to marine ecosystems and how to reverse the decline in marine life.

Environment minister Lord Goldsmith said: “Understanding and protecting marine life is essential to maintaining our world’s biological diversity.

“The lack of information on the variety and abundance of different species in large parts of the ocean makes it difficult for countries to protect them effectively.

“These UK-funded underwater video cameras will provide a wealth of information on the biodiversity in the seas around the Overseas Territories, including on globally threatened species of shark and migratory fish, like the bluefin tuna.”

Co-founder of Blue Abacus and professor at the University of Western Australia, Jessica Meeuwig, said: “The world’s tunas, sharks and large reef fish continue to decline in numbers and this trend must be reversed.

“This programme will give decision makers the evidence they need to act decisively in support of their blue economies.”

The Blue Belt programme has brought in marine protection measures across four million square kilometres (1.5 million square miles) of oceans around the UK Overseas Territories, and funding to help manage the seas.

This latest project will monitor wildlife in 10 Overseas Territories: Pitcairn, Ascension, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha, British Indian Ocean Territory, Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat and within the British Antarctic Territory.