Biologist J G Hunter and Charles Laseron the expedition's taxidermist and biological collector are drilling through the sea ice in order to collect marine specimens. Venturing onto the sea ice was dangerous at any time, and in the prevailing wind conditions at Cape Denison was always risky.

They began their collecting programme as quickly as possible once the building of the hut was nearly done. Fish traps were set using the whale boat, but when this was lost during a blizzard they were reduced to working from the sea ice itself, either by drilling through to lower the dredge or by working from the edge of the sea ice itself. Inevitably the weather played a large part in the practicalities of working outdoors.

Once specimens were raised in the dredge there was a race to get them back to the hut before they froze and damage was caused to them. Starfish, sea spiders and several species of fish were taken in this way.

The scientific papers of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition were not fully published until 1947, in part due to World War I, in part due to lack of funding and also because the men moved on, in many cases to other work.

Mawson, Douglas, Sir, The home of the blizzard: the story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914 Kent Town, S. Aust.: Wakefield Press, 1996