A report commissioned jointly by the Australian and Maldivian Governments into the impact of the Boxing Day tsunami on the Maldivian coral reef and baitfish populations was released today.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer said the joint report delivers on a commitment made by Prime Minister John Howard to the Maldivian President in January, to help the small island nation assess possible affects of the tsunami on the country's two key economic drivers.

'With over 50 per cent of Maldivian GDP derived from coral reef and island based tourism and a further 12 per cent derived from fisheries it was understandable that the Maldivian Government wanted to assess the impact of the tsunami on coral reef health and baitfish populations,' Mr Downer said.

'A nine person Australian team from AusAID, CSIRO, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and James Cook University lent their expertise to the 17 day mission.

'The report is good news for the Maldives, indicating the tsunami had minimal impact on the country's coral reefs and baitfish populations.

'According to the report, there has been surprisingly little change to reef flats, beaches and islands.

'There is also good news for the Maldivian fishing industry, with the tsunami causing little change in fishing conditions.'

Minister Downer said the report should help boost the Maldivian tourism industry which has suffered in the wake of the tsunami.

'Occupancy rates, normally at 100 per cent this time of year have plummeted to 40 per cent, no doubt based at least in part on perceived damage to the reef,' Mr Downer said.

'This report puts those concerns to rest and tourists can rest assured that the tsunami has had minimal impact on the coral reefs in the Maldives.'