ecological assessment of the flora and fauna of point ... · east), liette boisvert (facebook),...

Authors Chris Roelfsema, Ruth Thurstan,

Jason Flower, Maria Beger, Michele Gallo, Jennifer Loder,

Eva Kovacs, K-le Gomez Cabrera, Alexandra Lea, Juan Ortiz,

Dunia Brunner, and Diana Kleine

Ecological Assessment of the Flora and Fauna of Point Lookout Dive Sites

North Stradbroke Island, QLD Australia

UniDivePLEAFinalReport 12/12/2014 1|P a g e

Ecological Assessment of the Flora and Fauna of Point Lookout Dive Sites,

North Stradbroke Island, Queensland.

Final Report

Thisreportshouldbecitedas:RoelfsemaC.,R.Thurstan,J.Flower,M.Beger,M.Gallo,J.Loder,E.Kovacs,K.GomezCabrera,A.Lea,J.Ortiz,D.Brunner,andD.Kleine(2014).EcologicalAssessmentoftheFloraandFaunaofPointLookoutDiveSites,NorthStradbrokeIsland,Queensland.,UniDive,TheUniversityofQueenslandUnderwaterClub,Brisbane,Australia.

Theviewsandinterpretationexpressedinthisreportarethoseoftheauthorsandnotnecessarilythoseofcontributingagenciesandorganisations.


I see a majestic gliding turtle Like a bird of the ocean

Go past colourful stinging coral The slimy fish like darts

Miniscule bubbles rising fast That are like ocean toys

I hear colossal waves forming A front flip splashing, shrill, bulking dolphin

Diving through the salt water, croaking calmly

A poem by Felix Pheasant 8 years old,

the youngest PLEA participant to join us during the survey weekends..

This Report will give him a chance to enjoy “Straddie” as much as the volunteers did.


TableofContentsTableofContents 4

ListofFigures 5

ListofTables 6

ListofAppendices 6

Acknowledgements 7

CorePLEAdiversduringtrainingweekendinJanuaryandMarch2014. 9

ExecutiveSummary 10

1. Introduction 13

2. GeneralMethods 15

2.1. Overview 15

2.2. Mapping 17

2.3. FishSpeciesandFamilies 18

2.4. Invertebrates 20

2.5. SubstrateandBenthos 20

2.6. ReefImpacts 21

2.7. SpeciesList 21

3. Results 22

3.1. SurveyConsiderations 22

3.2. Mapping 23

3.3. Fish 25

3.4. Invertebrates 29

3.5. SubstrateandBenthos 30

3.6. Impacts 31

3.7. AComparisonof2001to2014EcologicalData 34

4. Discussion 39

4.1. InterpretationofFindings 39

4.2. ProjectandDataLimitations 40

5. RecommendationsforManagementandCommunity 42

5.1. ContinuedandimprovedmonitoringofthePointLookoutdivesites. 42

5.2. ReducingPhysicalDamagetoCorals 42

5.3. CommunityEngagementtoCreateAwarenessoftheImportanceoftheReefs 43

5.4. Supportconservationofthereefsbyprovidingpeerreviewedinformation. 44

6. References 45

7. Appendices 47


ListofFiguresFigure1:PointLookoutdivesites,NorthStradbrokeIsland..ThewhiteboxintheMoretonBayRegion(leftpanel)indicatesthePointLookoutDivesitesatNorthStradbrokeIsland.Approximatetransectlocationsareindicatedinyellow.Sourceimage:LandsatThematicMapper5,USGS..........................................................................................................................................................15Figure2:Placementofthetransectlines.......................................................................................................16Figure3:Conceptualdiagramofthegeoreferencedphototransects................................................17Figure4:Diagrammaticrepresentationofthefishsurveytransectsshowingtheimaginaryframeofthediver'sview.Fishoutsideofthediver'sviewwereonlycountediftheysubsequentlyenteredtheviewegmantaray...............................................................................................18Figure5:Diagrammaticrepresentationoftheinvertebrateandreefimpactsurveytransects.Diversswama5mwidetransectinaU‐shapedpatternalongthetransecttape........................20Figure6:Detailofsubstratesurveytransects.Atevery0.5m,usingaplumblinetoavoidbias,thebenthiccategorylocateddirectlybeneaththetransecttapewasrecorded...........................20Figure7:ProminentfeaturesatShagRock,NorthStradbrokeIsland,Australia.Thetransectsurveysitesareindicatedinyellow.................................................................................................................23Figure8:ProminentfeaturesatMantaRayBommie,NorthStradbrokeIsland,Australia.Thetransectsurveysiteisindicatedinyellow.....................................................................................................23Figure9:UpdatedmapofprominentfeaturesatFlatRock,NorthStradbrokeIsland,Australia.Thetransectsurveysitesareindicatedinyellow.................................................................24Figure10:Averageabundanceoftargetfishfamiliesforthefivesitessurveyedexcludingwrassesanddamselfish(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation).....................................................25Figure11:Averageabundanceofdamselfishandwrassefamiliesforthefivesitessurveyed.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation).......................................................................................................26Figure12:Seasonalabundanceofpredators,tropicalandsubtropicalcorallivoresandomnivores,invertivoresandherbivores.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation)...................26Figure13:Averageabundanceofbluedamselsateachofthefivesitessurveyed.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation)................................................................................................................................27Figure14:Seasonalabundanceofsubtropicalfishspecies.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation).....................................................................................................................................................................27Figure15:Seasonalabundanceoftropicalfishspecies.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation).....................................................................................................................................................................28Figure16:Site‐specificabundanceofadditionalindicatorfishspeciessurveyed.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation)................................................................................................................................28Figure17:Averageabundanceofindicatorurchinsforallsites.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation).....................................................................................................................................................................29Figure18:Averagenumberofindicatorinvertebratesforallsites.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation).................................................................................................................................................29Figure19:Summaryofsubstratetypeforeachseasonderivedfromanalysisofbenthicphotos............................................................................................................................................................................31Figure20:Summaryofsubstratetypeaveragedoverthefourseasonsderivedfromphotoanalyses.........................................................................................................................................................................31Figure21:Normalisedcumulativeabundanceofreefhealthimpactsweightedbycoralcoverpersiteacross2014surveys...............................................................................................................................32Figure22:Averageabundanceofreefhealthimpactsper100m²normalisedforcoralcoverforeachsurveysitebyseason.............................................................................................................................33Figure23:Averagecoralhealthobservedforeachseason....................................................................34


Figure24:Comparisonoftheabundanceofindicatorurchinsfrom2001to2014forthePointLookoutregion...............................................................................................................................................34Figure25:Meanabundanceoftargetfishfamiliesfor2001and2014foreachofShagRockWest,ShagRockEast,FlatRockWestandFlatRockEastdivesites.................................................35Figure26:Meanabundanceoftargetfishspeciesfor2001and2014foreachofShagRockWest,ShagRockEast,FlatRockWestandFlatRockEastdivesites.................................................36Figure27:Substratecompositionfor2001and2014foreachsite...................................................37Figure28:SubstratecompositionforthePointLookoutRegion,calculatedasanannualaveragefor2001and2014.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation).............................................37Figure29:Comparisonofthenormalisedaverageabundanceofreefhealthimpactcategoriesthatwererecordedinboth2001and2014studies............................................................38Figure30:Coralcoverfor2001and2014withpossiblescenariosastowhatthecoralcovercouldhavebeenfortheyearsinbetween.....................................................................................................40

ListofTablesTable1:Seasonalsurveydatesforeachtransectlocation.....................................................................16Table2.Indicatorfishfamilies.Commonfamilynamesoccurinuppercaseandthecorrespondinglatinfamilynamesareinbrackets.“Fished”indicatesspecieswithinthefamilythatarecommonlyfishedforconsumption.“Aquariumtrade”indicatesthosefamiliesthataretargetedbyaquariumcollectorsglobally(seeHodgsonandLiebeler2002).........................19Table3:Environmentalconditionsduringeachofthesurveyweekends(Source:BureauofMeteorology,WaveRiderBuoys,diversparticipatinginthePLEAproject)..................................22Table4:Post‐hocmultiplecomparisonofreefimpactspersite,perseason.Siteswerestatisticallysignificant(PseudoF=5.2309,p=0.018).*valuesrepresentstatisticalsignificance,**representmarginalsignificance.........................................................................................32

ListofAppendicesAppendixA:ParticipantsList..............................................................................................................................47AppendixB:SpeciesList........................................................................................................................................53AppendixC:TransectLocations.........................................................................................................................60AppendixD:TransectCoordinates...................................................................................................................62AppendixE:FishFamilies.....................................................................................................................................63AppendixF:FishSpecies.......................................................................................................................................65AppendixG:SubstrateCover...............................................................................................................................67AppendixH:CoralHealthChartScoresaveragedforeachseasonpersite.....................................69AppendixI:DiveStatistics....................................................................................................................................70AppendixJ:MooringOptions...............................................................................................................................71


AcknowledgementsCongratulationstothevolunteerdivers,supportersandfriendsoftheUniversityofQueenslandUnderwaterClub(UniDive)‐youdidit!!535safedives,sixweekends,25presentations,614oranges,12000+hoursvolunteeredtime,andoneenormousdataset!Wehavefinishedwhatwestarted,havemade,andwillcontinuetomakeadifference.Whilevolunteeringwithlikeminded,communityorientatedpeople,weproducedthisreport,thebeautiful“Straddie”photobook,withmoretocome:videos,brochures,maps,presentations,scientificpapersand/ordatasets.Welearnedfromeachotherabout:people,diving,thereef,identification(fish,invertebrates,substrate,benthic,andimpacts),mapping,datamanagement,qualitycontrol,analysis,videography,photography,writing,andaboutmanagingabunchofmotivateddiversallhelpingtoconserveourbeloveddivesite“Straddie”.Therewespent375hoursunderwatertheremainingtimewasdirectedwespentoursparetimeionvariousways.Someofthefavoriteswere:emailing,listeningtopresentations,homework,exams,buddyofasurveydiver,cookingfood,Facebook‐ing,makingpermanentmarkers,nurturingsurveygear,enteringdata,sellingt‐shirts,sortingphotos,creatingavideo,storingphotos,managingdata,buyingsausages,makingabook,writingtripreports,etc,etc.Specialthankstothevolunteerswhodidmorethanthesurveys:TrevorBarrenger(mapperFlatEast),LietteBoisvert(Facebook),RyanBooker(safetyofficer),GavinBott(videographer),PeranBray(datamanagement),DuniaBrunner(CoralWatchanalysis),JenniCalcraft(partyorganiser),RobertCook(TankFiller),DonnaEaston(bookandTShirtsales),MicheleGallo(StatisticsandGraphsfordataanalysis),BlairJedras(permanentmarkerbuilder),KarenJohnson(food,beverages&oranges),DianaKleine(graphicdesignerandpatientloveroftheprojectorganiser),JulieKlint(food&beverages),EvaKovacs(qualitycontrolandeditingDutch/English),BruceMcLean(finance),MelanieOley(surveygear),DeePassenger(publications),JoshPassenger(projectsupport,transportandsausages),MichaelPheasant(Cartographer,mapperofShagRockanddiveofficer),LachlanPollard(DOTY,tripwriter,assistantMapperofShag,accommodation,and“Straddie”author),LeeRaby(mapperFlatWest),andDouglasStetner(photographerandmapperMantaBommie).Thankstotheothervolunteerdiversthatassistedwiththeweekendswhetheritwascookingfabulousmealsorwashingup,ordatacollection:AaronAeberli,CraigBolland,RoxanneBorruat,SarahBuckley,OlivierCheneval,StefanoFreguia,WayneFreeman,BethKita,JustinMariner,AlyssaRyan,JamesSadler,MarkStenhouse,andDavidWarren.Thisprojectanditsresultscouldnothavebeenaseducationalandvaluablewithoutthehelpofthescientificprojectsupportteam.Theyusedtheirwealthofknowledgeandexperiencetoprovidetraining,assessment,analysisandwriting,and,keptusonourtoessowedidagoodjob.Abigthanksto:MariaBeger(Fish),ChristineDudgeon(Fish),JasonFlower(Methods),K‐LeGomez(Inverts),AlexandraLea(Fish,Inverts),JenniferLoder(Methods,Impacts,Substrate),JuanOrtiz(SubstrateandStatistics),MeganSaunders(Inverts),andRuthThurstan(Methods,Fish,andSubstrate).Skipperextraordinaire,KenHolzheimer,directorofPointLookoutSCUBACharterandAccommodations.Weoweyouabigthanksforallyoursupport,andespeciallyforbringingusbacksafely,greatjob!ThisisthethirdUniDiveconservationprojectthatyouhavehelpedwith.Additionally,hugethankstoallthefriendsandfamilythathelpedoutduringthesurveyweekends:JoanneEdkins,AndyFindlay,ZaraPassenger,LockiePassenger,EricPeterson,KonradPeterson,MagnusPeterson,NinaPheasant,FelixPheasant,littlezooxanthellae,DjoyRoelfsema,andAnoukRoelfsema.


UniDivePLEAalsoliketoacknowledgethesupportoftheUniDiveManagementCommitteemembersespeciallyJimiBursaw(pastpresident)andPeranBray(currentpresident),andthetreasuresStaceyDaviesandDanielYeow.TheprojectcouldnothavesucceededwithoutthefinancialsupportoftheRedlandCityCouncilandSibelcoAustraliaMineralSandsCommunityGrantsPrograms.TransitSystems/StradbrokeFerriesprovidedtransportofourcarsfortrainingandsurveyweekendsandPointLookoutSCUBACharterwithdiscounteddivesandaccommodation.Lecturerooms,surveyequipment,andhard/softwarewasprovidedthroughtheSchoolofGeography,PlanningandEnvironmentalManagementandBiophysicalRemoteSensingGroup.GeneralsupportwasprovidedUniversityofQueenslandthrough:Dr.IanTibbetsfromtheCentreforMarineScience;Dr.Kilpatrick,fromtheSharkandRayResearchGroup;KevinTownsendattheMoretonBayResearchStation,CoralWatchforthecoralhealthcharts,and,AdinHewatfromUQSportfororganisingtheappropriateliabilityinsurancesowecouldundertakeourproject.UniDivePLEAisthankfulto:MantaLodgeandScubaCentrefortheirongoingsupportandhelpwithretrievingthepermanentmarkers;QueenslandCyberInfrastructureFoundation(QCIF);ReefCheckAustraliaprovidingsupportwithmethoddevelopmentandsurveygear;VillageMeatsofToowong.ThecommentsprovidedbythereviewersNicolaUdyandPaulMaxwellwereinvaluableandensuredasolidreportwasgenerated.LastlyUniDivePLEAwouldliketoshowtheirrespectandthankthetraditionalownersforprovidingusaccesstothebeautifuldivesitesof“Straddie”.LongnightsandmanyemailsIamtypingthesefinishingsentences.Sentenceslike“Ilearnedsomuch”,“Iamproudtobepartofit”,“It’sgreattoworkonacommongoal”,“afterPLEAmydivesaredifferent,thereismuchmoretosee”‐arecommentsfromvolunteersduringthelastyearwhichgavemeabigkick.Thisprojectwasforme,achallenge,andalogicalfollowupofwhatUniDivedidin2001and2003.Ithadtohappen.Ijustneededapushtodoitagainandnowit’sfinished.Thepushcamefromaneedtostartsomethingpositiveandinspirationfromgivingthoseintheclubwhoarekeenavolunteerawillingchancetomakeadifference.Thankyou!Now,Let’sgetreadyforthenextproject,Iamin.ChrisRoelfsemaUniDivePLEAProjectOrganiser“Everythingisawesomewhenyouarepartofateam”


CorePLEAdiversduringtrainingweekendinJanuaryandMarch2014.

Hi

Cor


ExecutiveSummaryIntroductionIn2014,UniDive(TheUniversityofQueenslandUnderwaterClub)conductedanecologicalassessmentofthePointLookoutDivesitesforcomparisonwithsimilarsurveysconductedin2001.UniDivewasawardedfundingbyRedlandCityCouncilandSibelcoCommunityFundstomapandconductbiologicalsurveysofFlatRock,ShagRockandMantaRayBommie.Involvementintheprojectwasvoluntary.MembersofUniDivewhoweremarineexpertsconductedtrainingforotherclubmemberswhohadno,orlimited,experienceinidentifyingmarineorganismsandmappinghabitats.Sincethe2001detailedbaselinestudy,nosimilarseasonalsurveyhasbeenconducted.The2014dataisparticularlyimportantgiventhatnumerouschangeshavetakenplaceinrelationtothemanagementof,andpotentialimpactson,thesereefsites.In2009,MoretonBayMarineParkwasre‐zoned,andFlatRockwasconvertedtoamarinenationalparkzone(Greenzone)withnofishingoranchoring.In2012,fourpermanentmooringswereinstalledatFlatRock.Additionally,theentireareawasexposedtothepotentialeffectsofthe2011and2013Queenslandfloods,includingfloodplumeswhichcarriedlargequantitiesofsedimentintoMoretonBayandsurroundingwaters.ThepopulationofSouthEastQueenslandhasincreasedfrom2.49millionin2001to3.18millionin2011(BITRE,2013).ThisrapidlyexpandingcoastalpopulationhasincreasedthefrequencyandintensityofbothcommercialandrecreationalactivitiesaroundPointLookoutdivesites(EPA2008).QueenslandParksandWildlifeServicehasconductedopportunisticReefHealthImpactSurveysatPointLookoutreefs,andsince2009ReefCheckAustraliahascarriedoutannualreefhealthsurveys.ThePointLookoutEcologicalAssessment(PLEA)surveyprojectcontributesanextensive,detaileddatasetthathasbuiltupontheserapidreefassessmentapproachesandhasincludedseasonalvariationanddetailedinformationaboutreefcomposition,inhabitants,impactsandgeography.MethodologyusedforthePLEAprojectwasbasedonthe2001surveyprotocols,ReefCheckAustraliaprotocolsandCoralWatchmethods.Thishybridmethodologywasusedtomonitorsubstrateandbenthos,invertebrates,fish,andreefhealthimpacts.Additionalanalyseswereconductedwithgeoreferencedphototransects.ThePLEAmarinesurveyswereconductedoversixweekendsin2014totalling535divesand376hoursunderwater.Twotrainingweekends(FebruaryandMarch)wereattendedby44divers,whilstbiologicalsurveyswereconductedonseasonalweekends(February,May,JulyandOctober).Threereefsweresurveyed,withtwosemi‐permanenttransectsatFlatRock,twoatShagRock,andoneatMantaRayBommie.Eachtransectwassampledonceeverysurveyweekend.


OutcomesBasedonthe2001and2014studies,thePointLookoutreefssupport53speciesofalgae,threespeciesofseagrass,122speciesofinvertebrates,including43speciesofhardcoraland316speciesoffish.ThediversityofspeciesobservedinthewatersoffNorthStradbrokeIslandindicatesacomplex,productivecommunity.Macroalgaeandsmallturfalgaewerethemostabundantgroupoforganismsgrowingonthereefssurveyedinboth2001and2014.Averagemacroalgaecoveracrossallsiteswas32.7%in2014and28.9%in2001,andturfalgae28.4%in2014and18.4%in2001.ThemostcommonlyobservedmacroalgaewereLobophora,LaurenciaandAsparagopsis,whichsuggestachangefrom2001whenthemacroalgalcommunitywaspredominatelymorehomogenous{Asparagopsis).Coverofhardandsoftcoralsaveragedforallsiteswas7.9%and1.4%respectivelyin2014,versus8.5%and5.7%in2001withShagandFlatRockEasthavingthehighestcoralcover.Themostcommonhardcoraltypeswereencrustingandbranchingcorals.30outofthe35substrateindicatorswereobserved.Invertebratesobservedincludedsponges,ascidians,seacucumbers,anemones,seastars,featherstars,seaurchins,nudibranchsandworms.Asin2001,lessdiversityofinvertebrateswasfoundatShagRockcomparedtoFlatRock.However,longspinedandcollectorurchinsweremoreabundantatShagRock.Twentyoutofthe21indicatorfishfamiliesand22outofthe25targetfishspecieswereobservedatMantaRayBommie,FlatandShagRock.ThesurveysindicatednomajordifferencesinfishcompositionbetweenFlatandShagRockandnodifferenceswithinsitesoverthesamplingperiod,althoughtherewasvariedspeciesdominanceovertheseasons.Nodifferencesinfishcompositionorabundancewerefoundwhen2014numberswerecomparedto2001.Manyofthefishtargetedforhumanconsumptionwerenotfoundingreatabundance.Indicatorsofecosystemhealthassurveyedin2001andin2014suggestthattheNorthStradbrokeIslandreefshavestayedingenerallygoodhealth.Therewasnoincreaseorpresenceofnutrientindicatoralgae(e.g.Ulvaspp.)suggestingnoobviousnutrientenrichment.Norwasthereanyobviousresidualimpactfrommajorfloodsbasedonobservationofthealgaespeciespresent.Visualevidenceofcoralstress,suchascoralbleaching,wasonlyrecordedatlowlevels.In2014coraldiseasewasobservedinlowlevelsatallsitesexceptforMantaRayBommie(withhigherabundanceatShagRocklocations).Asthisparameterwasnotsurveyedin2001,itcannotbedeterminedwhethertheprevalenceofcoraldiseasehaschanged.Onenotableobservationfromthestudywasanincreaseintherecordedabundanceofphysicalcoraldamagefromunknowncausesacrossall2014PLEAsurveysites,exceptMantaRayBommie(damagewasdocumentedinhighestabundanceatFlatRockWestandShagRockEast).Coralscars(fromcoral‐eatingDrupellasnailsandotherunknowncauses)weretheonlyimpactsobservedatallsites.Rubbishwasrecordedonlyinlowabundance,butfishinglinewasrecordedatFlatRocksites(GreenZone).ThebiologicalassessmentofNorthStradbrokeIslanddivesitesin2014wasthefirstdetailedreef‐levelseasonalsurveysince2001.The2014and2001surveyshavebothdemonstratedthediversityandcomplexityoftheserockyreefsystems.The2014surveyhasrecordedsomeimpactsfromhumansthroughincreasedpresenceofrubbish,physicaldamagetocoralsandpotentially,fishingpressure.Asnodetailedsurveyswereperformedbetween2001and2014,nothingcanbeconcludedaboutreefhealthduringthistransitionalperiod(declineandrecovery,inclineanddegradation,or,stability).However,the2014assessmenthasconfirmedtheimportanceofconservationofthePointLookoutdivesites,andtheneedforcontinuedsupportforconservationeffortsfromthecommunityandmarineparkmanagers.


RecommendationsforManagementandCommunityTheresultsofthePLEAprojectandthelessonslearntimplementingthesurveysleadtothefollowingrecommendationsaimedatimprovingthehealthandunderstandingofthePointLookoutreefs:ContinuedandimprovedmonitoringofthePointLookoutdivesites. Repeatingtheecologicalassessmentonanannualbasis(e.g.ReefCheck,QPWSReefHealth

ImpactSurveys)andeveryfiveyearsseasonally(e.g.PLEAproject)wouldbebeneficialforproperunderstandingandmanagementforconservation.Aregularmonitoringprogrammewouldenabledistinctionoflongtermchangesinthereefcommunityfromshortterm(e.g.seasonal)changes,andbetterenablediagnosisofstressorstothereef(e.g.waterqualityissues).

Permanenttransectmarkerswouldenableasignificantimprovementinthequalityandreliabilityofsurveyresultcomparisonsbetweenyearsandseasons.

ReductionofPhysicalDamagetoCoralsSeveralcomplementaryoptionscouldbeintroducedtoavoidanchordamagetocorals: NoanchoringatShagRock(asiscurrentlythecaseforFlatRock). Anchoringonsandsoanchorandchainarenotabletoimpactthereef. Providingfixedpublicorprivatemoorings. Educatingdivers,snorkelers,fishersandskippersonhowtoreducephysicaldamage.

CommunityEngagementtoCreateAwarenessoftheBeautyoftheReefs EducatingthecommunityabouttheMoretonBayreefswillhelppreservetheseresourcesforthe

future. Thecommunitycanhelpbuildanunderstandingoflocalreefsthroughcitizenscience.Supportconservationofthereefsbyprovidingpeerreviewedinformation.Scientificpublications,reportsanddatasets(suchasthosefromthePLEAproject)shouldbeavailableforlocalauthorities,tohelpsupportmanagementdecisions.Informationmayincludeproductssuchas: Projectdocuments,suchasthisreportandtheassociatedresearchmethodsmanual Peer‐reviewedscientificpapersdescribingkeyfindingsoftheresearch.(Twopapersareplanned

forpublicationbasedontheresultsofthePLEAproject.) Openaccessdatasetsthatmaybeusedforadditionalscientificresearchandmanagement

applications.(Surveydatacollectedaspartofthisprojectaretobeuploadedtoanopenaccessdatarepository).

AmorecompletedescriptionoftheserecommendationsisavailableinSection0:RecommendationsforManagementandCommunity.


1. IntroductionIn2014,UniDive(theUniversityofQueenslanddiveclub)conductedanecologicalassessmentoffloraandfaunaatthePointLookoutdivesites,locatedonNorthStradbrokeIslandinsoutheastQueensland.Thesesitescompriseanumberofrockyoutcropsandreefecosystemsthatsupportandattractadiverserangeofmarinefloraandfauna.Thecurrentassessmentreplicatedsurveysconductedin2001‐2003byUniDive.ThisreportwilldescribetheresultsofthedatacollectedbythevolunteermembersofUniDiveatthePointLookoutdivesites,andwherepossible,comparetheobservationswiththosereportedin2001‐2003.In2001‐2003UniDiveconductedtwomajorsurveyprojects:thePointLookoutBaselineMonitoringProjectFundedbyCoastcare(McMahonetal2002),andtheGreyNurseSharkHabitatMappingProjectfundedbyThreatenedSpeciesNetwork(Fordetal2003).Sincethen,nobenthicsurveyshavebeenperformedatalevelofdetailcomparabletothesestudies.Beginningin2009,ReefCheckAustraliahasconductedsubstrate,invertandimpactsurveysatFlatandShagRock,inadditiontoindividualresearchersthathaveconductedfishsurveysoverwinter2010andsummer2011(Pers.ComMariaBeger).Sincethe2001‐2003initialUniDivesurveys,severalchangeshaveoccurredthatcouldhaveimpactedthereefs.TheseincludeincreasedcommercialandrecreationalactivitiesnotlimitedtoSCUBAdiving,specimencollection,aquariumcollection,recreationalandcommercialfishing,and,coincidentanchordamage.In2009FlatRockwasprotectedfromextractiveactivities(i.e.allrecreationalandcommercialfishingandcollectionactivities)aswellasvesselanchorageunlessmooredonthepublicmooringsnowinplace.Existingaquariumcollectorsatthetimeoftherezoningofthemarineparkin2009wereallowedtocontinuecollectinguntilMarch2013undertransitionalarrangements.Inadditiontoanthropogeniceffects,large‐scalenaturaldisastershavealsooccurred,the2011Queenslandfloodbeinganexample.Despitethepotentialfornegativereefimpacts,nosurveyshavetakenplaceatacomparablescaletothe2001‐2003UniDivesurveys.Theaimofthe2014UniDivePointLookoutEcologicalAssessment(PLEA)projectwasto:RepeattheecologicalassessmentoffloraandfaunaatthePointLookoutdivesites,and,reportonthecurrentstatusandanychangeswhencomparedwiththe2001study.Thesurveymethodswerebasedonpastsurveysandotherresearchinitiatives,toenabledirectcomparison.Theresultsofthesesurveyswillbecommunicatednotonlythroughthisreport,butbyacoffeetablephotobook“Straddie,FloraandFaunaofPointLookoutDiveSites”,videosandpresentationstothewidercommunity,andtogovernmentagencies.Bio‐geographically,thestudysitesarelocatedinamarinetransitionzoneencompassingbothtropicalandtemperatespecies.Thesesubtropicalreefsandthecommunitiestheysupport,existincloseproximitytotheirenvironmentallimits(e.g.temperature,salinityandaragonitesaturation(Kleypasetal.1999)).Theyarealsosubjecttohighratesandmagnitudesoffluctuatingenvironmentalconditions(Guinotteetal.2003).Temperatureplaysanimportantroleinspeciescomposition,withseasonaldifferencesinfishandmobileinvertebratecommunitiesduetotherecruitmentoftropicalspeciesinsummer,andthesubsequentdie‐offofsomespeciesinwinter(Boothetal.2007).


Asenvironmentalparameterschange(throughnaturalcausesorhumanactivities),thecommunitystructureofsubtropicalreefssuchasthoseatPointLookoutisalsolikelytochange.Wemayseesubtropicalendemicsdeclining(e.g.themorwongs),moretropicalspeciesbecomingestablished(wemightstartseeingcoraltroutnearStradbroke!)(RieglandPiller2003;GreensteinandPandolfi2008;Funketal.2012),and,temperatespeciesdisappearing(Wernbergetal.2011;SmaleandWernberg2013).


2. GeneralMethods

2.1. OverviewUniDiveconductedfoursurveyweekends,oneineachseason.Duringthesurveys,24diversassessedatotaloffivesitesatthemostcommonlydivedlocations:ShagRock,MantaRayBommieandFlatRock.EachsurveyinvolvedbroadscalemappingusingatowedGPS(compass,depthreadingsandgeoreferencedunderwaterphotos)andtransectsurveys(3x20mtransectswereassessedforsubstratetype,reefimpacts,and,fishandinvertebratespeciesdistributionandabundance).Thefollowingsectionprovidesanoverviewofthesurveymethods(forfulldetailsseeThurstan,R.,Flower,J.,Beger,M.,Dudgeon,C.,Gomez,K.,Ortiz,J.,Kovacs,E.,Loder,J.,Saunders,M.,Passenger,J.,KleineD.andRoelfsema,C(2014).SurveyMethodsManualUniDivePointLookoutEcologicalAssessment(PLEA).TheUniversityofQueenslandUnderwaterClub,Brisbane,Australia).SurveymethodsusedwerebasedonReefCheckAustraliamethodologyandwereconsistentwiththemethodologyusedinthe2001UniDivesurveystoensuredatacouldbecompared.Surveyswereconductedunderamarineparkspermit.

2.1.1. SurveySitesandTimingThreesites(FlatRock,ShagRockandMantaRayBommie;Figure1)weresurveyedforfish,invertebrates,impacts,andbenthiccompositionalongtransectlinesdeployedatadepthof10mbelowchartdatum.TwotransectsateachofFlatRockandShagRockweresurveyedforcomparisonwith2001‐2002surveyfindings.OnenewsiteatMantaRayBommiewasalsosurveyed,providingbaselineecologicaldataforthissite.Surveyswereconductedfourtimesduringtheyearateachsitetoensurethatseasonalchangesinthemarinefloraandfaunawerecapturedinthedata(Table1).

Figure1:PointLookoutdivesites,NorthStradbrokeIsland..ThewhiteboxintheMoretonBayRegion(leftpanel)indicatesthePointLookoutDivesitesatNorthStradbrokeIsland.Approximatetransectlocationsareindicatedinyellow.Sourceimage:LandsatThematicMapper5,USGS.


Mappingofallsiteswasundertaken,withnewsitemapsproducedforShagRockandMantaRayBommie,andanupdateofthemapproducedin2001forFlatRock.Table1:Seasonalsurveydatesforeachtransectlocation.

Site Summer Autumn Winter SpringFlatRockWest(TFW)

22ndFeb.2014 3rdMay2014 2ndAug.2014 25thOct.2014

FlatRockEast(TFE) 22ndMar.2014 3rdMay2014 2ndAug.2014 25thOct.2014ShagRockWest(TSW)

22ndFeb.2014 3rdMay2014 19thJuly2014 25thOct.2014

ShagRockEast(TSE)

22ndFeb.2014 3rdMay2014 19thJuly2014 25thOct.2014

MantaBommie(TM) 22ndMar.2014 4thMay2014 19thJuly2014 30thOct.2014Ateachsurveylocation,semi‐permanentmarkerswereusedtomarka70mtransect,withmarkersdeployedat0m,25mand50m.Withinthis70mlength,three20mlongtransectlinesweredeployedandsurveyed(Figure2).Each20mtransectfollowedthedesignateddepthcontour,separatedfromthenexttransectbya5mgap.

Figure2:Placementofthetransectlines.

Foreachsurvey,sixpairsofdiversundertookmappingand/ortransectsurveystoidentifythespeciespresentandmajorfeaturesateachsite.Fish,invertebrates,substrateandbenthoswereallsurveyed.Photosandvideoofthetransectandthesitefaunaweretakenforlateranalysisandcataloguingofspecies.

2.1.2. ParticipantsUniDiveistheUniversityofQueenslandUnderwaterClub.In2014,UniDivewasawardedCoastcarefundingtoconductabaselinebiologicalsurveyandalsomaptheSCUBAdivesitesofNorthStradbrokeIsland.Allparticipantsintheprogramwerevolunteers,certifieddiversandmembersofUniDive.Thesevolunteersencompassedmarineexperts,SCUBAinstructors,mappingexpertsandpeopleinterestedinlearningaboutthemarineenvironment.SeeAppendixAforadetailedlistofthevolunteersandtheirmaintaskduringtheproject.

2.1.3. TrainingandQualityControl,Overthecourseof25educationallectures,morethan100UniDivememberslearnedaboutlocalreefecologyandsurveyprotocols.Lecturetopicsincluded:coralandrockyreefecology;surveymethods;identificationandbiologyofcoral,algae,substrate,fish,andinvertebrates;causesandassessmentofimpacts;databasemanagement;underwaterphotographyandvideography;mappingandbuoyancycontrol.Practicaltrainingwasassessedovertwotrainingweekends,puttingknowledgetopractice.


Alldivers(44)takingpartinsurveyswererequiredtoattendaseriesoflecturesthatprovidedtraininginsurveymethods.Competenceintheorywasassessedusingan130questionexam(passmark75%orhigher).In‐watersurveytrainingwasalsoconductedtoensurediverswereabletocorrectlyidentifythemarinelifeandsubstratetobesurveyedandwerecompetenttoconductsurveys.Areviewsessionwasorganisedbeforeeachsurveyweekend,and,ontheeveofthefirstsurveysofeachsurveyweekend,thevolunteersrefreshedtheirmemorybydiscussingsurveycategorieswithotherswhomwouldhavethesamesurveytask.Datasheetswereusedforsurveys(seeAppendixB:DataSheets),whichaidedinqualitycontrol.Thedatasheetswerecheckedforerrorsorinconsistenciesbothdirectlyafterdivesandduringthedataprocessingstage.ResultsderivedfromthequalitycontrolleddatawerepresentedaftereachsurveyweekendbyUniDivememberswithamarinesciencebackgroundintheirfield,thusprovidingadditionalqualitycontrol.

2.2. MappingMappingofthethreesiteswasconductedtogeneratemapsofthemainfeatures(e.g.majorsubstratetypes,gulliesandridges)andprovideareferenceforfutureecologicalsurveysandplanningandzoningofthesites(e.g.installationofmooringbuoys).Featuremappingwasundertakenoneachtransectbytwodivers.Thisbuddypairconductedarovingsurveyofeachsite,toamaximumdepthof20m,andrecordedcharacteristicfeatures.Featurelocationwasmappedbycross‐referencingthetimeeachfeaturewasrecordedorphotographed,withGPSdatarecordedbyafloatingGPStowedbyoneofthetwodivers(Figure3).

Figure3:Conceptualdiagramofthegeoreferencedphototransects.

Forthefivesurveysites,imagesweretakenat2mintervalsalongthetransecttapes,0.5mabovethesubstrateprovidinga1m2footprint.ThisdivertowedadrybaginwhichastandardGPSloggedthetrackofthetransect(Figure3).ThecollectedimageswereanalysedforbenthiccompositionusingCoralPointCountExcel(Kohler2006)inwhichtwenty‐fourrandompointswereplottedonthephotoandmanuallyassignedoneofthesubstrateclassesassessedinthestudy(seedetailsonclassesinthesubstrateandbenthossection).Moredetailisavailableinthegeoreferencedphototransectmanual(Roelfsemaetal2009).Allgeoreferencedphotosthatdocumentedeachofthereefswereplottedontopofthebasicsitemapforeachlocationtoprovideadditionalinformationforthemapping.


2.3. FishSpeciesandFamiliesFishpopulationswereassessedusingavisualcensusalong3x20mtransects.Eachtransectwas5mwide(2.5meithersideofthetransecttape),5mhighand20minlength(Figure4).Onedivercountedtargetfishfamilieswhiletheothercountedindicatorspeciesashighlightedonthedatasheets(AppendixB:DataSheets).Each20mtransectwascompletedin7‐10minutes.

Figure4:Diagrammaticrepresentationofthefishsurveytransectsshowingtheimaginaryframeofthediver'sview.Fishoutsideofthediver'sviewwereonlycountediftheysubsequentlyenteredtheviewegmantaray.

Fishfamiliesandspecieswerechosenthatarecommonlytargetedbyrecreationalorcommercialfishers,ortargetedbyaquariumcollectors,andthatwereeasilyidentifiedbytheirbodyshape(Table2).Rareorotherwiseunusualspecieswerealsorecorded.


Table2.Indicatorfishfamilies.Commonfamilynamesoccurinuppercaseandthecorrespondinglatinfamilynamesareinbrackets.“Fished”indicatesspecieswithinthefamilythatarecommonlyfishedforconsumption.“Aquariumtrade”indicatesthosefamiliesthataretargetedbyaquariumcollectorsglobally(seeHodgsonandLiebeler2002).

Family Fished Aquariumtrade

ANGELFISH(Pomacanthidae)

BUTTERFLYFISH(Chaetodontidae)

CARDINALFISH(Apogonidae)

CODS/GROUPERS(Serranidae)

DAMSELFISH(Pomacentridae)

EMPERORS(Lethrinidae)

GOATFISH(Mullidae)

LEATHERJACKETS(Monocanthidae)

LION/STONEFISH(Scorpaenidae)

MORAYS(Muraenidae)

PARROTFISH(Scarridae)

PIPEFISH/SEAHORSE(Sygnathidae)

PORCUPINEFISH(Diodontidae)

PUFFERFISH(Tetraodontidae)

RABBITFISH(Siganidae)

SNAPPERS(Lutjanidae)

SURGEONFISH(Acanthuridae)

SWEETLIPS(Haemulidae)

STINGRAYS

TRIGGERFISH(Balistidae)

WRASSE(Labridae)

WOBBEGONG


2.4. InvertebratesTargetinvertebratepopulationswereassessedusingvisualcensusalong3x20mtransects.Eachtransectwas5mwide(2.5meithersideofthetransecttape)and20minlength.Thediversurveyinginvertebratesconducteda‘U‐shaped’searchpattern,covering2.5moneithersideofthetransecttape(Figure5).Each20mtransectwascompletedin7‐10minutes.SeeAppendixB:Datafordatasheet.

Figure5:Diagrammaticrepresentationoftheinvertebrateandreefimpactsurveytransects.Diversswama5mwidetransectinaU‐shapedpatternalongthetransecttape.

2.5. SubstrateandBenthosSubstratesurveyswereconductedusingthepointsamplingmethod,enablingpercentagecoverofsubstratetypesandbenthicorganismstobecalculated.ThesurveymethodwasbasedontheReefCheckAustraliamethods(HillandLoder2013)andwasconsistentwiththemethodsusedin2001.Thesubstrateorbenthosunderthetransectlinewasidentifiedat0.5mintervals,witha5mgapbetweeneachofthethree20msegments(Figure6).

Figure6:Detailofsubstratesurveytransects.Atevery0.5m,usingaplumblinetoavoidbias,thebenthiccategorylocateddirectlybeneaththetransecttapewasrecorded.

Categoriesrecordedincludedvariousgrowthformsofhardandsoftcoral,keyspecies/growthformsofalgae,otherlivingorganisms(i.e.sponges),recentlykilledcoral,and,non‐livingsubstratetypes(i.e.barerock,sand,rubble,silt/clay).SeeAppendixB:Datafordatasheet.Thegeoreferencedphotostakenalongthetransect(Section2.2)providedanadditionalsourceforbenthicassessment.Tocomparethetotalcoralcoverbetween2001and2014apermutationalgenerallinearmixedmodelwasconductedwithYEARasafixedfactorandSITEasanunreplicatedrandomfactor.


2.6. ReefImpactsTargetimpactswereassessedusingavisualcensusalongthe3x20mtransects.Eachtransectwas5mwide(2.5meithersideofthetransecttape)and20minlength.Thetransectwassurveyedviaa‘U‐shaped’searchpattern,covering2.5moneithersideofthetransecttape(Figure5).Each20mtransectwascompletedin7‐10minutes.SeeAppendixB:Datafordatasheet.Toassessifthedifferencesinimpactbetweenthesitesweresignificant,apermutationalgenerallinearmixedmodelwasconducted,withSITEasafixedfactor,SEASONasanun‐replicatedrandomfactor,andTOTALNUMBEROFIMPACTSstandardizedbyCORALCOVERastheresponsevariable.CoralbleachingwasassessedusingcoralhealthchartsdevelopedbyCoralWatch(www.coralwatch.org).Diversselectedindividualcoralcoloniesalongthe3x20mtransects(toamaximumof20colonies).Foreachcolonythediverusedthecoralhealthcharttorecordthedarkestandlightestcolourpresent,thusgivinganapproximateassessmentofcoralhealthincludingbleaching.

2.7. SpeciesListFloraandfaunaspecieslistsreportedin2001and2003frompreviousvolunteerprojectswerereassessedandupdated.Thiswasdoneby:

1) Identificationoffloraandfaunafromphotosandvideostakenbydiversatthedivesitesduringandoutsidethesurveyweekends.

2) Thosevolunteerswithdetailedknowledgeofthelocalfloraandfaunarecordedanynon‐surveyedspecies.

3) LiteraturesearchesformarinefloraandfaunaidentifiedatPointLookoutReefsbutnotnotedintheexistinglist.

4) PreviousdatasetscollectedbyvolunteersontheprojectsuchasthatoffishspeciesbyDr.MariaBerger.

ThespecieslisthasbeencompiledinAppendixBandrepresentswhathasbeenobservedatthePointLookoutDivesitesgenerallybutnotspecificallyduringthisstudy..


3. Results

3.1. SurveyConsiderationsSurveyswere conducted over a total of 11 days from February to October 2014. Table 3summarizes the environmental conditions documented during the survey dates. For thedurationofthestudy,thewatertemperatureatthebottom(SBT)rangedfrom18°CinJulyto26°CinFebruary.Ofnote,theaveragevisibilitywas~14m,and,thehighestwaveswererecordedinJuly(3.1m).Thesurveydateswerechosenasbeingrepresentativeofthefourseasons,allowingthestudyofpotentialseasonalitypatterns.Table3:Environmentalconditionsduringeachofthesurveyweekends(Source:BureauofMeteorology,WaveRiderBuoys,diversparticipatinginthePLEAproject).

Date Dive SST

SBT

(10m)

Wind (9

am) (knots)

Wind

direction

(8am)

Wind (3 pm)

(knots)

Wind

direction

(3 pm)

Visibility

(m)

Cloud

cover

(9 am)

Cloud

cover

(3 pm)

Rain

(mm)

Wave

Height

(m)

31/01/2014 Marker NA 24 NA NA 15‐20 SE 25 NA NA 0 1.4

1/02/2014 Training NA 24 NA NA 10‐15 SE 20 NA NA 0 1.4

1/02/2014 Training NA 25 NA NA 5‐10 SE 20 NA NA 0 1.4

22/02/2014 Survey 25 26 20 S 20 SSE 5 8 8 0.2 2.01

23/02/2014 Survey 25 26 27 SSE 23 SSE 5 7 4 0 2.72

8/03/2014 Marker 26 25 15 SE NA NA 20 3 NA 0 1.61

22/03/2014 Survey 26 25 0 CALM 7 ESE 10 5 1 0.5 1.68

29/03/2014 Training 28 26 NA NA 0‐5 NA 10 NA NA 0 1.4

30/03/2014 Training 28 26 NA NA 0‐5 NA 10 NA NA 0 1.4

3/05/2014 Survey 23 23 10‐15 SE 10‐15 SE 10 NA NA 0 0.82

4/05/2014 Survey 22 22 10‐15 SE 10‐15 SE 12 NA NA 0 0.62

19/07/2014 Survey 19 18 6 SW 5 E 15 0 0 0 2.95

20/07/2014 Survey 19 19 14 SSW 12 SW 15 4 5 0 3.1

2/08/2014 Survey 20 19 5 SW 11 SE 15 0 0 0 1.7

25/10/2014 Survey NA 23 15‐20 N 20‐25 NE 15 NA NA NA 1.2

26/10/2014 Survey NA 23 15‐20 NE 20‐25 NE 15 NA NA NA 1.8

30/10/2014 Survey NA 23 10‐15 SE 10‐15 SE 15 0 0 0 1.2


3.2. MappingGeoreferencedhabitatmaps(UTM‐WGS84)werecreatedforShagRock(Figure7),andMantaRayBommiedivesites(Figure8).TheexistingmapofFlatRock(Figure9)wasadjustedfromthe2001mapbasedonadditionalsurveys.

Figure7:ProminentfeaturesatShagRock,NorthStradbrokeIsland,Australia.Thetransectsurveysitesareindicatedinyellow.

Figure8:ProminentfeaturesatMantaRayBommie,NorthStradbrokeIsland,Australia.Thetransectsurveysiteisindicatedinyellow.


Figure9:UpdatedmapofprominentfeaturesatFlatRock,NorthStradbrokeIsland,Australia.Thetransectsurveysitesareindicatedinyellow.

RefertoAppendixCforadetailedlocationofthetransects,andtoAppendixDforcoordinatesofthestartandendpointsofthetransects.


3.3. Fish

3.3.1. FishfamiliesForsimplicity,theobservednumbersofthekeyfishgroupswereaveragedovertheyearforeachofthesurveysitesandaredisplayedinFigure10.Angelfish,butterflyfish,rabbitfish,surgeonfishandgoatfishwerecommonatallsites,althoughbutterflyfishwereobservedinlowerabundancesatthenearshoresites(bothShagRocksitesandMantaRayBommie;Figure10).MantaRayBommiehadhighabundanceofgroupers,andsurgeonfish.Parrotfish,asapurelytropicalgroup,alsohadlowabundance,andwererestrictedtotwospecies.Therarestfamiliesweremega‐faunasuchassharksandrays,predatorssuchasemperors,snappers,andgroupers,andcrypticfaunasuchasmorayeels,lionfishandleatherjackets.

Figure10:Averageabundanceoftargetfishfamiliesforthefivesitessurveyedexcludingwrassesanddamselfish(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation).

Overall,wrassesanddamselfishhadthehighesttotalabundanceatallsites(annualcombinedsiteaverageof85.9x102fordamselsand9.9x102forwrasses).ThesetwofamilieswereomittedfromFigure10astheirhighabundancesobscuredtrendsinothergroups,butareshowninFigure11.Figure11andAppendixEdemonstratethatdamselfisharemoreabundantthanwrasses,butbothfamiliesaremorethantentimesmoreabundantthanothergroups(Figure10andFigure11).

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Averageabundance100m

2

FlatrockEast FlatrockWest MantaBommie ShagrockEast ShagrockWest


Figure11:Averageabundanceofdamselfishandwrassefamiliesforthefivesitessurveyed.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation)

SeasonalpatternsSurveysconductedatdifferenttimesofyearrevealedimportanttrendsinfunctionalgroups.Herbivorousfamilies(Figure12)wereobservedprimarilyinsummerandautumn.Predatoryfamiliesweregenerallynotabundantandseasonalvariationswerenotapparent.Inregardstothetropicalandsubtropicalcorallivoresandomnivores,angelfishshowednoseasonalvariation,butbutterflyfishweremoreabundantinautumnatexposedsites,andmoreabundantinwinteratthenear‐shoresites.Oftheinvertivoregroup,onlygoatfishwereprevalent.Goatfishabundancepeakedinautumnandwinter(atFlatRockWest).SeeAppendixEformoredetailedinformationontheFishfamilies.

Figure12:Seasonalabundanceofpredators,tropicalandsubtropicalcorallivoresandomnivores,invertivoresandherbivores.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation)

0

50

100

150

200

FlatRockEast FlatRockWest ShagRockEast ShagRockWest MantaRayBommie

Averageabundance100m

2

Damselfish Wrasse


3.3.2. FishSpecies

Asetoftargetfishspecieswereselectedassurrogatestoindicatetheoverallfishassemblage.Factorsconsideredwerethefunctionoffishesonthereef(e.g.herbivory,corallivory),tropical,andsubtropicalzoogeographicaffiliation,andeaseofidentificationbyvolunteerdivers.Thespeciessurveyedin2001werealsoincludedtoenabletemporalcomparisons.Seasonalsurveysshowthatthefishcommunitychangesthroughouttheyear,asoutlined.

Bluedamselfishwereoneofthetargetfishspeciesrecorded,however,duetotheirhighabundance,theyhavebeentreatedasanisolatedgroupsoasnottohidetrendsinotherspecies.Theaverageabundanceofbluedamselfishatallsitesisshown in Figure 13, andismorethan15timesgreaterthanforotherspeciessurveyed.

Figure13:Averageabundanceofbluedamselsateachofthefivesitessurveyed.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation)

Subtropical species Subtropicalspeciesaregenerallypresentyearround(Figure14).Bigscaledscalyfin,coralseaGregoryandGuentherswerethemostprevalent.

Figure14:Seasonalabundanceofsubtropicalfishspecies.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation)

0

50

100

150

200

FlatRockEast FlatRockWest ShagRockEast ShagRockWest MantaRayBommie

Averageabundance

BlueDamsels

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Bigscaledscalyfin

Buffalofish CoralSeaGregory

Guenthers(Crochet)

HappyMoments

Magpiemorwong

Redmorwong

Silverdrummer

Sixplatesawtail

Averageabundance

Summer Autumn Winter Spring


Tropical species Mostofthetropicalspeciessurveyedweremoreabundantinsummerandautumnthanwinterandspring(Figure15).Secondtobluedamsels(Figure13),wrasseswereobservedtobethemostabundantindicatorspecieseachseason.

Figure15:Seasonalabundanceoftropicalfishspecies.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation)

Additional Indicator Species Severalfishspeciesselectedforindicatorsdidnothaveaspecifictropicalorsubtropicalrangeandshowednoseasonalvariation(notshown).However,thesespeciesdemonstratedsite‐basedpreferences(Figure16).TriggerfishwererareatShagRock,whilstBoxfishwereonlyobservedatthecoastalsites.SeeAppendixFformoredetailedinformationontheFishSpecies.

Figure16:Site‐specificabundanceofadditionalindicatorfishspeciessurveyed.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation)

0

5

10

15

20

BarredSoapfish

Blackbardevil

Bluespot Cleanerwrasse

Indopacificsergeant

Keyholeangelfish

Moorishidol

Orange(Klein's)

Sunset+Moonwrasse

Averageabundance

Summer Autumn Winter Spring

0

1

2

3

4

Black‐saddledtoby Boxfish Flagtailtriggerfish

Averageabundance

Summer

Autumn

Winter

Spring


3.4. Invertebrates

Diadema,orlongspineseaurchinswerethemostabundantinvertebrateatbothShagRocksites(Figure17).TheaverageobservednumberofcollectorurchinsatShagRockWestwashigherthanatanyothersite,whilstMantaRayBommiehadthehighestabundanceofpencilurchins.

Figure17:Averageabundanceofindicatorurchinsforallsites.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation)

Withtheexceptionofanemones(withorwithoutfish)andbandedcoralshrimp,FlatRocksiteshadalowabundanceofindicatorinvertebrates,comparedtoShagRocksites(Figure18).AnemoneswithorwithoutfishwerethedominantinvertebrateobservedatbothShagRocksites,FlatRockWestandMantaRayBommie.Moreanemoneswerefoundwithoutanemonefishthanwithfish,atallsites.

Figure18:Averagenumberofindicatorinvertebratesforallsites.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

CollectorUrchin Diadema PencilUrchin

NumberofInidvidualper100m

2

ShagRockWest ShagRockEast FlatRockWest FlatRockEast MantaRayBommie

012345678910

Anemonewithfish

Anemonewithoutfish

Bandedcoralshrimp

GiantClam Lobster DrupellaNumberofInidvidualper100m

2



DrupellasnailswerefoundingreatestnumbersatShagRockEastandFlatRockEast.Lobstersightingswerelowatallsites.

3.5. SubstrateandBenthosSubstrateandbenthicdatacollectedusingthephotoanalysismethodshowedthatmacroalgae(e.g.,Lobophora,AsparagopsisandLaurencia)andturfalgaeaccountedforthehighestpercentagecover(>50%)ofthesubstratetypesatallsitesthroughouttheyear(Figure19).Ofthemacroalgaerecorded,AsparagopsiswasmostabundantatFlatRockEastandLaurenciaatMantaRayBommie.AllsiteshadahighcoverofLobophora.Coralcovervariedbetweenthesites.ThehighestcoralcoveroccurredatFlatRockEast,averaging22.8%acrossallsurveys,andmainlyconsistingofencrusting(11.1%)andbranchingtypehardcorals(7.7%),aswellassoftcoral(0.9%).ShagRockEasthadthesecondhighestcoralcover(14.4%),withthemajorityofcoralsbeingofthebranchingorfoliosevariety(5.7%),encrusting(2.3%)inadditionto2.4%softcoralcover.MantaRayBommiehadthelowestaveragecoralcover(less1%).EncrustingcoralcoverwasonlyobservedinsignificantquantitiesatFlatRockEast,andwasrarelyobservedattheothersites.Nomajorseasonaldifferencesinsubstrateandbenthiccoverwereobserved,althoughtherewassomevariabilityinallcategories.Thesetrendsarealsoapparentwhenthebenthiccoverisaveragedforeachsite,disregardingseasonality(Figure20).

0

20

40

60

80

100

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring


SubstrateCover(%)

Coral(Branch.Folio.Plate.) Coral(Encrust+Massive) CoralOtherSoftCoral MacroAlgaeOther LobophoraAsparagopsis Laurencia TurfonrockNonLiving Other


Figure19:Summaryofsubstratetypeforeachseasonderivedfromanalysisofbenthicphotos.

Figure20:Summaryofsubstratetypeaveragedoverthefourseasonsderivedfromphotoanalyses.

Inadditiontophototransects,substrateandbenthiccoverdatawascollectedusingpointinterceptsurveyscarriedoutbydiversinsitu.Photoanalysisresultsversusdiversurveyedsubstratedatashowedsimilaroveralltrends(AppendixG),howeverthephototransectdatawasmoreconsistent.ResultsfrombothsurveysareshowninAppendixG.Phototransectsaremoreconsistentovertheseasons,foreachsite,but,thediverbaseddataidentifiesvariationsinindividualsubstratecategories.

3.6. Impacts

3.6.1. ReefHealthImpacts–IndividualSitesFigure21demonstratesthereefhealthimpactpersite,normalizedforthecoralcover(percentageofsubstratecover)presentatthatsite.Normalisingimpactabundancewithcoralcoveracknowledgesthatmanyreefimpactsspecificallyaffectcorals,andassuch,theratioofcoralcovertoimpactabundanceshouldbeconsideredwheninterpretingreefimpactdata.BothShagRocksiteshadsignificantnumbersofobservedimpacts(Figure21;Table4).Additionally,ShagRockWesthadasignificantlyhighernumberofimpactsthanFlatRockWest,andsimilarly,ShagRockEastrecordedasignificantlygreaternumberofimpactsthanFlatRockEast(Figure21;Table4).AtthetwoShagRocklocations,thehighestaverageabundanceofphysicalcoraldamage(unknowncauses)andcoraldiseasewereobserved.Physicalcoraldamagecanbecausedbynaturalcausessuchasstorms,oranthropogenicfactorssuchasboatanchoring,divers,snorkelersandfishing.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100


SubstrateCover(%)Photo

Coral(Branch.Folio.Plate.) Coral(Encrust+Massive) CoralOther

SoftCoral MacroAlgaeOther Lobophora

Asparagopsis Laurencia Turfonrock

NonLiving Other


ThesitewiththelowestrecordedreefimpactsandtheonlysitewherecoraldamagewasnotrecordedwasMantaRayBommie(Figure21),however,thissitehasthelowestcoralcover(Figure19,Figure20).LowlevelsofrubbishwererecordedatFlatRockEast,FlatRockWestwhilstthehighestwasobservedatMantaRayBommie.Coralscars(fromDrupellasnailsandunknowncauses),coraldisease,physicaldamageandrubbishwererecordedconsistentlyatbothShagRock,and,bothFlatRocklocations.Coralbleachingwasnotincludedinthissectionbuthasbeenaddressedinthecoralhealthsurvey.

Figure21:Normalisedcumulativeabundanceofreefhealthimpactsweightedbycoralcoverpersiteacross2014surveys.

Table4:Post‐hocmultiplecomparisonofreefimpactspersite,perseason.Siteswerestatisticallysignificant(PseudoF=5.2309,p=0.018).*valuesrepresentstatisticalsignificance,**representmarginalsignificance.

ShagRockWest

ShagRockEast

FlatRockWest

FlatRockEast

MantaRayBommie

ShagRockWest ShagRockEast 0.704 FlatRockWest 0.040* 0.069** FlatRockEast 0.051** 0.060* 0.060* MantaRayBommie

0.251 0.329 0.594 0.243

3.6.2. ReefHealthImpacts‐SeasonalitySeasonally,ShagRocksitesconsistentlyhadthehighestabundanceofreefimpacts(Figure22).MantaRayBommiehadthelowestabundanceofreefimpacts(oneinstanceofdiscardedfishingline),butalsothelowestcoralcover(

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4


NormalisedIm

pactCountper100

m2

CoralPhysicalDamage CoralDisease DrupellaScars

UnknownScars Rubbish:FishingGear Rubbish:general


Figure19,Figure20).Theobservedtrendssuggestthattherearenomajorseasonalvariationswithrespecttothetypeofreefimpactsrecorded.

Figure22:Averageabundanceofreefhealthimpactsper100m²normalisedforcoralcoverforeachsurveysitebyseason.

3.6.3. CoralHealth(bleaching)Fortheperiodofobservation,therecordedcoralhealthwasrelativelystablewithnoobviousbleaching(Figure23),withascoreof6consideredhealthy.Overall,thelightestscoreswereobservedinsummer,whenthewatertemperaturewasthehighest(Table3).Asdatawereconsistentandsimilarforthefivesurveytransects,theywereamalgamatedtocreateanaverageforthePointLookoutdivesiteregion.SeasonalaveragesforeachdivesiteareshowninAppendixH.Figure23showsthattheaveragescorerangesfrom3.5insummerto4inwinter.Theerrorbarsrepresenttherangeoftheaveragedarkesttoaveragelightestscoresthatwererecorded.

0.00.20.40.60.81.01.21.41.61.8

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring


NormalisedIm

pactCountsper100m2

CoralPhysicalDamage CoralDisease DrupellaScars

UnknownScars Rubbish:FishingGear Rubbish:general


Figure23:Averagecoralhealthobservedforeachseason.

3.7. AComparisonof2001to2014EcologicalDataMantaRayBommiewasomittedfromthechangeanalysis,asthissitewasnotsurveyedin2001.

3.7.1. InvertebratesTheabundanceofmostofthecategoriesofinvertebrateswaslowerin2014comparedto2001(Figure24).DiademawasmoreabundantatShagRockin2001comparedto2014.Collectorurchinsandgiantclamswerefoundinhigherabundancein2014comparedto2001,withcollectorurchinsbeingmostprevalentatShagRockWest..

Figure24:Comparisonoftheabundanceofindicatorurchinsfrom2001to2014forthePointLookoutregion.

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

SpringWinterAutomnSummer

HealthScore

Surveyseason

0

10

20

30

40

50

Diadem

a

Pen

cil urchin

Collector urchin

Giant clam

Diadem

a

Pen

cil urchin

Collector urchin

Giant clam

Diadem

a

Pen

cil urchin

Collector urchin

Giant clam

Diadem

a

Pen

cil urchin

Collector urchin

Giant clam

Shag Rock West Shag Rock East Flat Rock West Flat Rock East

Counts of In

vertbrates per 100 m

2

2001

2014


3.7.2. Fish

Families BothFlatRocksitesshowedlowerbutterflyfishabundancein2014comparedto2001.MostfishgroupsshoweddirectlyopposingpatternsbetweenFlatRockEastandWest,i.e.shelteredversusexposedsites(Figure25).Theexposedsitehadmoregoatfishes,triggerfishesandparrotfishesin2001thanin2014.Theshelteredsitehadmoresurgeonfishes,andmoreparrotfishesin2001comparedto2014.Theabundanceofangelfishes,goatfishes,andtriggerfishdecreasedbetween2001and2014atShagRockWest,butremainedrelativelysimilaratbothFlatRocksites.Incontrast,theabundanceofherbivoressuchasrabbitfishesandsurgeonfishesincreasedatbothShagRocksitesbetween2001and2014.

Figure25:Meanabundanceoftargetfishfamiliesfor2001and2014foreachofShagRockWest,ShagRockEast,FlatRockWestandFlatRockEastdivesites.

Species Targetspecieswereonlycomparedwheretheyweresurveyedinboth2001and2014(Figure26).FlatRockWesthadthehighesttotalabundanceoftargetspeciesinboth2001and2014.Mostsitesdemonstratedhigherabundanceoftargetspeciesin2014,exceptforFlatRockEast,whichremainedconstant.Thenumberoftargetspeciesfoundateachsitehasincreasedsince2001,alsowithagreaterdiversityofspeciesseenin2014(refertoAppendixBthespecieslist).

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Figure26:Meanabundanceoftargetfishspeciesfor2001and2014foreachofShagRockWest,ShagRockEast,FlatRockWestandFlatRockEastdivesites.

3.7.3. SubstrateComparisonsweremadebetweenthemajorsubstratetypespersitemappedin2001and2014(Figure27),or,asanannualaverageforthePointLookoutregion(Figure28).Persite(Figure27),coralcoverincreasedslightlyfrom2001to2014atFlatRockEast(16%to19%),remainedconstantatShagRockWest(6%),butdeclinedatShagRockEast(18%to9%)andFlatRockWest(17%to5%).Softcoralcoverwasslightlyloweratallsitesin2014than2001.Allsitesshowedanincreaseinthepercentagecoverofturfalgaefrom2001to2014.Lobophorawasobservedathigherlevelsduring2014surveysatallsites.Loweraveragecoverofthe“other”category(e.g.ascidians,anemones,corallimorphs,etc.)wasobservedatbothShagRocksitesin2014.

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Buffalofish

Bigscaledscalyfin

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Orange(Klein's)


Figure27:Substratecompositionfor2001and2014foreachsite.

GroupingthefivetransectstogethertorepresentPointLookoutdivesitesasawhole,therewasnosubstantialvariationinbenthiccovertypesfrom2001to2014(Figure28).Notably,nosignificantdifferenceintotalhardcoralcoverwasobservedbetween2001and2014(PseudoF=0.143,p=0.708).Therewerevariationsincompositionofnon‐living,turfandmacroalgaecoverfrom2001to2014,butmuchofthiswouldbeaccountedforbybarerockversusalgaecoveredrock.Thecoverofthe“other”substratecategorydecreasedslightlyin2014.

Figure28:SubstratecompositionforthePointLookoutRegion,calculatedasanannualaveragefor2001and2014.(errorbarsindicatestandarddeviation)

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3.7.4. ReefHealthImpactsThreereefhealthimpactcategories(unknowncoraldamage,fishinggearandgeneralrubbish)weremonitoredinboth2001and2014,allowingcomparisonbetweenthesurveyyears(Figure29).Reefhealthimpactspersitewerenormalizedforthecoralcover(percentageofsubstratecover)presentatthatsite.

Figure29:Comparisonofthenormalisedaverageabundanceofreefhealthimpactcategoriesthatwererecordedinboth2001and2014studies.

Coraldamagefromunknowncauseswasrecordedmoreon2014surveys.FlatRockEastshowedoveralllowimpactsforboth2001and2014.FlatRockWestandShagRockEastsurveysrecordedhighabundanceofcoraldamagein2014,andincreasedabundanceoffishingline.ShagRockWestshowedsimilarresultsfor2001and2014,withadecreaseincoraldamageandingeneralrubbish.

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4. DiscussionTherockyreefsatPointLookoutrepresentanimportanttransitionalareawheretemperate,tropicalandsub‐tropicalspeciesco‐exist(Perry&Larcombe2003).Thisregionisexhibitingrapidpopulationgrowthandcoastaldevelopment,withcorrespondingimpactuponitsmarineenvironments.Itisalsolikelytobeimpactedinthefuturebyspeciesshiftsduetoclimatechange(Pandolfietal2006).Despitetherecognisedimportanceofthisregionforbiodiversityanditsuniquespeciesassemblages(e.g.Harrison,etal1998),monitoringofthesehabitatsiscurrentlylimited(ReefCheck2010).ThePLEAsurveyprojecthascontributedefforttothedocumentationandmonitoringofthePointLookoutdivesites.

4.1. InterpretationofFindingsAllsitesexhibitedadiversityoffishfamiliesandspecies,withthehighestabundanceexhibitedbythedamselandwrassefamilies.Variationwasobservedbothseasonallyandtemporally:sub‐tropicalfishgroupswereobservedmorecommonlyincolderseasons,andtropicalgroupssuchasparrotfishwerecomparativelyrare.Importantlyhowever,therecordedobservationsofpredatoryfishmaybelowduetothefactthatsurveysweredoneduringthedaywhilesomepredatoryfishhuntatnight.Comparisonsof2001versus2014fishfamilyabundanceshelptohighlightpotentialchangesthatmaybetheresultofadverseorpositiveimpactsonfishcommunities.Forexample,offshoresitesatFlatRockhadlowernumbersofbutterflyfishin2014comparedto2001,whichmayindicateareductionofcoralabundance,sincesomebutterflyfishesareobligatecoralfeeders.However,whilstitispossiblethatchangeshaveoccurredthathavemodifiedthefishcommunity,itisalsoplausiblethattheserecordsrepresentstochasticityorinter‐annualvariability.Invertebrateabundancewasalsodifferentbetweensites,whichmayreflectthedifferencesamongsubstratecoverandthesubsequentavailabilityofsuitablehabitat.FlatRocksiteshadalowabundanceofallindicatorinvertebratescomparedtoShagRocksites,whichmayreflectthemoreshelterednatureofShagRock,orits’topography(i.e.,morecrevices).Lessexposedsitesmayhavemore3‐dimensionalhabitatsuchasbranching,folioseandplatecorals,whichprovidemorehabitatforinvertebrates.Ahighernumberofanemoneswerefoundwithoutfishthanwith,atallsites.Thismaybeduetothecollectionofanemonefishfortheaquariumtrade(atsomesites),orthedominanceofsmalleranemonesseen.Someoftheinvertebrateindicatorswerenotrecordedduringthesurveys.TheseincludedTrochusandTritonshells,and,theseacucumbers,however,thesespeciesaremostlyindicativefortropicalwaters.Othershellsorseacucumberswereobservedthataremorecharacteristicofsubtropicalreefenvironments,forexampleHolothuriadifficillisandChicoreuramosue.ThesearerecordedinthespecieslistinAppendixB.Thetotalnumberofgiantclamsfoundin2014wasgreaterthanin2001,whichmaybeanindicatorthattheseinvertebratesarebecomingmorecommonaroundSouthEastQueenslandwithchangingwatertemperatures.However,thisisimpossibletoconfirmwithoutmoredataoranalysis.Thesitesalsoexhibitedverydifferentbenthiccharacteristics,bothwithinandamongsites.Forexample,FlatRockEastexhibitedhighlevelsofcoralcovercomparedtoothersites,especiallyencrustingcoral,reflectingthemoreexposednaturetowavesandwindofthissite.MantaRayBommieexhibitedthelowestlevelofcoralcoverandthehighestabundance


ofnon‐livingmaterial.In‐situdiverobservationsexhibitedmorevariabilitybetweenseasonsthanphototransects(AppendixG).Whilstitisdifficulttodirectlycomparethetwomethods,themoreconsistentresultsfromthephototransect(whichwereanalysedbyoneperson)suggeststhatthedifferencesobservedfromthein‐situobservationsare,atleastinpart,duetodifferentdiversundertakingsubstrateidentificationthroughouttheyear.Whilstchangesincoralcoverwerealsoobservedovertime,itisdifficulttoknowatthisstagewhethertheseareafunctionofenvironmentalchangeorduetosamplingerror.ThegreatestamountofphysicaldamageoccurredattheShagRocksites,andofthis,themostcommonlyrecordedcategoryofdamagewas‘other’,forwhichthecauseisnotknownbutcouldbecausedbyanchor,diverorstorms.Sincethe2001surveys,FlatRockhasbeendesignatedasamarinenationalparkzoneprecludinganchoring,and,theareawasclosedtofishingundertheFisheriesActforGNS2012.However,somefishinglineswererecordedatFlatRockin2014.LowerlevelsofrubbishwererecordedatShagRockWestandMantaRayBommiein2014.Comparedto2001,coraldamagewassignificantlyhigherin2014atShagRocksites.Thiscouldreflecthigherlevelsofdiveractivity,orhigherfishingactivity(andsubsequentlymoreboat‐relateddamage).However,itisdifficulttodistinguishhuman‐relatedversusstorm‐relateddamagewithoutmorefrequentsurveyactivity.Cautionmustbetakenwhendrawingconclusionsastothehealthofthereefsbetweenthe2001and2014surveys.Asthereisnodetailedinformationavailableforthistime,thereareanumberofpotentialscenarios.Recordedcoralcoverwassimilarfor2001and2014,however,whathappenedinbetweenisunknown.Varioustrajectoriescouldhavetakenplace(Figure30).Regulardetailedmonitoringwouldprovidethenecessaryinformationtolinkprocesseswithobservationsforconservationandmanagement.

Figure30:Coralcoverfor2001and2014withpossiblescenariosastowhatthecoralcovercouldhavebeenfortheyearsinbetween.

4.2. ProjectandDataLimitationsThePLEAsurveyswerecarriedoutbyagroupof44trainedvolunteerdivers(AppendixA).Whilstahighnumberofvolunteerswasimperativeforprojectengagement,therewassomevariationintheresultsduetodatathatcouldnotbeexplainedthroughseasonality(e.g.HardCoralcover).Likelythisvariationarisesfromdatabeingcollectedbydifferentdiverson

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differentsurveys.Toreducethisvariationhowever,diversweretrainedtoahighstandard(Passmark75%onwrittenidentificationexams)andcorediverswereappointedconsistentsurveyactivitiesfromseasontoseasonwherefeasible.Thesubstratesurveywasapointsurveywherepeopleusedaleadplumblinetoeliminatebias.However,eachseasonalsurveyrepeatwouldhaveslightlydifferentlineplacingresultingintheplumblinetouchingadifferentlocationwhichwouldexplainsomevariationintheresults.Somedifferenceswerealsoevidentoncomparisonoffield‐basedsubstratedataandphototransectdata.Phototransectbasedsubstratesurveyallowedforrapiddatacollectioninthefield,yet,theanalysisofthephotosrequiredmuchmoretime.However,thismethodprovidedahigherlevelofconsistencyasthephotoanalysiswasdonebyoneperson,andquestionableanalysescouldbereassessed.Surveyswerecarriedoutseasonallyovera12monthperiodandallseasonalsurveyswerecompletedinasingleweekendwherepossible(seeAppendixI).Theenvironmentalconditions(e.g.wind,swell,tides,andtemperature.)duringthesurveysvariedduetonormalweatherpatterns,whichwouldinfluencethefloraandfaunapresent.Theresultswillthereforebeaffectedbythesefactors,andhence,ongoingseasonalsurveysarevaluabletoprovidebetterknowledgeofwhatispresentorabsentatdifferenttimesoftheyear.Whilstweaimedtocompleteallsurveysforaseasonduringoneweekend,sometimesthiswasnotpossibleduetoweatherconditionsandtheteamhadtoreturnatalaterdate(usuallythefollowingweekendorassoonaspossible).Duetopotentialvariationinconditionssuchasvisibilityandcurrentsonthedifferentweekends,variability,especiallyforthefishsurvey,wouldhavebeeninherentandcontributetopotentialintra‐seasondifferences.Duringtheplanningphaseofthesurveys,thecategoriesofsubstrate,invertebrates,fishandreefhealthimpactswerechosentobecomparabletothe2001Coastcareprojectwhichwasthemaincomparison.However,theprotocolswerealsoadoptedtofitinwithReefCheckAustraliaandCoralWatchmethods,sosomecrosscomparisonwaspossible.Oncompletionofthesurveys,duringthedatacomparison,thecategoriesusedweresimilar,butthemethodologyusedtocollectthedatawasdifferentenoughthatitwasdifficulttocomparesomecategories.Thisimposedalimitontheamountofdatathatcouldbecomparedbetweenthe2001and2014studies.Consistentmethodologywillbeaconsiderationforfuturesurveystoenablemoreefficientcomparisonandallowchangedetection.Duringthesurveysitwasclearthattherewassomemovementinthesemi‐permanentmarkers.Further,anaimwastohavethetransectsinthesamelocationsasin2001.The2014transectswerelocatedbasedonsketchesandexpertknowledgeofthosethathadbeeninvolvedinthe2001surveys.Thisinformationwasinsufficienttoguarantee2014transectplacementinidenticallocationsasto2001.Hence,itisproposedforfutureandongoingsurveys,thatmorepermanentmarkers(e.g.steelbars)beinstalledtoenableongoingcomparisonwithfuturesurveys.


5. RecommendationsforManagementandCommunity

5.1. ContinuedandimprovedmonitoringofthePointLookoutdivesites.Repeatingtheecologicalassessmentonanannualbasis(e.g.ReefCheck)andeveryfiveyearsseasonally(e.g.PLEAproject)wouldbebeneficialforproperunderstandingandmanagementforconservation.Theresultsofthissurveyshowthatsomechangeshavetakenplace,butwithonlytwoyearsofdataitisdifficulttosayhoworwhythesechangesaretakingplace.Regularmonitoringofthesereefswouldimproveourunderstandingofecologicalchangesandenableustobetterunderstandiftheyarenaturalvariationsorcausedbyexternalfactorssuchasfishing,pollutionorphysicaldamage.TheReefCheckinitiativetovoluntarilysurveythereefsannuallyeverywintersince2009isofgreatimportanceasthedatacanbeusedtosupportmanagementdecisions.Repeatingthesamedetailedsurveyaspresentedhereinfiveyears’timewouldbebeneficial,asseasonalchangesinthereefcanalsobeunderstood.Permanenttransectmarkerswouldenableasignificantimprovementinthequalityandreliabilityofsurveyresultcomparisonsbetweenyearsandseasons.The2014surveysdemonstratedthatitwasdifficulttoidentifythesametransectsegmentsonseasonalrevisits.Thiswasonlyachievablebyusingthesameskilleddiver(s)tomarkoutthetransectlineeverysurvey.Asthesesurveysshouldnotrelyontheexperienceofonlyasmallgroupofdiverstorelocatethetransectlocations,itwouldbebeneficialtoinstallpermanenttransectmarkers(e.g.steelpegsintherocks).Thesewouldmarkthebeginningandendpointsofeachofthetransects,asopposedtousingtheconcreteblocksthatwereused,and,thenremovedattheendofthisproject.

5.2. ReducingPhysicalDamagetoCorals Severalcomplementaryoptionscouldbeintroducedtoavoidanchorandmooringlinedamagetocorals: NoanchoringatShagRock.Althoughnotdroppinganchorisachangeinboatdivingproceduresandnotalwayssuitableforalldiverexperiencelevelsorweatherconditions,itwilldirectlyreducedamagecausedbyanchoring.Boatoperatorscouldinsteaddropashotlinewithasmallsurfacemarkerbuoy,diveflagandweight,thatdiversorsnorkelerscouldusetonavigatebacktowhenfinishingthedive.Otherboatsnotusedfordiving,wouldhavetodriftwiththecurrent,andavoidtherocks.Additionalcostsduetofuelusageforboatdiveoperatorsshouldbesharedwiththeusers(e.g.divers),anditrequiresdiversandoperatorsworktogetherinhelpingreducedamage.Fisherswhomliketostayontopofthefishinghabitatcouldconsiderequippingtheirboatwithanadditionalelectricenginetokeeptheboatonthesite. Anchoringonsandsoanchorandchainarenotabletoimpactthereef.Alternativelyanchoringcouldbepermittedinnon‐coralareas(e.g.sand)atsuchadistancefromtherocksubstratethattheanchorandchainwillnotdamagecoral.Thiswouldrequirethatdiversorsnorkelersnavigatetothesiteofinterest,potentiallyrequiringadditionalbriefing.Thebriefingwouldincludehowtonavigatefromtheanchortothemaindivesite,andcould


includethedivesitemapsgeneratedfromthisproject.Forfishersthisapproachwouldnotbeassuitablesincetheyprefertoanchorontopofthefishhabitat. Providingfixedmoorings.CurrentlynopublicorprivatemooringsarepresentatShagRock,andhighlevelsofphysicaldamagetocoralswereobservedatalltransectsatthislocation.Variousoptionsareavailabletoinstallandmaintainmooringsatthesesiteswhichmayhelpreducedamagetocorals.Theseinclude:1)directfundingbytheusers(e.g.divers,diveshopowners,interestedorganisations),2)throughanorganisationofusers(e.g.MooringTrust),3)viaanindustrypartner(e.g.diving,mining,tourism),4)provisionofassistancefromgovernmentagencies(e.g.MarineParks),or,5)directfundingbyMarineParks.AppendixJoutlinessuggestedapproachesthatcouldbefollowedupbythecommunityormanagementagenciestoenablethistohappen. Educatingdivers,spearfishers,snorkelers,fishersandvesselskippersinhowtoreducephysicaldamage.Diversshouldbeencouraged,orideallyrequired,tofollowacodeofconductthathighlightstheneedforgoodbuoyancycontroltoavoidtouchingthebottom,and,thestreamliningofdivegeartoavoidentanglementincorals.Snorkelersshouldbeencouragednottotouchorgetclosetothebottom,reducingtheirimpact.Atsiteswherefishingisallowed,fishersshouldavoidfishingnearorclosetothebottomtoavoidlineentanglementand/orlossoffishinggearandassociateddamagetocorals.

5.3. CommunityEngagementtoCreateAwarenessoftheImportanceoftheReefsEducatingthecommunityabouttheMoretonBayreefswillhelppreservetheseresourcesforthefuture.AsurveyoftheSouthEastQueenslandcommunityinJune2010indicatedthataquarterofpeoplesurveyedwerenotawarethattherewerereefsinthewatersofSouthEastQueensland.Halfofrespondentswereawarethattherewerereefsbuthadnotvisitedthem(ReefCheckAustralia2010).Increasingawarenessabouttheimportanceofthesehabitatsandhowpersonalactionscansupporttheirprotectionwillbecriticaltohelpintheconservationoftheseecosystemsforthefuture.TheproductionofthePLEAphotobook“Straddie,MarineFloraandFaunaofNorthStradbrokeIslandDiveSites”andvideowillassistinincreasingcommunityawarenessabouttheexistenceofthereefsaroundSouthEastQueenslandandshowcasethevalue,beautyanddiversityofthesereefs.ThecommunitycanhelpbuildanunderstandingofMoretonBayreefsthroughcitizenscience.ThebroadercommunitycangetinvolvedinnumerouscitizenscienceinitiativestosupportincreasedunderstandingofMoretonBayReefs: ReefCheckAustralia(http://www.reefcheckaustralia.org/) CoralWatch(http://www.coralwatch.org/) GreyNurseSharkWatch

(http://www.reefcheckaustralia.org/grey‐nurse‐shark‐watch.html) ProjectManta(https://www.facebook.com/ProjectMANTA) SpottheLeopardShark(http://www.uq.edu.au/whale/spot‐the‐leopard‐shark)


5.4. Supportconservationofthereefsbyprovidingpeerreviewedinformation.Thescientificcommunity,non‐governmentalorganisations,managementauthorities,localareacouncilsandinterestedcitizencanusethefindingsofthisresearchandfutureresearchprojectstohelpsupportmanagementdecisionsandguidefurthermonitoringofthereefs.Theresultsanddatafromthisprojectwillbemadepubliclyavailable,andinclude:ProjectDocuments Thurstan,R.,Flower,J.,Beger,M.,Dudgeon,C.,Gomez,K.,Ortiz,J.,Kovacs,E.,Loder,J.,

Saunders,M.,Passenger,J.,KleineD.andRoelfsema,C(2014).SurveyMethodsManualUniDivePointLookoutEcologicalAssessment(PLEA).TheUniversityofQueenslandUnderwaterClub,Brisbane,Australia.Manualwasbasedonmethodsusedinsurveysin2001and2003,andtheReefCheckandCoralWatchProtocols.

RoelfsemaC.,R.Thurstan,J.Flower,M.Beger,M.Gallo,J.Loder,E.Kovacs,K.GomezCabrera,A.Lea,J.Ortiz,D.Brunner,andD.Kleine(2014).EcologicalAssessmentoftheFloraandFaunaofPointLookoutDiveSites,NorthStradbrokeIsland,Queensland.,Unidive,TheUniversityofQueenslandUnderwaterClub,Brisbane,Australia.

Eachdocumentwasreviewedbytwocoastalregionmanagers,bothhavingtenplusyears’experiencewithmonitoringandmanagingthecoastalregionsandnationalparksinSouthEastQueensland.

PeerReviewedScientificPapers RoelfsemaC.,R.Thurstan,J.Flower,M.Beger,M.Gallo,J.Loder,E.Kovacs,K.Gomez

Cabrera,A.Lea,J.Ortiz,D.Brunner,andD.Kleine(manuscriptinpreparation).FloraandFaunaofNorthStradbrokeIslandDiveSitefor2001and2014:ACitizenScienceBasedComparison.JournalofEcosystemandEcography

Thurstan,R.,C.Roelfsema,J.Flower,M.Beger,M.Gallo,J.Loder,E.Kovacs,K.GomezCabrera,A.Lea,J.Ortiz,D.Brunner,andD.Kleine(manuscriptinpreparation).Canwetrustcitizenscience?Anexaminationoftheconsistencyofsurveyresultsamongvolunteerdivers.PLOSOne

PeerReviewedDataSet RoelfsemaC.,E.Kovacs,P.Bray,M.Gallo,R.Thurstan,J.Flower,M.Beger,J.Loder,K.

GomezCabrera,A.Lea,J.Ortiz,D.Brunner,andD.Kleine(inpreparation).Fish,Invertebrate,Substrate,andImpactDataSetcollectedin2014aspartoftheEcologicalAssessmentoftheDiveSitesatNorthStradbrokeIslandDive,Queensland.UniDivePLEAProject,PangeaorCoastalDataPortal


6. ReferencesBooth,D.J.,W.F.Figueira,etal.(2007)."OccurrenceoftropicalfishesintemperatesoutheasternAustralia:RoleoftheEastAustralianCurrent."EstuarineCoastalandShelfScience72(1‐2):102‐114.BureauofInfrastructure,TransportandRegionalEconomics(BITRE),2013,Populationgrowth,jobsgrowthandcommutingflowsinSouthEastQueensland,Report134,CanberraACT.http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/2013/files/report_134.pdfChollett,I.,Müller‐Karger,F.E.,Heron,S.F.,Skirving,W.,&Mumby,P.J.(2012).SeasonalandspatialheterogeneityofrecentseasurfacetemperaturetrendsintheCaribbeanSeaandsoutheastGulfofMexico.MarinePollutionBulletin,64(5),956–65.doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.02.016Couturier,L.I.E.,Jaine,F.R.a.,Townsend,K.a.,Weeks,S.J.,Richardson,A.J.,&Bennett,M.B.(2011).Distribution,siteaffinityandregionalmovementsofthemantaray,Mantaalfredi(Krefft,1868),alongtheeastcoastofAustralia.MarineandFreshwaterResearch,62(6),628.doi:10.1071/MF10148EPA(2008)FinalpublicbenefittestreportfortheMarineParks(MoretonBay)ZoningPlan2008,EnvironmentalProtectionAgency,QueenslandGovernmentFerrari,R.,Gonzalez‐Rivero,M.,Ortiz,J.C.,&Mumby,P.J.(2012).InteractionofherbivoryandseasonalityonthedynamicsofCaribbeanmacroalgae.CoralReefs,31(3),683–692.doi:10.1007/s00338‐012‐0889‐9FordS.,M.Langridge,C.M.Roelfsema,C.Bansemer,S.Pierce,K.Gomez,I.Fellegara,I.,K.McMahon,M.Keller,K.E.Joyce,N.AurishandC.Prebble(2003).SurveyingHabitatsCriticaltotheSurvivalofGreyNurseSharksinSouth‐EastQueensland.Unidive,TheUniversityofQueenslandUnderwaterClub,Brisbane,Australia.Funk,W.C.,J.K.McKay,etal.(2012)."Harnessinggenomicsfordelineatingconservationunits."TrendsinEcology&Evolution27(9):489‐496.Greenstein,B.J.andJ.M.Pandolfi(2008)."Escapingtheheat:rangeshiftsofreefcoraltaxaincoastalWesternAustralia."GlobalChangeBiology14(3):513‐528.Guinotte,J.M.,R.W.Buddemeier,etal.(2003)."Futurecoralreefhabitatmarginality:temporalandspatialeffectsofclimatechangeinthePacificbasin."CoralReefs22(4):551‐558.Hill,J.andJ.Loder(2013)ReefCheckAustraliaSurveyMethods.ReefCheckFoundationLtd.HodgsonG.andJLiebeler(2002)Theglobalcoralreefcrisis:5yearsofReefCheck.Trendsandsolutions.ReefCheckFoundationLtd.Kleypas,J.A.,J.W.McManus,etal.(1999)."Environmentallimitstocoralreefdevelopment:Wheredowedrawtheline?"AmericanZoologist39(1):146‐159.


Kohler,K.&Gill,S.M.,2006.CoralPointCountwithExcelextensions(CPCe):AVisualBasicprogramforthedeterminationofcoralandsubstratecoverageusingrandompointcountmethodology.Computers&Geosciences,32(9),pp.1259–1269.McMahonK.,D.L.,C.Bansemer,I.Fellegara,M.Keller,A.Kerswell,J.Kwik,B.Longstaff,C.M.Roelfsema,J.ThomasandJ.Stead(2002).ABaselineAssessmentoftheFloraandFaunaofNorthStradbrokeIslandDiveSites,Queensland.CoastcareProject.Unidive,TheUniversityofQueenslandUnderwaterClub,Brisbane,Australia.Riegl,B.andW.E.Piller(2003)."Possiblerefugiaforreefsintimesofenvironmentalstress."InternationalJournalofEarthSciences92(4):520‐531.Pandolfi,J.M.,R.H.Bradbury,E.Sala,T.P.Hughes,K.A.Bjorndal,R.G.Cooke,etal.(2003)."GlobalTrajectoriesoftheLong‐TermDeclineofCoralReefEcosystems."Science301(5635),pp:955‐958.RoelfsemaC.M.andS.R.Phinn(2009).AManualforConductingGeoreferencedPhotoTransectsSurveystoAssesstheBenthosofCoralReefandSeagrassHabitatsversion3.0.BiophysicalRemoteSensingGroup,TheUniversityofQueensland,Brisbane,AustraliaRoelfsema,C.M.,andS.R.Phinn(2010).Integratingfielddatawithhighspatialresolutionmultispectralsatelliteimageryforcalibrationandvalidationofcoralreefbenthiccommunitymaps.JournalofAppliedRemoteSensing,Vol.4,043527(26April2010),

ReefCheckFoundationLtd&TheMarketingGarage(2010).ReefCheckAustraliaSouthEastQueenslandMarketing&CommunicationsResearchReport.

Smale,D.A.andT.Wernberg(2013)."Extremeclimaticeventdrivesrangecontractionofahabitat‐formingspecies."ProceedingsoftheRoyalSocietyB:BiologicalSciences280(1754).Wernberg,T.,B.D.Russell,etal.(2011)."SeaweedCommunitiesinRetreatfromOceanWarming."CurrentBiology21(21):1828‐1832.


7. AppendicesAppendixA:ParticipantsList

Name Cert Survey Job Training Organisation Science Methods Book Report Video

Aaron Aeberli ADV Buddy

Alexandra Lea DM Fish x x x xAlyssa Ryan ADV Buddy

Andy Findlay N/A Support x

Beth Kita RES Substrate, inverts

Bruce McClean DM Inverts Finance

Chris Roelfsema INS Mapping Organisation x xChristine Dudgeon SCI fish x x xCraig Bolland ADV Buddy

David Warren RES Buddy xDee Passenger DM Inverts xDiana Kleine INS Fish

Donna Easton RES Inverts Sales

Douglas Stetner INS Photo, Video, mapping Photo x xDunia Brunner ADV Substrate xEva Kovacs RES Fish, Inverts x Quality control x x x xGavin Bott DM Video Video xJames Sadler ADV Buddy

Jason Flower INS Methods x x x xJennifer Loder DM Impacts x x x x x xJenni Calcraft RES Coral Health

Josh Passenger DM Impacts x transport

Juan Carlos SCI Impacts x x x xJulie Klint RES Fish Food

Justin Mariner DM Buddy x xKaren Johnson ADV Fish, coral health Food xK‐Le Gomez SCI Trainig, Inverts x x x xLachlan Pollard DM Mapping Accomodation x xLee Raby INS Mapping

Liette Boisvert ADV Coral Health Facebook

Maria Beger SCI Trainer, Fish x x x x xMark Stenhouse DM Substrate

Megan Saunders SCI Inverts x x

Melanie Oey RES Mapping, Coral Health, Facebook, survey gear

Michael Pheasant DM Mapping Dive officer, data x x xMichele Gallo RES Video, impacts x x x xOlivier Cheneval INS Substrate, impacts xPeran Bray RES Inverts, impacts, mapping x Data Management

Robert Cook DM Buddy

Roxane Borruat RES Coral Health

Ruth Thurstan DM Fish x x x x xRyan Booker INS Mapping, video, photo x Safety xSarah Buckley RES Buddy

Stefano Freguia DM Substrate, inverts xTrevor Barrenger DM Mapping Food


AppendixB:DataSheets


AppendixB:SpeciesList

FLOWERINGPLANTSSCIENTIFICNAMEHalophilaovalis(DugongGrass)HalophilaspinulosaHaloduleuninervisALGAEChlorophytaAcetabulariasp.BoergesenuaforbesiiBoergesenuaspBometellanitidaBoodleacompositaBoodleasp.BryopsisindicaBryopsissp.CaulerpabrachypusCaulerpalentilliferaCaulerpanummulariaCaulerpapeltataCaulerparacemosaCaulerpataxifoliaChlorodesmisfastigiataTurtleWeedCodiumsp.Dictyosphaeriasp.Enteromorphasp.HalimedadiscoideaNeomerisvan‐bosseaeUlvalactucaSealettuceValoniasp.Ventricariasp.PhaeophytaColpomeniasinuosa

Colpomeniasp.DictyopterisspDictyotasp.DilophusmarginatusHormophysatriquetraHydroclathrusclathratusLobophoravariegataPadinasp.Sargassumsp.Stypopodiumsp.Zonariasp.

RhodophytaAcanthophorasp.Amansiasp.AsparagopsistaxiformisIodineWeedChampiasp.Dictyomeniasp.Euchemasp.Gelidiellasp.Gelidiumsp.Gracilariasp.Griffithsiasp.Halymeniasp.Hypneasp.Laurenciasp.Peysonneliasp.Sarconemasp.

REPTILESCarettacarettaLoggerheadTurtleCheloniamydasGreenTurtleEretmochelysimbricataHawksbillTurtleMAMMALSMegapteranovaengliaHumpback(heard)TursiopstruncatusBottlenoseDolphinDugongdugonDugongOrcinusorcaKillerwhale


INVERTEBRATESCNIDARIA(Hardcorals)AcanthastreabowerbankiEncrustingAcanthastreaechinataEncrustingtomassiveAcanthastrealordhowensisMassiveAcroporacythereaPlateAcroporadigitiferaDigitateAcroporadivaricataDigitatetoplateAcroporagemmiferaDigitateAcroporaglaucaPlateAcroporalatistellaPlateAcroporasarmentosaDigitatetoplateAcroporasolitaryensisPlateAcroporasubulataDigitateCyphastreaserailiaMassiveFaviaspeciosaMassiveFaviastelligeraCollumnarFavitesspp.HardGoniastreaaustraliensisEncrustingtosubmassiveHydnophoraexesaEncrustingtosubmassiveLobophylliacorymbosaMassiveMontastreacurtaMassiveMontiporacaliculataMassiveMontiporapeltiformisSubmassivetoplateOulophylliabennettaeMassiveOxyporalaceraEncrustingtofoliosePavonavariansEncrustingtofoliosePlatygyradaedaleaEncrustingtomassivePocilloporaverrucosaBranchingPocilloporaaliciaeBranchingPocilloporadamicornisBranchingPsammocoracontiguaCollumnarSeriatoporahystrixBranchingStylophorapistillataBranchingTubastreafaulkneriOrangeTubeTurbinariafrondensFolioseTurbinariameseterinaolioseTurbinariapeltataFoliose

CNIDARIA(Soft)Dendronephthyasp.PricklyRedTreeSarcophytonsp.LeathersoftXeniasp.SoftCladiellasp.Spottedsoft

OtherCnidaria MacrorhynciaphillipinaWhitestingingSeaCastostylusmosaicusBlueblubberDiscosomasp.limorpEntacmaeaquadricolorBulb‐tentacleMacrorhynchiaphoeniceaSeafirPalythoacaesiaSandyzooanthidPhysaliaphysalisBluebottleTubiporamusicaOrganpipe

PORIFERA(Sponges)

AcanthellacostataOrangeRibbedNiphatessp.BrownFurryVasePseudaxinellaaustralisFurryredSpirastrellavagabundaRoamingburrowingClionasp.BurrowingCallispongiasp. Blue

ARTHROPODA(Crustaceans/Barnacles)CalcinusgaimardiiGaimard'sHermitDardanuslagopodesSwift‐FootedHermitDardanusmegistosSpottedHermitGonodactylaceusfalcatusYellow‐spotSmashingMantisNeopetrolisthesmaculatusDottedAnemoneCrabPanulirusversicolorPaintedSpinyLobsterPericlimenesbrevicarpalisPacificClownAnemoneShrimpPericlimenessororStarfishShrimpRhynchocinetesbruceiBruce'sHinge‐BeakPrawnStenopushispidusBandedShrimpThenussp.MoretonBayBugThoramboinensisBold‐SpottedAnemoneShrimpTrapeziaseptataHoneycobCrabParribacusantarticusSlipperlobsters

MOLLUSCAAplysiadactylomelaBlack‐ringedSeaHareCeratosomatrilobatumThreeHornedNudibrachChromodorisaurepurpureaPurple‐edgenudibranchChromodoriskuiteriKuiter'sNudibranchConuscapitaneusCaptain'sConeConustextileTextileConeCuthonasibogaeSibogaAeloidCypraeacaptuserpentisSerpent's‐HeadCowrieCypraeatigrisTigerCowrieEuprymatasmonicaCuttlefishExobranchussanguineusSpanishDancerFlabellinarubrolineataRed‐LinedAeolidGlaucusatlanticusSeaLizardGlossodorisatromarginataBlack‐EdgedNudibranchHypselodorismaculosa Purple‐SpeckledNudibranchHypselodorisobscuraObscureNudibanchJorunnafunebrisFuneralPyreNudibranchOctopuscyaneaDayOctopusOvulaovumEggCowriePhyllidiaocellataEyedPhyllidiaPhyllidiavaricosaVaricosePhyllideaPteraeolidiaianthinaBlueDragonSepiaapamaGiantCuttlefishSepioteuthislessonianaTigerSquidTrisidostortuosaPropellerArk(dead)


ECHINODERMATA(Starfish/Seacucumbers/Featherstars/Seaurchins)

AcanthasterplanciCrownofThornsStarfishAsthenosomapericulosumStingingSeaUrchinAstrobrachionconstrictumGraspingBrittlestarCalcitanovaeguineaeCushionStarCenoliasp.BlackFeatherstarComanthenanobilisNoble(Yellow)FeatherstarDiademasavignyiLong‐SpinedBlackUrchinEchinasterluzonicusLuzonSeastarEchinostrephusaciculatusBurrowingSeaUrchinEchiometramathaeiWhite‐TippedUrchinFromiaindicaIndianSeastarGomophiamamilliferaOrnamentedSeastarHolothurianobilisTeatfishLeiastercoriaceusTannedSeastarLinckialaevigataBlueSeastarSeastarDana'sBrittlestarOxycomanthusbennettiBennett'sFeatherstar(Blackandyellowfeatherstar)PentagonasterdubeniVermillionSeastarPrionocidariscallistaBeautifulSeaUrchinTamariasp.SeastarTemnopleurusalexandriAlexander'sSeaUrchin

CTENOPHORABeroesp.CombJelly

TUNICATEClavelinesaustralis(Seasquirt)Sea‐squirtPolycarpapapillata(Seasquirt)Polycarpaprocera(Seasquirt)

ANNELIDASpirobranchussp.ChristmastreewormFilogranaimplexaFanwormSabellastarteindicaFanWorm

PlatyhelminthesPseudocerosgloriosus GloriousflatwormPseudocerossp.Flatworm


FISHESPomacanthidae(Angelfish)

Centropygebicolor(BicolourAngelfish)

Centropygeflavissima(Lemonangelfish)

Centropygetibicen(Keyholeangelfish)

Centropygevrolikii(Pearlscaleangelfish)

Chaetodontoplusmeredithi(Yellowfindangelfish)

Pomacanthussemicirculatus(Semicircleangelfish)

Ephippidae(Batfish)

Plataxpinnatus(Pinnatespadefish)

Plataxteira(Commontall‐finbatfish)

Chaetodontidae(Butterflyfish)

Chaetodonaureofasciatus(Goldenbutterfly)Chaetodonauriga(Threadfinbutterfly)

Chaetodoncitrinellus(Citronbutterfly)

Chaetodonflavirostris(Duskybutterfly)

Chaetodonguentheri(GuenthersButterfly)Chaetodonkleinii(Klein'sbutterfly)

Chaetodonpelewensis(Sunsetbutterfly)Chaetodonplebeius(Bluespotbutterfly)

Chaetodonrainfordi(Rainford'sbutterfly)

Chaetodonspeculum(Mirrorbutterfly)

Chaetodontrifascialis(Chevronedbutterfly)Chaetodonunimaculatus(Teardropbutterfly)Chaetodonvagabundus(Vagabondbutterfly)Chlemonrostratus(Beaked)

Forcipigerflavissimus(Longnosebutterfly)

Forcipigerlongirostrus(Verylongnosebutterfly)

Heniochusacuminatus(Longfinbanner)

Heniochusmonoceros(Maskedbanner)

Pomacentridae(Damselfish)

Abudefdufbengalensis(Bengalsergeant)

Abudefdufseptemfasciatus(Sevenbarsergeant)

Abudefdufsexfasciatus(Scissor‐tailedsergeant)

Abudefdufvaigensis(Indopacificsergeant)

Abudefdufwhitleyi(Whitleyssergeant)

Amphiprionakindynos(BarrierReefanemonefish)

Chromisatripectoralis

Chromishypsilepis(Brownpuller)

Chromislepidogenys

Chromismargaritifier(Bicolorchromis)

Chromisnitida(Yellow‐blackpuller)

Chromisopercularis

Chromisvanderbilti(Vanderbilt’spuller)

Chromisviridis(Blue‐greenpuller)

Chromisweberi

Chromisxanthochira

Chrysipteraflavipinnis

Chrysipterarex

Chrysipteraunimaculata

Dascyllusaruanus

Dascyllusreticulatus(Reticulateddamsel)

Dascyllustrimaculatus

Neoglypthidodonnigroris(Yellowfindamsel)

Neopomacentrusazysron(Yellowtaildemoiselle)

Parmaoligolepis(Bigscaleparma)

Parmapolylepis(Buffalofish)

Parmaunifasciata(Girdledscalyfin)

Plectroglyphidodondickii(Dick'sdamsel)

Plectroglyphidodonjohnstonianus

Plectroglyphidodonleucozonus

Pomacentrusamboinensis

Pomacentrusaustralis

Pomacentrusbankanensis(Speckleddamsel)

Pomacentruscoelestis(Neondamsel)

Pomacentrusimitator

Pomacentrusmollucensis

Pomacentrusnagasakiensis

Pomacentruspavo

Pomacentruswardi(Wardsdamsel)

Stegastesgascoynei

Apogonidae(Cardinalfish)

Apogonangustatus(Stripedcardinalfish)

Apogonaureus(Ring‐tailcardinalfish)

Apogoncavitiensis(Cavitecardinalfish)

Apogoncyanosoma(Yellowstripedcardinalfish)

Apogonlimenus(Sydneycardinalfish)

Serranidae(Cods/Groupers/Anthiases)

Cephalopholisurodeta(Flagtailrockcod)

Diploprionbifasciatum(Two‐bandedsoapfish)

Epinepheluscoioides(Estuarycod)

Epinepheluscyanopodus(Purplerockcod)

Epinephelusfasciatus(Black‐tippedrockcod)

Pseudoanthiasbicolor(Bicoloranthias)

Pseudoanthiashuchti(Red‐cheekedanthias)

Pseudanthiassquamipinnis


Pseudochromidae(Dottybacks)

Labracinuslineatus(Lineddottyback)

Lethrinusnebulosus(Spangledemperor)

Lutjanidae(Snappers)

Lutjanusfulviflamma(Black‐spotsnapper)

Lutjanuskasmira(Blue‐stripedseaperch)

Lutjanusquinequelineatus(Five‐linesnapper)

Lutjanussebae(Redemperor)

Haemulidae(Sweetlips)Plectorhinchusflavomaculatus(Gold‐spottedsweetlip)Plectorhinchusgibbosus(Brownsweetlip)

Plectorhinchuspicus(Magpiesweetlip)

Plectorhinchusunicolor

Siganidae(Rabbitfish)

Siganusargenteus(Forktailrabbitfish)

Siganusfuscescens(Happymoments)

Siganusvulpinus(Foxface)

Mullidae(Goatfish)

MulloidichthysvanicolensisParupeneuscyclostomus(Yellowsaddlegoatfish)

Parupeneusmultifasciatus(Bandedgoatfish)

Parupeneuspleurostigma(Sidespotgoatfish)

Parupeneusspilurus(Black‐spotgoatfish)

Upeneustragula(Bar‐tailedgoatfish)

Tetradontidae(Pufferfish)

Arothronhispidus(Stars&stripestoadfish)

Arothronmeleagris(Guineafowlpuffer)

Arothronnigropunctatus(Blackspottedpuffer)

Arothronreticularis

ArothronstellatusCanthigasterbenetti(Bennett'spuffer)

Canthigasteraxiologus(Crownedpuffer)

Canthigastervalentini(Black‐saddledtoby)

Diodontidae(Porcupinefish)

Cyclichthysjacauliferus(Long‐spinedporcupinefish)

Dicolichthyspunctulatus(Threebarporcupinefish)

Diodonholocanthus(Fine‐spottedporcupinfish)

Diodonhystrix(Black‐spottedporcupinefish)

Diodonliturosus(Blotchedporcupinefish)

Ostraciidae(Trunkfish/Boxfish)

Ostracioncubicus(Yellowboxfish)

Ostracionmeleagris(Blackspottedboxfish)

Tetrosomusconcatenates(Turretfish)

Monocanthidae(Leatherjacket)

Cantherhinespardalis(Wire‐netfilefish)

Canthescheniagrandisquamis(Large‐scale)

Monacanthuschinensis(Fan‐belliedleatherjacket)

Oxymonacanthuslongirostris(Long‐nosefilefish)

Paraluterespriorurus(Mimicfilefish)

Pervagoralternans(Yellow‐eyedleatherjacket)

Pervagorjanthinosoma

Balistidae(Triggerfish)

Balistapusundulatus(Orangestriped)

Balistoidesconspicillum(Clown)

MelichthysviduaSufflamenchrysopterum(Flagtail)

Sufflamenfraenatum

Scaridae(Parrotfish)Scarusghobban(Blue‐barredparrotfish)

Scarusniger(Blackparrotfish)

Labridae(Wrasse)

Anampsescaeruleopunctatus(Diamondwrasse)

Anampsesgeographicus(GeographicWrasse)Anampsesfemininus(Blue‐tailwrasse)

Anampsesneoguinaicus(Black‐backedwrasse)

Bodianusaxillaris(hogfish)

Bodianusmesothorax(Black‐belthogfish)

Bodianusperditio(Gold‐spotpigfish)

Cheilinustrilobatus

Choerodoncephalotes(Grasstuskfish)

ChoerodongraphicusChoerodonfasciatus(Harlequintuskfish)

Choerodongraphicus(Graphicaltuskfish)

Choerodonschoenleinii(Black‐spottuskfish)

Choerodonvenustus(Venustuskfish)

Corisaygula(Bulbheadcoris)

Corisbatuensis(Batucoris)


Corisdorsomacula(Pale‐barredcoris)Corisgaimard(Gaimardwrasse)

Cirrhilabruspunctatus(Dottedwrasse)Diproctacanthusxanthurus(Yellowtailtubelip)

Gomphosusvarius(Birdwrasse)

Halichoereschrysus(Canarywrasse)Halichoereshortulanus(Checkerboardwrasse)

Halichoeresnigrescens

Hologymnosusannulatus(Ringwrasse)

Hologymnosusdoliatus(Pastelringwrasse)Labroidesdimidiatus(Cleanerwrasse)

Leptojuliscyanopleura

Macropharyngodonchoati(ChoatsWrasse)Macropharyngodonmeleagris(Blackspottedwrasse)

MacropharyngodonnegrosensisNovaculichthystaeniourus(Reindeerwrasse)

Oxycheilinusbimaculatus

Pseudolabrusguentheri

PteragoguscryptusStethojulisbandanensis(Bluelined,red‐spotwrasse)

Stethojulisinterrupta(Cut‐ribbonwrasse)

SuezichthysarquatusThalassomahardwicke(Sixbarwrasse)

Thalassomajansenii(Jansen'swrasse)

Thalassomalunare(Moonwrasse)

Thalassomalutescens(Sunsetwrasse)

Blennidae(Blennies)

PlagiotremusrhinorhynchosPlagiotremustapeinosoma(Mimicblenny)

Scorpaenidae(Lion/Stonefish)

Dendrochiruszebra(Zebralionfish)

Pteroisvolitans(Commonlionfishorturkeyfish)

Synanceiahorrida(Estaurinestonefish)

Cirrhitidae(Hawkfish)

Cirrhitichthysaprinus(Blotched,threadfinhawkfish)

Cirrhitichthysfalco(hawkfish)

CirrhitichthysoxycephalusParacirrhitesarcatus(Ring‐eyedhawkfish)

Paracirrhitesforsteri

Acanthuridae(Surgeonfish)

Acanthurusalbipectoralis(Whitefinsurgeon)

Acanthurusauranticavus(Orange‐socketsurgeon)

Acanthurusdussumieri(Blue‐tailedsurgeon)

Acanthurusmata

AcanthurusnigrofuscusAcanthurusnigroris

Acanthurusolivaceus(Orange‐blotchsurgeon)

Acanthurusxanthopterus(Yellowfinsurgeon)

Ctenochaetusstriatus(Linedbristletooth)

Nasobrachycentron

Nasohexacanthus

Nasolituratus(Orangespineunicorn)Nasounicornis(Blue‐spineunicorn)

Paracanthurushepatus(Bluetang)

Prionurusmicrolepidotus(Sixplatesawtail)

Zebrasomascopas(Twotonetang)

Muraenidae(MorayEels)Echidnanebulosa(Starry)

Gymnothoraxeurostus(White‐speckeled)

Gymnothoraxpseudothrysoidea(HighfinorCoastal)

Gymnotoraxfavagineus(Black‐blotched)

Gymnotoraxjavanicus(Giant)

Gymnotoraxundulatus(Undulate)

Sidereathyrsoidea(White‐eyed)

Gobiidae(Gobies)

Amblyeleotrisfasciata(Bandedshrimpgoby)Cryptocentrusmaudae(Maude'sshrimpgoby)

Gobiodoncitrinus(Poisongoby)Valencienneastrigata(Golden‐headsleepergoby)

Pinguipedidae(Grubfish)

Parapercisclathrata(Latticedsandperch)Paraperciscylindrica(Sharp‐nosegrubfish)

Parapercismillepunctata(Blackdottedsandperch)Parapercisstricticeps(White‐streakedgrubfish)

Cheilodactylidae(Morwongs)

Cheilodactylusfuscus(Redmorwong)

Cheilodactylusvestitus(Magpiemorwong)

NEMIPTERIDAE(Spinecheeks)

Scolopsisbilineatus(Twolinespinecheek)

Scolopsismonogramma(Barredspinecheek)

Pentapodusparadiseus(Paradisewhiptail)


Carangidae(TREVALLIES)

Alectisciliaris(Treadfintrevally)

Carangoidesferdau(Bluetrevally)

Pseudocaranxdentex(Whitetrevally)Seriolalalandi(Yellowtailkingfish)

Trachinotusblochii(Subnosedart)

Trachurusnovaezelandiae(Southernyellowtailscad)

Caesionidae(Fusiliers)

Caesiocaerulaurea(Blueandgoldfusilier)

Caesiolunaris(Lunarfusilier)Paracaesioxanthurus(Southernfusilier)Pterocaesiodigramma(BlacktippedorYellow‐linedfusilier)Pterocaesiomarri(Marr'sfusilier)

Sphyraenidae(Barracudas)

Sphyraenaflavicauda(Yellowtailbarracuda)Sphyraenaobtustata(Stripedseapike)

Microdesmidae(Dartfish)

Ptereleotrisevides(Two‐tonedartfish)

Pempherididae(Bullseye)

Pempherisaffinis(Black‐tippedbullseye)Pempherisanalis(Bronzebullseye)

Pempheriscompressa(Small‐scalebullseye)

Holocentridae(Squirrelfish&Soldierfish)

Myripristiskuntee(Pearlyorepaulettesoldierfish)

Myripristismurdjan(Crimsonsoldierfish)

Sargocentrondiadema(Crownsoldierfish)

Sargocentronrubrum(Redcoatsquirrelfish)

Aulostomidae(Trumpetfish/Cornetfishes)

Aulostomuschinensis(Trumpetfish)

Fistulariidae(Flutefish)

Fistulariacommersonii(Flutemouth)

Monodactylidae(SilverBatfish)Monodactylusargenteus(DiamondfishorButterbreamorSilverbatfish)Schuetteascalaripinnis(Easternpomfret)

Elasmobranchii(Sharks&Rays)Rays/Numbfish

Aetobatusnarinari(Eagle)

Neotrygonkuhlii(Bluespottedsting)

Himanturauarnak(Coachwhip)

Hypnosmonopterygium(NumbfishorElectric)

Mantaalfredi(Manta)

Pastinachussephen(Cowtailsting)

Rhynochobatusdjddersis(White‐spottedshovelnose

Trygonopteratestacea(Commonsting)

Sharks

Carcharhinusbrachyurus(Bronzewhaler)

CarchariasTaurus(Greynurseshark)

Carcharodoncarcharias(Whitepointershark)Chiloscylliumpunctatum(Brown‐bandedcatshark/Bambooshark)Galeocerdocuvier(Tigershark)

Orectobulusmaculatus(Spottedwobbegong)

Orectobulusornatus(Bandedwobbegong)

Rhincodontypus(Whaleshark)

Sphyrnasp.(Hammerheadshark)

Stegostomafasciatum(Leopardshark)

OtherFish

Atypichthysstrigatus(Australianmado)Aeoliscusstrigatus(shrimpfish)

Aulopuspurpurissatus(Sergeantbaker)

Batrachomoeusdubius(Easternfrogfish)

Cleidopusgloriamaris(Pineapplefish)

Dactyloptenaorientalis(Flyinggunard)

Echeneisnaucrates(Commonsuckerfish)

Enoplosusarmatus(Oldwife)

Equetuslanceolatus(Jacknife‐fish)

Heteropriacanthuscruentatus(Duskyfinredbullseye)

Kyphosuscinerascens(Highfinrudderfish)

Microcanthusstrigatus(Stripey)

Pagrusauratus(Snapper)Platycephalusendrachtensis(Bar‐tailedflathead)

Plotosuslineatus(Stripedcatfish)

Priacanthushamrur(Moontailbullseye)

Rhabdosargussarba(Goldlinedseabream)

Scorpislineolata(Silversweep)Synodusdermatogenys(Two‐spotlizardfish)

Zancluscornutus(Morishidol)


AppendixC:TransectLocations

FlatRockWest

FlatRockEast


ShagRockWest

ShagRockEast


MantaRayBommie

AppendixD:TransectCoordinates

TransectName Point_Type EastWGS854 NorthWGS84ShagRockWest Start 551987 6967660ShagRockWest End 551920 6967680ShagRockEast Start 552041 6967540ShagRockEast End 552091 6967590FlatRockWest End 554395 6970310FlatRockWest Start 554447 6970360FlatRockEast End 554648 6969980FlatRockEast Start 554595 6969940MantaRayBommie End 554162 6966480MantaRayBommie Start 554087 6966510


AppendixE:FishFamilies


AppendixF:FishSpecies


AppendixG:SubstrateCover

H1:Transectphotoanalysisaveragedpersite

H2:Diver‐recordedtransectdataaveragedpersite.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Shag Rock West Shag Rock East Flat Rock West Flat Rock East Manta RayBommie

Substrate Cover (%

) Photo

Coral (Branch. Folio. Plate.) Coral (Encrust + Massive) Coral OtherSoft Coral Macro Algae Other LobophoraAsparagopsis Laurencia Turf on rockNon Living Other

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

ShagRockWest ShagRockEast FaltRockWest FaltRockEast MantaRayBommie

SubstrateCover(%)



H3:Transectphotoanalysisaveragedperseasonforeachsite

H4:Diver‐recordedtransectdataaveragedperseasonforeachsite.

0

20

40

60

80

100Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring


SubstrateCover(%)


0

20

40

60

80

100

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autum

n

Winter

Spring

ShagRockWest ShagRockEast FaltRockWest FaltRockEast MantaRayBommie

SubstrateCover(%)



AppendixH:CoralHealthChartScoresaveragedforeachseasonpersite.


AppendixI:DiveStatistics

Dates Number of

Divers SUM of Dives

SUM of Time (hrs.) Dive location Type of Dive

31/01/2014 10 21 9.3 Shag & Flat Rock Place markers 1/02/2014 Weekend 26 97 75.3 Shag Rock Training 22/02/2014 Weekend 23 59 41.1

Flat Rock West, Shag Rock Survey Summer

8/03/2014 2 2 1.3 Manta Bommie Place markers

22/03/2014 8 16 11.7Flat Rock East and Manta Ray Survey Summer

29/03/2014 Weekend 23 94 69.1

Shag Rock, Manta Bommie Training

3/05/2014 Weekend 21 76 57.8

Flat and Shag Rock, Manta Bommie Survey Autumn

19/07/2014 Weekend 23 67 44.2

Shag Rock, Manta Bommie, Flat Rock West Survey Winter

2/08/2014 12 24 17.2Flat Rock East and Manta Ray Survey Winter

26/09/2014 8 8 5.3 Shag Rock West Totally Wild 25/10/2014 Weekend 24 48 33.5 Flat and Shag Rock Survey Spring

30/10/2014 10 23 10.1Flat and Shag Rock, Manta Bommie

Transect + Marker recovery

Grand Total 44 535 375.6


AppendixJ:MooringOptions

Placing a private mooring at the Point Lookout reefs requires a marine park permit (from Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service- QPWS) and a buoy mooring authority (from Maritime Safety Queensland - MSQ). QPWS approval will depend on justification that the mooring, its installation and operation will cause the least damage to substrate when compared to alternatives. MSQ approval will depend on the mooring’s location not causing a navigation hazard. Both mooring applications should be lodged together. Given its location, it would be beneficial to have a registered professional engineer or naval architect certify that the design is fit for purpose. The Marine Park permit if approved,will require the permit holder to have public liability insurance of $20 million. There are three mooring options to consider: 1. Private, 2. Public but privately funded, and, 3. Public. Mooring Type Private Public (Privately

Funded)Public

Owner (liable) Trust, joint dive shops, one dive shop, or dive club etc.

QPWS, QPWS

Funding Whoever is interested and wants to use the mooring

Money is donated privately sufficient to fund at least three years maintenance and installation

QLD Government

Maintenance (responsibility of owner)

Given its environmentally sensitive location, the marine park permit may specify who, (e.g. someone who belongs to the Board of Professional Engineers (RPEQ)) can carry out and/or certify the maintenance

Every three months, by appropriate service provider

Every three months, by appropriate service provider

Liability Insurance (Paid by owner)

$20 million $20 million $20 million

Mooring type: (refer to below)

Any class as approved by MSQ.

C class mooring C class mooring

Users: Only those with approval from the mooring owner; mooring is marked as limited access

Any user Any user


Mooring Class

Colour Band

Max Wind Strength

Monohull Maximum Length

Multihull Maximum Length

Tender (T) Brown 24 knots 6 metres 6 metres

Class A Yellow 24 knots 10 metres 9 metres

Class B Orange 34 knots 20 metres 18 metres

Class C Blue 34 knots 25 metres 22 metres

Class D Red 34 knots 35 metres 30 metres

Fromasafetypointofview,itisadvisedthatmooringpointsforcommondiveboats(e.g.12‐14diverRIBS)arelocatedinshallowwaters.ThemooringsatFlatRockdonotpromotesafedivingprofiles,andrequirediverstotakeunnecessaryrisk.Here,themooringsarelocatedwithbuoysconnectedviaaropetomooringblockswhicharelocatedatadepthof18‐30mfromwhichdiversexploretheareasurroundingit.Commondiveprotocolisthatdiversreturntotheboat.TodothisatFlatRockadiverisrequiredtolocatethemooring,indeepwater,thenreturntothesurface.Asaresultdiversneedtodropattheendofthedivetodeeperwatertofindthemooringlineandthenconductasafetystop.Alternatively,theydoamid‐waterascentinshallowerwaterwhereperformanceofasafetystopisoftenincurrentandswell.Assuch,diverswilldriftawayfromthedivesite,requiringdeploymentofasurfacemarkerbuoysotheboatmaythenretrievethemfromthewater.650divesweresafelyconducted,duringtheprojectundervariousconditions.Alldivers:predominantlyhadatleast100loggeddives;wererescuediverqualifiedorhigher;satanexamthatincludeddivesafety;readriskassessments;notedairandtimeduringeachdiveontheirdatasheets;wereremindedinbriefingsoftheimportanceofsafetyversuscollectinggooddata;and,briefedoncommonemergencyprotocols,suchassafetystopsonascent.DuringtheprojectvolunteerdiverswereexposedtounnecessaryreverseprofilesormidwaterassentswhenconductingsurveysatFlatrock.Thisisalsoanoccurrenceforrecreationaldiversatthesedivesites.Reverseprofilesduringadiveareconsideredanunsafedivepracticeundermostcommondivingagencies(e.g.PADI,SSI,NAUI,BSAC……).Therefore,itisrecommendedthatmooringsbeinstalledinshallowerwater.

This study was possible by the support and assistance of the following contributing agencies and organisations: