July 2009 Volume 20 Two - Indigenous Flora and Fauna Association

One day under Flinders jetty
It was the last day in Australia for Rhonda, an exchange ranger from Canada, and the
plan was to see one of Victoria’s state emblems — the Weedy Seadragon
The late April weather wasn’t promising — a blustery
day with ragged clouds running across the sky. However, the
wind was from the north and Flinders jetty, a known lurking
spot of these Southern Australian marine creatures, would be
relatively sheltered.
We agreed to all meet at Flinders jetty, on the Western Port
Bay side of the Mornington Peninsula, having seen Weedy
Seadragons there previously (both by snorkelling – a lucky
chance, I think – and using scuba gear). After a leisurely cup
of hot chocolate and with one eye on the weather, we geared
up and started down the jetty.
The water was surprisingly clear and calm, and the marine
life covering the pier legs extraordinary in its variety of shapes,
colours and sizes. Ascidians and sponges in a dazzling array.
The more we looked, the more we saw. Unfortunately, I
couldn’t begin to put names to these – in the end, I could
only play “art appreciation” not “marine biologist”.
As we moved further towards the end of the jetty, we
started to see our quarry.
These dainty, timid creatures swim slowly and gracefully,
and are surprisingly difficult to photograph. They much
prefer to face the camera, keeping an eye on possible danger,
rather than turning sideways where their amazing colour
pattern of orange-red background, bright blue stripes and
many white spots and yellow markings can be admired. Tiny
fins are found on either side of their head for balance and
a long shimmering dorsal fin along their back propels their
body through the water. They are not strong swimmers and
are often found washed ashore after storms. However, they
do have a surprising turn of speed just when you have them
perfectly framed to photograph!
Long leaf-shaped flaps of skin protrude from stalk-like
bony projections at intervals along the top and bottom of
IFFA EVENT
Global Financial Crisis? No, Global Environmental Crisis!
Presented by Dr Roger N Jones. 2pm Sunday 30th August
Climate is changing faster than anticipated, and
even if the world manages to reach a peak in
emissions and global population around 2050,
the world is likely to have a population of about
9 billion and be 2°C warmer than pre-industrial
temperatures.
In Victoria since 1996, climate has already reached levels
of change that were projected for 2030-2050. Ecosystems
are responding to that change — wetlands and floodplain
ecosystems are under severe stress, tree dieback is
widespread in grassy ecosystems and woodland and wetland
birds are in decline. We are facing a global ecological
crisis. The world’s ecosystems underpin everything: our
economy, human livelihoods and environmental security.
This is green infrastructure. If we look at the current
investment in this infrastructure, it is being allowed to
decline to well below sustainable levels. However, by better
the body, and as well as looking like seaweed, their similar
swaying motion as seaweed in the water current makes them
difficult to spot.
Luckily, Flinders jetty is something of a haven for them
and, particularly in winter and in their spring breeding time,
large numbers gather in the shelter provided by the pier.
The males (like sea horses) carry the eggs for up to 2 months
before the baby seadragons hatch as miniature versions of the
adults, just 2.5 centimetres long.
Weedy seadragons can grow up to 46cm long and live for
up to 10 years. They eat plankton, sea lice, larval fishes and
small shrimp-like crustaceans called mysids.
Along with pipe fish and seahorses (which can also be
found at Flinders jetty – although we didn’t see any today),
they are members of the Syngnathidae family. They are
found only along the coast line of southern Australia usually
in shallow water (up to 50m deep) mainly inhabiting kelp
forests, reef edges, seagrass meadows and seaweed beds.
We saw our ones in 2 metres of water in the seaweed bed
alongside the jetty.
The Weedy Seadragon was selected as Victoria’s official
marine faunal emblem by public nomination in 2002, and is
fully protected under the Victorian Fisheries Act 1995.
The aim of the day was met, with Rhonda’s experience
of Victorian flora and fauna rounded out with the intricate,
beautiful marine life on our rocky shores.
The Canadian ranger saw her Weedy Seadragons,
Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, and Parks Victoria ranger Jono
Stevenson filled in the marine biology side for us all.
Jo James
OVERLEAF: A beautiful pictorial record of the day
understanding ecological processes and how they maintain
this infrastructure, we can learn how to build resilience into
adaptation planning. It is time that departments of finance
and treasury became interested in green infrastructure. We
need a business plan for ecosystems.
Dr Roger N Jones, previously with CSIRO, is now Professorial
Research Fellow of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies,
Victoria University.
2pm Sunday 30th August at Victoria University City Campus,
300 Flinders Street Melbourne (opposite Flinders Street
Station) 11th floor room 1101.
Don’t forget you can buy a Sunday Saver Metcard for $3.10
that will get you there and back again on public transport
from anywhere in Melbourne.
All welcome. Enquiries to Michele Arundell,
phone (03) 9755 3347 or email michelearundell@yahoo.com
INDIGENOTES VOLUME 20 NUMBER 2 5