parks victoria technical series marine natural values study vol 2 ...

Parks Victoria Technical Series No. 79
Flinders and Twofold Shelf Bioregions Marine Natural Values Study
Marine mammals and reptiles
The marine mammals recorded in the MNP are transient and include the southern right
whale Eubalaena australis that is listed as critically endangered in Victorian waters and
endangered nationally, Australian fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus and the state
vulnerable New Zealand fur seals Arctophoca forsteri (Table 12). Five listed marine reptiles
occur as vagrants along the eastern Victorian coast and probably occur in the waters of the
MNP include the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta, green turtle Chelonia mydas, Pacific
ridley Lepidochelys olivacea, leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea, and yellow-bellied
sea snake Pelamis platurus (Plummer et al. 2003).
Table 12. Conservation listed marine mammal and reptile records from Ninety Mile Beach Marine
National Park and surrounds.
Victorian listing National listing
Common name Scientific name FFG VROTS EPBC AROTS
southern right whale Eubalaena australis L CR EN EN
New Zealand fur seal Arctophoca forsteri VU L
Australian fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus
L
doriferus
L = FFG listed, VU = vulnerable, EN = endangered, CR = critically endangered
Species distribution information
An assessment of distribution, endemism and rarity of biota across the state found that the
Brachyura crab Halicarcinus sp. MoV746 was presumed to be endemic to the Ninety Mile
Beach area including the MNP (O'Hara and Barmby 2000; O’Hara and Poore 2000). No
biota have been recorded or presumed to be at their distributional limit in Ninety Mile Beach
MNP (O'Hara and Barmby 2000; O’Hara and Poore 2000; Plummer et al. 2003).
2.2.5 MAJOR THREATS
Threats to natural values were derived from lists of hazards and associated risks in Carey et
al. (2007b). These were the result of a statewide consultative process to identify threats to
MPAs. Through public and agency workshops, the natural values in individual MPAs and the
threats that could affect them over the next ten years, were considered and ranked to
identify hazards. This list of hazards was then ranked (low, medium, high and extreme) by
the risk posed by each hazard (Carey et al. 2007b). Four hazards with the potential to be
extreme were identified by Carey et al. (2007b). They are listed in rank order and the habitat
or area at risk within the park is indicated in brackets:
1. Visitor activities on shore within the park (e.g. dune buggies, dogs off-lead) affecting
the feeding and roosting of shorebirds (intertidal soft sediment);
2. Introduction of exotic marine species via ballast water or hull fouling, recreational
boating, or natural dispersal from adjacent waters, and resulting in displacement of
native species (all of park especially soft sediment);
3. Trawling or scallop dredging affecting subtidal soft sediment and reef (i.e. benthic)
habitats (subtidal soft sediment); and
4. Introduction of pathogens via fish bait or berley for either commercial or recreational
fishing (but probably largely recreational) affecting local species (all of park especially
soft sediment).
Native vegetation has been largely removed from the dunes behind the beach and replaced
with Marram Grass (Parks Victoria 2006e; Figure 16). This has contributed to the formation
of a high, single-ridge dune along Ninety Mile Beach which is more susceptible to wind and
wave erosion. The changing dune structure has resulted in a beach face that is frequently
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