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
is not so abundant (Williams et al. 2007). Blue throat wrasse Notolabrus tetricus and purple
wrasse Notolabrus fucicola are generally not very abundant at the MNP, more common is
the Maori wrasse Opthalmolepis lineolate (Williams et al. 2007). The striped mado,
damselfish species, eastern hulafish Trachinops taeniatus or yellow tail mackerel Trachurus
novaezelandiae can be numerically dominate at individual sites (Williams et al. 2007). The
damsel fishes, white ear Parma microlepis and the one-spot puller Chromis hypsilepis occur
together predominantly in ‘urchin barrens’ (Williams et al. 2007). The plankton feeding
striped mado is typically highly abundant on reefs in eastern Australia. Large long-finned
pike Dinolestes lewini occurs widely on the shallow subtidal reefs of Cape Howe MNP
(Williams et al. 2007).
In waters > 10 m the velvet leatherjacket Meuschenia scaber and butterfly perch
Caesioperca lepidoptera are common over both reef and sediment covered reef (Moore et
al. 2008). Also associated with these habitats are white ear, Maori wrasse, six-spined
leatherjacket Meuschenia freycineti and the blue morwong Nemadactylus douglasii (Moore
et al. 2009). The eastern blue grouper Achoerodus viridis is strongly associated with solid
reef and boulders (Moore et al. 2009). The green moray Gymnothorax prasinus is found only
in reef with high topographic complexity as it needs the crevices and holes as refuges during
the day (Moore et al. 2009).
Water column
The water column as a whole is the largest habitat in the MNP and is important in different
ways for many organisms including for transit or as a permanent home for particular stages
of their life cycle. Organisms that use the water column environment can be broadly grouped
into two categories based on mode of movement: either pelagic (actively swimming) or
planktonic (drifting with the current). Larger species are often planktonic during early life
stages before becoming pelagic as they grow. Smaller species tend to be planktonic but can
influence their movement to some extent by controlling their height in the water column.
Organisms that make their permanent home in the water column include sea jellies, salps,
many fish, and both phytoplankton and zooplankton. Planktonic organisms play an important
role in nutrient cycling, dispersal of species and providing food for larger animals, both within
the MNP and more broadly in the marine environment. The water column is also used by
fish, invertebrates and algae for transport and food (and other resources like oxygen). Parks
Victoria does not currently monitor the water column as a habitat (Power and Boxshall
2007). As described in the following section a wide variety of seabirds, mammals and
reptiles are found in the waters of Cape Howe MNP.
Figure 35. Shell fragment dominated soft sediment and an erect sponge providing habitat for many
invertebrates and fish in 105 m depth in Cape Howe Marine National Park, one of the deepest known
parts of Victorian coastal waters.
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