Research Project Summaries 2002-2009 - Marine Parks Authority ...

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using 45-minute timed counts on SCUBA. Accurate length of each fish was measuredusing stereo video photogrammetry. Within the marine park, the offshore islands andPimpernel Rock were hot spots for abundance.Giant cuttlefish (Sepia apama)A genetic study on the giant cuttlefish, including specimens captured by commercialfishers in the marine park, indicated there are two genetically divergent sub-populations(Kassalm 2003). The population in southern Australia, which includes the largestbreeding site (Whyalla), is genetically distinct from the east coast, although notcompletely reproductively isolated.Mating of Sepia apama has been recorded in the marine park, and diver observationssuggest there are increased numbers of large individuals around South Solitary Islandduring autumn in association with breeding (T Mair pers com). The marine park maytherefore have some importance as a breeding site for the east coast population,although this has not been tested.Grey nurse shark (Charcharius taurus)The grey nurse shark is a listed threatened and protected species on the east coast ofAustralia, and knowledge about populations and movement can inform managementdecisions. Grey nurse shark observations have been conducted by various individualsand organisations throughout NSW, including in the marine park as part of a statewideassessment of the relative abundance of this species among sites and seasons (Otwayet al 2003). These surveys also included observations of ID-tagged individuals toenable population estimates to be calculated (Otway and Burke 2004).Since 2002, as part of a broader statewide project into their movement patterns, someof the main grey nurse shark sites in the marine park have been monitored usinglistening stations (logging hydrophone receivers) that record signals from sharkstagged with acoustic transmitters. Monitoring was initially conducted in the marine parkby CSIRO, the MPA, and the Department of Environment, Heritage, Water and the Arts(Commonwealth) at three sites. In 2006, the NSW Department of Primary Industriesexpanded the program, with logistical support provided by the MPA. There arecurrently nine listening stations in the marine park. The CSIRO passive acousticmonitoring data showed movement from southern NSW to southern Qld, whichsupports the hypothesis of a northward movement in autumn and winter and asouthward in spring and summer (Bruce et al 2005). On average, tagged sharks spent10% of a 12-month period at the monitored sites. The maximum time an individualshark spent at any one of the monitored sites was 20%. There was some evidence thatmales were more transient at these sites In general, the pattern of at all monitored sitesshowed an increase in detections during the day (although there was individualvariation), suggesting the sharks are more active at night.The active acoustic tracking data also showed that sharks tended to be more active atnight; there were excursions of up to 1200 m away from the aggregation sites mostly atnight; and that sharks swam further off the bottom during their excursions away fromthe aggregation sites, again, mostly at night (Bruce et al 2005).White sharks (Charcharias carcharodon)Incidental records and sightings of white sharks, especially from spearfishers anddivers, indicate that white sharks regularly visit the marine park. The last confirmeddetection, tagged with a satellite tag from Corner Inlet, Vic, was near North SolitaryIsland, indicating individual sharks can travel large distances and some may use thismarine park sporadically (Bruce et al 2006).22 Solitary Island and Jervis Bay Marine Parks Research Projects Summaries 2002–2009
Sea turtlesSea turtles include vulnerable and endangered species, knowledge of their occurrenceand use of the marine park can improve management. Three types of sea turtle areregularly recorded in the marine park, including the green turtle (Chelonia midas),loggerhead turtle (Carretta carretta) and hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate). Theleatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) has also been occasionally sighted (Speirs2002, De Luca 2006).Green turtles are the most commonly observed, with most being young turtles. Most ofthe hawksbill turtles observed were also juveniles, although some large adults havealso been recorded. At some locations, adult resident loggerheads are regularlysighted by divers.A range of impacts including floating syndrome and suspected coccidiosis, emaciation,propeller strike, line entanglement, and unknown causes, have resulted in strandings.At Julian Rocks, in the Cape Byron Marine Park further north, about 13% of turtlesobserved had been affected by propeller cuts or line entanglement, or disease. Thereis minor nesting by green turtles and loggerheads in or near the marine park.Life history evolution in the ophiuroid family: OphioomidaeA project on larval evolution in ophiocomids, a brittle star family, comparesreproduction and development of species along the coast of Australia from the GBR toSydney (M Bryne pers. comm.). Work on Ophiocoma endeani has focused on theinvestment the female puts into her eggs (maternal provisioning).The study of maternal provisioning in brittle stars with contrasting modes ofdevelopment (feeding versus non-feeding larvae) included two Ophiocoma species, thetropical O. dentata and the temperate O. endeani. Species of the genus Ophiocomahave planktotrophic (feeding) development with the only exception being O. endeani.Thus far, O. endeani is the only Ophiocoma species with a large egg, indicatingdevelopment through a short-lived non-feeding (lecithotrophic) larva.A preliminary reproductive study of O. endeani assessed its spawning period. For thisstudy, up to 10 specimens were collected from Mullaway Headland and Sandy Beachat Coffs Harbour approximately every three months. Histology of O. endeani gonadsindicated that they were mature between February and April. Mature specimens weresubsequently collected for spawning trials in March and April 2004 and 2005 todetermine egg nutrient composition and to confirm the specie’s development type.The eggs are buoyant, which would assist in larval dispersal, with development timeestimated to be less than two weeks. O. endeani is an endemic species with a smallrange, and its short planktonic larval duration may contribute to its restricteddistribution. Larval development in O. endeani remains to be described. These studieswill contribute to the understanding of the evolution and speciation of these ophiuroidsin eastern Australia.Host anemone reproduction and abundanceHost anemones were previously identified as a special part of the benthic community inthis marine park, due to the density of their aggregations, especially at North SolitaryIsland (Richardson 1996). Knowledge of their reproduction contributes tounderstanding their persistence in the marine park by examining whether they are aself-sustaining population or require propagation from upstream. Recent studies haveexamined the sexual reproductive biology of Entacmaea quadricolor and Heteractiscrispa populations on the subtropical rocky reefs around North Solitary Island (Scott2007, Scott and Harrison 2005, 2007a, b, 2008, 2009).Solitary Island and Jervis Bay Marine Parks Research Projects Summaries 2002–2009 23
Page 1 and 2: Solitary Islands andJervis Bay Mari
Page 3 and 4: ContentsSummaryiii1. Introduction 1
Page 5 and 6: SummaryBuilding a network of marine
Page 7 and 8: 1. IntroductionA network of marine
Page 9 and 10: 2. Biodiversity and ecological proc
Page 11 and 12: habitats outside the estuaries of t
Page 13 and 14: Reef fish assemblagesReef fish are
Page 15 and 16: To further examine the influence of
Page 17 and 18: Different types of ASUs supported d
Page 19 and 20: noted that colonies of Turbinaria m
Page 21 and 22: Solitary Island and Jervis Bay Mari
Page 23 and 24: Figure 3. Study locations of three
Page 25 and 26: elatively short lifecycle (three to
Page 27: competition permit, had to submit d
Page 31 and 32: periodicity for acroporid corals. T
Page 33 and 34: 3.2.2 Population biology and assess
Page 35 and 36: Otolith microchemistry analysis of
Page 37 and 38: Assessing potential impacts associa
Page 39 and 40: y the MPA on reefs throughout the m
Page 41 and 42: Since the completion of this monito
Page 43 and 44: 6. Socio-economic influencesUnderst
Page 45 and 46: Figure 5. Hot spot analysis of over
Page 47 and 48: This study found that marine touris
Page 49 and 50: Visitor monitoring survey - NSW MPA
Page 51 and 52: Marine pests - University of Wollon
Page 53 and 54: Brown J (2000) Non-destructive asse
Page 55 and 56: Gladstone W (2007) Requirements for
Page 57 and 58: Lynch TP (2006), Incorporation of r
Page 59 and 60: Otway NM, Burke AL, Morrison NS, Pa
Page 61 and 62: Smart E (2000) An investigation int
Page 63 and 64: Wilkes K (2009) Boulder assemblages

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