Marine Natural Values Study Summary - Parks Victoria

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this habitat is an important feedingand roosting habitat for shorebirds.Beach-washed materials on the sandybeaches (e.g. drift macroalgae) area significant source of food forscavenging birds, and contribute tothe detrital cycle that nourishes manyof the invertebrates, such as bivalves,living in the sand.Common fish found in subtidal softsediment habitats include sea mulletMugil cephalus, salmon Arripis trutta,cat shark Parascyllium sp., draughtboardshark Cephaloscyllium laticeps and thesouthern eagle ray Myliobatis australis.Intertidal reef is found along thecoastline (backed by coastal dunes)and around the islands. The intertidalreef flora and fauna includes algaesuch as sea lettuce Ulva sp., corallinealgae Corallina officinalis, and lesscommon is Neptune’s necklaceHormosira banksii.Gastropod snails such as the warrenerTurbo undulatus, limpets Siphonariadiemenensis and Cellana tramosericaare the most common invertebrateson the intertidal reefs. Crabs,anemones, brittle stars, and terebellidpolychaetes are also found.Large rockpools can be home to fishincluding sea sweep Scorpis aequipinnis,Tasmanian blenny ParablenniusMerri Marine Sanctuary with Merri and Middle Islandsin the background. Photo by Jan Barton, Deakin University.tasmanianus and wrasse. Seagrassis also occasionally seen in the rockpools.Subtidal reefs are the dominant marinehabitat and are either patchy andinterspersed with areas of sand,or more consolidated hard reef cut bydeeper depressions and large crevices.Twenty-one different subtidal reefalgal habitat types have been identifiedin the sanctuary including habitatsdominated by the brown algaePhyllospora comosa, the green algaeCaulerpa spp., the string kelpMacrocystis pyrifera, encrusting andbranching coralline algae, and kelpEcklonia radiata. The bull kelpDurvillaea potatorum is presenton the fringe of the intertidal andsubtidal reef.The subtidal reef associatedinvertebrates present include theblack lip abalone Haliotis rubra, thewarrener Turbo undulatus, sponges,gastropods, crabs, and the occasionalsouthern rock lobster Jasus edwardsii.Common reef associated fish includethe blue-throated wrasse Notolabrustetricus, herring cale Odax cyanomelas,magpie perch Cheilodactylus nigripes,Victorian scalyfin Parma victoriae,zebrafish Girella zebra, sea sweepScorpis aequipinnis, senator wrassePictilabrus laticlavius and thepot-bellied seahorse Hippocampusabdominalis.The water column is home to a varietyof planktonic and pelagic organisms.Those that make their permanenthome in the water column includesea jellies, salps, many fish, andphytoplankton and zooplankton.A number of marine mammal speciesare also found in the water columnin the sanctuary.Species and Communitiesof Conservation SignificanceThe pot-bellied seahorse Hippocampusabdominalis is protected andfrequently seen on subtidal reefsin the sanctuary.Fifty-one shorebirds or seabirdsof conservation significance havebeen recorded in or near the sanctuaryincluding the endangered Australasianbittern Botaurus poiciloptilus, fairytern Sternula nereis, gull-billed ternGelochelidon nilotica and the littleegret Egretta garzetta. Two largeseabirds regarded as endangered,the wandering albatross Diomedeaexulans and the southern giant petrelMacronectes giganteus, are morecommonly found offshoreof the sanctuary.Marine mammals including southernelephant seals Mirounga leonine,the Australian fur seal Arctocephaluspusillus doriferus, Australian sea lionNeophoca cinerea and the leopardseal Hydrurga leptonyx have been9
observed in the waters in and aroundthe sanctuary.Major ThreatsMeasures to address or minimise threatsidentified for Merri Marine Sanctuaryform part of the park managementplan. Parks Victoria also uses anadaptive management approachwhich includes periodic reviews ofpriority natural values and threatsthrough processes such as the Stateof the Parks evaluation and settingof desired conservation outcomes.Through these processes Parks Victoriahas identified emerging threats anddeveloped appropriate managementresponses.Serious threats include oil spills,terrestrial inputs of poor water quality,marine pests and diseases, litter anddebris, seismic testing, artificialopening of river mouths andhuman access (e.g. trampling).Evidence of abalone viral ganglioneurituswhich can kill a large proportion ofabalone populations in affected areashas been observed in much of theOtway bioregion including MerriMarine Sanctuary.The introduced algal speciesGrateloupia turuturu, Caulerparacemosa var. cylindracea and Codiumfragile subspecies fragile were alsoRock lobster on subtidal basalt reef. Photo by NRE.recorded in Portland Harbour in 2010and there is some concern abouttheir possible spread.Climate change also poses a seriousmedium to long term threatto natural values. Parks Victoriawill use an adaptive managementapproach to develop responses andactions that focus on priority climatechange issues such as extremeweather events and existing risksthat are likely to be exacerbatedby climate change.Research and MonitoringParks Victoria has established extensivemarine research and monitoringprograms that address importantmanagement challenges for themarine national parks and sanctuaries.These focus on improving baselineknowledge, as well as appliedmanagement questions.Since the establishment of the parksin 2002 our knowledge andunderstanding of natural values andthreats for the system have improvedsignificantly through the marine scienceprogram. Much of the research hasbeen undertaken as part of theResearch Partners Program involvingcollaboration with variousresearch institutions.There are five ongoing research projectsand one habitat mapping project thatare relevant to Merri Marine Sanctuary,while five research projects and twohabitat mapping projects have alreadybeen completed. The sanctuary alsohas an ongoing shallow subtidal reefmonitoring program.While recognising there are stillknowledge gaps Parks Victoria willcontinue to focus on addressingthe information needs that willassist management.For more information, includingmarine habitat mapping products,please see the full versions of theMarine Natural Values reportson www.parks.vic.gov.au.10
Page 1 and 2: Marine Natural ValuesStudy Summary1
Page 3: Australia’s southern waters areun
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Page 8 and 9: Marine National Park form part of t
Page 16 and 17: park management plan. Parks Victori
Page 18 and 19: e seen at low tide, though itis gen
Page 22 and 23: (Belloliva leucozona), though thism
Page 24 and 25: (as deep as 50m) including ascidian
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Page 32 and 33: interpres and the hooded ploverThin
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Page 40 and 41: on the unvegetated sand beds.Specie
Page 42 and 43: Inside the Heads in Point Lonsdalea
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Page 49 and 50: Major ThreatsMeasures to address or
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Page 57 and 58: provide habitat for epiphyticfilame
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Potentially thirty two species ofma
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of Victoria’s migratory waders an
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Marine Natural Values Study Summary
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and polychaetes.Subtidal reefs and
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The introduced New Zealand seastarA
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The marine flora and fauna of thesu
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organisms. Those that make theirper
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Marine Natural Values Study Summary - Parks Victoria

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