Marine Natural Values Study Summary - Parks Victoria

More documents

Recommendations

Info

e seen at low tide, though itis generally found on shallowsubtidal reefs.The shallow subtidal rocky reefs arehome to a low diversity of algalspecies, and in addition to theintertidal reef edge species Durvillaeapotatorum and Phyllospora comosa,smaller brown algal species includingCystophora retorta, C. moniliformis,and Acrocarpia paniculata can befound. The algal understorey hasvery few species including a verylow cover of red and green algae.Common grazing subtidalinvertebrates include the warrenerTurbo undulatus, the predatory cartrutwhelk Dicathais orbita, tulip shellPleuroploca australasia, tritonCabestana spengleri, red bait crabPlagusia chabrus and a variety of seastars including Tosia australis, andPatiriella brevispina. The blacklipabalone Haliotis rubra isparticularly abundant.The purple urchin Heliocidariserythrogramma also occurs in lowdensities. The subtidal algae andinvertebrate assemblages are similarto those found at Eagle RockMarine Sanctuary.More than seventeen fish species canbe found on the subtidal reefs.Southern rock lobster Jasus edwardsii under a ledgeon subtidal reef.Common species include theblue-throated wrasse Notolabrustetricus, and purple wrasse Notolabrusfucicola. Other fish that have beenrecorded include the herring cale Odaxcyanomelas and magpie morwongCheliodactylus nigripes, while thehorseshoe leatherjacket Meuscheniahippocrepis has also been recordedin low abundance.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 mammals andseabirds are also found in or use thewater column in the sanctuary.Species and Communitiesof Conservation SignificanceThirteen conservation listed seabirdsand shorebirds have been foundin or near the Marengo Reefs MarineSanctuary including species suchas the Australasian bittern Botauruspoiciloptilus, the eastern great egretArdea modesta, the common sandpiperActitis hypoleucos and the Shy AlbatrossThallassarche cauta amongst others.Hooded plovers Thinornis rubricollisnest on Haleys Point directly to thewest of the sanctuary and on thebeach at Mounts Bay to the north.The nationally listed Australian fur sealArctocephalus pusillus doriferus hasa haul out area on the Outer Reefwhich has been declared a SpecialProtection Area and biotic siteof state significance.The nationally vulnerable southernelephant seal Mirounga leoninahas also been recorded in or nearthe sanctuary.Six fish species of conservationsignificance have been recordedin the sanctuary and includebarracuda Sphyraena novaehollandiae,common gurnard perch Neosebastesscorpaenoides and dusky morwongDactylophora nigricans.The sanctuary is home to nine biotathat are at or presumed to be at theirdistributional limit including red algae,one brown alga, a chiton, and a seacucumber. This may reflect collectioneffort in this area rather than actualVictorian distributions.Major ThreatsMeasures to address or minimisethreats identified for Marengo ReefsMarine Sanctuary form part of thepark management plan. Parks Victoriaalso uses an adaptive managementapproach which includes periodicreviews of priority natural values andthreats through processes such as theState of the Parks evaluation andsetting of desired conservation17
outcomes. Through these processesParks Victoria has identified emergingthreats and developed appropriatemanagement responses.Serious threats include illegal harvesting,disturbance of seals, nutrients fromincreased population growth, turbidityfrom sedimentation due to nearbyland use and coastal infrastructuredevelopment, lack of awareness,marine pests and pathogens, smallboat use in the channel disruptingbiota and proximity to thewastewater outfall.Evidence of abalone viral ganglioneurituswhich can kill a large proportion ofabalone populations in affected areashas been observed in much of theOtway bioregion to the west, althoughthere is no evidence that this virus hasaffected abalone in the sanctuary.The invasive Japanese kelp Undariapinnatifida has recently been foundin Apollo Bay Harbour and there areserious concerns about its spread tosanctuary, given its close proximityto the harbour.Climate change poses a seriousmedium to long term threat to naturalvalues. Parks Victoria will use anadaptive management approachto develop responses and actions thatfocus on priority climate change issuessuch as extreme weather events andexisting risks that will likely beexacerbated by climate change.These focus on improving baselineknowledge, as well as appliedmanagement questions.Since the establishment of theparks in 2002 our knowledge andunderstanding of natural valuesand threats for the system haveimproved significantly through themarine science program. Muchof the research has been undertakenas part of the Research PartnersProgram involving collaborationwith various research institutions.There are five ongoing researchprojects, one habitat mapping projectand one subtidal reef monitoringprogram that are relevant to MarengoReefs Marine Sanctuary, while sixresearch projects and one habitatmapping project have already beencompleted. DSE and Parks Victoriahave also commissioned severalsurveys for the Japanese kelp Undariapinnatifida around Cape Otway afterthis species was reported in ApolloBay Harbour.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.Research and MonitoringParks Victoria has established extensivemarine research and monitoringprograms that address importantmanagement challenges for themarine national parks and sanctuaries.Pike over subtidal reef kelp beds. Photo by NRE.18
Page 1 and 2: Marine Natural ValuesStudy Summary1
Page 3: Australia’s southern waters areun
Page 6 and 7: Marine Natural Values Study Summary
Page 8 and 9: Marine National Park form part of t
Page 10 and 11: this habitat is an important feedin
Page 16 and 17: park management plan. Parks Victori
Page 22 and 23: (Belloliva leucozona), though thism
Page 24 and 25: (as deep as 50m) including ascidian
Page 30 and 31: caspia, Sternula nereis and Sternas
Page 32 and 33: interpres and the hooded ploverThin
Page 36 and 37: The park is home to twenty-one biot
Page 38 and 39: Physical Parameters and ProcessesTh
Page 40 and 41: on the unvegetated sand beds.Specie
Page 42 and 43: Inside the Heads in Point Lonsdalea
Page 45 and 46: Sand patches and associated seagras
Page 49 and 50: Major ThreatsMeasures to address or
Page 51 and 52: anksii, as well as sea lettuce Ulva
Page 55 and 56: at their distributional limits in W
Page 57 and 58: provide habitat for epiphyticfilame
Page 61 and 62: Potentially thirty two species ofma
Page 63 and 64: of Victoria’s migratory waders an
Page 67 and 68: and polychaetes.Subtidal reefs and
Page 69 and 70:
Marine Natural Values Study Summary
Page 71 and 72:
Page 73 and 74:
The introduced New Zealand seastarA
Page 75 and 76:
The marine flora and fauna of thesu
Page 77 and 78:
Page 79:
organisms. Those that make theirper
show all

Marine Natural Values Study Summary - Parks Victoria

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?