Marine Natural Values Study Summary - Parks Victoria

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The mangrove Avicennia marinagrows on the soft sediment betweenthe massive intertidal basalt boulders.Associated with the mangroves is anextensive Wet Saltmarsh herblanddominated by the beaded glasswortSarcocornia quinqueflora and backedby coastal hypersaline shrubland.Macroalgae and sessile invertebratecover on the intertidal reef is very lowand the cover of sea lettuce Ulva spp.is ephemeral. Turfing and corallinealgae, seagrass Zostera muelleri andthe calcareous tube-worm Galeolariacaespitosa are present low in theintertidal zone.The mobile invertebrate fauna onthe intertidal reef is dominatedby molluscs including the top shellAustrocochlea porcata, conniwinkBembicium spp., black nerite Neritaatramentosa and variegated limpetCellana tramoserica. Also found, inlow abundance, are whelk Lepsiellavinosa, top shell Austrocochleaodontis, warrener Turbo undulatus,limpets Notoacmea mayi, Patelloidaalticostata, Siphonaria spp. and theseastar Parvulastra exigua.The introduced green shore crabCarcinus maenas is found on theintertidal reefs.The biscuit seastar Tosia australis is an abundantinvertebrate on the subtidal reefs.Photo by Australian Marine Ecology.Much of the subtidal soft sedimentis bare of vegetation, but in the northwest of the sanctuary there is a largeZostera/ Heterozostera seagrass bed.The subtidal reef is not diverse, withlow to moderate abundances of thecommon kelp Ecklonia radiata, largebrowns Sargassum spp, filamentousbrown algae Ectocarpales and oftenabundant encrusting coralline algae.The algal communities are indicativeof high nutrients and low salinitieswhich suggests a large estuarineinfluence from Kororoit Creek.The invasive marine pest Japanesekelp Undaria pinnatifida and broccoliweed Codium fragile subspeciesfragile have been observed in thesanctuary since 2009.Sessile invertebrates include the coralPlesiastrea versipora and sponges.The mobile invertebrate assemblageof the subtidal reef is dominatedby the sea urchin Heliocidariserythrogramma, seastars Meridiastragunnii, M. calcar and Coscinasteriasmuricata and blacklip abalone Haliotisrubra and to a lesser extent the biscuitstar Tosia australis.The introduced northern Pacificseastar Asterias amurensis andEuropean fanworm Sabellaspallanzanii have been observedsporadically in low numbersin the sanctuary.More than seventeen species of fishhave been observed on the subtidalreefs with the southern hulafishTrachinops caudimaculatus the mostabundant. Present in very lowabundance are zebrafish Girella zebra,dusky morwong Dactylophoranigricans and little rock whitingNeoodax balteatus.The water column is home to a varietyof planktonic and pelagic organisms.Those that make their permanenthome in the water column include seajellies, salps, fish, and phytoplanktonand zooplankton. Some seabirds alsouse the waters of the sanctuary.Species and Communitiesof Conservation SignificanceThe sanctuary provides importantfeeding and roosting habitat forthirty-six threatened bird species suchas the critically endangered orangebelliedparrot Neophema chrysogaster,grey-tailed tattler Heteroscelusbrevipes and the intermediate egretArdea intermedia.It protects feeding areas for twentyfourinternationally important migrantbird species, including the black-tailedgodwit Limosa limosa and great knotCalidris tenuirostris. Five species ofmarine flora and fauna are believedto be at their distributional limitsincluding the brushtail pipefishLeptoichthys fistularius.47
Major ThreatsMeasures to address or minimisethreats identified for Jawbone MarineSanctuary form part of the parkmanagement plan. Parks Victoria alsouses an adaptive managementapproach which includes periodicreviews of priority natural values andthreats through processes such as theState of the Parks evaluation andsetting of desired conservationoutcomes. Through these processesParks Victoria has identified emergingthreats and developed appropriatemanagement responses and actions.Serious threats include trampling,illegal fishing, increasedsedimentation, disturbance of birds,nutrients from stormwater, pollutantsfrom Kororoit Creek and invasivemarine pests.Several introduced species have beenfound in the sanctuary including theJapanese kelp Undaria pinnatifida,green algae Codium fragile subspeciesfragile, Northern Pacific SeastarAsterias amurensis, green shorecrab Carcinus maenas and EurpoeanFan Worm Sabella spallanzanii.There have also been reports of thepurple urchin Heliocidaris erythrogrammaincreasing in abundance and formingEncrusting ruffled orange sponge and the hard coralPlesiastrea versipora on subtidal reef.Photo by Australian Marine Ecology.barrens (areas devoid of macroalgae)in the northern part of the bay,including the sanctuary. It is unclearwhether the recent increases inabundance are part of a naturalcycle or a persistent increase in thisnative species.Climate change poses a seriousmedium to long term threat tonatural values. Parks Victoria will usean adaptive management approachto develop responses and actions thatfocus on priority climate change issuessuch as extreme weather events andexisting risks that are likely to beexacerbated by climate change.Research and MonitoringParks Victoria has establishedextensive marine research andmonitoring programs that addressimportant management challengesfor the marine national parks andsanctuaries. These focus on improvingbaseline knowledge, 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 researchprojects and one habitat mappingproject that are relevant to JawboneMarine Sanctuary, while nine researchprojects and one habitat mappingproject have already been completed.The sanctuary has ongoing intertidaland shallow subtidal reef monitoringprograms. Community basedmonitoring of seagrass habitatthrough Sea Search, and fish throughReef Watch, is also conducted.While recognising there are stillknowledge gaps Parks Victoriawill continue 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.48
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 10 and 11: this habitat is an important feedin
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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
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
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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 73 and 74: The introduced New Zealand seastarA
Page 75 and 76: The marine flora and fauna of thesu
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Marine Natural Values Study Summary - Parks Victoria

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