This seagrass habitat map was produced by the ACEAS Seagrass working group as part of the seagrass habitat risk modelling effort. The map identified seagrass presence based on 1) on the NISB (National Intertidal-Subtidal Benthic) Habitat Map created by the University of Tasmania for a partnership between the Department of Climate Change and the National Land and Water Resources Audit, 2) UNEP WCMC Seagrass map 2005.

Characterisation of lobster (Jasus edwardsii) abundance and change in abundance at three different sampling sites (Cape Paul Lemanon, North Bay and Fortescue Bay) on the south-east coast of Tasmania, was assessed by GPS tracked SCUBA diver swims of 60 minutes in length whereby GPS was logged approximately every 5 seconds. Large tagged Rock Lobsters were introduced into one of the sampling sites, North Bay (which was closed to fishing). The swims are also being used to assess the impact of reef closure on the local lobster population.

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "Microplastics in South Eastern Australian coastal waters: synthesising current data and identifying key knowledge gaps for the management of plastic pollution". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Plastic pollution is pervasive in coastal environments globally and in Australia. Due to their small size, microplastics (pieces <5mm) are readily ingested by marine organisms and potentially accumulate across food webs, raising concerns for biota, ecosystem services and human health. Yet, to define guidelines and support policy actions that curb microplastic pollution, managers and decision-makers lack clear, synthesised information on this multifaceted issue, including on occurrence, sources, and pathways of microplastics in coastal and marine environments. This project produces a synthesis of current data on microplastics in South Eastern Australian coastal waters (i.e. South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales) and identify key knowledge gaps for the management of plastic pollution. Outputs • List of compiled datasets relating to microplastics in SE Aus waters [spatial dataset] • Scoping document synthesising the information available on the presence of microplastics in coastal marine environments in South Eastern Australia, its potential sources and pathways [written]

Redmap is a primarily a website that invites the community to spot, log and map marine species that are uncommon in their region, or along particular parts of their coast. The information collected is mapped and displayed on the site, demonstrating, in time, how species distributions may be changing. Sightings are divided into two categories – those with a photo that can be ‘verified’ by a marine biologist, and sightings without photos that we call community sightings (anecdotal). All the information collected, with and without photos, is mapped and will be used in the following years to map out a ‘story’ of changes occurring in our marine environment. The main data collected includes the species sighted (normally selected from a list comprising preselected species of interest), the location, date/time and activity being undertaken. Other optional information gathered include biological data such as sex, size and weight and environmental data such as water depth and temperature and habitat. This record is associated with live data (and will subsequently change over time) and spatial elements have reduced accuracy. It is also subject to a three year embargo (ie. does not contain data less than three years old). If you wish to discuss obtaining a citable, static dataset, that is current and/or contains accurate spatial elements, please see Point of Contact.

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub bridging study - "Support for Parks Australia’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement System for Australian Marine Parks". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- The system of marine parks that spans Australia’s Commonwealth waters is among the largest in the world. These parks play a major role in conserving marine life, supporting commercial and recreational activities, and protecting cultural values significant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Parks Australia has developed management plans for five regional Australian Marine Park (AMP) networks (North, North-west, South-west, South-east and Temperate East) and the Coral Sea Marine Park (CSMP). Under each management plan, a science plan sets priorities for monitoring and research to evaluate management effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement. This prioritisation is vital given the limited knowledge across many AMPs, the technical challenges and high costs of science in remote areas, and the finite resources available for park management. Building on foundational work from the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub (projects SS2 and D7), this project delivered the scientific and technical advice needed to establish monitoring priorities for natural values and pressures across all AMP networks and the CSMP—completing a full national priority list for monitoring. It applied a nationally consistent four-step prioritisation framework that considered ecological importance, vulnerability to pressures, baseline data availability, and logistical feasibility. The project also updated the National Ecosystem model and Pressures & Activities datasets, conducted expert vulnerability assessments, and produced a Relative Cumulative Impact index. The combined research delivers a nationally accepted "common language" to describe natural values and pressures and a science-based method to derive monitoring priorities, aligned with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) system—an adaptive management framework that is globally unique and a significant step towards adaptive, integrated, place-based management. Key outputs include a national database of environmental and human-use data for each management region and a refined list of monitoring priorities for each AMP Network and the CSMP. The findings highlight major knowledge gaps—particularly in the distribution of mesophotic and rariphotic reefs, intertidal ecosystems, and recreational fishing impacts—and provide guidance for improving baseline data and pressure assessments. The prioritisation framework and data products developed through this project can be re-generated over time alongside improvements in the evidence base and our understanding of how ecosystems respond to multi-sectoral activities to support continual improvement in iterative, evidence-based park management and environmental outcomes. Outputs • Digital map layers per AMP network of: (1) Ecosystems; (2) Pressures & Activities; and (3) Cumulative Benthic & Pelagic Impacts • Final Technical Report containing maps of Key Natural Values, and of spatial Monitoring Priorities, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]

Annual aerial surveys of southern right whales have been conducted off the southern Australian coast, between Cape Leeuwin (W.A.) and Ceduna (S.A.) over a 28 year period between 1993 and 2020, to monitor the recovery of this species following commercial whaling. We conducted an aerial survey of southern right whales between the 20th and 24th August 2020, to continue these annual series of surveys and inform the long-term population trend. The comparable count for the 2020 survey utilised the maximum count for each leg and incorporated a correction for the unsurveyed area between Head of the Bight to Ceduna due to the inability to cover whole survey as a result of COVID-19 restrictions between State borders. This resulted in 384 individuals, consisting of 156 cows accompanied by calves of the year and 72 unaccompanied adults. Of these, 126 images of individual whales have been selected for photo-identification matching. This is a significant decrease in overall sightings that has not been observed for over 13 years when compared to long term trend data for the population; last seen in 2007 (N = 286 individuals). The subsequent population estimate for the Australian ‘western’ subpopulation is 2,585 whales, which is also a significant decrease in estimated population size from 3,164 in 2019 to 2,585 in 2020. The extremely low number of unaccompanied adults (N = 68) had the greatest impact on the overall number of sightings in 2020, and is the lowest number sighted since 1993 (N = 47). Previous surveys in 2007 and 2015 have been noted as years of low whale counts that had been deemed anomalous years, although the low numbers from this survey questions this and may suggest the 3-year female breeding cycle is becoming more unpredictable. Considerable inter-annual variation in whale numbers, and cycles in population growth, makes it difficult to detect consistent and reliable changes in abundance from one year to the next, or even over longer periods of time. This severely inhibits our ability to identify immediate threats to the population and strongly supports continued annual population surveys.

Mesozooplankton community composition and structure were examined throughout the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, Huon Estuary and North West Bay, Tasmania, from November 2004 to October 2005, the data represented by this record was collected on the 07/12/2004 The composition of the mesozooplankton community was typical of inshore, temperate marine habitats, with seasonally higher abundance in summer and autumn and lower numbers in winter and spring. Copepods were the largest contributors to total abundance across all seasons and stations, while cladocerans and appendicularians were proportionally abundant in spring and summer. The faecal pellets of these three main groups, along with those of krill and amphipods, also contributed significantly to material recovered from sediment traps. Meroplanktonic larvae of benthic animals showed short-term peaks in abundance and were often absent from the water column for long periods. Spatially, North West Bay and the Channel had a higher representation of typically marine species, including Calanus australis and Labidocera cervi, while truly estuarine species, such as the copepod Gladioferens pectinatus, were more important in the Huon Estuary.

Redmap is a primarily a website that invites the community to spot, log and map marine species that are uncommon in their region, or along particular parts of their coast. The information collected is mapped and displayed on the site, demonstrating, in time, how species distributions may be changing. Sightings are divided into two categories – those with a photo that can be ‘verified’ by a marine biologist, and sightings without photos that we call community sightings (anecdotal). All the information collected, with and without photos, is mapped and will be used in the following years to map out a ‘story’ of changes occurring in our marine environment. The main data collected includes the species sighted (normally selected from a list comprising preselected species of interest), the location, date/time and activity being undertaken. Other optional information gathered include biological data such as sex, size and weight and environmental data such as water depth and temperature and habitat. This record is associated with live data (and will subsequently change over time) and spatial elements have reduced accuracy. It is also subject to a three year embargo (ie. does not contain data less than three years old). If you wish to discuss obtaining a citable, static dataset, that is current and/or contains accurate spatial elements, please see Point of Contact.