Sea urchins have the capacity to destructively overgraze kelp beds and cause a wholesale shift to an alternative and stable ‘urchin barren’ state. However, their destructive grazing behaviour can be highly labile and contingent on behavioural shifts at the individual and local population level. Changes in supply of allochthonous food sources, i.e. availability of drift-kelp, is often suggested as a proximate trigger of change in sea urchin grazing behaviour, yet field tests of this hypothesis are rare. Here we conduct a suite of in situ behavioural surveys and manipulative experiments within kelp beds and on urchin barrens to examine foraging movements and evidence for a behavioural switch to an overgrazing mode by the Australian sea urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma (Echinometridae). Tracking of urchins using time-lapse photography revealed urchin foraging to broadly conform to a random-walk-model within both kelp beds and on barren grounds, while at the individual level there was a tendency towards local ‘homing’ to proximate crevices. However, consistent with locally observed ‘mobile feeding fronts’ that can develop at the barrens-kelp interface, urchins were experimentally inducible to show directional movement toward newly available kelp. Furthermore, field assays revealed urchin grazing rates to be high on both simulated drift-kelp and attached kelp thalli on barren grounds, however drift-kelp but not attached kelp was consumed at high rates within kelp beds. Time-lapse tracking of urchin foraging before/ after the controlled addition of drift-kelp on barrens revealed a reduction in foraging movement across the reef surface when drift-kelp was captured. Collectively results indicate that the availability of drift-kelp is a pivotal trigger in determining urchin feeding modes, which is demonstrably passive and cryptic in the presence of a ready supply of drift-kelp. Recovery of kelp beds therefore appears possible if a sustained influx of drift-kelp was to inundate urchin barrens, particularly on reefs where local urchin densities and where grazing pressure is close to the threshold enabling kelp bed recovery.

This resource includes multibeam sonar backscatter data for Beagle Marine Park (Bass Strait) collected by Geoscience Australia (GA) and the Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies (University of Tasmania; UTAS) during the period 17 – 26 June 2018 on the RV Bluefin. The survey was undertaken as a collaborative project funded through the National Environmental Science Program Marine Biodiversity Hub, with co-investment by GA and UTAS. The purpose of the project was to build baseline information for benthic habitats in the Beagle Marine Park that will support ongoing environmental monitoring within the South-east Marine Park Network as part of the 10-year management plan (2013-2023). Data acquisition for the project was completed during three separate voyages: Phase 1 - Seabed mapping by multibeam sonar; Phase 2 – Seabed imagery acquisition by Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, and sediment sampling; Phase 3 – Survey of demersal fish communities using Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUVs). This dataset from Phase 1 comprises 11 backscatter grids derived from multibeam sonar data gridded at 1 m spatial resolution, covering a combined area of 364 km2. A detailed report on the survey is provided in: Falster, G., Monk, J., Carroll, A., Siwabessy, J., Deane, A., Picard, K., Dando, N., Hulls, J., Nichol, S., Barrett, N. 2019. Australian Marine Park Baseline and Monitoring Survey: Post Survey Report, Beagle Marine Park, South-east Marine Park Network. Report to the National Environmental Science Program, Marine Biodiversity Hub.

The AUStralian Tidal Energy (AUSTEn) project was a three year project (2018 - 2020) funded by the Australian Renewable Energy National Agency (agreement number G00902) led by the Australian Maritime College (University of Tasmania), in partnership with CSIRO and University of Queensland. The project had a strong industry support (Atlantis Resources Limited, MAKO Tidal Turbines Ltd, Spiral Energy Corporation Ltd). The aim of the project was to assess the technical and economic feasibility of tidal energy in Australia, based on the best understanding of resource achievable. For further information and output of the project, please visit the AUSTEn project website www.austen.org.au.

Rock samples were dredged from seamounts in the southern Tasman Sea on the RV Investigator, voyage IN2018_V08

This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project A13 - "Estimation of population abundance and mixing of southern right whales in the Australian and New Zealand regions". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- A comprehensive understanding of the population abundance and degree of spatial connectivity of southern right whales in Australian waters is currently lacking. This limits assessments of the species recovery and understanding of the nature and degree of difference between the south-eastern and south-western Australian populations. This project will provide, for the first time, an abundance estimate of the total Australian population of southern right whales. It will also investigate the connectedness of whales that utilise breeding areas on the eastern, southern and western coasts of Australia. Information provided by this project will allow the Australian government to better evaluate progress made against the Conservation Management Plan for southern right whales and ensure conservation efforts for the species are effectively coordinated at the regional level. Planned Outputs • Data summaries for populating models used to estimate abundance and connectivity • An estimate of population abundance at the national scale and associated uncertainty • An evaluation of movement and spatial mixing across southern Australia

This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project D6 - "Socioeconomic benchmarks". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Social and economic values are key drivers for marine science and marine policy but are too rarely integrated with marine biodiversity monitoring programs. In close consultation with Parks Australia (PA) we will review existing metrics used to survey social and economic values associated with marine parks. This review will include consulting with national and international expertise and actively consulting with State and other Commonwealth agencies, some of whom are currently conducting reviews or have existing frameworks for surveying social and economic values (e.g Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI)). In collaboration with national partners and PA we will organise a national methods workshops to discuss and refine metrics and methods to quantify social and economic benchmarks for State and Australian Marine Parks (AMPs) and produce Standard Operating Procedure’s (SOP) relevant to AMPs taking into consideration the Department of the Environment and Energy’s (DoEE’s) environmental accounting processes and PA’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) framework. Planned Outputs • SOP for measuring social and economic metrics for AMPs • Final report on essential (key) AMP social and economic metrics • Summaries of research and surveys made available through the Marine Parks Science Atlas

The AUStralian Tidal Energy (AUSTEn) project was a three year project (2018 - 2020) funded by the Australian Renewable Energy National Agency (agreement number G00902) led by the Australian Maritime College (University of Tasmania), in partnership with CSIRO and University of Queensland. The project had a strong industry support (Atlantis Resources Limited, MAKO Tidal Turbines Ltd, Spiral Energy Corporation Ltd). The aim of the project was to assess the technical and economic feasibility of tidal energy in Australia, based on the best understanding of resource achievable. For further information and output of the project, please visit the AUSTEn project website www.austen.org.au.

This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project D5 - "A standardised national assessment of the state of coral and rocky reef biodiversity". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- This project will involve integration of a national suite of reef biota Underwater Visual Census (UVC) monitoring datasets (Reef Life Survey (RLS), University of Tasmania (UTAS), Australian Institute for Marine Science (AIMS), Parks Victoria (PV), SA Department of environment, water and natural resources (DEWNR)) to provide a comprehensive update to the state of Australian Reefs report for the next national State of the Environment Report. Maps and indicator trends will show changes in the health of rocky and coral reefs nationally from 2005 to 2020. The update will include addition of a new index which summarises the population trajectories for 600-1000 reef species nationally. Individual species trajectories will provide the only threat status information for the majority of these species, assisting future listing of previously unassessed species if significant declines are detected. Planned Outputs • Maps and trends in SoE indicators • Raw data underlying SoE analyses (data use agreement must be signed with AIMS for access to that data) • Various scientific papers

The AUStralian Tidal Energy (AUSTEn) project was a three year project (2018 - 2020) funded by the Australian Renewable Energy National Agency (agreement number G00902) led by the Australian Maritime College (University of Tasmania), in partnership with CSIRO and University of Queensland. The project had a strong industry support (Atlantis Resources Limited, MAKO Tidal Turbines Ltd, Spiral Energy Corporation Ltd). The aim of the project was to assess the technical and economic feasibility of tidal energy in Australia, based on the best understanding of resource achievable. For further information and output of the project, please visit the AUSTEn project website www.austen.org.au.