Repeat surveys of aquatic flora were conducted in Oyster Harbour in 1988, 1996 and 2006. This data is part of the 2013 report "Synthesis of seagrass mapping studies" conducted by the Water Science Branch of the Department of Water. Surveys were initially conducted by the WA Department of Water. The objectives of the study were to map the distribution of the different seagrass species found in Princess Royal Harbour and Oyster Harbour and to compare the distributions with that observed in previous studies (1988 and 1996). This data was acquired by the ACEAS Seagrass Group as part of the 2013 Australia-wide risk assessment of Seagrass. Surveys were conducted again in March 2019 and January 2021 by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation as "Oyster Harbour Seagrass Survey". The datasets making up the 1988-2006 Oyster Harbour seagrass survey data are: WA_Oyster_seagrass_polygons - polygon dataset showing interpolated percentage cover of seagrass (all species combined for 1988 & 1997 surveys, with species information for 2006 survey). This record provides access to the initial WA DoW surveys. See associated DWER records in Data WA catalogue for access to newer surveys at this site.

Snapper and King George whiting occurrence records were aggregated from the Reef Life Survey dataset, IMAS Archives, the Tassie Fish Frame Collection Program, Atlas of Living Australia and Redmap, in addition to pseudoabsences generated through space and time within the study extent, and matched to environmental covariates (sourced from Copernicus Marine) used for species distribution modelling for FRDC project 2018-070. The data described by this record contains fisher GPS information and is commercial-in-confidence. Please contact the Principal Investigator (alexia.grabalandry@utas.edu.au) or IMAS.DataManager@utas.edu.au for data access enquiries.

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project "Improving data on the distribution and ecological value of temperate subtidal seagrass in tayaritja (Furneaux Group of Islands), Tasmania". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Seagrass meadows are a dominant marine ecosystem of tayaritja (Furneaux group of Islands) in the north-eastern waters off Tasmania, with historical coarse mapping indicating extensive beds of Posidonia, Amphibolis, Hetreozostera and Zostera seagrass. The beds of Posidonia and Amphibiolis are potentially some of the largest and deepest extents found in temperate waters of Australia. Lack of data on the distribution and ecological value of these seagrass habitats represents a significant knowledge gap in understanding Australian wetland natural assets that provide a range of ecological, social, cultural and economic values. This project aims to map the extent and ecological composition, population structure and blue carbon value of the seagrass beds around tayaritja in partnership with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre. This project will help managers and the Aboriginal communities to understand the significance of these seagrass meadows and understand how they may be monitored. Outputs • Seagrass extent and composition map for Furneaux group [dataset] • Video and imagery of seagrass [dataset] • Final project report [written]

Aquatic flora surveys of the Hardy Inlet were conducted from the top of Molloy Island and the Scott River Basin to the mouth of the Inlet. Surveys were initially conducted in 2008 by Murdoch University’s Marine and Freshwater Research Laboratory (MAFRL) and forms part of the 2013 report "Synthesis of seagrass mapping studies" conducted by the Water Science Branch of the Department of Water. This data was acquired by the ACEAS Seagrass Group as part of the 2013 Australia-wide risk assessment of Seagrass. Surveys were conducted again in 2018, 2020 & 2023 by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation as "Hardy Inlet Seagrass Survey". The datasets making up the 2008 Hardy Inlet seagrass survey data are: WA_MAFRL_Hardy_seagrass_polygons - polygon dataset showing interpolated percentage cover of Ruppia spp. This record provides access to the initial MAFRL surveys. See associated DWER records in Data WA catalogue for access to newer surveys at this site.

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project "Mapping temperate continental shelf seabed habitats". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Rocky reefs provide anchors for attached marine invertebrate species such as corals and sponges, creating habitat for mobile invertebrates, and resident and roving fishes and mammals. They are subject to pressures from activities such as fishing, shipping, as well as climate change. Given their important natural, economic and social value, rocky reefs are focus areas for management in marine bioregional plans and Australian Marine Parks (AMPs). Previous collaborative research by the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub and Parks Australia found that for many AMPs, understanding the extent of seabed habitats (including reef) is a priority for evaluating management effectiveness. While detailed habitat maps exists for many nearshore regions, however, they are lacking for Commonwealth waters. This project will fill gaps in knowledge of the extent and distribution of seabed habitats on Australia’s temperate continental shelf, with a focus on surveys of rocky reefs in the South-west Marine Parks Network and the South-east Marine Parks Network. Existing data will be collated and analysed to validate the presence/absence of seabed habitats on the temperate continental shelf, and drop cameras will be deployed at priority areas the validate habitats. The new knowledge will enhance the capacity of AMP managers to protect marine park values and assess the effectiveness of management. Outputs • Seafloor imagery and annotations [dataset] • Validated habitat maps (for AMPs with detailed observations) [dataset] • Habitat prediction maps (for AMPs lacking observations) [dataset] • Updated reef extent layer for temperate continental shelf [dataset] • Final technical report [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project "Ecological outcomes of wastewater discharges in contrasting receiving environments". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Australia’s Waste Policy Action Plan, Threat Abatement Plan for the impacts of marine debris and Australia’s One Health Master Action Plan all refer to the need for emerging pollutants to be incorporated into contaminant guidelines. Wastewater treatment plants currently report on a limited number of contaminants and lack consistent testing requirements. NESP MaC Scoping Study 1.16 has determined there is a clear and consistent need for data on environmental concentrations of emerging contaminants and an assessment of their impact on ecological communities. This project aims to determine the concentration of emerging pollutants in different wastewater outfall settings, and assess where environmental impacts are greatest. It will also continue to collate, analyse and maintain the information from Water Treatment Authorities on outfall flows, pollutant concentrations and loads and presented annually within the National Outfalls Database. Outputs • Measures of CEC (contaminants of emerging concern) in water samples taken from outfall sites [dataset] • Final project report [written]

Aquatic flora surveys were conducted in the Leschenault Estuary in April 2009. This data is part of the 2013 report "Synthesis of seagrass mapping studies" conducted by the Water Science Branch of the Department of Water. Surveys were initially conducted by the WA Department of Water together with Geoscience Australia. The objective of these surveys was to collect baseline data on seagrass composition and distribution in key estuaries of southern and south-western WA. This data was acquired by the ACEAS Seagrass Group as part of the 2013 Australia-wide risk assessment of Seagrass. Surveys were conducted again 2015-2023 (February 2015, February and March 2016, February 2017, February and March 2018, February 2019, February and March 2020, February 2021, February and March 2022, and February and March 2023) by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation as "Leschenault Estuary Seagrass Survey". The datasets making up the 2009 Leschenault Estuary seagrass survey data are: WA_Leschenault_SAV_sites - point dataset of species presence/absence and survey methodology at each site. WA_Leschenault_SAV_polygons - polygon dataset showing interpolated percentage cover in polygons derived from site points. This record provides access to the initial WA DoW surveys. See associated DWER records in Data WA catalogue for access to newer surveys at this site.

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project "Mapping critical Australian sea lion habitat to assess ecological value and risks to population recovery". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Populations of the endangered Australian sea lion have declined by >60% over the last 40 years. There is a marked uneven distribution in abundance and trends across the species range, suggesting that localised risk profiles from threats vary at small spatial scales. Fine scale differences in habitat use are thought to underpin these differences, yet knowledge about the species dependency on key habitats and their vulnerability to human impacts is limited. This project deployed underwater cameras onto sea lions to identify and map their critical habitats, assess their ecological value and identify risks to populations. Tagging took place at three sea lion colonies adjacent to Commonwealth and state marine reserves off South Australia including Olive and Pearson Islands (Western Eyre Marine Park) and Seal Bay (Southern Kangaroo Island Marine Park). Results from this study improve our understanding of threats to sea lion populations and support future conservation actions to recover the species. Outputs • Tracking data from sea lion-deployed tags: location, depth, time, temperature, light, acceleration [dataset] • Timestamped video footage from sea lion-deployed cameras [dataset] • Final project report [written]