Raw acoustic data files for Tasmanian coastal waters from the LWM (Low water mark) to 40 metres in depth or 1.5 kms from shore.

This study aims to undertake a comprehensive survey of the benthic fauna of Port Davey – Bathurst Harbour and adjoining Payne Bay, James Kelly Basin and Hannant Inlet. This will provide important information on the composition and structure of benthic faunal communities and the distribution of any introduced species amongst the benthos. In February/ April 2007 invertebrate faunal communities were sampled at 70 locations throughout the system – with the greatest intensity of sites located within Port Davey, Bathurst Channel and Bathurst Harbour.

We used an in situ manipulative experiment to assess the impacts of the introduced New Zealand screwshell, Maoricolpus roseus, on native soft-sediment community structure and habitat characteristics in SE Tasmania. Impacts were assessed for high and low screwshell density and for the effect of live and dead screwshells, as well as those containing hermit crabs.

The impact of the introduced New Zealand screw shell, Maoricolpus roseus, were assessed using a cageing experiment in SE Tasmania (Bligh Point, D'Entrecasteaux Channel). Three treatments consisted of different substratum type (live, dead and empty shells, and dead shells with 50% occupancy by hermit crabs); which were crossed with 2 levels of screwshell density (high and low). Treatment groups were artificially maintained for 20 months before metabolic chambers were used to quantify the community metabolism of different treatment groups.

The impact of the introduction of the New Zealand screwshell (Maoricolpus roseus) on scallop distribution and behaviour in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, SE Tasmania was investigated. The impact of both live and dead and empty M. roseus shells on the distribution of two sympatric scallop species, queen scallop (Equichlamys bifrons) and doughboy scallop (Chlamys asperrimus) was quantified at large spatial scales. Also quantified was the impact of M. roseus on the distribution and behaviour of the commercial scallop (Pecten fumatus), at both large and small spatial scales.

The impact of the introduction of the New Zealand screwshell (Maoricolpus roseus) on growth, condition and survivorship of juvenile scallops (Pecten fumatus) at Bligh Point in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, SE Tasmania was investigated. A manipulative experiment was used to quantity the impact associated with live and dead M. roseus shells and to quantify differences in interspecific and intraspecific competition.

The most recent field study of the Little Swanport estuary, Tasmania carried out by Crawford et al. (2006) collected monthly samples at sites throughout the estuary between January 2004 and January 2005. Measurements included water column nutrients, chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, salinity, phytoplankton, zooplankton and oyster growth. This work demonstrated that freshwater flows had a significant effect on salinity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen and nutrient levels in the estuary. However, monthly sampling didn’t provide the temporal resolution necessary to detect potential flow-on effects on the biology (e.g. phytoplankton and zooplankton dynamics, oyster growth). To gain an improved understanding of the temporal dynamics of the estuary, including the response to freshwater flow, samples were collected weekly (chlorophyll-a), fortnightly (nutrients and zooplankton) and bimonthly (oysters) between March 2006 and June 2008 at a site in the lower estuary where the majority of oysters are farmed