This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub project "Grey Nurse Shark CK-MR Population Estimate – East Coast". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- A review of the 2002 National Recovery Plan for Grey Nurse Shark (DEWHA 2009) concluded it was not possible to determine if the east coast population had shown any signs of recovery (DoE 2014); recommending a new recovery plan be developed for this species. A primary objective of the new recovery plan (DoE 2014) is to improve knowledge of GNS population status. This will require a robust estimate of population size and trend – something that has not been provided to date. This project will use genetic SNP data to inform close kin-mark recapture analysis to estimate population size and trend, and provide guidance on future monitoring strategies for the east coast population of grey nurse shark. Planned Outputs • Tools to refine and integrate CK-MR and species demographic data for population assessments of a key threatened species at a national scale (combining knowledge developed under this project combined with similar techniques being applied under NESP to euryhaline sharks and white sharks). • A national estimate of (census) population size and trend for the eastern Australian population of grey nurse shark will be developed to fulfil the highest priority actions of the National Recovery Plan. • Identify national strategies to guide future monitoring of grey nurse shark populations. • The project will provide peer-reviewed additions to the scientific literature that will add to the science-support for the development and implementation of policies to support the ecologically sustainable management of Australia’s marine environment.

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "A national framework for improving seagrass restoration". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Seagrasses provide resources and ecosystem services critical to the health of coastal ecosystems and human populations. They increase water clarity, stabilise sediments and reduce coastal erosion, sequester carbon, and provide habitat and food to marine animals, including commercially important fish and invertebrates. Across Australia, the loss of >275,000 ha of seagrass meadows and associated ecosystem services—valued at AU$ 5.3 billion—has contributed to the long-term degradation of estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems. Restoration of seagrass is critical for improving the health and function of these ecosystems and sustaining coastal communities and industries that depend on them, yet restoration projects to date typically occur at small scales, driven by local priorities and with variable success. This project addressed this problem by bringing together scientists and key stakeholders to collate knowledge on seagrass ecology and restoration, and generated a framework to scaling-up restoration nationally. A national workshop with experts identified a shortlist of drivers key to restoration success, including sediment dynamics, microbial communities, hydrodynamics, and species interactions. It highlighted the importance of incorporating seagrass genetics and life histories into site and donor material selection to improve long-term resilience. New technologies such as eDNA, automation, and AI were also assessed for their potential to improve monitoring and reduce costs, while standardised methodologies and molecular tools were recommended to track microbial indicators and site suitability. A key insight from the workshop was the central role of sediment processes in feedback loops that determine seagrass health—providing a foundation for more effective, scalable restoration strategies. On-ground case studies were conducted in Western Australia and New South Wales to test the proposed restoration framework in collaboration with Indigenous and community partners: sediment quality assessment and manipulation (Gamay Rangers, UNSW); seed and seedling capture using sediment-filled hessian tubes (Malgana Rangers, UWA); and large-scale seed collection for seed-based restoration through the 'Seeds for Snapper' initiative (OzFish and UWA). These trials demonstrated the effectiveness of community-led restoration and reinforced the potential of seed-based methods for scaling up seagrass recovery. Outputs • Effect of sediment quality and manipulation on seagrass transplant success [field data] • Locations and health of beachcast fragments of Posidonia in Botany Bay [field data] • Effect of engineering hydrodynamics (by use of hessian socks) on seagrass transplant success [field data] • Final project report [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project "Aerial survey of the Southern Right Whale 'western' sub-population off southern Australia". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Southern right whales are listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act and are a species of national conservation significance. Monitoring of their recovery is guided by the Southern Right Whale Conservation Management Plan, which aims to improve the population’s conservation status through regular assessment of population size, calving intervals, and spatial trends. This project continued the long-term aerial survey program of southern right whales along the southern Australian coast, spanning from Perth (WA) to Ceduna (SA). Annual surveys have been conducted since 1993, providing a continuous long-term dataset for the 'western' population and supporting national assessments of connectivity with the smaller ‘eastern’ population. The surveys contribute essential data on population trends, calving rates, and movements of individuals. The August 2022 aerial survey ensured an uninterrupted time series in the long-term population trend data. This is particularly important given the species' non-annual breeding cycle (typically every three years). Annual surveys are essential to maintain an acceptable level of precision in estimating population trends and key life history parameters. A total of 526 whales were recorded, including 247 cow–calf pairs, 31 unaccompanied adults and one yearling. Based on long-term models, this equated to a population estimate of approximately 2,675 individuals, with an average annual growth rate of ~5.3%. While this represents a continued population growth, results suggest a possible slowing in the rate of growth over the past 13 years (from 7.5% in 2009). The 2022 survey also recorded the lowest number of unaccompanied animals in the entire time series, extending a five-year trend of low sightings in this group. Continued monitoring of the population is needed to assess whether these changes represent longer-term shifts in population dynamics and calving intervals, and to inform adaptive management for this long-lived, slow-recovering species. Outputs • Estimate of relative abundance and population trend compared to long-term aerial survey sightings [dataset] • Individual whale photo-identification data - 2021-22 season [imagery - published to ARWPIC] • Final technical report detailing overall numbers of southern right whales observed within the survey region, their gender (and life stage where possible) and spatial distribution of individuals [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project "Guiding the sustainable development of offshore renewables and other emerging marine industries in Australia". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Australia is entering a phase of rapid offshore renewable energy development, particularly offshore wind, with priority areas identified across the western, southern and eastern coasts. Regulatory assessment under the EPBC Act and Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act requires accessible environmental, cultural and monitoring information to support socially and ecologically sustainable development. This project established inventories of existing environmental and cultural data, best-practice monitoring standards, and impact-related literature for continental shelf waters associated with Australia’s six priority offshore wind regions: Hunter and Illawarra, Gippsland, Southern Ocean, Bass Strait, and the Indian Ocean off Bunbury. The process was guided by an Offshore Renewable Energy Program Steering Committee with representatives from DCCEEW, NOPSEMA and Marine and Coastal Hub partners. The work ran in parallel with a related NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project (https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/project/3-21) focused on the confirmed area of declaration for ORE off the east Gippsland coast, Victoria. Together, both projects were guided by an Offshore Renewable Energy Program Steering Committee comprising representatives from DCCEEW, NOPSEMA and Marine and Coastal Hub partners. Focus areas of the data inventory were: • Seabed geomorphology, bathymetry, sedimentology, and habitat characterisation; • Oceanographic features and coastal processes; • Priority threatened, migratory, and marine species and habitats; • Potential impacts during installation, operation, and decommissioning; • Indigenous communities and cultural values affected by ORE development areas; • Monitoring needs and associated best practices. Project outputs included four database inventories with more than 500 publications across 16 impact types, seabed and oceanographic information, and tabulated summaries and mapped extents of priority species relevant to ORE assessment. The compiled data inventories identified major data and management gaps, including limited high-resolution bathymetry, geomorphology and biological survey data; inconsistent data acquisition standards; limited FAIR access to threatened species data; and the need for coordinated research investment and early Traditional Owner engagement. Outputs from the project will support environmental assessment, mitigation and monitoring of offshore wind impacts, standardisation of data collection methodologies, cumulative impact assessment, and regulatory decision-making under the EPBC and OEI Acts. Outputs • Inventory of existing information and associated sources for the following thematic areas: seabed geomorphology and habitat, oceanography, species and habitats, affected indigenous communities, ongoing monitoring needs and associated best practices, potential impacts of installation and operation [data inventories] • Final project report [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub emerging priorities study - "Application of environmental DNA to survey Bathurst Harbour Tasmania for the endangered Maugean skate". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- The Maugean skate (Zearaja maugeana) is listed as Endangered under Tasmania’s Threatened Species Protection Act and the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Its known population is small (~3,000 individuals, Macquarie Harbour, 2016) and highly restricted, having only been recorded in two isolated estuaries: Bathurst Harbour and Macquarie Harbour in south-western/western Tasmania. This constitutes one of the most limited distributions of any known extant elasmobranch. Although the skate was first discovered in Bathurst Harbour, most knowledge of the species stems from the Macquarie Harbour population. Only four individuals have been reported in Bathurst Harbour, with the last reported sighting in 1992. Environmental conditions in Macquarie Harbour have changed markedly since then due to anthropogenic activities in and around the estuary including historical mining, hydro-electric generation and alteration of natural river flows, and marine fish farming. Previous research has shown clear signs of population stress and evidence of detrimental impacts of degraded environmental conditions on the Maugean Skate in Macquarie Harbour. Understanding the potential population status of the Maugean Skate in Bathurst Harbour will assist in determining conservation actions. This study used Environmental (e) DNA to determine the presence/absence of Maugean skate in Bathurst Harbour, strengthening the evidence base for effective conservation plans and specific recovery actions. Outputs • Maugean skate eDNA sampling data and inferred species distribution (presence/absence) [dataset] • Final Project Report, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]

This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub project "Australia’s Northern Seascape: assessing status of threatened and migratory marine species". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Northern Australia is the focus of substantial economic development, including agriculture, aquaculture, port infrastructure, mining and water-resource development. These activities have the potential to affect biodiversity, cultural values and Matters of National Environmental Significance, creating a need for a coordinated understanding of conservation priorities across the region. This project assessed the state of knowledge for EPBC-listed Threatened and Migratory marine species across the North Marine Bioregion, from Torres Strait to the Northern Territory - Western Australia border and extending from coastal waters to the edge of the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone. The review considered multiple taxonomic groups, including sharks and rays, shorebirds, marine turtles, dugongs and cetaceans, together with information on habitats, fisheries bycatch, environmental pressures, Indigenous priorities and EPBC referral activities. The project identified key knowledge gaps, research priorities and management needs to guide future Northern Seascapes research and investment. It also examined opportunities to strengthen Indigenous participation and incorporate Indigenous knowledge and management priorities into future marine conservation and research activities. Project outputs provided a strategic evidence base for future research planning, environmental management and conservation policy, and identified priority locations and topics for further investigation across northern Australia's marine environment.

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub bridging study - "A photo-identification study of southern right whales to update aggregation area classification in the southwest of Australia". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- The southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is listed as Endangered under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and is subject to conservation listings in five Australian states due to severe population declines caused by historical whaling. The Southern Right Whale Conservation Management Plan 2011–2021 outlines the current status of, and threats to, the southern right whale in Australian waters and prioritises recovery actions during this period. The long-term vision for the recovery of this species in Australian waters is to increase the population size to a level that the conservation status improves, and the species no longer qualifies for listing as threatened under any of the EPBC Act listing criteria. The plan must be periodically updated to reflect new knowledge and prioritise the research needed to monitor population recovery and predict the impacts of threats such as climate change. Aerial surveys of southern right whales have been conducted across the southern Australian coast from Perth (W.A.) to Ceduna (S.A.) since 1993, as part of a long-term program to monitor the recovery, and inform the Conservation Management Plan (2011-2021), for this Endangered species. In Australia’s south-east, there has been little sign of recovery in southern right whale numbers following intense commercial whaling. A working hypothesis assumes separation between the ‘western’ and ‘eastern’ populations, largely due to loss of ‘cultural memory’ of whales migrating to the eastern range breeding areas. Given the relative paucity of animals that visit the southern Australian coast in areas other than south-west Australia, the western population is considered to represent the majority of the ‘Australian’ southern right whale population. The count data from these aerial surveys provide data on population trend and estimates of population size for the ‘western’ population, and hence the majority of the Australian southern right whales. Associated photo-identification data provide life history information (such as calving intervals) and connectivity between the ‘western’ and ‘eastern’ populations and contribute to the national southern right whale photo-id database: the Australasian Right Whale Photo-Identification Catalogue (ARWPIC). The 2020 aerial survey program recorded substantially lower numbers of whales than in the previous 13 years, and the lowest number of non-calving whales since the program started. This project conducted new aerial surveying in August 2021 to provide a relative estimate of annual population size for determining longer term population trends and contribute to determining if 2020 was an anomalous year or an indicator of some longer-term change to recent recovery rates and the female breeding cycle. Outputs • Aerial whale survey data (counts by size class, number, and location) - 2021-22 season [dataset] • Individual whale photo-identification data - 2021-22 season [imagery - published to ARWPIC] • Final Project Report including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "Australia’s Coastal Shorebirds: Trends and Prospects". No data outputs were generated by this project. -------------------- Coastal Australia is home to 37 regularly occurring migratory shorebird species, with many protected areas including Ramsar sites designated on the basis of shorebird populations. Many migratory shorebirds are declining rapidly, and hence the focus of conservation efforts at multiple levels of government in Australia and overseas. However, trend data are now nearly 10 years old, meaning the information available to assess where conservation actions are needed most urgently and whether conservation efforts are helping species recover are outdated. To ensure populations have the best chance at recovery and that resources are allocated where they are most likely to have the greatest positive impacts, it is critical to maintain up-to-date information on species trends. This project analysed 30 years of shorebird monitoring data collected by citizen science groups across Australia and curated by BirdLife Australia’s National Shorebird Monitoring Program to update national trend estimates, while also assessing the relative effects of human pressure and conservation efforts on population trends. In particular, it focused on 15 migratory shorebird species whose conservation status was being reassessed by the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. This project sets the stage for building the next decade of coastal shorebird conservation activity in Australia, coordinated through the national mechanism of the End User: National Migratory Shorebird Conservation Action Plan Steering Committee, with representatives from national and state governments as well as leading shorebird experts. Outputs • Fact Sheet on Australia's coastal shorebird trends and prospects [written] • Final Project Report, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "Conservation of spotted handfish". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Spotted Handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus) were once common across the bays and estuaries of South-eastern Tasmania. By 1996, however, populations had declined and the species was listed as Critically Endangered under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The species is relatively short-lived, (5–10 years) and matures at more than two years’ old. This leaves a short window for reproduction, which relies on egg masses laid on seafloor structures such as stalked ascidians. If spawning fails, population declines may occur rapidly. With no planktonic life stage to aid dispersal, and low adult dispersal, outside recruitment to re-establish collapsed populations is unlikely. Analysis of 23 years of Spotted Handfish survey data (1997–2019) supported by previous NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub work (Project A10) helped develop a time-series of survey data, increasing biological understanding and contributing to effective management actions. This project recommenced surveys of multiple local populations, after a two-year gap, to ensure that the potential impacts of development of the Derwent estuary and surrounds handfish populations or their habitats can be detected. Included in the population surveying was identification of suitable locations to plant Artificial Spawning Habitats (ASH) where natural spawning structures have declined. This will continue to support the species' captive breeding program with industry and foster engagement with the indigenous and broader community through participation, talks, outreach, publications, and the National Handfish Recovery Team (NHRT). Outputs • A consolidated database of all available data on spotted handfish imagery, length frequency, and GPS regions to 2022 [time-series database] • Final Project Report, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project "Delineation and estimation of the Maugean skate population in Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania". No public data outputs are planned for this project. -------------------- The Maugean skate (Zearaja maugeana) is now only found in Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast, which has a long history of environmental degradation. The species is listed as Endangered under Commonwealth and Tasmanian legislation, and its restricted distribution, small population size, and exposure to degraded environmental conditions make population monitoring a high conservation priority. Recent research suggests that the Macquarie Harbour population may be declining. However, existing abundance estimation methods are inadequate because the species is cryptic, capture-based methods pose risks to skate health, and conventional optical surveys are limited by the harbour’s shallow, stratified, and highly turbid conditions. This project developed and tested new approaches to estimate and monitor the Maugean skate population using next-generation genetic sequencing and novel imaging technologies. Non-invasive acoustic methods (adaptive resolution imaging sonar (ARIS), synthetic aperture sonar, performed better than optical approaches (LiDAR, conventional video), under Macquarie Harbour conditions. ARIS was identified as the most suitable image-based monitoring tool for future population surveys. The genetic component generated the first reference-quality whole and mitochondrial genomes for the species and sequenced samples from 162 individuals. Genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses showed that the Macquarie Harbour population has very low genetic diversity, which may influence how genetic risks are interpreted in recovery planning. The project produced new monitoring methodologies, genomic reference resources, and population genetic datasets to support future monitoring of Maugean skate abundance, population structure, and genetic health. The findings will inform conservation planning and evaluation of recovery strategies including captive breeding, translocation, and long-term genetic monitoring under changing environmental conditions. Outputs • Tissue sampling results and genome-wide population genetic structure [dataset] • Final project report [written]