This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project "Updating knowledge of Australian white sharks". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- The white shark is listed as vulnerable and migratory under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The national White Shark Recovery Plan 2013 sets out research and management actions necessary to support the recovery of the white shark in Australian waters. Previous research funded by the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) provided updated estimates of white shark breeding population size and trend. However, the results were based on modest data sets and were limited by some critical knowledge gaps in relation to pupping and juvenile nursery areas, and uncertainty about how populations are connected between eastern and south-western Australia. Recent unpublished work has raised the prospect of a single Australian population. The White Shark Recovery Plan 2013 has identified a critical need for a quantitative assessment of population trends and evidence of any recovery of the white shark in Australian waters. This project will provide an update and reduce uncertainty regarding the status, trends, and population structure of white sharks in Australian waters. Specifically, it will focus efforts to identify critical habitats and biologically important areas for white sharks and improve the understanding of population status through advancing close-kin mark recapture research. Three project sub-components will involve: • Investigating the feasibility of filling knowledge gaps about juvenile and pupping areas and adult movements; • Investigating population structure to resolve mixing/connectivity questions; and • Updating population estimates based on significant new data. The project approach will comprise of: (1) A pilot study to assess the effectiveness of tagging adult females (>4.5 metres) and juveniles (>2 m) throughout the southern-western white shark range. Genetic samples will be gathered from around Australia and sought from South Africa and New Zealand to conduct a comprehensive update of white shark stock structure. (2) Using an expanded tissue sample set from New South Wales (~1000 samples) to update and refine estimates of adult population size and population trend for the eastern white shark population. Juvenile numbers will be estimated using data from the New South Wales shark management program. Additional samples from South Australia and Western Australia will be combined with previous samples in the southern-western population to refine estimates of population size. (3) Population estimates undertaken using close-kin mark-recapture, a technique that combines advanced genetics and statistical modelling to infer population demographics by identifying close-kin-pairs (parent-offspring or half-siblings) among a collection of sampled animals. Outputs • New genetic samples and sequencing data for white sharks [dataset] • Tracking data derived from 12 PAT tags [dataset] • Final technical report (including recommendations for systematic future research to assist in identifying additional critical habitat for the south-western white shark population) [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project "Eastern Grey Nurse Shark population abundance and trend". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Australia’s eastern grey nurse shark population is listed as Critically Endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The Recovery Plan for the Grey Nurse Shark identifies research and actions needed to improve the shark’s population status and ensure its long-term conservation. This project refines the abundance and trend estimate for the eastern Australian population of grey nurse shark and examined the shark’s expansion range into Victorian waters (evidence suggests the shark may now range as far west as Wilsons Promontory). The project builds upon previous research which has estimated the eastern grey nurse shark adult population at ~2,000 individuals. Epigenetic techniques are used estimate age of juveniles (based on patterns of DNA methylation), and stereo video analysis is used to obtain precise length measurements for use against growth curves. Understanding the species' population structure is important to inform the assessment of current conservation arrangements such as spatial closures. Findings will provide a more precise estimate of the abundance of Australia’s eastern grey nurse shark population, and reduce uncertainty surrounding trends in abundance by building a stronger evidence base for decision-making around the species’ recovery and conservation. Outputs • Tissue samples and extracted products from juvenile grey nurse sharks [dataset] • Final project report [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project "Grey Nurse Shark aggregations". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- The grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus) has been protected in Australian Commonwealth waters since 1996. Although historically distributed across southern Australia, in October 2001 the grey nurse shark was listed as two separate populations with different protection listings under the EPBC Act of 1999: Critically Endangered in eastern Australia, and Vulnerable in Western Australia. Grey nurse sharks (GNS) tend to aggregate at specific sites along migration routes. There are currently 19 identified key aggregation sites along the eastern seaboard. Recent observations indicate that this definition requires revision to account for factors such as seasonal movements and to be applicable to the Western Australian population. This project aims to collate existing information on key aggregation sites and ‘new’ sites where GNS have been found to gather (both in eastern and western Australia). This information will be used to refine the definition of key aggregation site and develop criteria to allow assessment of new sites. This project will also investigate potential sites in Victoria where the least amount of information is available. Outputs • Spatial information on key Grey Nurse Shark aggregation sites [dataset] • Final project report [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project "Environmental DNA for measuring offshore marine biodiversity: what can DNA in water collected from the RV Investigator tell us?". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Environmental DNA (eDNA) is genetic material that is found in the environment. In marine ecosystems eDNA is ubiquitous in seawater and is derived from everything from bacteria to invertebrates and fishes. eDNA can be recovered by filtering water samples and then used it to characterise biodiversity. Using environmental DNA (eDNA) found in seawater to get a snapshot of the species present in an area is an emerging technology with diverse applications in marine ecosystem monitoring. This project will collect a large eDNA dataset during the Southeast Australian Marine Ecosystem Survey (SEA-MES). The eDNA samples will be taken from the RV Investigator throughout the water column at offshore sites stretching from Tasmania to NSW, including sites within the South-east Marine Park Network. The voyage includes parallel collection of biodiversity data using a suite of conventional methods (nets, cameras, and acoustics) which will allow for an assessment of how eDNA compliments these approaches. The project will provide a new baseline and unique eDNA-based perspective on the biodiversity of the southeast Australian marine region. It will also allow for evaluation of eDNA sampling methods and guidance for design of effective, scalable, and non-extractive biomonitoring tools for marine ecosystems. Outputs • eDNA sequences with associated collection metadata (x2 voyages x50 sites) [dataset] • Final project report [written]

This project undertook a rapid exploration of information on a priority subset of species identified by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environment Authority (NOPSEMA) that are listed as critically endangered or endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. It specifically focused on these species in relation to the Gippsland declaration area, and the adjacent areas to the declaration area in Bass Strait. This rapid exploration of information was conducted as follows: 1) identify datasets and information sources relevant to priority species identified by DCCEEW and NOPSEMA for the Gippsland declaration area; 2) identify the source of these datasets and information and their level of accessibility; 3) evaluate the utility of datasets and information identified in 2) for assessments/regulatory processes required to be undertaken by DCCEEW and NOPSEMA; and 4) identify what activities would need to be undertaken to improve the accessibility and utility of datasets and information sources identified in 3) that are not currently accessible in useable formats. Fifteen priorities species (12 birds, 3 cetaceans) were identified for which publicly-available occurrence data could be located. This record and the attached download describes the data inventory for the Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus). To download the data inventory for all fifteen priority species, see https://doi.org/10.25959/GB51-RW44.

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project "Identifying priority datasets of relevance to the Gippsland declaration area and pathways for their use in guiding decision-making". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Australia has entered a phase of rapid development of offshore renewable energy (ORE) with one declaration area and one notice of proposal to declare an area for ORE infrastructure announced in late 2022 and early 2023 respectively. There is an immediate need to ensure that assessment and regulatory processes can access relevant information on species protected under environmental legislation comprehensively and efficiently, to ensure that decisions are evidence based, gaps in understanding are identified and future research and monitoring is directed to fill those gaps. This project will undertake a rapid exploration of information on a priority subset of species identified by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environment Authority (NOPSEMA) identified as critically endangered or endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 in relation to the Gippsland declaration area. The project aims to 1) identify datasets and information sources relevant to these priority species; 2) identify the level of accessibility of these datasets and information source;, 3) based on the outcomes of 2), evaluate the utility of information identified for assessments required to be undertaken by DCCEEW and NOPSEMA; and 4) identify what activities would need to be undertaken to improve the accessibility and utility of datasets and information sources not currently accessible in useable formats. This project does not intend to duplicate the efforts already being undertaken by NESP project 3.3 in identifying information on marine ecosystems nationally and producing an inventory of recognised best practices for monitoring, mitigation and management of interactions and impacts that can be applied from installation to decommissioning, to be delivered in March 2024, but will fast-track some of the information that can be incorporated into project 3.3. Outputs • Inventory of datasets relevant to the Gippsland OEI declaration area, particularly with respect to priority species identified by DCCEEW and NOPSEMA in association with the Gippsland declaration area [data inventory] • Final project report [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 Emerging Priorities project "Modelling adult abundance and habitat distribution of 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. A Roadmap of Agreed Actions has been published by the Maugean skate recovery team. In this document, the recovery team agreed that Close Kin Mark Recapture (CKMR) be investigated as a priority action for determining historical abundance of the species in the harbour, and potentially as a complimentary monitoring tool going forward. The Commonwealth’s 2023 Conservation Advice for the Maugean skate has also identified this as a priority action. The CKMR method has been developed and operationalised for various finfish and elasmobranch species. The method uses next-generation sequencing methods to inform on the prevalence of closely related individuals (parent-offspring/half-siblings) within a set of sampled animals. This data is fed into statistical models of the population in order to obtain estimates of abundance of the breeding adults, adult survival rate, and given sufficiently informative data, population trend. CKMR will provide crucial independent estimates of the size of the Maugean skate spawning population in the Macquarie Harbour. This will be of significance for conservation decision processes which are ongoing and in determining monitoring options in the future. A secondary component of this project is to model the critical habitat distributions of the species. Maugean skate are thought to be impacted by low dissolved oxygen (DO2) in Macquarie Harbour. This is influenced by combinations of exogenous factors (industrial usage, manipulation of flow regimes from riverine inputs) and climatic / weather forcing events. Remediation trials involving the addition of DO2 are underway to determine if low DO2 conditions may be ameliorated using anthropogenic supplementation. However, a crucial missing element required to guide this process, is the linking of biophysical models of the harbour to observations of the conditions observed to be selected by the skate. This component of the project will combine synoptic biophysical predictions of the harbour with telemetry data from tagged Maugean skates which details the skates' selected temperature, depth and O2 conditions. These two information sources will be combined via habitat selection models - previously used to model habitat preferences of other species (e.g. Southern bluefin tuna) - to predict whether remediation, climate or other factors are likely to impact on the availability of selected skate habitat. Initial potential habitat maps will be generated for a hindcast period (2017-18), and for a forecast period based on models currently under development that simulate recent and evolving water quality in near-real time. This will enable recent and evolving maps of suitable skate habitats. Simulated habitat maps will be assessed against the known collective knowledge of skate habitat to identify critical habitat areas within Macquarie Harbour and inform future spatial and temporal sampling strategies. Outputs • High-quality DNA sequences of Maugean skate [sequencing data] • Hindcast maps (2017-18) of potential Maugean skate occupation [spatial data] • Recent and forecast (evolving) maps of potential Maugean skate occupation under different management scenarios [spatial data] • Estimates of spawning stock abundance of the Maugean skate from CKMR analysis [data contained in written report] • Final project report [written]

This project undertook a rapid exploration of information on a priority subset of species identified by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environment Authority (NOPSEMA) that are listed as critically endangered or endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. It specifically focused on these species in relation to the Gippsland declaration area, and the adjacent areas to the declaration area in Bass Strait. This rapid exploration of information was conducted as follows: 1) identify datasets and information sources relevant to priority species identified by DCCEEW and NOPSEMA for the Gippsland declaration area; 2) identify the source of these datasets and information and their level of accessibility; 3) evaluate the utility of datasets and information identified in 2) for assessments/regulatory processes required to be undertaken by DCCEEW and NOPSEMA; and 4) identify what activities would need to be undertaken to improve the accessibility and utility of datasets and information sources identified in 3) that are not currently accessible in useable formats. Fifteen priorities species (12 birds, 3 cetaceans) were identified for which publicly-available occurrence data could be located. This record and the attached download describes the data inventory for Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta). To download the data inventory for all fifteen priority species, see https://doi.org/10.25959/GB51-RW44.

This project undertook a rapid exploration of information on a priority subset of species identified by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environment Authority (NOPSEMA) that are listed as critically endangered or endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. It specifically focused on these species in relation to the Gippsland declaration area, and the adjacent areas to the declaration area in Bass Strait. This rapid exploration of information was conducted as follows: 1) identify datasets and information sources relevant to priority species identified by DCCEEW and NOPSEMA for the Gippsland declaration area; 2) identify the source of these datasets and information and their level of accessibility; 3) evaluate the utility of datasets and information identified in 2) for assessments/regulatory processes required to be undertaken by DCCEEW and NOPSEMA; and 4) identify what activities would need to be undertaken to improve the accessibility and utility of datasets and information sources identified in 3) that are not currently accessible in useable formats. Fifteen priorities species (12 birds, 3 cetaceans) were identified for which publicly-available occurrence data could be located. This record and the attached download describes the data inventory for Wedge-Tailed Eagles (Aquila audax). To download the data inventory for all fifteen priority species, see https://doi.org/10.25959/GB51-RW44.

This project undertook a rapid exploration of information on a priority subset of species identified by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environment Authority (NOPSEMA) that are listed as critically endangered or endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. It specifically focused on these species in relation to the Gippsland declaration area, and the adjacent areas to the declaration area in Bass Strait. This rapid exploration of information was conducted as follows: 1) identify datasets and information sources relevant to priority species identified by DCCEEW and NOPSEMA for the Gippsland declaration area; 2) identify the source of these datasets and information and their level of accessibility; 3) evaluate the utility of datasets and information identified in 2) for assessments/regulatory processes required to be undertaken by DCCEEW and NOPSEMA; and 4) identify what activities would need to be undertaken to improve the accessibility and utility of datasets and information sources identified in 3) that are not currently accessible in useable formats. Fifteen priorities species (12 birds, 3 cetaceans) were identified for which publicly-available occurrence data could be located: Australian Gould's Petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera leucoptera), Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea), Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis), Grey-headed Albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma), Mongolian Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus), North-Eastern Siberian Red Knot (Calidris canutus), Northern Royal Albatross (Diomedea sanfordi), Orange-bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster), Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor), Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta), Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus), Wedge-Tailed Eagle (Aquila audax), Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus), Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis), Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). The data attached to this record outlines the data sources and access points located for each of the species listed above.