This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project "Environmental concentrations of emerging contaminants in coastal stormwater". 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. A scoping study conducted by NESP MaC Hub in 2022 (Project 1.16) determined there is a clear and consistent need for data on environmental concentrations of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and an assessment of their impact on ecological communities. To build an evidence-based understanding of the environmental concentrations of these contaminants and their ecological significance in Australian coastal waters, NESP MaC Project 2.4 was co-designed with end-users to determine environmental concentrations and potential ecological effects at selected wastewater treatment plant outfalls. In 2023, end-users stated a need for improving the temporal and spatial resolution of the current project. Project 2.4 used outputs of oceanographic simulations and other information to identify a small set of locations for sampling that are representative of a range of receiving water contexts. Spatial surveys of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in water and sediments were undertaken during the dry period to limit the potential for stormwater inputs, and only one time period was sampled. An implicit assumption of the sampling design was that stormwater also contains CECs and could confound the assessment of contaminants in wastewater. This project (4.22) is an extension of Project 2.4 and will determine the concentration of emerging pollutants in coastal stormwater, and in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, and do so on a seasonal basis. Sampling will be undertaken in two key locations: Gamay (NSW) and Glenelg (South Australia). These are the same locations sampled in Project 2.4 (with a focus on WWTPs) which will enable the concentrations of CECs to be compared at stormwater locations. Outputs • Updates to the National Outfall Database for 2022/23, including proposed new attributes for collection [dataset] • Data from Gamay (Botany Bay) NSW including (1) contaminant levels in water and sediments (2) physico-chemical data; (3) microbial community and genetics composition of water and sediments [dataset] • Timeseries (seasonal) CEC data from wastewater effluent at Glenelg beach area (SA) [dataset] • [Possible] High-resolution temporal CEC data from a stormwater event in St Vincents Gulf [dataset] • Final project report [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project "Evaluation of recreational fishing behaviour, use, values and motivations that relate to compliance". No data outputs were generated by this project. -------------------- Recreational fishing is an important leisure activity in Australia that delivers important social and economic benefits to the community. As the largest and most widely dispersed natural resource-based recreational activity in the country, it is subject to management strategies including bag limits, quotas, and no-take zones. Given the prohibitive cost of deploying compliance officers to monitor Australia’s vast marine estate, strategies are needed to encourage voluntary compliance from fishers. This project explored behavioural interventions to promote self-compliance among recreational fishers, focusing on no-take zones within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and two Commonwealth parks off Western Australia (Geographe and Two Rocks). The research distributed more than 800 online surveys, followed up by focus groups and analysis to examine how demographics, motivations and fishing patterns influence fishers' intentions to comply with zoning rules. Survey insights were used to pilot a new targeted approach to awareness campaigns. Using behavioural segmentation, the project tailored messaging to specific audience types and tested these via GBRMPA social media channels. The project also examined perceptions of compliance visibility and found fishers were more likely to comply when uniformed officers were present and engaged directly at ramps or on water. The project outcomes provide a foundation for evidence-based behavioural interventions and targeted communication campaigns. It delivers a proof of concept for scalable, audience-specific behaviour change approaches that can be refined, implemented, and evaluated in future research. Outputs • Fact sheet - characterising recreational fishing population [written] • Final project report [written]

This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project B2 - "Analysis and elicitation to support State of the Environment reporting for the full spectrum of data availability". No data outputs are expected for this project. -------------------- The availability and quality of observation data that may be used to support State of the Environment reporting lies on a spectrum from: (i) high quality (e.g. Reef Life Survey, Long term reef monitoring programme, Temperate Reef Monitoring programme, state-based MPA monitoring programmes); (ii) moderate quality (e.g. continuous plankton recorder, occasional by catch surveys); (iii) low quality (anecdotal information) to (iv) expert beliefs but no empirical observations. We currently lack a principled process for utilising and merging data of varying quality and from different sources to form a national perspective to support State of the Environment reporting. The key unifying principle to support such a process is the extent to which the available data is representative of the environmental asset in question. As the extent to which the empirical observations accurately represent the state of the asset in both space and time diminishes, so the reliance on expert opinion increases, to the limit where the only available information is expert opinion. This project will provide an over-arching framework to consider these issues, develop practical protocols for blending different data streams with or without experts’ judgement as appropriate, and thereby provide a foundation for improving State of Environment reporting for all types of data sources, from high to low quality. It will do this by developing and applying protocols to support development of the marine chapter of SoE 2106. This currently being developed within a separate CSIRO funded project. The project will use the experience of developing this chapter to make recommendations about appropriate methodologies for future environmental reporting. Importantly the statistical approach and analysis principles will be consistent regardless of the amount or quality of the information available. As a result the framework and analysis methods will remain relevant, even as the quality and quantity of environmental data at the department’s disposal changes. This will provide the consistency of analysis and reporting that is essential to SoE. Expected Outcomes • The provision of two or three examples that demonstrate a unified approach to the use of expert opinion in SoE reporting. These examples will be identified in close collaboration with the Department and will be developed in time to support the marine chapter of 2016 State of the Environment report, contingent on the availability of resources in the second year of the project and timely interaction with the department. • Assessments of the status and trends of environmental assets in the State of the Environment report will be based on a principled and statistically defensible process that can merges and utilises data from all sources including expert opinion.

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project "Improving knowledge transfer to support Australian Marine Park decision making and management effectiveness evaluation". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Australia’s network of Commonwealth Marine Parks plays a central role in conserving marine biodiversity, supporting sustainable use, and protecting cultural and recreational values. With over 60 parks spanning diverse habitats - from shallow coastal areas to deep offshore canyons - effective and adaptive management depends on access to reliable, fit-for-purpose data and data products that reflect the condition of park values and the pressures acting upon them. This project improved the capacity to assess the effectiveness of Australian Marine Park (AMP) management by identifying and evaluating priority data and data products required for characterising marine systems and management effectiveness. It worked closely with Parks Australia to assess the availability, quality, and delivery mechanisms of existing datasets, and determined whether these were operationally viable, maintainable over time, and aligned with FAIR data principles. Technical assessments considered consistency of formats, use of standardised vocabularies, as well as machine-readability and the use of national standards for data and collection methodologies. Using available data, knowledge, and existing data infrastructure, the project developed methods for estimating the condition of AMP values (excluding cultural values) and for assessing management effectiveness. Recommendations were provided to improve the discoverability, accessibility, and usability of priority data products through national platforms. Outcomes of the project include a clearer understanding of existing data gaps and a practical foundation for improving future AMP assessments. Parks Australia was equipped with a structured assessment of current data suitability and availability, a demonstration of condition estimation methods, and strategic recommendations to enhance data delivery and alignment with park management cycles. This work directly contributes to the Marine and Coastal Hub’s Protected Place Management Initiative and supports national efforts to build integrated data systems for marine estate monitoring and reporting. Outputs • Documented data and data product priorities organised in one or more data product hierarchies including monitoring priorities and their indicators where appropriate [written] • A fit for purpose assessment of priority data products [written] • Methods for estimating current condition status of AMP values [written] • Recommendations for how to progress priority data sets that do not currently meet the established criteria but are required for characterising, protecting, and assessing current condition status of AMP values [written] • Final project report [written] • Ad-hoc data products generated through this project's data fitness-for-purpose exercise - see linked 'child' records

This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project A3 - "A national assessment of population status of White Sharks". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- White sharks are listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act and the subject of a national recovery plan, yet there is still no effective way to assess their population status and thus no way of determining the efficacy of conservation actions. Recent debate due to various human-shark interactions has highlighted the need for further information. This Project provides a national assessment of white shark population size and status in order to establish the efficacy of existing recovery actions and provide a scientifically sound and rational basis from which to develop policies that balance conservation objectives and public safety. Planed Outputs • Tools to refine and integrate CK-MR, electronic tagging distribution 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 planned for grey nurse sharks). • National estimates of (census) population size and trend for white sharks in Australian waters (western and eastern populations respectively) are established that fulfil the highest priority actions of the National Recovery Plan. • New genetic and statistical tools trialled for the estimation of historical population trend from contemporary tissue samples for key species for which other methods of population assessment are unreliable or unavailable. • Provide information that identifies movement corridors, hotspots and contributes to management strategies for top-order marine predators • Estimate juvenile white shark survival and abundance for input into integrated national population assessment models in order to refine population estimates. • National-level information on habitat use, behaviour and spatial dynamics of white sharks at various scales used to provide the scientific underpinning for government decisions and policies as well as provide for more informed public debate. • Identify national strategies to monitor white 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 scoping study - "Research needs for assessment and monitoring of nutrients, chemicals and antimicrobials in the marine environment". No data outputs were generated by this project. -------------------- Coastal water quality is threatened by an increasing volume of chemicals produced and used in our modern lives. These chemicals are commonly incorporated into pharmaceuticals and household items, and subsequently discharged into coastal areas from a broad range of point sources. Recently emerging contaminants include a variety of chemical (e.g. heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, nutrients) and microbiological (e.g. pathogens, antibiotic resistant microbes) sources that are discharged in sewage, stormwater, estuarine flows and industrial wastes. For many of these chemicals, our understanding of their environmental concentrations and biological effects is limited. When new scientific information emerges to suggest that a particular contaminant may be hazardous, this is refered to as a contaminant of emerging concern (CEC). There is limited data about the environmental occurrence and biological effects of CECs, but emerging research suggests they have the capacity to be toxic. With an increasing list of CECs detected in the environment, important questions remain unanswered around which contaminants and scientific knowledge gaps should be prioritised. This desktop study engaged CEC stakeholders from academic research, government, water utilities, and non-government organisations to collaboratively identify priority CEC issues in Australia’s marine ecosystems. The project delivers a risk-based framework for future CEC research directions and water quality management priorities. Outputs • Final Project Report [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "Microplastics in South Eastern Australian coastal waters: synthesising current data and identifying key knowledge gaps for the management of plastic pollution". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Plastic pollution is pervasive in coastal environments globally and in Australia. Due to their small size, microplastics (pieces <5mm) are readily ingested by marine organisms and potentially accumulate across food webs, raising concerns for biota, ecosystem services and human health. Yet, to define guidelines and support policy actions that curb microplastic pollution, managers and decision-makers lack clear, synthesised information on this multifaceted issue, including on occurrence, sources, and pathways of microplastics in coastal and marine environments. This project synthesised current knowledge on microplastics in the coastal waters of South-Eastern Australia (South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales), identifying key gaps in data, monitoring, and risk assessment. A central output was a compiled database of existing microplastics studies across the study region. Through engagement with stakeholders from government, research, and industry, the project defined shared priorities and barriers to action. Three critical research needs were identified: (1) methodological harmonisation, (2) source and pathway identification, and (3) evidence of ecological risk. Together, the synthesis and stakeholder input set a clear direction for future coordinated research to enable evidence-based management of microplastic pollution across jurisdictions. The work laid the foundation for the development of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for marine microplastics sampling, which was subsequently delivered through NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 2.2 (https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/project/2-2): chapter "Marine sampling field manual for microplastics" in Field Manuals for Marine Sampling to Monitor Australian Waters, Version 3 (https://microplastics-field-manual.github.io). Outputs • Inventory of compiled datasets relating to microplastics in SE Aus waters [spatial dataset] • Final Project Report synthesising the information available on the presence of microplastics in coastal marine environments in South Eastern Australia, its potential sources and pathways [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project "Assessing changes in black rockcod abundance and size". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- The Black Rockcod (Epinephelus daemelii) is a large, reef-dwelling species that can live for more than 60 years. In Australia it occurs along the coast of New South Wales, including at Lord Howe Island. Black Rockcod populations have been significantly reduced here due to overfishing, accidental hooking, and loss or degradation of estuarine and intertidal nursery habitats. As a result, the species is listed as Vulnerable under Commonwealth and NSW legislation. Despite having been protected from fishing in NSW since 1983, Black Rockcod are still taken illegally, or caught incidentally and released, which can lead to mortality post-release from embolism. Long-term population monitoring is a high priority identified by the species’ recovery plan and the NSW Fisheries Scientific Committee. In 2010, a broadscale baseline survey (81 sites) was undertaken in northern NSW and Lord Howe Island, followed by smaller surveys every four to five years. This project repeated the initial 81 baseline site surveys to assess if protection measures, such as marine protected area sanctuary zones, are assisting in recovery of black rockcod. This contributed to a 13-year time series (2010 – 2023) that was used to examine distribution and population structure of rockcod to assess if recovery actions being implemented are effective. Outputs • underwater visual census (UVC) data for black rock cod [dataset] • Final project report [written]

This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project A4 - "The status of human-shark interactions and initiatives to mitigate risk in Australia". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Considerable political, public and media attention has recently been focussed on human-shark interactions, specifically surrounding shark attack and ways to mitigate this risk. Finding the most appropriate policy balance between conservation of sharks, maximising public safety and understanding the broader social and economic ramifications/drivers for doing so is a continuing challenge for Government. This project will review the status of human-shark interactions in Australia, provide a synthesis of current initiatives to reduce risk, review recent international efforts to address these issues and identify knowledge gaps to provide an informed base for determining the most appropriate future research and policy support. The project will develop a background document that: • Provides a synthesis of the current state of knowledge of shark-human interactions in Australia, focussing specifically on species such as white sharks, bull sharks and tiger sharks • Identifies what initiatives are currently underway nationally to address human-shark interactions including the status of current research as well as current management and policy initiatives. • Identifies technological developments within Australia and internationally in this space • Identifies lessons and experiences from these initiatives • Identifies issues and knowledge gaps • Provides guidance to the Department regarding further investment that is cognisant of State Government initiatives and requirements and ensure a coordinated national knowledge base for addressing these issues

This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project C3 - "Change detection and monitoring of key marine and coastal environments – application of the Australian Geoscience Data Cube". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- This project aims at leveraging the extensive time-series of earth observation image data in the Australian Geoscience Data Cube (AGDC) by developing change detection algorithms to analyse key environmental parameters in the coastal and marine zone. Spatial information produced by this project can inform management decisions, and assist in evaluating management action outcomes, by providing a quantifiable measure of historical change and ongoing monitoring and change detection capabilities. In Phase 1 of this project we aim to demonstrate the capability of using the AGDC through the development of an inter-tidal zone change detection algorithm and data set, with a view to developing and implementing an expanded range of stakeholder targeted algorithms to inform decision making processes in Phase 2. Planned Outputs • Progress Report • Demonstrator summary Report • Data Products (GIS maps and data, delivered from the GA website as a web service) • Marine Biodiversity Hub article • Pesentation at the Australian Marine Science Association Conference.