| | REEF CHATTROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND
May 2018 | |
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| | | Species of fish rarely seen on the Great Barrier Reef were identified during the Search for Super Corals expedition in the Far Northern section of the Reef. Dr Tony Ayling photographed goldback damselfish (Pomacentrus nigromanus) and squarenose unicornfish (Naso mcdadei) on the trip with Great Barrier Reef Legacy which he said was only the second time these species had been recorded on the Great Barrier Reef. Sighting the Ambon emperor (Lethrinus amboinensis) was a new fish record for the Great Barrier Reef, while the sighting of a spaghetti garden | |
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| | eel (Gorgasia maculate) at 35-metres deep on Lagoon Reef was a new record for the Australian mainland. This beautiful candycane sea cucumber (Thelenota rubralineata) is also a new record for Australia and was photographed at the northern tip of Tijou Reef at around 30 metres. | |
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| | Spotlight on Turtles by Ocean Safari
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| | By Ocean Safari Location: Mackay Reef
Visibility: 10-15m. Turtles is alongside a sand cay which means it is protected and has a gradual change in depth. The marine life is up close so you can still see fish and turtles even on dull and windy days.
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| | Highlights: It’s called Turtles for a reason – you get to snorkel with them! The Great Barrier Reef is home to six of the seven species of sea turtles in the world so they are an essential Reef experience. Turtles has a number of resident turtles who are happy to pose for photos and introduce you to their relaxed lifestyle. Health: Mackay Reef is adjacent to the Daintree National Park where there is minimal coastal development. This means the mangrove coastline is intact and continues to act as a buffer and filtration system for land-based activities that might otherwise impact the health of the Reef. The Reef was largely unaffected by bleaching events and is regenerating. | |
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| | The collection of recycling waste has more than doubled at the Cairns Marina since the Divers for Reef Conservation group started encouraging the Cairns Reef Fleet to adopt better recycling practices. Founder Tanya Murphy is a dive instructor with Sunlover Reef Cruises and called on her colleagues across the industry to do their bit for the Reef. Since forming six months ago, they have been busy cleaning-up the Marina, working with The Last Straw on the Great Barrier Reef to reduce waste on boats, and lobbying politicians to switch to renewable energy. The enthusiastic group is successfully spreading the word about Reef conservation and last month had more than 120 people attend a public talk on the subject.
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| | | Divers for Reef Conservation founder Tanya Murphy with a lion fish. | |
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| | Tanya’s passion for the Reef started with her very first dive aged 21 on the Great Barrier Reef. She left Western Australia where she grew up 270km from the coast in a wheat and sheep farming community to spend her days on the Reef where she has swum with a dwarf minke whale and its baby, been surrounded by giant manta rays and watched plankton fluoresce like fairy lights on a night dive. | |
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| | Reef Initiatives on the Land | |
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| | More than 40 on-farm sites in the Johnstone and Tully River catchments have been assessed as possible catchment repair locations for the Wet Tropics Major Integrated Project (MIP) – a reef water quality initiative that is the first of its kind in the Wet Tropics. Catchment Repair Project Officer Suzette Argent said 15 sites had been assessed in April alone. “This month we’ve focused on wetland sites because they take longer to design and construct so we need more lead time. We’re hoping to have two constructed by end of 2018 to get as much monitoring time as possible,” she said. Catchment repair and treatment systems have the potential to reduce nutrient and sediment loads entering the Great Barrier Reef, and their effectiveness in the Wet Tropics will be trialled and monitored over the life of the project. | |
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| | | Catchment Repair Project Officer Suzette Argent is working with landholders to drive water quality improvements. | |
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Australian Institute of Marine Science scientists have found at least two coral species with the genetic diversity to help them adapt to changing environmental conditions. Coral geneticist Dr Line Bay’s team has looked forward 100 years to see how genetic variation in coral can cause it to respond to ocean warming. Dr Bay and University of Texas’ Professor Mikhail Matz worked closely to model the evolutionary response of the staghorn coral species Acropora millepora, collected from the Great Barrier Reef before the 2016 and 2017 bleaching events.
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| | Pic: Acropora millepora, seen here as brightly coloured corals on the Great Barrier Reef. | |
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“Using genetic samples, oceanographic models and computer simulations we were able to show this staghorn coral species has enough genetic variation to adapt to, and survive, rising ocean temperatures for at least another century,” Dr Bay said.
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| | 📱Getting Social on the Reef | | | |
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| | | This striking creature is aptly named the yellow boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) and was posted on Facebook by Coral Sea Dreaming after seeing it on one of their overnight Great Barrier Reef dive and snorkelling trips. The fish can grow to 45 centimetres in length and as they grow their black spots become smaller and brownish. They are found at depths of 1-40 metres. #coralseadreaming
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| | Be a part of the conversation and share your Great Barrier Reef photos with the world. For the chance to be featured use #exploreTNQ #thisisqueensland and #seeaustralia on Instagram. | |
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| | A new guide program for marine tourism businesses is near completion. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority program is dedicated to sharing comprehensive information about the Great Barrier Reef to equip tourism operators with first-rate, easy to access Reef material. It also helps them present that information in an interesting and engaging manner. With the marine tourism industry presenting the outstanding universal value of the Great Barrier Reef to more than two million visitors annually, keeping conversations about its breadth and diversity fresh and up to date is one of its challenges.
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| | Sign up to be a Citizen today! | |
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| | CONTRIBUTE CONTENT TO REEF CHAT! Reef Chat is distributed on the 3rd Thursday of each month. Please submit your Great Barrier Reef news to Reef Chat before the 2nd Thursday of every month. | |
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