South-east marine region profile A description of the ecosystems, conservation values and uses of the South-east Marine Region June 2015 © Commonwealth of Australia 2015 South-east marine region profile: A description of the ecosystems, conservation values and uses of the South-east Marine Region is licensed by the Commonwealth of Australia for use under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence with the exception of the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth of Australia, the logo of the agency responsible for publishing the report, content supplied by third parties, and any images depicting people. For licence conditions see: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/ This report should be attributed as ‘South-east marine region profile: A description of the ecosystems, conservation values and uses of the South-east Marine Region, Commonwealth of Australia 2015’. The Commonwealth of Australia has made all reasonable efforts to identify content supplied by third parties using the following format ‘© Copyright, [name of third party] ’. Front cover: Seamount (CSIRO) Back cover: Royal penguin colony at Finch Creek, Macquarie Island (Melinda Brouwer) B / South-east marine region profile South-east marine region profile A description of the ecosystems, conservation values and uses of the South-east Marine Region Contents Figures iv Tables iv Executive Summary 1 The marine environment of the South-east Marine Region 1 Provincial bioregions of the South-east Marine Region 2 Conservation values of the South-east Marine Region 2 Key ecological features 2 Protected species 2 Protected places 2 Human activities and the marine environment 3 1. Introduction 4 1.1 Introduction to Australia’s marine regions 4 1.2 The South-east Marine Region 5 2. The marine environment of the South-east Marine Region 7 2.1 Geomorphology 8 2.2 Oceanography 9 2.3 Primary production 11 2.4 Biodiversity and endemism 11 2.5 Provincial bioregions of the South-east Marine Region 12 2.6 Supporting information 16 3. Conservation values of the South-east Marine Region 17 3.1 Key ecological features of the marine environment 17 3.2 Protected species 20 3.2.1 Biologically important areas 21 3.2.2 Bony fishes of the South-east Marine Region 21 3.2.3 Sharks of the South-east Marine Region 22 3.2.4 Seahorses/seadragons/pipefish of the South-east Marine Region 25 3.2.5 Cetaceans of the South-east Marine Region 25 3.2.6 Pinnipeds of the South-east Marine Region 28 3.2.7 Seabirds of the South-east Marine Region 30 3.2.8 Marine turtles of the South-east Marine Region 37 3.3 Protected places 38 3.3.1 Marine reserves 38 3.3.2 World and national heritage places 39 3.3.3 Historic shipwrecks 40 3.4 Supporting information 41 ii / South-east marine region profile 4. Human activities in the South-east Marine Region 52 4.1 The human dimension: an overview 52 4.1.1 Indigenous history in the South-east Marine Region 54 4.1.2 European Settlement 55 4.2 Marine activities 55 4.2.1 Commercial fishing 56 4.2.2 Recreational fishing 60 4.2.3 Aquaculture 61 4.2.4 Marine-based tourism and recreation 62 4.2.5 Ports and shipping 62 4.2.6 Defence activities 63 4.2.7 Offshore oil and gas exploration and production 64 4.2.8 Offshore mineral exploration 66 4.2.9 Sea Dumping 66 4.2.10 Submarine cables and pipelines 67 4.2.11 Emerging industries and research 67 4.2.12 Indigenous activities 68 4.3 Supporting information 68 Abbreviations and acronyms 70 Glossary 71 Map data sources 77 Appendix A 78 iii Figures Figure 1 Australia’s marine regions 6 Figure 2 South-east Marine Region 7 Figure 3 Australia’s maritime zones 9 Figure 4 Seafloor features of the South-east Marine Region 10 Figure 5 Depth bathomes of the South-east Marine Region 11 Figure 6 Major ocean currents in south-eastern Australian waters summer 12 Figure 7 Major ocean currents in south-eastern Australian waters winter 13 Figure 8 Provincial bioregions of the South-east Marine Region 15 Figure 9 Key ecological features of the South-east Marine Region 20 Figure 10 Protected places (shipwrecks and World Heritage Areas) in the South-east Marine Region 39 Figure 11 Commonwealth marine reserves in the South-east Marine Region 40 Figure 12 Population growth in areas adjacent to the South-east Marine Region 2001–2009 54 Figure 13 Distribution of Aboriginal coastal language groups in the South-east 55 Figure 14 Distribution of recreational fishing catch (2001) 62 Figure 15 Shipping routes, major ports and indicative ship locations in the South-east Marine Region (2010) 64 Figure 16 Defence training areas within and adjacent to the Region 65 Figure 17 Oil and gas activity in the South-east Marine Region 66 Figure 18 Oil and gas activity in Bass Strait 66 Tables Table 1 Overview of Provincial Bioregions in the South-east Marine Region 16 Table 2 Overview of key ecological features of the South-east Marine Region 21 Table 3 Major population centres adjacent to the South-east Marine Region (ABS 2011) 55 Table 4 Total of measurable Industry Value of Production from marine-related activities in 2009–10 (AIMS 2012) 57 Table 5 Commonwealth fisheries active primarily in the South-east Marine Region in 2013 (adapted from Georgeson et al. 2014) 58 Table 6 Victorian fisheries active in the South-east Marine Region (drawn from Victorian Fishery Status Reports 2013 and ABARE-BRS 2010) 60 Table 7 Tasmanian fisheries active in the South-east Marine Region (drawn from Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment – Commercial Fishing 2013 and ABARE-BRS 2010) 60 Appendix A: Nationally protected species in the South-east Marine Region 80 iv / South-east marine region profile Executive Summary This document sets out a profile of the ecological and characterised by significant variation in water depth biophysical features and socio-economic characteristics (varying from the vast shallow expanse of Bass Strait, of the South-east Marine Region. This Region averaging 60 m deep, to the Hjort Trench, near incorporates Commonwealth waters extending from Macquarie Island, where the sea floor lies 6700 m the far south of New South Wales, around Tasmania below the surface). The shallowness of the waters of and as far west as Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Bass Strait means that these waters more rapidly warm It includes the Commonwealth waters of Bass Strait in summer and cool in winter than other waters of the and those surrounding Macquarie Island in the Region while the shelf break, which includes the edges Southern Ocean (Figure 2). of the continental shelf and the upper slope, serves to intensify currents, eddies and upwellings, creating a This profile describes the major ecosystems and rich and productive area for biodiversity, including processes of the Region as well as some of the species species that are fished commercially and recreationally. for which the Region is important. It also identifies and describes the key ecological features of the Region Sections of the continental shelf, including Bass Strait, and those places which are already protected under have a mosaic of rocky reefs and soft sediments. The legislation. shelf habitats support a diverse range of species from a broad range of taxonomic groups. Sea-floor canyons along the continental margin have been identified as The marine environment of important ecological features in the Region. Canyons can intensify local currents and the concentration of the South-east Marine Region nutrients to enhance productivity and biodiversity. The South-east Marine Region spans approximately South and east of Tasmania, groupings of seamounts 1 632 402 km², from the warm temperate waters in rise from the abyssal plain to a height of 2000–4000 the north of the Region, through the cool temperate m. Seamounts may act as obstacles to deep ocean waters around Tasmania, to the subantarctic Southern currents by restricting and intensifying their flow, Ocean waters around Macquarie Island. which helps to inhibit the build up of sediment. This creates ideal and unique environments for corals and While the South-east Marine Region is relatively low other filter-feeding, bottom-dwelling species, and in nutrients and primary productivity, localised areas provides habitat for many different fish species. of relatively high productivity, combined with significant variation in water depth and seafloor In addition, the geological and climatic history of the features, contribute to its recognition as a major South-east Marine Region has promoted the marine biogeographic region. development of a variety of flora and fauna species that have evolved, adapted and spread in isolation. Areas of localised high productivity include the The relative stability of the climate has created Bonney Upwelling in south eastern South Australia, favourable conditions for marine life over long the Bass Strait Water Cascade on the shelf break east geological timescales. The repeated submergence and of Bass Strait and the flow of the East Australian emergence of Bass Strait has strongly shaped the Current along the eastern edge of the Region. The present-day composition and distribution of species. waters around Macquarie Island to the south of Over millennia, the warm and cool currents of the Tasmania are in the path of the Antarctic Circumpolar Region have prevented the migration of species and Current, which is the largest single current in the created an environment where new species have been world and is considered a major driver of global able to evolve. climate. The South-east Marine Region is also 1 Provincial bioregions of the Eight key ecological features have been identified for South-east Marine Region the South-east Marine Region.