TechnicalTechnical reportsreports ofof thethe QueenslandQueensland MuseumMuseum No. 003 Authors: Monika A. Schlacher-Hoenlinger, Simon J. Walker, Jeffrey W. Johnson, Thomas A. Schlacher, John N.A. Hooper, Merrick Ekins, Ian Banks, and Patricia R. Sutcliffe Address: Queensland Museum, PO Box 3300, South Brisbane, Queensland, 4101, Australia Email: [email protected] Report written for: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) (May, 2009) BIOLOGICAL MonitorinG OF THE EX-HMAS BRISBANE ArtiFICIAL REEF: PHASE II - Habitat VALUES This document may be cited as: Monika A. Schlacher-Hoenlinger (1 & 2), Simon J. Walker (2), Jeffrey W. Johnson (2), Thomas A. Schlacher (1), John N.A. Hooper (2), Merrick Ekins (2), Ian W. Banks (2), and Patricia R. Sutcliffe (2). (1) Faculty of Science, Health & Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, QLD 4558,Tel. +61 7 5430 2847, E-mail: [email protected]. au (2) Queensland Museum, Biodiversity Program, PO Box 3300, South Brisbane, QLD-4101, E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]. Biological monitoring of the ex-HMAS Brisbane Artificial Reef: Phase II - Habitat values. Technical Reports of the Queensland Museum Number 003. pp 1-103 www.qm.qld.gov.au (ISBN 978-0-9805692-8-5) Copyright for this document is with the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC). and the Queensland Museum (QM). Technical Reports of the Queensland Museum are published online, in read-only format. These reports may include reproductions (or revisions) of documents that were originally compiled to advise industry, government or academia on specific scientific issues, and they are reproduced here to ensure that the scientific and technical data they contain are not lost within the vast unpublished scientific ‘grey literature’. For further information please contact: Managing Editor, Memoirs of the Queensland Museum Queensland Museum, PO Box 3300, South Brisbane, Qld 4101 Australia Phone 61 7 3840 7555. Fax 61 7 3846 1226. www.qm.qld.gov.au Email [email protected] Report for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) CONTENTS: Biological monitoring of the Ex-HMAS Brisbane Artificial Reef EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 1. INTRODUCTION 9 2. MATERIALS & METHODS 10 2.1. Biodiversity assessments 11 2.1.1. Rapid ecological assessment (REA) of sessile invertebrates, small mobile fauna, and algae 11 2.1.2. Rapid visual census of fishes (RVC) 12 2.2. Encrusting biota (‘fouling communities’) 13 2.2.1. Field surveys (PHOTP – photo quadrats analysed by point sampling) 13 2.2.2. Data analysis 14 3. RESULTS 15 3.1. Invertebrates 15 3.1.1. Temporal and spatial changes in invertebrate diversity and species composition 15 3.1.2. Comparison of invertebrate species composition between the wreck and adjacent natural reef habitats 17 3.2. Fish 18 3.2.1 Spatial and temporal changes in fish diversity 18 3.2.2 Temporal changes in fish abundance 21 3.2.3 Comparison of fish species composition and abundance between the wreck and adjacent natural reefs 21 3.3. Encrusting biota (‘fouling assemblages’) 24 3.3.1. Variation within fouling assemblages with exposure (Starboard / Port sides) and depth 24 3.3.2. Variation within fouling assemblages with orientation: vertical vs. horizontal surfaces 26 3.3.3. Variation within fouling assemblages between natural and artificial reefs 27 4. RECommendations 29 5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 31 6. Literature CITED 32 7. LIST OF FIGURES 36 8. LIST OF TABLES 39 3 Report for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) Biological monitoring of the Ex-HMAS Brisbane Artificial Reef EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (eg. corals) which were not present in the 2006 survey. 5. Community structure of 1. The ex-Australian Navy ship invertebrates and algae varied HMAS Brisbane was scuttled off the over several spatial scales on the Sunshine Coast on 31 July 2005 to wreck. 87 species were recorded create an artificial reef and to provide from the external superstructure; 25 world-class diving opportunities species from the decks; 49 species on a large warship in South-East in internal areas; 49 species from Queensland. The wreck has since upper hull areas; and 36 species underpinned the expansion of the from the lower hull near the seafloor. local diving and associated tourism Horizontal surfaces supported fewer industry, and it has become a valuable species with substantially reduced natural and economic feature of cover. The colonisation of the decks the region. The wreck also forms a with various species of hard and soft significant addition to hard-substrate corals underlines the predominance habitats of the local nearshore marine of spatial heterogeneity in community zone. structure. 2. This report summarises the 6. For some invertebrate groups the second inventory of the diversity fauna colonizing the wreck is broadly of larger, sessile invertebrates and representative of that on adjacent fish that inhabit the wreck after the natural reefs of the Inner Gneering scuttling. In 2008 the University of the Shoals. Conversely, the dominant Sunshine Coast and the Queensland species of sponges, corals, and Museum were commissioned by the sea squirts on the wreck are not EPA / QPWS to survey the benthos proportionally representative of the and fish assemblages associated surrounding natural reef. with the wreck three years after the 7. Overall, the diversity of benthic sinking to document the types and invertebrate assemblages was higher rates of faunal changes. on the natural reef sites than found 3. This report contrasts the on the wreck. The wreck supported biodiversity and composition of the 79 species of sessile invertebrates biotic assemblages between the and algae after one year and 120 wreck and adjacent natural reefs species after three years, lower that most closely resembled the than the 173 species on the natural structural complexity of the wreck, reef. Trajectories in species richness to determine whether the artificial varied greatly between taxonomic assemblages had converged with groups, most notably for corals which natural assemblages over the three took more than one year to colonize year period. the ship. 4. Species richness of invertebrates 8. The wreck continues to support and algae on the wreck had clearly a high fish biomass relative to that increased and species composition found during previous surveys on the had considerably changed due to site, and to that on nearby natural colonisation by new animal groups reefs. Trends in abundance levels 5 QM Technical Reports | 003 have generally been steady, or species) of all species found in this have had moderate deviations up or area. The sector that had the least down. Some piscivores increased, diversity overall was the internal omnivores recorded both increases areas, with only 40 percent of the and declines, while planktivores and fauna, or 76 species. herbivores mostly registered modest 14. Evidence of recruitment and declines. maturation on the wreck has been 9. The wreck continues to attract observed for two common serranid additional species of fishes, with 192 fishes, Purple Rock Cod, Epinephelus species now recorded cumulatively cyanopodus and Maori Rock Cod, E. between 2006 and 2008. However undulostriatus. Recruitment of small net resident species totals have juveniles was observed in the early remained relatively constant, with stages of the wreck, followed by surveys in July 2006 recording 133 apparent site fidelity and retention of species, followed by 111 in November adults up to the present. This indicates 2006, and 139 during the most recent the wreck has acted as a self- in November 2008. generating system and is not merely 10. Composition of the fauna continues encouraging migration of adults to to evolve, most likely according the wreck at the expense of nearby to competitive pressures between natural reef areas. The population of fishes and changes in available food Snapper, Pagrus auratus on the site and habitat led by the development of has also experienced progression invertebrate communities over time. in size classes. Large adults were previously lacking around the site, 11. Since 2006 new colonizers but are now present in significant were outnumbered by emigrants, numbers, along with the juveniles and indicating fish communities may be subadult stages previously noted. approaching a more mature phase. In the most recent survey, 40 of the 15. Surveys on natural reefs adjacent 139 species had not been recorded to the wreck in summer/early autumn in 2006, but 52 of those found during 2009 recorded 193 species of 40 2006 were not recorded in 2008. families, versus 192 species of 47 families found cumulatively on the 12. Species new to the wreck included wreck from 2006 to 2008. However, several serranids (rock cods and resident species recorded on the reef basslets), pempherids (bullseyes), outstrip those found at any one time labrids (wrasses) and gobiids on the wreck by a large margin (39- (gobies), while those now absent 74 percent). Of the larger families, include priacanthids (bigeyes), some chaetodontids (butterflyfishes), carangids (trevallies and scads), pomacentrids (damselfishes) and several pomacentrids (damselfishes), labrids (wrasses) were much more an acanthurid (surgeonfish) and most diverse on the reefs, carangids monacanthids (leatherjackets). (trevallies and scads) and lutjanids 13. The deck area remains the (tropical snappers and fusiliers) most favoured habitat for fishes on were much more diverse on the the wreck, with 69 percent (or 133 wreck, while serranids (rock cods 6 Report for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) Biological monitoring of the Ex-HMAS Brisbane Artificial Reef and basslets) had similar numbers of time, with barnacles, bivalves and species in both areas. bryozoans dominating assemblages in 2006, and bryozoans and sponges 16. Biomass on the wreck was dominating in 2008.