Reef Check Australia South East Queensland Season Summary Report 2012 ©Ian Banks Reef Check Foundation Ltd J. Loder, A. Bauer, K. Grealy and K. Trim Edited by J. Salmond www.reefcheckaustralia.org Released May 2013 Reef Check Australia greatly appreciates all of the people and organizations who have helped to make this project a success. A big thank you to our dedicated volunteers, generous dive operators, innovative collaborators and supportive funding agencies. Huge thank you to the dedicated volunteers who have joined us on a survey this year: Christine Bueta, Sophie Clay, Paul Evans, Terry Farr, David Glover, Alex Grand, Alex Lea, Justin Marriner, Katherine Trim, Julie Schubert, Doug Stetner, Vanessa Taveras. A special note of acknowledgement to our trainers and staff: David Glover, Pete Faulkner, Jody Kreuger, Jodi Salmond and Chris Roelfsema. This project is supported through funding from the Australian Government's Caring for our Country, Sunshine Coast Council and Redland City Council. Thank you to Reef Check supports who provided in-kind donations to help make this survey season a success, including Dive Noosa, Dive World, Go Dive, Manta Lodge & Scuba Centre, MicroMarine, Nautilus Scuba Centre, Point Lookout Scuba Dive Charters, Scuba World, SEQ Catchments, Sun Reef, University of Queensland and University of the Sunshine Coast. This report should be cited as: J. Loder, A. Bauer, K. Grealy and K. Trim (2013). Reef Check Australia South East Queensland Season Summary Report 2012. Reef Check Foundation Ltd. Table of Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1.0 Monitoring Sites .......................................................................................................................1.1 Trends & Patterns ....................................................................................................................1.2 Sunshine Coast .......................................................................................................................... 2.0 Currimundi Reef, Site 1 ............................................................................................................2.1 Currimundi Reef, Site 2 ............................................................................................................2.2 Inner Gneerings, The Caves, Site 1 ..........................................................................................2.3 Jew Shoal, The Pin, Site 1 .........................................................................................................2.4 Kings Beach, Site 1 ...................................................................................................................2.5 Mudjimba Island, Site 1 ...........................................................................................................2.6 Moreton Bay .............................................................................................................................. 3.0 Inshore Sites Goat Island, Site 1 ....................................................................................................................3.1 Myora Reef...............................................................................................................................3.2 Peel Island, North, Site 1 ..........................................................................................................3.3 Offshore Sites Flat Rock, Shark Gulley, Site 1 ..................................................................................................3.4 Flat Rock, The Nursery, Site 1 ..................................................................................................3.5 Flinders Reef, The Nursery, Site 1 ............................................................................................3.6 Flinders Reef, The Nursery, Site 3 ............................................................................................3.7 Shag Rock, North, Site 1 ...........................................................................................................3.8 Shag Rock, South, Site 1 ...........................................................................................................3.9 Gold Coast Sites ......................................................................................................................... 4.0 Gold Coast Southwest Wall, Site 1 ...........................................................................................4.1 Summary Maps .......................................................................................................................... 5.0 Sunshine Coast .........................................................................................................................5.1 Moreton Bay ............................................................................................................................5.2 Gold Coast ................................................................................................................................5.3 Literature Cited .......................................................................................................................... 6.0 1.0 Introduction such diversity (with 64 species documented), there are many locations with considerable Reef Check Australia’s (RCA) monitoring historical and existing coral cover (Wallace, program helps to provide long-term locally, Fellegara, Muir, & Harrison, 2009). nationally and globally relevant reef health data. Annual surveys provide long-term data The SEQ area includes about seven percent of sets that can reveal important patterns over the State’s coastline and 65 percent of its time. Quantitative data is collected in relation human population (The State of Queensland, to substrate cover, as well as abundance of Environmental Protection Agency, August key invertebrate species and target fish 2006). Immense population growth and species. RCA also monitors natural and development within the region are increasing anthropogenic impacts that affect reef pressures on the marine ecosystem, both habitats. directly and indirectly. Stresses such as sediment and nutrient runoff, habitat loss, A summary of the findings for surveys boating and anchoring impacts, waste conducted in South East Queensland (SEQ) disposal, overfishing, aquarium trade during the 2012 season are presented in this collection and climate change all have the report. Teams of trained volunteers potential to negatively impact reefs. monitored a total of 16 sites across 12 different reef sites. These sites included Despite the unique assemblage of marine existing survey sites ranging from the Noosa species and recognized threats to the health on the Sunshine Coast to Palm Beach on the of reefs in SEQ, limited long-term monitoring Gold Coast. of these habitats is currently being conducted. As habitat and species shifts may be likely as a SEQ represents the marginal edge of coral result of climate change, as well as pressures growth (Perry & Larcombe, 2003) and a from anthropogenic threats, this transitional transitional area where tropical, sub-tropical area is gaining recognition as an important and temperate species all exist within the area to study and protect (Wallace, Fellegara, same habitat area. Some coral communities in Muir, & Harrison, 2009). The data that is being this area may receive larval recruitment from collected as part of RCA’s monitoring program the southern Great Barrier Reef, but are provides important baseline data which generally limited from accreting reef describes the current health condition of reefs structures by environmental factors such as within SEQ. light, temperature, aragonite availability and/or turbidity (Fellegara & Harrison, 2008 and Kleypas, McManus & Menez 1999). However, within SEQ there are numerous individual coral communities which include a diverse and extensive range of coral growth forms, including offshore sites like Flinders Reef. Here, 119 different coral species have been recorded (Harrison, Harriot, Banks, & Holmes, 1998). While coral communities within inshore Moreton Bay may not contain 1.1 Monitoring Sites RCA monitoring sites ranged from Noosa to the Gold Coast (See Figure 1 for map locations). Most surveys were conducted within Moreton Bay Marine Park, covering an area of 3400 km2 from Caloundra to the Gold Coast. RCA collects data in varied reef habitats, both within protected and non- protected marine park areas for contrast and comparison. During the 2012 SEQ season, 16 out of the existing 28 sites were monitored Figure 1. Map of South East Queensland survey sites from (Table 1). Six of these surveys occurred within Google Earth MNP zones and three were within Ramsar wetlands. Other monitoring locations were not visited this season due to ongoing weather issues, team availability and/or funding restrictions. Table 1. Table of the 16 RCA SEQ monitoring locations visited in 2012 season, including site number, location, depth, year of initial survey and site designation including four zones within the Moreton Bay Marine Park: Marine National Park (MNP), Conservation Park (CP), Habitat Protection (HP) or General Use (GU) zones as well as Ramsar Wetland site status (Ramsar) Site # Location Depth 1st Survey Site Designation (m) Currimundi Reef 1 Sunshine Coast 9 2009 n/a Currimundi Reef 2 Sunshine Coast 9 2009 n/a Flat Rock, Shark Gulley 1 Outer Moreton Bay 9 2009 MNP Flat Rock, The Nursery 1 Outer