MARINE RESERVE IMPLEMENTATION: CENTRAL FOREST A REVIEW OF EXISTING ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION FOR THE PROPOSED GEOGRAPHE BAY-CAPES-HARDY INLET MARINE CONSERVATION RESERVE Literature Review: MRI/CF/GBC-19/1999 Prepared by S V Elscot & K P Bancroft December 1998 Marine Conservation Branch Department of Conservation and Land Management 47 Henry Street Fremantle, Western Australia, 6160 Marine Conservation Branch CALM MARINE RESERVES IMPLEMENTATION: CENTRAL FOREST A REVIEW OF EXISTING ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION FOR THE PROPOSED GEOGRAPHE BAY-CAPES-HARDY INLET MARINE CONSERVATION RESERVE Literature Review: MRI/CF/GBC-19/1999 A collaborative project between CALM’s Marine Conservation Branch and South West Capes District Office A project funded through the Natural Heritage Trust’s Coast and Clean Seas Marine Protected Area Program Project No: WA9703 Prepared by S V Elscot & K P Bancroft Marine Conservation Branch December 1998 Marine Conservation Branch Department of Conservation and Land Management 47 Henry St Fremantle, Western Australia, 6160 T:\REPORTS\MRI\mri_1999\mri_1999.doc 10:14 18/12/99 Marine Conservation Branch CALM T:\REPORTS\MRI\mri_1999\mri_1999.doc 10:14 18/12/99 Marine Conservation Branch CALM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks are due to many people who provided information: Dr Nick Gales, Doug Coughran and Dr Bob Prince of CALM Wildlife; Assoc. Prof. Di Walker and Dr Charitha Pattiaratchi of University of WA; Prof. Ron Wooller, Murdoch University; Geordie Chaplin, CSIRO; Justine Boouw and Rob Conneelley of Margaret River Surfriders; Robin Juniper, Cape to Cape Alliance; Jacq Willbond, Naturaliste Charters; Ross Payhen, RAOU Seabird Observer; David Deeley, Acacia Springs Environmental; Margaret Scott, Bunnings Water Care Coordinator; Andew Webb and Greg Voight of CALM South West Capes Office; Lisa Wright, Librarian Calm Woodvale, and; lastly to Dr Jeremy Colman, Woodside, for reviewing drafts of the manuscript. Cover. Geographe Bay-Capes-Hardy Inlet region (Landsat satellite image courtesy Environment Australia) This report may be cited as: Elscot S.V. & Bancroft K.P. (1999). A review of existing ecological information for the proposed Geographe Bay-Capes-Hardy Inlet marine conservation reserve. Literature Review MRI/CF/GBC- 19/1999. December 1998. Marine Conservation Branch, Department of Conservation and Land Management, Fremantle, Western Australia, 6160. (Unpublished report). Copies of this report may be obtained from: Marine Conservation Branch Department of Conservation and Land Management 47 Henry St., Fremantle, Western Australia, 6160 Ph: +61-8-9432 5100; Fax: +61-8-9430 5408 I T:\REPORTS\MRI\mri_1999\mri_1999.doc 10:14 18/12/99 Marine Conservation Branch CALM II T:\REPORTS\MRI\mri_1999\mri_1999.doc 10:14 18/12/99 Marine Conservation Branch CALM SUMMARY In December 1997, The Western Australian Government following the advice provided by the Marine Parks and Reserves Authority announced that the Geographe Bay-Capes-Hardy Inlet region was one of three priority areas for the establishment of marine conservation reserves under the CALM Act. Reservation of the waters of the Geographe Bay-Capes-Hardy Inlet region was also recommended in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge Statement of Policy Report (Ministry for Planning, 1998). Under the State Government’s marine and conservation strategy detailed in New Horizons-The way ahead in marine conservation and management released by the Western Australian Government in 1998 (WA Government, undated), there is a requirement for: “Extensive assessment, community consultation and management planning before a new marine conservation reserve is established”. An essential component of this is that: “A comprehensive assessment of the area’s biological and economic resources, and social values is carried out”. This review partially addresses this essential component by presenting a summary of existing ecological information for the proposed Geographe Bay-Capes-Hardy Inlet marine conservation reserve (Geographe Bay to Flinders Bay). It presents a general description of the physical characteristics and summarises the biological resources of the region. The information that has been compiled in this review was collected mainly through literature searches, review of published materials, examination of CALM data for marine mammals and stranding events, and from anecdotal information. This review collates information available for benthic habitats, marine flora and fauna, marine wildlife, estuarine coastal wetlands, and coastal terrestrial biota. It highlights the gaps in ecological information for the region, particularly: 1. the poor coverage of the existing benthic habitat mapping; 2. the lack of information on the marine flora and fauna in general and particularly between Cape Leeuwin to Cape Naturaliste; 3. the little information available on mobile marine invertebrate and macroalgae diversity and distribution, and; 4. the absence of information on sessile marine invertebrate diversity and distribution. This review will be utilised as a resource document for the planning process in the implementation of the marine conservation reserve proposed for the Geographe Bay-Capes-Hardy Inlet region. III T:\REPORTS\MRI\mri_1999\mri_1999.doc 10:14 18/12/99 Marine Conservation Branch CALM TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................. I SUMMARY.................................................................................................................................... III LIST OF FIGURES.........................................................................................................................V 1. INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................1 1.1. OVERVIEW...........................................................................................................................1 1.2. STUDY AREA........................................................................................................................1 2. CLIMATE..................................................................................................................................2 3. COASTAL GEOLOGY AND GEOMORPHOLOGY ..........................................................2 4. HYDROGEOLOGY AND GROUNDWATER ......................................................................6 5. BIOGEOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................6 6. WATER QUALITY ..................................................................................................................8 7. BENTHIC HABITATS...........................................................................................................10 8. MARINE FLORA AND FAUNA...........................................................................................10 8.1. SEAGRASSES......................................................................................................................11 8.2. MACROALGAE....................................................................................................................13 8.3. FISHES ...............................................................................................................................13 8.4. INVERTEBRATES ................................................................................................................17 8.4.1. Corals....................................................................................................................................... 18 8.4.2. Scallops.................................................................................................................................... 18 8.4.3. Epifauna................................................................................................................................... 19 8.5. INTRODUCED MARINE PESTS .............................................................................................19 8.6. MARINE RESOURCES..........................................................................................................19 9. MARINE WILDLIFE.............................................................................................................20 9.1. CETACEANS .......................................................................................................................20 9.2. PINNIPEDS..........................................................................................................................22 9.3. MARINE TURTLES ..............................................................................................................22 9.4. SEABIRDS...........................................................................................................................23 10. FISH RESOURCES MANAGEMENT.................................................................................24 11. ESTUARIES AND COASTAL WETLANDS ......................................................................25 11.1. IMPORTANT COASTAL WETLANDS .....................................................................................26 11.2. ESTUARIES.........................................................................................................................27 11.2.1. Hardy Inlet and the lower Blackwood and Scott Rivers .......................................................... 27 11.2.2. Vasse-Wonnerup Estuary .......................................................................................................