Australian Museum Description of Key Species Groups in the East Marine Region Final Report – September 2007 1 Table of Contents Acronyms........................................................................................................................................ 3 List of Images ................................................................................................................................. 4 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... 5 1 Introduction............................................................................................................................ 6 2 Corals (Scleractinia)............................................................................................................ 12 3 Crustacea ............................................................................................................................. 24 4 Demersal Teleost Fish ........................................................................................................ 54 5 Echinodermata..................................................................................................................... 66 6 Marine Snakes ..................................................................................................................... 80 7 Marine Turtles...................................................................................................................... 95 8 Molluscs ............................................................................................................................. 121 9 Plankton ............................................................................................................................. 133 10 Seabirds ............................................................................................................................. 146 11 Seals/Dugong..................................................................................................................... 162 12 Sharks and Rays ............................................................................................................... 174 13 Sponges ............................................................................................................................. 189 14 Syngnathids....................................................................................................................... 220 15 Trawl Bycatch .................................................................................................................... 228 16 Summary of Impacts and Threats.................................................................................... 241 17 Summary of information gaps ......................................................................................... 246 Appendices................................................................................................................................. 255 Editors: Vicky Tzioumis & Stephen Keable 2 Acronyms Acronym Definition ABIF Australian Biodiversity Information Facility ABRS Australian Biological Resources Study ACAP Agreement for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels AM Australian Museum BRD Bycatch Reduction Device CAAB Codes for Australian Aquatic Biota CAMBA Chinese and Australian Migratory Bird Agreement CITES Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species CMS Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention) DEW Department of the Environment and Water Resources DFFF Deepwater Fin Fish Fishery DPI Department of Primary Industries DPI&F Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries DPIW Department of Primary Industries and Water EAC East Australian Current ECDTS East Coast Deepwater Trawl Sector ECTF East Coast Trawl Fishery EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone EIS Environmental Impact Statement EMR East Marine Region EPBC Act Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 FTF Finfish Trawl Fishery GIS Geographic Information System IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources JAMBA Japanese and Australian Migratory Bird Agreement MPA Marine Protected Area NSW New South Wales OPT Offshore Prawn Trawl OTF Otter Trawl Fishery OTLF Ocean Trap and Line Fishery OZCAM Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums Qld Queensland QM Queensland Museum RRFFF Rocky Reef Fin Fish Fishery SESSF Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery 3 List of Images Corals: See text for image details; Photography and © to P. Muir and M. Kitahara. Crustacea: Copyright and photography as indicated on the image or figure caption in text. Demersal Fish: First row (from left to right): Blue-eye trevalla (Hyperoglyphe antarctica); Gemfish (Rexea solandri); Second row (from left to right): Ocean perch (Helicolenus barathri) ; Eastern school whiting (Sillago flindersi); Third row (from left to right): Mirror dory (Zenopsis nebulosus); Orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus)—Photography and © K. Graham. Echinodermata: First row (from left to right): Blue starfish (Linckia laevigata); Black teatfish (Holothuria whitmaei); Robust feather star (Himerometra robustipinna)—Photography and © A. Hoggett; Second row (from left to right): Brittlestar (Ophiarthrum elegans); Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci)— Photography and © J. Keesing; Longspine sea urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii)— Photography and © T. Lynch. Photography and © M. Byrne unless otherwise stated. Marine Snakes: See text for image details; Photography and © H. Cogger. Marine Turtles: First row (from left to right): Flatback turtle (Natator depressus); Flatback hatchlings; Green turtle (Chelonia mydas); Second row: Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)—Photography and © C. Limpus. Molluscs: First row (from left to right): Southern octopus (Octopus australis); Southern calamari squid (Sepioteuthis australis); Maori octopus (Octopus maorum); Second row (from left to right): Chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius)—Photography and © M. Norman for all cephalopod images; Ballot’s saucer scallop (Amusium japonicum balloti); Magnificent volute (Cymbiolena magnifica)—Photography and © K. Graham. Plankton: From left to right: Mixed plankton—Photography P. Parks, © Imagequest.com; Mixed zooplankton—Photography and © I. Suthers. Seabirds: © Australian Museum; First row (from left to right): Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys)—Photography J. Fields; Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra)—Photography B. King; Flesh- footed Shearwater (Puffinus carneipes)— Photography G. Hoye; Second row (from left to right): Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda)—Photography B. King; White Tern (Gygis alba);—Photography N. Chaffer. Seals/dugongs: From left to right: Australian fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus); New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri)—Photography and © P. Shaughnessy. Sharks and Rays: First row (from left to right): Hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena); Thresher shark (Alopias superciliosus); Sydney skate (Dipturus australis); Second row (from left to right): Harrisson’s 4 dogfish (Centrophorus harrissoni); White-spotted guitarfish (Rhynchobatus australiae); Ogilby’s ghostshark (Hydrolagus ogilbyi)—Photography and © K. Graham. Sponges: From left to right: Clathria craspedia; Thrachycladus laevispirula; Cliona montiformis— Photography and © J. Hooper. Syngnathids: First row (from left to right): Pot-bellied seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis); Weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus)—Photography and © S. Schulz; Sad seahorse (Hippocampus tristis); Second row (from left to right): Duncker’s pipehorse (Solegnathus dunckeri); Spiny pipehorse (Solegnathus spinosissimus)—Photography and © K. Graham unless otherwise stated. Trawl Bycatch: First row (from left to right): Toothed whiptail (Lepidorhynhcus denticulatus); Longspine flathead (Platycephalus longispinis); Common bellowfish (Macroramphosus scolopax); Second row (from left to right): Roundsnout gurnard (Lepidotrigla mulhalli); Bycatch (on deck); Threespine cardinalfish (Apogonops anomalus); Third row (from left to right): Antlered crab (Dagnaudus petterdi); Swimmer crab (Ovalipes molleri)—Photography H. McLennan, © Australian Museum; Mantis shrimp (Lysiosquilla colemani); Fourth row (from left to right): An ancillid olive (Ancillista velesiana); Deepwater dumpling squid (Austrorossia australis); Southern white-spot octopus (Octopus cf. bunurong)—Photography and © K. Graham unless otherwise stated. Acknowledgements We would like to thank the following colleagues for their assistance in the preparation of this report. From the Australian Museum: Paul Flemmons and Michael Elliot for assistance with the mapping of point data; Pat Hutchings and Penny Berents for their constructive comments on an early draft of the report; Mark McGrouther for his constructive comments on early drafts of the chapters on fish and for collating point data for fish; Jeff Leis for his advice in the preparation of the original tender bid and in directing us to sources of information relevant to the chapters on fish; Alison Miller for her assistance in collating point data and providing references and images for the chapter on molluscs; Brendan Atkins for assistance with layout and editorial issues; Roger Springthorpe for editing and preparation of images; Sandy Ingleby for providing information on seals; Leone Lemmer for assistance with library searches; and library staff for chasing up references and assisting in the printing of