By Tilly Reynolds and Caitlin Griffith VICTORIAN NATIONAL PARKS ASSOCIATION The Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) helps shape the agenda for creating and managing national parks, conservation reserves and other important natural areas across land and sea in Victoria. The VNPA works with all levels of government, the scientific community and the general community to achieve long term, best practice environmental outcomes. The VNPA is also Victoria’s largest bushwalking club and provides a range of information, education and activity programs to encourage Victorians to get active for nature. REEF WATCH Reef Watch is a citizen science program run by the VNPA. The program encourages divers and snorkellers to monitor marine life at their favourite dive sites. The project has been developed by the Australian Marine Conservation Society and the Marine and Coastal Community Network. Reef Watch co-ordinates a number of marine conservation programs, including ‘Feral or in Peril’ and the Great Victorian Fish Count. In 2012 Reef Watch won the 2012 award for Excellence In Education from Victoria’s Coastal Council. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS VNPA: Chris Smyth, Caitlin Griffith, Heath Rickard, John Sampson, Victoria McClellan (volunteer). Parks Victoria: Mark Rodrigue, Shannon Hurley, Stephen Tuohy, David Langmead, Jessica Strang and Pete Hay, Rob Hemsworth, Chris Hayward. Coastcare Victoria: Philip Wierzbowszki. Museum Victoria and Redmap Victoria: Mark Norman, Dianne Bray, Julian Finn, Robin Wilson. Ecologic: Sharon Blum-Caon. Participating groups: Daktari Surf and Dive, Dive and Dive, Diveline, Friends of Barwon Bluff, Friends of Beware Reef, Friends of Eagle Rock, Friends of Mushroom Reef, Harbour Dive, Jawbone Marine Sanctuary Care, Lorne-Aireys Inlet Primary School, Marine Care Point Cooke, Marine Care Ricketts Point, Melbourne University Underwater Club, Monash University Underwater Club, Ocean Divers, RMIT Underwater Club, Sandringham Secondary College, Scuba Culture, Scuba Diving Federation of Victoria, Sea All Dolphin Swims, S.E.A.L Diving Services, South Gippsland Conservation Society, Victorian Sub Aqua Club, Warrnambool Sub Aqua Club. Cover photo: Southern Blue Devil Fish at Castle Rock, by Natalie Manahan. 2 GREAT VICTORIAN FISH COUNT 2015 CONTENTS PROJECT PARTNERS Parks Victoria Parks Victoria’s responsibilities under the Parks Victoria Act 1998 are to manage the State’s parks, reserves, waterways and other public land including a representative system of terrestrial and marine national parks and marine sanctuaries. It is also the Local Port Manager for Port Phillip Bay, Western Port, and Port Campbell, and the Waterway Manager for the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers. Parks Victoria works in close partnership with other government and non-government organisations and community groups to manage parks and reserves and encourages community participation in these areas, including in all marine protected areas. Parks Victoria’s philosophy of Healthy Parks Healthy Local conservation group Friends of Eagle Rock conducting their 2015 People promotes involvement in activities within parks. Great Victorian Fish Count Survey. Photo: Courtesy Parks Victoria This provides for both maintaining and improving health for individuals and the community as well as contributing to improving and better understanding Redmap the health of parks. Participation in the Great Victorian Redmap (Range Extension Database and Mapping Fish Count is a great example of this and for connecting project) is a national ‘citizen science’ site that captures people and communities with parks. data and maps marine species that may be extending their range in Australia in response to changes in the Coastcare Victoria marine environment. In Victoria, Redmap is hosted by Coastcare Victoria is a state-wide program run by the Museum Victoria and all recorded sightings are verified Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning by marine scientists. (DELWP). Coastcare Victoria facilitators work directly with these communities and connect communities with Museum Victoria government’s coastal management system - coastal Museum Victoria (MV) is Australia’s largest public and natural resource management planners, managers museum organisation. As the state museum for Victoria, of public land, local government and government MV is responsible for looking after the state collection programs targeting issues in coastal areas. of nearly 17 million specimens, objects, documents Regional facilitators are stationed at DELWP offices in and photographs. MV research, in the fields of science Warrnambool, Anglesea, Heidelberg and Yarram. Each and humanities, uses the museum’s expert staff and facilitator is responsible for supporting activities within collections to further what we know about the social and a designated stretch of coastline, and works to a local natural history of Victoria and beyond. work plan directed by this strategy. Regional facilitators work with groups, networks and coastal management partners, including regional coastal boards, catchment management authorities, local councils, Parks Victoria and the Victorian National Parks Association to achieve regional outcomes. SUMMARY 3 CONTENTS 1. Summary ...........................................................................................................................P5 2. Introduction .....................................................................................................................P6 2.1 Background ...............................................................................................................................................................6 2.2 Citizen Science and community participation and engagement .........................................................6 2.3 Partnerships and relationships with local communities ..........................................................................6 2.4 ‘Fish on the Move’ theme ....................................................................................................................................7 3. Methodology ..................................................................................................................P8 3.1 Survey Period ............................................................................................................................................................8 3.2 Site selection ...........................................................................................................................................................8 3.3 Survey method ...................................................................................................................................................... 11 3.4 Data analysis .......................................................................................................................................................... 11 4. Results ...........................................................................................................................P14 4.1 Great Victorian Fish Count summary results ............................................................................................. 14 4.2 Survey site and weather conditions ............................................................................................................ 14 5. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................P22 5.1 Common species observed.............................................................................................................................. 22 5.2 Species of conservation interest and ‘Fish on the Move’ ..................................................................... 22 5.3 Site information .................................................................................................................................................... 23 6. References ....................................................................................................................P25 7. Appendix .......................................................................................................................P26 7.1 Table of the raw data in terms of the abundance of target species recorded at each of the 2015 Great Victorian Fish Count survey sites ........................... 26 7.2Table with a breakdown of each site with the habitat types and site conditions on the day of surveying ...................................................................................................... 30 7.3Table of additional marine species recorded at survey locations as recorded by participating groups ........................................................................................ 34 4 GREAT VICTORIAN FISH COUNT 2015 CONTENTS 1.0 SUMMARY his was the eleventh year Tof the Great Victorian Fish Count and 23 registered groups took part. Approximately 350 participants were involved over the course of this year’s count and an impressive 44 different sites were surveyed along Victoria’s coastline. Healthy levels of marine life were observed at many of the sites, particularly within Victoria’s marine national parks and sanctuaries. The most common species observed during the 2015 Great Victorian Fish Count were: Volunteer Victoria McClellan and Rob Timmers from SEAL Diving Services at Cape Woolamai. • Blue-throat Wrasse. Photo: Tilly Reynolds • Dusky Morwong. • Horse-shoe Leatherjacket. show up since its rediscovery Wilsons Promontory (the most • Magpie Perch.