Natural history and management of the Shoalwater Islands and Marine Park Proceedings of a seminar, 22 July 2015, Point Peron Camp School. Department of Parks and Wildlife Locked Bag 104 Bentley Delivery Centre WA 6983 Phone: (08) 9442 0300 Fax: (08) 9386 6399 www.dpaw.wa.gov.au © Department of Parks and Wildlife on behalf of the State of Western Australia 2015 July 2015 This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Department of Parks and Wildlife. This publication was prepared by the Urban Nature program Questions regarding the use of this material should be directed to: Kate Brown, Ecologist Swan Region/Regional & Fire Management Services Department of Parks and Wildlife Locked Bag 104 Bentley Delivery Centre WA 6983 Phone: 9422 0321 Email: [email protected] The recommended reference for this publication is: Department of Parks and Wildlife (2015) Natural history and management of the Shoalwater Islands and Marine Park: proceedings of a seminar, 22 July 2015, Point Peron Camp School, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Perth. These proceedings are a collection of papers and material prepared by a range of authors. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Parks and Wildlife. This document is available in alternative formats on request. Please note: urls in this document which conclude a sentence are followed by a full stop. If copying the url please do not include the full stop. Cover image: Bridled terns, Penguin Island April 2015. Photo K Brown. ii Department of Parks and Wildlife Natural history and management of the Shoalwater islands and marine park: proceedings of a one-day seminar, 22 July 2015, Point Peron Camp School, Contents Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................... iv Preface ............................................................................................................................ iv Program ............................................................................................................................ 1 History and Management of the Shoalwater Islands. Terry Goodlich, Parks and Wildlife Swan Region………………………………………………………………………………………………… ...... 1 2 Change over time on the Shoalwater islands. Elizabeth Rippey, Honorary Research Fellow, UWA ................................................................................................................. 10 3 Seabird responses to a changing ocean climate. Nic Dunlop, Conservation Council of WA ........................................................................................................................................................ 14 4 Seabird research on Penguin Island, an insight into bridled tern’s demographic. Aurélie Labbé, PhD candidate, Murdoch University ................................................................ 17 5 Conservation ecology and human disturbance of Australian sea lions(Neophoca cinerea) in Western Australia. Sylvia Osterrieder, Curtin University and Victoria University .... 20 6 Artificial nests as a climate adaptation tool: Buffering climate change impacts on the little penguin. Erin Clitheroe,Department of Parks and Wildlife, Swan Region. ................... 25 7 Impacts of feral predators on island ecosystems. Nic Dunlop, Conservation Council of WA ........................................................................................................................................................ 28 8 Control and eradication of black rats (*Rattus rattus) on Penguin Island, Western Australia, December 2012 – December 2014. Karen Bettink, Department of Parks and Wildlife,Swan Region ...................................................................................................... 30 1 2 9 Restoring critical habitat on Penguin Island. Kate Brown , Aurelie Labbé and Grazyna 1 1 2 Paczkowska , Department of Parks and Wildlife, Murdoch University. ................................. 37 10 Re-introducing the Australian Hollyhock, (Malva preissiana) to Penguin Island ........... 1 2 1 1 1 Kate Brown , Aurelie Labbé , Grazyna Paczkowska and Leonie Monks , Department of Parks and 2 Wildlife, Murdoch University ............................................................................................. 43 Department of Parks and Wildlife ` iii Acknowledgments We thank the Point Peron Camp School for their outstanding venue, catering and organisational assistance. Preface Stretching from Cape Peron to Point Becher, the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, only 40km south of the city of Perth, supports a diversity of marine life and protects a small chain of islands known as the Shoalwater Islands. The vegetation and flora on the islands provide critical habitat for migratory seabirds and marine mammals. On 22 July 2015 at Point Peron Camp School over 50 people attended a seminar on the natural history and management of the Shoalwater Islands and Marine Park. The seminar was hosted by the Department of Parks and Wildlife Urban Nature program. iv Department of Parks and Wildlife Program Natural History and Management of the Shoalwater Islands and Marine Park Wednesday, 22nd July 2015, Point Peron Camp School 9.00am Arrive and cup of tea 9.15 -9.50 History and management of the Shoalwater Terry Goodlich, Parks and Wildlife Swan Region Islands 9.50-10.25 Change over time on the Shoalwater Islands Elizabeth Rippey, Honorary Research Fellow, UWA 10.25 -10.45 Morning tea 10.45-11.20 Seabird responses to a changing ocean climate Nic Dunlop, Conservation Council of WA 11.20-11.55 Seabird research on Penguin Island, an insight Aurelie Labbe, Murdoch University into bridled terns’ demographic 12.00-100pm Lunch 1.00-1.35 Conservation ecology and human disturbance Sylvia Osterrieder, Curtain University of Australian sea lions (Neophoca cinerea) in Western Australia Artificial nests as a climate adaptation tool: 1.35 -2.10 Erin Clitheroe, Parks and Wildlife Swan Region buffering climate change impacts on the little penguin (Eudyptula minor) 2.10-2.45 Impacts of feral predators on island Nic Dunlop, Conservation Council of WA ecosystems 2.45-2.55 Afternoon tea 2.55-3.30 Control and eradication of black rats (Rattus Karl Brennan, Parks and Wildlife Swan Region rattus) on Penguin Island, Western Australia, December 2012 – July 2013 3.30-4.00 Restoration of plant communities and critical Kate Brown, Parks and Wildlife Swan Region habitat on Penguin Island CLOSE Department of Parks and Wildlife 1 1 History and Management of the Shoalwater Islands Terry Goodlich Department of Parks and Wildlife, Swan Region As a child I grew up within the Shoalwater area of Rockingham. I have worked for the Department of Parks and Wildlife for over 30 years and have been a ranger for most of those years. In 1989 I was transferred from Walpole Nornalup National Park to Perth where I lived on Penguin Island with my family for the first two of 20 years. I was closely involved in the development and management of Shoalwater Islands and the metropolitan marine parks. My primary focus of the talk today will about Penguin Island, the surrounding islands and its connection with the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park. Penguin Island has been an iconic part of the Rockingham scene since early settlement. First known to the local Aboriginal peoples (though no evidence of settlement or use has been found), and then to European settlers, whalers and sealers were also known to use Penguin Island. In 1830, the ship ‘Rockingham’, bearing settlers for the Peel region, was blown ashore during a storm near Mangles Bay. The town site of Rockingham was surveyed in 1847, and the locality prospered with the development of a railway and jetty to ship timber from the Jarrahdale area in 1872. Development of the port of Fremantle in 1897 saw Rockingham dwindle to a seasonal holiday or retirement destination, and generations of Perth children will have fond memories of summers spent at Rockingham and swimming lessons in the calm blue waters. Shoalwater Bay faces Penguin Island, which lies 600m offshore. Penguin Island is part of a chain of limestone islands and rocky outcrops, which now form the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park. Penguin Island, at 12.5ha, is the largest of the islands (the total land mass of the Shoalwater Islands is 16ha), and is joined to the mainland by a sandbar. The earliest ‘resident ‘of the Island was Paul Seaforth McKenzie, a somewhat eccentric mining engineer who took up residence on Penguin Island in 1918, having squatted there intermittently since 1914. Styling himself ‘King of Penguin Island’, McKenzie constructed a timber residence for himself which was known as the Manor Figure 1: Seaforth McKenzie the self-styled ‘King of Penguin Island’ and his guests. House, and excavated some of the numerous limestone caves (‘Fairhaven’ and ‘Tudor Hall’) as accommodation for guests. The caves were lined with hessian to stop the drift of sand from the roof of the caves, and kerosene lamps were 2 Department of Parks and Wildlife suspended on hooks. McKenzie dug a well for fresh water, planted exotic species such as figs and ran a small shop from one of the caves. Visitors