Marine

With the impending commencement of the yabby season, recreational fishers are being reminded to do the right thing when fishing for the popular species on the state’s inland waterways.

Justin Gilligan. I'm excited that my image 'Rich Reflections' has been announced as the winner of the Plants and Fungi category of this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The digital awards ceremony was just broadcast live from the Natural History Museum in London, with more than 50,000 entries from 95 countries.

Researchers from The University of Western Australia recently completed the final report for the LHI Galapagos shark research project, which has been running since January 2018. This research used acoustic listening stations around LHI waters to track Galapagos sharks fitted with internal acoustic tags to determine their movement patterns, as well as identifying where, when and how frequently these sharks interact with fishing vessels.

Called the Reef Credit Scheme, the market-based collaboration allows farmers and other property owners in reef catchments to undertake projects that improve water quality to generate a tradeable unit of pollutant reduction or Reef Credit, which is then sold onto businesses who want to protect the reef or meet their corporate responsibilities.

The McGowan Government is enhancing WA's program of shark mitigation measures in the lead up to summer, with the Shark Warning System now automated to alert beachgoers to the presence of a tagged shark in the vicinity.

In September, strong winds often drive tens of thousands of blue sea creatures ashore, and the beaches are littered with their dead bodies. The surface of the open ocean supports large populations of these organisms that live their lives afloat, sometimes forming huge rafts kilometres long, carried by the currents and blown along by the wind.

LHI Board. Residents and visitors are advised that a leopard seal has been observed on the southern end of Middle Beach since Sunday and is likely to stay in the area for several days to rest and recover ... The seal has cookie cutter shark bite wounds, which are showing signs of healing, and the seal will be monitored over the coming days.

The World Fisheries Congress might be over, but all of the presentations will be available online for another six months, so it’s not too late  to register. In the meantime, if you missed it, here are some spoilers for you.

“Over the coming weeks we will continue to work with coastal councils from Tweed to Bega Valley and everywhere in between to deliver the world’s largest shark management program to increase beachgoer safety,": Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro. “There is no other jurisdiction in Australia or across the globe which has done as much testing and trialling of technology and approaches to mitigate shark interactions.”

Precautionary fishing restrictions in waters immediately adjacent to Port Pirie have been extended for a further 12 months ... Put in place in September 2020 after the release of a scientific study into heavy metals in sediment in the area, the restrictions have been extended for another year while SA Health complete an in-depth analysis of sample results and consider the public health implications.

A charter boat skipper has been hit with more than $33,000 in fines and costs after being found guilty in the Mackay Magistrates Court of two charges, including a major black marketing offence.

A significant milestone in building a future for the commercial and recreational fishing industries has been reached with the next stage of the Queensland Government’s Sustainable Fisheries reforms coming into effect on September 1.

Visitors to the famous Mon Repos turtle-education and conservation centre will soon be able to book tickets to get up close to the ocean’s ‘heroes in a half shell’.

Aaron Smith. A coroner's report on the worst maritime tragedy in the Torres Strait since the sinking of the Malu Sara in 2009 was publicly gazetted last week and community leaders have voiced concerns over a lack of connectivity, affordable transportation and boat safety.

Sawfish - one of the world's most endangered rays - have lost over half of their habitat worldwide and largely disappeared from the entire east coast of Australia. A collaborative study by the University of Southern Queensland and Sharks and Rays Australia will endeavour to fill in gaps in information about the ray’s ecology, biology and distribution.

Two years ago on Father’s Day, an accident at sea changed the lives of six men from Evans Head. Utah Chilcott was 18 at the time and said he had “never been so close to seeing someone die”. The men’s efforts on that day are being acknowledged by a bravery citation from the Governor-General scheduled for today.

Due to its incredibly small population size, population density, and distribution, the Lord Howe Abalone faces an extremely high risk of extinction from threats including marine pollution - such as an oil spill event - and climate change. As a result, the IUCN assessed this species to be Critically Endangered. Of the 37 worldwide abalone species, it was one of only two given this status.

There is no other place in the world that compares to the awe-inspiring, soul-stirring, up-close whale watching encounters that you will find in Hervey Bay. Between July and November, thousands of humpback whales travel the ‘humpback highway’ and arrive in the calm, protected waters of Hervey Bay.

Worldwide, seaweed cultivation and utilisation are multi-billion dollar industries, yet Australasia plays little role in either. This is set to change, with growing interest in using our coastal and offshore waters to produce seaweeds that will not only provide high-value products for global markets, but will help mitigate human carbon emissions both directly through products that lower methane emissions and indirectly through long term carbon sequestration.

David Waterhouse. Lord Howe Island is a special place and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage property in 1982 in recognition of the global significance of the Island’s beauty and biodiversity. The Island’s isolation and its varied landscape are home to many unique and endemic species. Although Islands only make up a small proportion of available landmass, 61% of recorded species extinctions since the 16th Century have occurred on Islands. The pressure of invasive species has already been linked to the extinction of at least 5 bird species, two plant species, and 13 recorded (although likely much higher) invertebrate species from Lord Howe Island.

A sense of excitement has arrived along with the cold weather as Whyalla kicks off Cuttlefest 2021, a colourful celebration of all things cuttlefish. The Giant Australian Cuttlefish (sepia apama) swarm into rocky areas off the Whyalla coast during May, June, July and August to mate and reproduce, in the process creating a remarkable spectacle of cunning games, underwater lightshows and colourful kaleidoscopic displays.