Reef Watch

Community Education in Action

Dr Sue Murray-JonesReef Watch - Liaison Officer and

Technical Advisor(Office for Coast and Marine, DEH)

PREMISE:Volunteers can do good science!

- importance of temperate reefs- introduce Reef Watch - describe methodology- limits and challenges

- rocky shores accessible- well studied- lots of books, kits, material- lots of community action

Temperate reefs- subtidal less accessible- not as well studied- fewer books, kits, material- few community programs BUT- we know they are highly productive- key role in coastal processes- interest from divers- VERY expensive for researchers to work in subtidal

The Unique South

- very high biodiversity- extremely high endemism e.g.

85% of fish95% of molluscs90% of echinoderms (estimates from Poore 1991)

30% of Chlorophyta (green algae)75% of Rhodophyta (red algae)57% of Phaeophyta (brown) (Womersley 1991)

- more species of algae than the GBR has corals

Algal diversity

Region length #species

Southern Aust. 5,500 1,155NE N.America 8,000 399Pacific NWest 12,000 1,254Japan 6,500 1,452New Zealand 6,970 835

Why is this so?

- Current patterns- tropical influences- East Australian Current- Leeuwin Current- Antarctic influence

- Isolation

- Longest E-W temperate coastline

Reef Watch

- set up to monitor metro reefs- methodology and training developed- got community involvement, funding- raised awareness - events such as Marathon Dive- participate in Sea Week etc- ID workshops using scientific experts

Surveys

- visual fish census- quadrat counts- line intercept transects (LIT)- use of life form codes

Code DescriptionBRENC Brown encrusting algaeBRFOLI Brown foliaceous algaeBRLEATH Brown robust algae, large

flattened blades (muchbroader than thick), notmembranous but leathery

BRBRANCH Brown robust algae withhighly branched habit(blades not much broaderthan thick)

TURF Turfing algae (all colours)GMEM Green membranous algaeRCORAL Red coralline algaeRMEM Red membranous algae

Life Form Codes

- 1996 Adelaide University Botany Department - Reef Health Assessment - Development of LIT- use transect line, weighted ruler- record along transect using life form codes- simple- reproducible- directly comparable to U Adelaide/ EPA survey data

Line Intercept Transects (LIT)

LIT

Successful program - >80 participants in marathon dives- c. 300 divers have participated- developed a solid data base- interactive web site- developing web engine to generate reports- has been copied by other states- held up as a model in election policy statements

Limits

- some data quality problems (addressing)- resourcing- commitment in winter!- data is semi-quantitative- need more spatial cover/replication- need more temporal replication

Challenges

- funding (always)- need to find a way to run w/o paid project officer- insurance!!!- need to extend to less “interesting” areas eg seagrass, degraded reefs, estuaries- time

- involvement of trained scientists at all levels, e.g. development, analysis, training, dives- high quality training and ID workshops- lots of information eg training manuals, kits- lifeform codes- progression of skills

- basic fish census, quadrats- “graduate” to LIT

- liasion with Government, SARDI, Unis

Where to now? - expansion of programs - Feral and in Peril- “adopt a reef” program …. temporal repetition and ownership- devolving to local areas eg grants from Marion, Onka councils- expand to regions- add an intertidal component- Seagrass Watch- Blue Groper survey- fish biology workshop

Acknowledgements

- Coastcare & now Fishcare- active steering Committee, past, present and future- Jon Emmett, Sheralee Cox, Chris Ball- David Turner and Anthony Cheshire- SARDI- OCM