Spring into Spring!

News from the field

Stories and updates from our teams out & about. Check out some of these regional stories on our website!

South East Queensland

Tallebudgera Underwater Clean Up

A group of keen Reef Check Australia snorkellers and divers braved the chilly (almost) winter morning on the 27th May to clean up Tallebudgera creek on the Gold Coast. The creek area is a popular swimming and fishing spot and can therefore be impacted by littering and industrial waste. During previous activities, this area has been identified as a hot spot, hence our continued efforts to remove debris located in the area as well as the continued monitoring of changes in the levels of debris removed.

It was encouraging to report that fewer items were found under the water than we have previously recorded on both land and underwater clean-ups at this location. The debris consisted of large numbers of fishing line, lures and hooks. These items can pose a significant entanglement risk to others swimmers, snorkellers and divers. They can also be damaging to marine creatures that get entangled and entrapped in fishing line, which is why it is so important to remove as much debris as we can safely.

This activity forms part of a wider program to look at the ongoing impacts of the floods in early 2022, in addition to documenting the rate of attrition of marine debris in the region.

Everyone can make a difference to the health of their local marine resources. If you see debris, please pick it up and dispose of it correctly. Together, we can and will make an ocean of difference!

Reef Check Acknowledge the Yugambeh people of the Gold Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program.

Myora Reef Health Survey

The sun was shining, and the water was clear (if a bit chilly!) so the team took the opportunity to check out the gorgeous Moreton Bay site; Myora reef.

Myora Reef is a unique reef habitat in Moreton Bay, as it is the only location dominated by Acropora corals (a branching hard coral). Myora Reef is situated on a fringing reef on the west side of North Stradbroke Island, within the Marine National Park (Green no take) zone. The reef patch is situated next to Rainbow channel and therefore receives extensive tidal flushing.

The site is one of our long-term monitoring sites, established in 2014 in collaboration with the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation and Quandamooka Land & Sea Management Agency. The site hosts notable hard coral communities, with the hard coral growth forms dominated by branching, plate and foliose. Some bleaching and coral disease was observed but at less than 1% of the population, levels were low. The site had a medium silt level recorded, and turf algae covering available rock surfaces. Butterflyfish and snapper were recorded onsite, along with long spined sea urchins, and non target sea cucumbers; sea cucumbers are not commonly recorded on any of our reef health monitoring sites.
Thanks to all the volunteers and organisers who made this trip a success, and to Go Dive for getting us to site.

Reef Check acknowledges the Quandamooka people of Minjerribah, the Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place, and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program.

Underwater Clean Up Dive Peel Island

Crystal clear waters, calm seas and sunshine made the perfect day for the Reef Check Australia team to hit the water for an underwater clean up at Peel Island for World Oceans Day, June 8 2023.

Peel Island is a small, heritage-listed island and national park located in Moreton Bay, just 4km from the mainland at Cleveland. The island is known for its natural beauty and wildlife enjoyed by locals and visitors alike and is accessed only by boat or watercraft.  The island has an interesting history. To read all about it, check out some of our previous posts.

The island is a popular fishing and swimming area, with tens of boats often anchored in Horseshoe Bay due to the area offering protection from many winds, and a safe spot to swim.  This site was selected as it has been previously identified as a hot spot. Sitting close to Platypus wreck, and close to a beach entry point, this area is commonly used. Due to the large number of people visiting the area, it is often littered with fishing debris as well as additional recreational items.

This activity forms part of a wider program to look at the ongoing impacts of the floods in early 2022, in addition to documenting the rate of attrition of marine debris in the area due to boating and fishing.

Approximately 12 kilograms of debris was removed from a 800m2 area, including 10 glass bottles, approximately 30meters of fishing line, lures and sinkers, rope, and a discarded crab pot.  Where debris was able to be safely removed, it was. Any large items with coral growth established was left in situ. With large amounts of the reef suffering significant impacts due to the floods and storms of 2022, we want to ensure live coral remains that way.

Reef Check Acknowledge the Quandamooka people, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program.

Moreton Bay - Flat Rock - The Nursery Reef Health Survey

With the sun out, the water cold and the whales passing by in droves, the Reef Check Australia team soaked up all the glorious sunshine above the water, and all the amazing diversity below the water, at the Nursery at Flat Rock.

Flat Rock is a popular recreational diving and boating location offshore from Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) featuring an exposed rocky ledge dropping into deeper water. This Marine National Park (Green no take) zone has a no-fishing zone and is also a Grey Nurse Shark Protection area.

The Nursery, Site 1 is on the sheltered leeward side of Flat Rock, where a flat rocky slope meets rocky boulders. This site was established in 2008, and sits at a depth of six- eight meters on the leeward side of the fringing reef.

This site is a haven for turtles and wobbegongs, with plenty of each being found on the transect, as we listened to the whales as they passed us close enough to hear them but not see them. Hard coral cover has stayed steady at approximately 23%, with a slight increase in the percentage of soft coral since 2021. Additional benthic categories making up the rest of the transect included anemones, sponges and nutrient indicator algae; all increased in presence since 2021.

Pencil urchins, long spined sea urchins, anemones, giant clams and drupella snails were all recorded on the transect. Coral disease, unknown scars and bleaching were recorded, although in low numbers. A beautiful site to revisit!

Thanks to all the volunteers and organisers who made this trip a success, and to Manta Lodge for getting us to site.

Reef Check acknowledges the Quandamooka people of Minjerribah, the Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place, and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

This project has received funding support from the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program.

Industry Placement Information Night

Reef Check Australia General Manager Jodi Salmond joined almost 40 students and speakers recently at the University of Queenslands HDR Industry Placement Information Night! Such a great turn-out with students joining in the event to learn more about options for industry placements in the marine sector. Such a great opportunity for students to meet people working in the sector, make connections, and ask questions! Thankyou to UQ Centre for Marine Science for organising the event, for fellow industry representatives from CSIRO, frc environmental, Healthy Land & Water, Reef Check Australia and Sea World - Gold Coast, Australia, as well as to Nathaly from the UQ Graduate School who helped students understand the placement program in more detail. Lots of great connections were forged, and we look forward to hearing from HDR students undertaking industry placements in the future.

Reef Check Acknowledge the Turrbal/Jagera people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which the University of Queensland is situated, and on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

Reef Check Australia’s involvement in reef health monitoring and community engagement in the Brisbane region has  received funding support from the Port of Brisbane.

Great Barrier Reef

Alma Bay Land and Underwater Clean Up

Late May we were joined by Co-Exist Australia for our biannual beach and underwater clean up at Alma Bay, on Magnetic Island. Our combined team of 19 volunteers put in an amazing effort and collected a whopping 908 pieces of debris along this popular beach, making a huge impact in helping keep our local areas clean!

Over half of what was collected on the beach (465) was pieces of broken glass, primarily found among the rocky areas at each side of the bay. We also collected 239 hard plastic remnants, which wasn’t surprising as this location has been found to have the highest concentration of microplastics of all surveyed beached within Australia! Thankfully within the water there was much less, with our team of divers and snorkellers collecting 13 pieces from within the water around the reefs. Once again glass was the most commonly found.

This project is supported by Tangaroa Blue through ReefClean; a project funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust. ReefClean is a project to remove and reduce marine debris impacting the Great Barrier Reef

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on where these activities take place, the Wulgurukaba people. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in our community today.

Dry Tropics Report Card Launch Townsville

Our team joined the large number of partners responsible for the data behind the Townsville Dry Tropics Waterways Report Card 2023 for the public launch in Townsville this month. Organised by the Dry Tropics Partnership for Healthy Waters, the afternoon was well attended by the passing public including young prep students, university students, families and holiday makers.

We were able to showcase the work Reef Check Australia does and how the data we collect contributes to documents such as the Report Card. Our little reef survey display was once again a hit with the kids, raising questions from the enquiring minds and encouraging them (and their parents) to think about how their actions can make a real difference to protecting our reefs and oceans.

As partners, we were delighted to attend a private evening function, which included networking opportunities and trivia. We were very happy to note that some of the prizes to be won were bottles of wine from Goodwill Wines, with 50% of the profits going to Reef Check Australia. Although our table tried our hardest, we did not win any trivia prizes, but it was still a win for Reef Check Australia. Thank You Dry Tropics Partnership for Healthy Waters!

We also acknowledge the Bindal and Wulgurukaba People, the traditional custodians of the land on which this event took place, and their elders past, present and emerging.

Our attendance at this event was made possible by support from Townsville City Council Creek to Coral program.

Brain Food

Reviews and details on books, documentaries, and podcasts that we have come across, & wanted to share.

Current Coral Affairs

Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean

Jellyfish roaming the sea for at least 500 million years

The extinct Burgessomedusa phasmiformis evolved to swim hundreds of millions of years before dinosaurs existed.

Read in: Popular Science

Miracle substance growing off Australian Cost

A miracle substance being grown off the coast of Australia could be the solution to a growing problem the country is facing.

Read in: news.com.au

Close to home - Record Breaking haul of illegal crab pots.

Marine park rangers and fisheries officers have retrieved 195 derelict or illegal crab pots from Pumicestone Passage.

Read now: abc.net.au

Get with the Program

Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.