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Subject: SEAGRASS-WATCH BULLETIN - 11 February 2007
SEAGRASS-WATCH BULLETIN
11 February 2007
Seagrass-Watch's electronic news service, providing marine and coastal news of international and national interest.
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NEWS
Poison run-off killing Reef: Study says small quantities of pesticides are dangerous
(Queensland, Australia)
Cairns Post, Thursday, February 8, 2007
Pesticide run-off is putting Australia's fragile coral reefs at greater risk of destruction,according
to a scientific study. The study, published in the Marine Ecology Progress Series journal, shows
corals on the Great Barrier Reel are being harmed by agricultural chemicals, even in small
quantities.
Scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science, the ARC Centre of Excellence for
Reef Studies and James Cook University say pesticides are so poisonous that they can prevent
coral spawning, and affect the reef's ability to regenerate and protect itself. They have warned
that chemicals combined with rising sea temperatures caused by global warming may result in
the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and farmers are involved in a 10-year, $40 million
Reef Water Quality Protection Plan to improve land management practices in the catchment
area. Seagrass-Watch is a component of the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan........ more
http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html
Measures taken to prevent repeated blue-green algae outbreak (Western Australia)
ABC News Online, Monday, February 5, 2007
The Department of Environment will set up new management regimes for Broome's Roebuck
Bay to try to avoid a repeat of the current algal bloom. The blue-green algae, commonly known
as 'mermaid hair', is smothering seagrass and threatening marine and bird life for the second
year in a row. The department says samples of the algae sent to Queensland will be tested to
gauge its level of toxicity. Spokesman Troy Sinclair believes excessive nutrients washing into
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the bay could be to blame.
Seagrass-Watch HQ is currently working with Local Seagrass-Watch Coordinator Daniel Baines
to establish seagrass monitoring with Environs Kimberley in Roebuck Bay.......... more
http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html
Gulf of Carpentaria in zinc spill scare (Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia)
Thursday, 8 February , 2007 Louise Willis (ABC Local Radio)
In the muddied waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria in Australia's far north, a 5,000 tonne barge
damaged by tropical Cyclone Nelson is in danger of sinking with its full load and causing an
environmental disaster. Local environmental and Aboriginal groups are outraged, saying the
mining company responsible for the barge has been warned about its operations for years.
As the category two cyclone bore down on the Queensland coast, huge seas disabled a
minerals barge in the Gulf and forced its crew to call for help. The barge was ferrying zinc ore
from the Zinifex mine to bulk carriers waiting further offshore. The crew is safe on board another
ship and authorities are now focusing their efforts on stopping the barge from sinking, or spilling
its load into the water. General Manager of the Zinifex Mine, Greg McMillan, says he's confident
the barge will be saved.
The incident has outraged local Aboriginal activist Murrandoo Yanner. "We are extremely
concerned the fact that this ship is sinking with 5,000 tonnes of toxic zinc on one of the largest
grass beds, as in Dugong sea turtles, seagrass beds in the region in extremely concerning" Mr
Yanner said.
The fishing industry is also concerned. Gary Ward from the Gulf Fishermen's Association.
"Should that go into the environment, it basically would close down the fishing industry in the
Gulf of Carpentaria straight away." Mr Ward said.
Source & full story: http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s1842873.htm
Trouble with a sea pig (Queensland, Australia)
February 08, 2007 11:00pm By Greg Stolz (Courier Mail)
Never mind the potentially deadly sharks and polar bears it's the apparently not-so-docile
dugongs that you have to watch out for at Sea World.
In a bizarre accident, a Sea World diver was admitted to hospital yesterday after a run-in with
Pig, one of the Gold Coast theme park's two resident dugongs. The diver was cleaning the
dugong tank when "Pig" became entangled in his SCUBA equipment. The startled animal,
which weighs close to 250kg, had then "taken off" while stil attached to the diver, Sea World
marine sciences manager Steve McCourt said.
The diver was taken by ambulance to the Gold Coast Hospital with suspected spinal injuries but
was later given the all-clear. Mr McCourt said dugongs, known as the "cows of the sea"
because of their penchant for grazing on seagrass, were non-aggressive herbivores and the
incident was a freak accident.
The diver wasn't the only casualty from the incident. Pig, who was rescued sick and
underweight from an Ingham beach in 1998, also suffered a slight cut. But by yesterday
afternoon, he had recovered sufficiently to tuck into his daily meal of 100kg of lettuce.
Source & full story: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21194321-
3102,00.html
HECO Looking to Solve Seagrass Problem (Honolulu, USA)
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February 6, 2007 03:41 PM By Stephen Florino (KHNL)
Hawaiian Electric is trying to find a solution to a problem with seagrass growing outside its Kahe
Power plant. The aquatic plant almost caused HECO to turn off the power in parts of the island.
"Very unusual situation," said Peter Rosegg, HECO spokesman. "In all the years Kahe Power
plant has been there, we've never seen that before." Last Thursday, kona winds and big waves
ripped out tons of seagrass from the ocean floor, clogging the intake valves for the plant.
"We've never ever seen this particular seagrass," said Rosegg. "We never seen anything to the
degree or the amount or frequency that this stuff came in."
The alfalfa sprout looking seagrass filled the valves every 20-minutes. Crews pulled out enough
to fill more than six containers. HECO immediately called botanists at University of Hawaii. "It's
partly environmental problem because it is an environmental element," said Rosegg. "We
wanna protect our equipment, and it's partly engineering problem. How do we get this stuff from
getting into our equipment."
Jellyfish and marine debris clogged the intake valves before. And now, HECO will be
researching other scenarios as well. "You're always contending with the forces of nature, so we
hope it won't happen again," said Rosegg. But Murphy's Law says if you don't plan for it to
happen again, you're gonna be caught.
The intake valve works to cool the plant's generators. HECO officials say even before the
seagrass problem, crews were cleaning the valves regularly, and constantly monitor them.
Source: http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=6042640
Clam Bay sea-grass die-off topic of March workshop (Naples, Florida, USA)
February 9, 2007 By Eric Staats (Naples Daily News)
The Naples City Council plans a workshop in early March on a sea grass die-off in Outer Clam
Bay that has been a sore spot between city residents in Seagate and the Pelican Bay
neighbourhood north of the city limits.
The workshop, tentatively set for March 5, would be the first official involvement by the City
Council in ongoing talk of what caused the die-off and how to fix it. Collier County is proposing
to hire a seagrass expert to conduct a $40,000 study of the die-off, which has occurred as
Pelican Bay has worked to restore a dying mangrove forest on that neighbourhood's western
edge.
Seagate Homeowners Association President David Buser has blamed the Pelican Bay Services
Division, an arm of county government, for not paying enough attention to the fate of sea
grasses in the same ecosystem. A Collier County study in 1994 estimated that Outer Clam Bay
had some 10 acres of sea grass. Monitors working on the mangrove restoration for Pelican Bay
estimate in a report presented this week that between three and four acres of seagrasses
survive there.
Source:
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/feb/09/clam_bay_seagrass_die_topic_march_workshop
latest
Monitors seek better tracking of sea grass (Naples, Florida, USA)
February 8, 2007 By Eric Staats (Naples Daily News)
Monitors proposed Wednesday to boost efforts to keep track of seagrasses in Outer Clam Bay
in the wake of a die-off that is prompting calls for restoration. More than 50 percent of
seagrasses in Outer Clam Bay have died off since 1994 north of the Seagate neighbourhood
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amid efforts by neighbouring Pelican Bay to restore a dying mangrove forest in the same
estuary on Pelican Bay's western edge.
Turrell & Associates ecologist Tim Hall proposed to the board of the Pelican Bay Services
Division, which oversees a taxing district that is helping pay for the mangrove restoration, to
increase the number of seagrass monitoring transects from nine to 25 or 30. Turrell &
Associates already works on the mangrove restoration for the Services Division.
The additional monitoring would put in place a more systematic grid pattern that would fill in
gaps in seagrass data in Outer Clam Bay, Hall said. The monitoring comes as Collier County
weighs hiring seagrass expert Dave Tomasko to study the sea grass die-off and recommend
measures to fix it.
Monitoring sea grasses in Outer Clam Bay has been complicated by the shifting nature of
seagrass beds, inconsistent survey methods and differences in the way different monitors might
assess the size of a seagrass bed.
Source & full story:
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/feb/08/monitors_seek_better_tracking_sea_grass/?
local_news
What's causing seagrass to die off? (Naples,Florida,USA)
February 6, 2007 By Eric Staats (Naples Daily News)
When Mike Bauer went snorkelling in Outer Clam Bay north of the Seagate neighbourhood last
fall, he was surprised at what he found. The water was so cloudy, he had to put his face 2
inches from the bottom to see it, and when he did, he didn't see much living there, Bauer, the
city of Naples' natural resources manager, said. Bauer's look below the surface confirmed what
people living in Seagate have been seeing for years: Outer Clam Bay is in decline. Mats of
algae float on the bay's surface. At least half of the bay's seagrass beds have disappeared
since 1994, reports show. Some seagrass counts put the toll much higher.
A 1994 report by Collier County found 10 acres of seagrasses in Outer Clam Bay. In 1997, a
Pelican Bay study found 7 acres of seagrasses. Annual reports by Pelican Bay consultants kept
reporting the 7-acre figure until 2000, when seagrasses dropped to 5.1 acres. Monitoring in
2006 found between 3 and 4 acres of sea grasses in Outer Clam Bay, Turrell & Associates
ecologist Tim Hall said.
The county is proposing to hire former Southwest Florida Water Management District scientist
Dave Tomasko, now a watershed assessment project manager for a private consultant in
Tampa, to undertake the study. Tomasko has proposed a $40,000 study over four months,
including interviewing stakeholders, collecting data on the depth and distribution of seagrasses
in Outer Clam Bay, setting potential water clarity goals, modelling pollutant loads from the Clam
Bay watershed and developing an action plan. Both Seagate Property Owners Association and
Pelican Bay leaders have endorsed the study.
Source & full story: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/feb/06/disappearing_act/?
local_news.
Students compete at science (Melbourne, Florida, USA)
February 3, 2007 BY KATE BRENNAN (FLORIDA TODAY)
Madelyn Little was all nerves Friday morning as she explained how Brevard County residents
could help keep pollutants out of the Indian River.
"People need to monitor their septic tanks, and if you live near the river, you should limit the
amount of fertilizers you use on your lawn," the 15-year-old said. By reducing harmful runoff,
Madelyn, a Bayside High sophomore, said the levels of nitrate and phosphate in the river would
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decrease, allowing seagrass to reproduce at a faster rate. Increasing the amount of seagrass in
the river is critical, said Madelyn, because it's home to 70 percent of marine organisms.
Madelyn was one of 240 students who began the first of three middle and high school science
and engineering fairs Friday at the Melbourne Square mall. The two-day fair features students
from 13 South Brevard schools, including public, private and charter schools. For students, the
fair culminates months of research, experiments and analysis and gives them a venue to
showcase their work. It also marks a high-stakes competition, where students contend for a
spot at the state science fair in April and international science fair in May. "It's a great real-
world experience for the students," said Ginger Davis, a science resource teacher who
coordinates the fairs. "The students get to ask real scientific questions and go out and find the
answers."
About 100 volunteer judges, including Harris and NASA employees, pharmacists and computer
analysts, evaluated students' projects Friday. They assessed how well students followed
scientific procedures, kept records and logs and used results to formalize conclusions. They'll
make their final determinations today, before announcing winners during an awards ceremony
after the fair.
Although Madelyn is hoping for her second shot at the state competition -- she went last year
for a project on dolphins -- she said raising awareness about the importance of a clean river is
more important than winning awards. "I'm hoping to win, but if nothing else, I want to let people
know what's happening with our ecosystem and how they can help fix it," she said.
Source: http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070203/NEWS01/702030327.
Algiers Beach becomes Algae Beach (Sanibel Island, Gulf of Mexico, Florida, USA)
February 02, 2007 By KEVIN LOLLAR
Ruth Higgins was appalled earlier this week by the dense carpet of drift algae at Sanibel's
Algiers Beach. Thirty feet wide in places and 2 to 3 feet deep, the algae stretched for miles,
clumped and matted like red dreadlocks. "I've been coming here since before there was a
causeway, and I've never seen anything like this," said Higgins, 86, of Buffalo, N.Y. "I don't like
it at all. It's very disappointing. This is not the Sanibel I knew as Sanibel."
Brian Lapointe, of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Fort Pierce, was more excited
about the algae. "I'm fortunate that I came over to Sanibel today. This is by far the worst I've
ever seen on Sanibel," said Lapointe, an algae expert. Sifting through the mass, Lapointe
rattled off the names of 15 different species of algae. While green algal species were in the mix,
the most by far were red drift algae. County scientists started seeing thick coats of red drift
algae on artificial reefs late last spring. Turbulence caused by strong weekend winds probably
tore the algae on the beach from the reefs.
"After the hurricanes of 2004, a big slug of nitrogen flowed into coastal waters," Lapointe said.
"You have a fast-growing area with a lot of sewage. Also, the Caloosahatchee is draining ag
lands, and you have water from Lake Okeechobee, which gets nitrogen-rich water from the
Kissimmee Valley. So with the sewage and the ag runoff, you get a double whammy."
While red drift algae clog Tarpon Bay, which is part of the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife
Refuge, a nasty green alga is fouling much of the refuge's other waterways. "During the
growing season, it grows incredibly fast," refuge manager Rob Jess said. "It has established
itself, so it takes less nutrients. We've seen our seagrass beds decline by half in the past two
years. The fishing is down. The mullet aren't here. The wilderness area has been tremendously
devastated." Jess said the algae is a mess. "We're in a long-term decline," he said. "If this
continues, we're going to have a sterile environment out here."
Source and article: http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007702010364.
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Roebuck Bay under threat from algae (Western Australia)
January 29, 2007, The West online
An algal bloom has invaded a 4km stretch of Broome's iconic Roebuck Bay, prompting
concerns the outbreak could damage the fragile marine habitat, a vital feeding ground for
dugongs and hundreds of thousands of migrating birds.
The blue-green alga Lyngbya, commonly known as mermaid's hair, is believed to be the culprit,
smothering the bay's mud flats for the second year in a row. Authorities are unsure of the cause
of the bloom, its consequences and what should be done to respond to the outbreak.
Environs Kimberley director Maria Mann said local environmental groups would meet the
council to discuss the bloom. "It is only going to get worse and worse unless the shire does
something about stormwater run-off," she said............ more
http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html
New red tide species detected off Sepanggar (Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia)
January 21, 2007 DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
Marine scientists at the Borneo Marine Research Institute (BMRI) of Universiti Malaysia Sabah
have identified a new species of red tide in Sepanggar Bay.
Prof. Datin Dr Ann Anton, who heads the harmful algal bloom (HAB) research group at BMRI,
disclosed that scientists are studying the recent red tide in order to determine the factors that
caused them and eventually to examine the ways and means of preventing the blooming of
harmful algal species. The on-going studies include finding innovative methods of identifying
the species for early detection of the blooms, studying the ecology of the red tide species and
measuring the ocean currents, which help in dispersing the red tide blooms. Seagrass-Watch
has monitoring sites in Sepanggar Bay............. more http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html
Vessel on its way out of bay (Manatee, Florida, USA)
January 27, 2007 HERALD STAFF REPORT
Soon, a wrecked paddlewheeler that's been drifting around Sarasota Bay south of the Cortez
Bridge will no longer be a menace to humans and habitat.
Manatee County's Conservation Lands Management Department said Friday it has retained a
marine contractor to remove what's left of the 60-foot Henry Flagler and its debris from the bay
bottom. Officials say removal of the boat, long familiar to those who frequent the Intracoastal
Waterway, will begin next week, depending upon the weather and tides.
Through a process of repeated floating and settling, the Flagler has caused substantial damage
to several large sections of seagrass in the area. Aerial photographs show several 1,800-
square-foot "footprints" where the ship laid upon the seagrass in the past.
"It's been in that area for six, seven years and has changed hands a number of times," Hipp
said. Since the boat is rapidly deteriorating, even larger areas of pristine seagrass could be
threatened by its spreading debris field. "The hull is to the point it's going to fall apart," Hipp
said. "Because it's so shallow there, we don't want it to make any additional impact to any
grasses. It has killed several seagrass beds already."
The county has entered discussions with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program and the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection to restore the damaged seagrass.
Source & full story: http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/16558148.htm
Anchors Away With RFID Smartbuoys (Italy)
January 8, 2007 By Nicole Martinelli (Wired News - USA)
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A new electronic mooring system billed as a boon for pampered boaters is also good for the
environment since it eliminates the need for dropping a coral-killing anchor.
The Italian-engineered MarPark (mare means sea in Italian) system, launched on an
experimental basis last summer in a few protected areas in Liguria and Sardinia, lets boaters
cruise into idyllic bays and hook a rope with a rubber ring to a smartbuoy. Simple as that,
they're safely harbored, no anchor necessary.
And that's just the start. If they've reserved a water taxi or need supplies or services, a
microchip in their SeaPass ring relays that info to an onshore service center. A text message
reassures the skipper via mobile phone that all systems are go.
Environmental group Legambiente got on board the MarPark project, with patent holder Italgest
Mare and technical partner Siemens Italia, to promote sustainable tourism in some of the
prettiest coves of the boot country. After monitoring effects on pioneer coral and Posidonia sea
grass in test areas, Legambiente was pleased enough by the trial run to give MarPark its 2006
innovation award.
With environmentalists' benediction, vacationers will be able to MarPark next summer in
swanky Costa Smeralda's Porto Cervo and Cala di Volpe as well as areas in Otranto (Puglia)
and Greek isle Corfu. By 2009, some 20 protected areas will use the system.
Source & full story: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72629-0.html?
tw=wn_technology_3.
18 manatees found dead, linked to eating laced seagrass (Florida, USA)
December 08, 2006,news-press.com
Eighteen manatee carcasses have been recovered in the Ten Thousand Islands area of
Everglades National Park since Nov. 9, and scientists think the animals died from eating red
tide-laced seagrass. Most of the dead manatees were recovered around Chevelier and Huston
bays, but some were found as far south as Lostman's River.
Since July, 24 manatees from Pinellas County to Lee County are suspected to have died from
red tide poisoning. Researchers recently discovered that manatees can die from eating
seagrass laced with red tide toxin weeks or months after a red tide bloom. Before that, red tide
had been thought to kill manatees only when they inhale the toxin at the water's
surface............... more http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html
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GALLERY
Semakau (Singapore): 04 February 2007 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/gallery.html
"Pulau Semakau. Better known as our nation's landfill but home to a vast meadow of seagrass,
stretching over 2km in length. To get to Pulau Semakau, we take a boat from West Coast Pier.
Team Seagrass gets right to work on the boat labelling the aluminium stakes that are to mark
our transect points at the three (yes, THREE) sites at Semakau." Text: Team Seagrass-
Singapore. TeamSeagrass Website http://teamseagrass.blogspot.com/
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FROM HQ
Training Workshop 26th February - Thursday Island (Torres Strait)
http://www.seagrasswatch.org/training.html#wrkshop07
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Seagrass Watch HQ in conjunction with the Land & Sea Management Unit (TSRA) will be
conducting as training workshop for Indigenous Rangers from Torres Strait and Mornington
Island (Gulf of Carpentaria) on Monday Feb 26 - PKA Hall Thursday Island. Enquiries to Jane
Mellors (ph 07 47222655 fax 07 47782970 mob 0417076309 Email
jane.mellors@dpi.qld.gov.au) or Miya Isherwood (ph 4069 2957).
Giveaways http://www.seagrasswatch.org/shop.html#GIVE1
Seagrasses of Australia
Phytoplankton Guide
Manual for Assessing Fish Stocks on Pacific Corral Reefs
Seagrass Biology
Bookmarks
Stickers
Future sampling dates http://www.seagrasswatch.org/sampling.html
Seagrass-Watch News Issue 27 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/newsletters.html
Handy Seagrass Links http://www.seagrasswatch.org/links.html
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DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions expressed in this bulletin are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the
Queensland Government. News articles posted as a free community service for the purposes of non-commercial
education, research and study; review and the reporting of news; and archived for reference of students and researchers
as a 'fair dealing' activity under Australian Copyright Law.
Seagrass-Watch is supported by the Australian Government's Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility
(Department of Environment & Heritage) represented in North Queensland by the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre,
the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), the Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service (EPA), the David &
Lucile Packard Foundation and the Queensland Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries.
Seagrass-Watch Bulletin is compiled by Len McKenzie & Rudi Yoshida.
8/07/2007