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Subject: SEAGRASS-WATCH BULLETIN - 22 April 2007
SEAGRASS-WATCH E- BULLETIN
22 April 2007
Seagrass-Watch's electronic news service, providing marine and coastal news of international and national interest.
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IN THIS BULLETIN
NEWS
Researchers, Industry, Government to Review Status of North Queensland Ecosystems (Queensland, Australia)
Land clearing, sand mining affect rivers (Persekutuan,Malaysia)
Villagers to reap benefits of resource project (Suva, Fiji)
Talayeru may obtain maņahak permits for Piti Bomb Holes (Hagåtņa,GU,USA)
State rewrites manatee plan (Daytona,FL,USA)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service consider removing manatees from endangered list (Miami, FL, USA)
Solomon's quake lifts island 3m out of sea (Solomon Islands)
Threat To A Gentle Giant (Belize)
Reef's Future looking Bleak (Australia)
Australian minister says Great Barrier Reef's survival cannot be assured (Australia)
EPA objects to Taylor marina (Tallahassee,FL,USA)
Great Barrier Reef faces decimation: WWF (Australia)
DPI&F on the hop over seagrass
Deadly jellyfish heading our way (Australia)
GALLERY
Magnetic Island (Qld): 19 April 2007
Mission Beach (Qld): 17-18 April 2007
Whitsunday's (Qld): 16-17 April 2007
Cairns (Qld): 15-16 April 2007
Sarina (Qld): 15 April 2007
Townsville (Qld): 14 -15 April 2007
Bolinao (Philippines): 9-10 April 2007
Sanur (Bali, Indonesia): 29 March 2007
PUBLICATIONS
Bolinao, Philippines training workshop proceedings: 9th 10th April 2007
FROM HQ
Virtual Herbarium
Giveaways
Future sampling dates
Newsletters
Handy Seagrass Links
8/07/2007
Message
Page 2 of 8
NEWS
Researchers, Industry, Government to Review Status of North Queensland Ecosystems
(Queensland, Australia)
April 16, 2007
Many of Australia's leading environmental scientists, mathematicians and social scientists
converged in Townsville this week to review the state of North Queensland's key ecosystems.
The researchers were developing new ways for Australia to look after its priceless natural
assets such as the Wet Tropics rainforests and Great Barrier Reef which are under pressure
from the effects of climate change, increased use and rapid economic growth in the region.
The inaugural Research Synthesis Conference of the Marine and Tropical Sciences Research
Facility (MTSRF) will be held 16-20 April. The MTSRF is a $40 million Australian Government
initiative aimed at researching and protecting the Great Barrier Reef, Wet Tropics and the
Torres Strait.
This first meeting brings together a unique combination of experts and will highlight impacts of
and responses to climate change on tropical rainforests and the reef, the impacts of water
quality on the reef, the changes measured since the introduction of the Great Barrier Reef
Zoning Plan, and the impacts of increasing population pressure on our World Heritage listed
environments. The Australian Government's Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility is
represented in North Queensland by the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC)....more
http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html
Land clearing, sand mining affect rivers (Persekutuan,Malaysia)
April 16, 2007, New Straits Times
JOHOR BARU: Rampant land clearing and sand mining have made Kota Tinggi prone to flash
floods. With over 100 tributaries converging into Sungai Johor, which cuts through this
historical town, it is prone to flooding whenever there is excessive rain. It bursts the river's
banks and inundates the town.
Dr Noor Baharim Hashim, a professor at the Department of Hydraulics and Hydrology in the
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said the research team's concerns
were not only about flash floods but also about the aftermath of a flood. "An increase in the
inflow of freshwater into the estuarine areas will affect the aquatic life for up to three weeks,"
said Noor Baharim. He said the nutrient level of the water samples collected from the Straits of
Johor showed there was a risk of algal bloom in the region. "There is increasing concern about
the oversupply of nutrients from multiple sources at the Sungai Johor estuary. This has
ecological effects on the shallow coastal and estuarine areas." The effects include a loss of
aquatic habitat and seagrass, an essential food for dugong and herbivorous fish.
Noor Baharim said the authorities could adopt best management practices (BMP), which
included building buffer zones and ponds to eradicate flash flood woes. A research programme
to monitor the water quality and velocity is also vital, as an efficient flood warning system can
predict a flood two days in advance. Noor Baharim said land-clearing activities should not be
carried out , especially during the monsoon period. ....more
http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html
Villagers to reap benefits of resource project (Suva, Fiji)
April 12, 2007, by Amelia Vunileba, Fiji Times
Community projects are often taken on with passion by those involved and many will say it is a
fulfilling initiative to partake in. Six villages took part in a district project on the island of Gau in
the Lomaiviti Province and have been rewarded for their hard work on their resource
management project.
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Called the Mositi Vanuaso Project, initial planning stages of this community initiative started in
2001 and got off to a start in 2002. This is an environmental project which encourages villagers
to manage their environmental resources to ensure there is something for future generations.
Their efforts have been recognised and have been awarded the National Energy Globe Award
for Fiji.
University of the South Pacific academic, Dr Joeli Veitayaki, who hails from Gau, has been
involved in the project since it started in 2001 and is very proud of the changes that have come
about as a result of the project. Dr Veitayaki says discussions on the project started in 2001
after the women in the six villages of the Vanuaso district found that fish numbers had
decreased....more http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html
Legal limits needed for nitrogen levels in Barnegat Bay (Asbury Park,NJ,USA)
April 21, 2007, by Kirk Moore, Asbury Park Press
Establishing legal limits for nitrogen-based nutrient levels in Barnegat Bay and its tributary
streams is an imperative first step if there's to be any hope for restoring the estuary's battered
ecosystem, a Rutgers University scientist says in a newly issued report. "The most immediate
need for the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor estuarine system is the reduction of nitrogen
loading," research scientist Michael J. Kennish wrote. "Long-term ecosystem improvement can
only be achieved by reducing nitrogen inputs to the estuary."
Starting up a comprehensive monitoring of the bay's seagrass beds and microscopic plant life,
called phytoplankton, will help track the impact of nitrogen overloading, Kennish says in the
report, "Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor Estuary: Ecosystem Condition and Recommendations,"
which was submitted to the Barnegat Bay Estuary Program.
Finally, the bay needs a comprehensive survey of its animal life, especially the bottom-dwelling,
or benthic, community, which hasn't been fully studied in almost 40 years, Kennish wrote.
Kennish is the chief Barnegat Bay investigator at the Rutgers Institute for Marine and Coastal
Sciences. Earlier this year, he and fellow scientists issued a report warning that over
enrichment of bay waters with nitrogen compounds has been fuelling excessive algae blooms
and reducing underwater seagrass meadows.
Source & full story: http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070421/NEWS03/704210330/1007
Talayeru may obtain maņahak permits for Piti Bomb Holes (Hagåtņa,GU,USA)
April 13, 2007, Pacific Daily News
The Department of Agriculture has issued a special permit to allow the catch of juvenile rabbit
fish (maņahak) within the Piti Bomb Holes Preserve. Fishing normally is not allowed between
Asan Point and the Piti channel, which are the boundaries of the Piti Bomb Holes Marine
Preserve, but for the next several days, net-throwing fishermen have permission to try their luck
at catching maņahak and achemson.
Maņahak are seasonal fish that are not regular reef residents, so the Department of Agriculture
does not object to those fish being caught, conservation officials have said. But residents need
permission to fish in the preserves, which were created a decade ago in response to the
shrinking numbers and smaller sizes of reef fish.
To catch maņahak, officials at the Guam Department of Agriculture's Division of Wildlife
Resources have place several conditions which fishermen must follow, including that Talaya
nets should not be thrown onto seagrass bed areas or live corals. The Department of
Agriculture's conservation officers will fully enforce all laws and regulations in the preserve.
Source & full story: http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
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AID=/20070413/NEWS01/704130334/1002
State rewrites manatee plan (Daytona,FL,USA)
April 13, 2007, Daytona Beach News-Journal
State officials have rewritten a proposed manatee management plan, hoping to underscore
their commitment to the popular marine mammals. The first draft plan, released by the Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission last fall, sparked controversy by admitting there
was a 12 percent chance of a 50 percent decline in the manatee population in the future. The
new version restates the goal, saying the agency wants to reduce that chance to a 1 percent
chance of a 50 percent decline.
The commission also added a commitment to protect seagrass, the primary source of food for
manatees.
The plan also includes objectives to improve the methods used to estimate manatee
populations, continue working to minimize human-related manatee deaths and to work with
electric utilities to plan to prevent manatee deaths if the utilities shut down any of the warm
water outfalls now used by the animals during the winter.
The commission has voted to move the manatee from endangered to threatened, but a
management plan must be approved before the change can take effect. Written comments will
be accepted beginning May 7 and the commission is expected to vote on the plan in
September.
Source & full story: http://www.news-
journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Enviro/envENV01041307.htm
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service consider removing manatees from endangered list (Miami, FL,
USA)
April 9, 2007, The Florida Times Union
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering upgrading the manatee's status from
endangered to threatened, a move that would indicate the animal has rebounded from the brink
of extinction. The manatee would still remain protected under the federal Endangered Species
Act, making it illegal to harass, poach or kill the animals.
Source & full text: http://www.jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/040907/D8OD2NR00.shtml
Solomon's quake lifts island 3m out of sea (Solomon Islands)
April 8, 2007, ABC news online
The seismic jolt that unleashed the deadly Solomon's tsunami this week lifted an entire island
metres out of the sea,
destroying some of the world's most pristine coral reefs. In an instant, the grinding of the
Earth's tectonic plates in the
8.0 magnitude earthquake on Monday forced the island of Ranongga up three metres.
Submerged reefs that once attracted scuba
divers from around the globe lie exposed and dying after the quake raised the mountainous
landmass, which is 32 kilometres
long and eight kilometres wide.....more http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html
Threat to a gentle giant (Belize)
April 8, 2007, Sky News
For centuries manatees, or sea cows, have been associated with myths and mysteries around
the world. But now this gentle sea mammal is fast becoming an endangered animal. The
trouble is the creature's natural environment is also becoming increasingly attractive to tourists
who bring with them powerful boats and other water craft.
8/07/2007
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Scars from boat propellers Dr James Powell from the Wildlife Trust who leads a team of
conservationists trying to save the creatures from being endangered says: "When you think
about how fast powerboats travel, between 40 and 70 miles an hour, Manatees simply don't get
a chance to get out of the way.
Sharing the manatee's home here in the Belizean jungle is the British Army. But between
training commitments, the hardware and many soldiers turn their attention towards helping
capture wild manatee as part of the conservation project. British Army helicopter pilot Richard
Robinson says: "As you know these creatures are bottom feeders so they feed on
seagrass. "From the helicopter we can see the tracks in the grass where the manatees have
been eating. Manatees tracked from the air "You can virtually follow those tracks and more
likely or not they will lead us to the animals. It's literally like following a railway line."
Source & full text: http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1259643,00.html
Reef's Future looking Bleak (Australia)
April 7, 2007, Cairns Post
T he Great Barrier Reef faces a colourless future if the Australian Government does not act
quickly, a new report by conservation group WWF warns. The report singles out 10 micro-
regions across the globe already being affected by climate change and warns of bleak futures if
action is not taken......more http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html
Australian minister says Great Barrier Reef's survival cannot be assured (Australia)
April 7, 2007, The Associated Press
The Australian government will do everything it can to prevent the demise of the Great Barrier
Reef due to global warming, the environment minister said Saturday after a U.N. committee
found its survival was in doubt by 2030......more http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html
EPA objects to Taylor marina (Tallahassee,FL,USA)
April 6, 2007, By Bruce Ritchie, Tallahassee Democrat
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has come out against a proposed marina in Taylor
County that already faces intense environmental opposition. Secret Promise Ltd. and Dr. J.
Crayton Pruitt are proposing to scoop out 26 acres of the salt marsh and to fill in almost 9 acres
for a marina. They also propose dredging a two-mile long channel offshore through the Big
Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve.
Developer Chuck Olson said the agency's comments came before Secret Promise submitted a
plan for managing and protection seagrass in the area. He said the plan should convince
agencies to support the project. Environmental groups have lined up in opposition to the project
while Taylor County business groups are supporting it as a boost for local tourism. More than
1,000 comments in opposition to the project have been submitted to the Corps of Engineers,
said Ed Sarfert, senior project manager in the agency's Pensacola field office.
Source & full story: http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070406/BREAKINGNEWS/704060363
Great Barrier Reef faces decimation: WWF (Australia)
April 5, 2007, Sydney Morning Herald
"Essentially what we're saying is there's a certain amount of warming locked in which will result
in more frequent and probably more severe bleaching events into the future," Mr Leck said.
"Australia cannot expect other nations to help save the reef." ......more
http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html
8/07/2007
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DPI&F on the hop over seagrass (Queensland, Australia)
April 5, 2007.RRRC media release
Comprehensive seagrass surveys have been completed as part of a program to monitor the
state of this vital fish habitat area between Hinchinbrook Island and Cape Bowling Green. The
Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) "hopped" from site to site in a
helicopter at low tide using GPS to map the status of seagrass.
DPI&F fisheries biologist Helen Taylor said a detailed baseline survey around southern
Hinchinbrook Island and the Herbert River mouth was conducted during the low tide last week.
"This is an important catchment area with major fisheries habitats," Ms Taylor said. "The
seagrass meadows in this area support a large dugong population." "It is important to collect
information on these seagrass habitats as they face threats from a range of sources including
climate change, pollution and coastal development." The survey covered Halifax Bay,
Cleveland Bay and down to Bowling Green Bay south of Townsville as well.......more
http://www.seagrasswatch.org/news.html
Deadly jellyfish heading our way (Australia)
April 5, 2007, by Richard Macey, The Sydney Morning Herald
CLIMATE change has dramatically altered the ocean current flowing down Australia's east
coast, sending water temperatures soaring, rearranging the distribution of sea life and making
the water more acidic. By 2070, CSIRO marine biologists warned yesterday, NSW could have
dugongs frolicking off the coast - and box jellyfish wreaking havoc on tourism.
Source & full story: http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/deadly-jellyfish-heading-our-
way/2007/04/04/1175366325696.html
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GALLERY
Magnetic Island (Qld): 19 April 2007 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/gallery.html
Picnic Bay, MI1
Cockle Bay, MI2
Mission Beach (Qld): 17-18 April 2007 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/gallery.html
Lugger Bay: 17 April 2007
RWQPP monitoring in the Far North moved south to Lugger Bay, Mission Beach, where LB1
and LB2 were monitored. Lugger Bay seagrass was severely impacted from the effects of TC
Larry in March 2006. The excellent weather, and lowest tides of the month were ideal for
monitoring, as Lugger Bay has proven difficult to monitor during previous sampling events if the
elements are not ideal.
Dunk Island: 18 April 2007
Whitsunday's (Qld): 16-17 April 2007 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/gallery.html
Hamilton Island: 16 April 2007
Pioneer Bay: 17 April 2007
Cairns (Qld): 15-16 April 2007 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/gallery.html
Yule Point: 15 April 2007
With the start of RWQPP monitoring for 2007, Yule Point sites YP1 and YP2 were monitored on
Sunday. Seagrass-Watch HQ, with help from Masao and Nicolette Yoshida (who monitor CW1
8/07/2007
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and CW2, Cawaci, Fiji), monitored and completed both sites at Yule Point in good time.
Green Island: 16 April 2007
RWQPP monitoring continued in the Far North, with Green Island's two sites GI1 and GI2 next
on the schedule. With a low tide at 1430 and excellent conditions, the team of 4 completed the
monitoring in record time.
Sarina (Qld): 15 April 2007 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/gallery.html
Townsville (Qld): 14 -15 April 2007 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/gallery.html
Bushland Beach: 14 April 2007
Shelly Beach: 15 April 2007
Bolinao (Philippines): 9-10 April 2007 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/gallery.html
As part of the UNEP/GEF South China Sea Project, a Seagrass-Watch training workshop was
hosted by the Bolinao Seagrass Demonstration Site at the University of the Philippines' Bolinao
Marine Laboratory with the assistance of Seagrass-Watch HQ. The project recognises the
ecological and economic roles of seagrasses in Bolinao, and that the maintenance of their
ecology and integrity will, in both the long and short term contribute to uplifting the lives of the
citizens of this municipality. Approximately 30 local participants attended. The workshop gave
the participants a thorough understanding of seagrass ecosystems, improved their capacity to
monitor their seagrass resources, and empowered them to take ownership of their local marine
resources and take a role in initiatives to protect, conserve and maintain the resources.
Sanur (Bali, Indonesia): 29 March 2007 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/gallery.html
Seagrass-Watch HQ visited Bali in late March to monitor the Sanur site, however, due to
unfavourable tides and a fierce tropical storm (torrential rain and lightning), the site could not be
monitored.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
PUBLICATIONS
Bolinao, Philippines training workshop proceedings: 9th 10th April
2007 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/training.html#Proceedings
McKenzie, L.J. (2007). Seagrass-Watch: Guidelines for Philippine Participants. Proceedings of
a training workshop, Bolinao Marine Laboratory, University of the Philippines, 9th 10th April
2007 (DPI&F, Cairns). 36pp. (970kb)
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FROM HQ
Virtual Herbarium http://www.seagrasswatch.org/herbarium.html
Giveaways http://www.seagrasswatch.org/shop.html#GIVE1
Seagrasses of Australia
Phytoplankton Guide
Manual for Assessing Fish Stocks on Pacific Corral Reefs (only 1 left)
Seagrass Biology
Bookmarks
Stickers
Seagrass-Watch Newsletter 28 (hardcopy)
8/07/2007
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Future sampling dates http://www.seagrasswatch.org/sampling.html
Seagrass-Watch News Issue 28 http://www.seagrasswatch.org/newsletters.html
Handy Seagrass Links http://www.seagrasswatch.org/links.html
************************************************************
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 the Environment and Water Resources) 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 Queensland Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries and by private donations.
Seagrass-Watch E- Bulletin is compiled by Len McKenzie & Rudi Yoshida.
8/07/2007