Reef in Review 2022 by Australian Coral Reef Society

REEF IN REVIEW The story of a People expressed in the life history and adaptation of coral pp. 11-13 A changing climate for coral reef research pp. 54-56 Women in the ACRS pp. 14-15 THE MAGAZINE OF THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY #51 2022

The Australian Coral Reef Society acknowledges the Traditional Owners of coral reefs throughout Australia. We pay respect to their elders, past, present, and emerging.

Into the current © Melanie Hava

5THE AUSTRALIAN

Sarah President,HamyltonAustralian Coral Reef Society

Look out for these exciting initiatives as our hundredth anniversary year unfolds!

Message from the President

Left: Rayz4dayz © Chris Doropoulos CORAL REEF SOCIETY

This year we celebrate the hundred year anniversary of the Australian Coral Reef Society, previously known as the Great Barrier Reef Committee. We have been working on several initiatives to mark this milestone and reflect on the work of the Society, including a forthcoming book, a paper on the activities of the Society and an exhibition to celebrate a hundred years of coral reef science. The book ‘Coral Reefs of Australia: Perspectives from beyond the water’s edge’, compiles perspectives from over seventy Society members and Councillors to provide an interdisciplinary snapshot of what it means to live alongside Australia’s coral reefs. Several Council members have taken a deep dive into the ACRS archives to publish a paper outlining key developments in the science, protection and management of Australian coral reefs over the hundred year lifetime of the GBRC/ACRS. We have also been working closely with the Queensland Museum to put together an exhibition that will launch in August and feature in the annual conference, due to take place in Brisbane, November 25th – 28th.

The ACRS is increasingly being called upon to assist with political decision making through Senate Inquiry hearings, Royal Commissions and Expert Panels, and we continue to speak out on behalf of coral reefs and the marine life they support. Councillor Kennedy Wolfe penned an ACRS submission recommending to the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment that the Great Barrier Reef Teatfish fishery is not approved for Wildlife Trade Operation. Australia’s Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley, did not approve the black teatfish fishery and developed ten new conditions of the fishery to enhance sustainability that drew heavily on recommendations made by the scientific community. Our ACRS activities drive meaningful reform for Australia’s marine biodiversity and expand the Society’s lengthy record of scientific advocacy and conservation to secure the long-term future of Australian coral reefs. We rely on the expertise of our members to provide objective advice to policymakers and we wish to thank those of you who have helped us in this ACRSregard.council members have dedicated themselves over the last year to keeping coral reefs at the forefront of people’s minds. Our digital identity has continued to grow with the success of our online Reef Matters seminar series. This has included well attended talks from Charlie Veron, Mark Baird, Marion Wong, Jennifer Donelson, Yolanda Waters and David Blakeway. Through our student research and travel grants, we have also continued to support some of the best and brightest in the world as the next generation of reef scientists working on Australia’s reefs.

Over the last year we have been busy working to promote the study, protection and conservation of Australia’s coral reefs through a range of ACRS activities. 2022 continues to be a time of remarkable change. In March we saw mass bleaching on the GBR - for the first time, this happened despite the cooling influence of La Niña. ACRS has been keeping up the pressure on both Federal and State government departments to act on climate change, an issue which is fundamental to the health of Australia’s coral reefs. In June, we issued several media statements in response to the proposed InDanger listing of the GBR Word Heritage Area and worked with the Australian Marine Conservation Society on the public statement “Support of UNESCO’s Great Barrier Reef recommendation to the World Heritage Committee”.

ACRS COUNCIL 2021-22 PRESIDENT Sarah Hamylton University of Wollongong VICE-PRESIDENT David Suggett University of Technology Sydney PAST PRESIDENT Anna Scott Southern Cross University SECRETARY Steph Gardner University of New South Wales TREASURER Stephanie Duce James Cook University MEMBERSHIP MANAGER Samantha Goyen Australian Institute of Marine Science MAGAZINE TEAM Michelle Dyer GBR Marine Park Authority Kennedy Wolfe University of Queensland Catheline Froehlich University of Wollongong WEBSITE MANAGER Coulson Lantz University of New South Wales Tess Hill James Cook University COUNCILLORS Graeme Cumming James Cook University Victor Huertas James Cook University Chris Roelfsema University of Queensland Carrie Sims Australian Institute of Marine Science Greg Torda James Cook University Selina Ward University of Queensland Brett Lewis Queensland University of Technology Saskia Jurriaans Australian Institute of Marine Science Sven Uthicke Australian Institute of Marine Science Cover: Reef scene at Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia © Matt Curnock/ Ocean Image AboriginalBankand Torres Strait Islander readers should be aware that this publication may contain images or names of people who have passed away. Table of contents 5 Message from the President 11 The story of a People expressed in the life history and adaptation of coral 14 Women in the Australian Coral Reef Society 16 Finding a long-term view of long-term change on GBR fringing reefs 20 Adventure, survival, death and myth: Wrecks on the Reef 22 Book review: A Year on the Reef, Maurice Yonge 24 The stories behind our ACRS awards 27 2020 ACRS Research Awards 34 ACRS Submissions 2021-2022 36 A conservation win for sea cucumbers 38 Reef Matters Seminar Series 40 Research Station updates 48 Social Science Community for the Great Barrier Reef 50 News from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority 54 A changing climate for coral reef research 60 Globally consistent reef habitat maps 62 Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 64 Women of the Reef 66 Keepers of the reef: children’s book 68 Marine Art THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY 7

Diverse Acropora, Orpheus island. Photo credit Augustine J Crosbie ACRS turns 100 years old Where have we been? Where are we now? Where are we going?

The Australian Coral Reef Society was initially established in 1922 as the Great Barrier Reef Committee with a group of four councillors. We now have 20 councillors. Throughout our history the Society has played critical roles on many important aspects of reef conservation, including one of the first expeditions to survey the Great Barrier Reef in 1928-1929 and submissions to government on important reef health issues. We have held yearly conferences showcasing groundbreaking reef research and discussions for reef conservation. Our Society has advocated for continued research on the reef, through many other avenues, like establishing the Heron Island Research Station and supporting research around Australia. Our Society continues to strive for excellence in reef science, conservation and improvement in reefWordsmanagement.byCatheline Froehlich

Where have we been? Photo credit: M. Nordborg

A n extraordinary example of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives blending with western marine science has emerged in a growing partnership between the Woppaburra people, Traditional Owners of the Keppel Islands and surrounding sea Country in the southern Great Barrier Reef, and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS).

Bob Muir - Woppaburra Traditional Owner, Australian Institute of Marine Science

11 Photo taken in 1902 of the last 19 Woppaburra people to live-on country, waiting for transport ©John Oxley Library. THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY

From Woppaburra’s perspective, the workshop became a significant and rare opportunity to come together and return to Country. In 1902 the last 19 Woppaburra people to live on Country were forcefully relocated to various missions across Queensland. Families were separated and people were disconnected from Country. Today, a large population of Woppaburra people remain dispersed across Australia. The workshop provided the first ever opportunity to be on Country for over half of participants, and the second ever opportunity for a further 25%. Many family members met each other for the first time at the workshop. In a way, the workshop provided cultural repatriation of a people, expressed in the words of one participant “How powerful to say in future that you were the first to come back. We are the living story. We don’t want to be the textbook story”.

Meaghan Cummins - Woppaburra Traditional Owner. Chair, Woppaburra TUMRA Steering Committee

In December 2019, AIMS supported an on-Country workshop at Konomie (North Keppel Island) with 46 Woppaburra people representing multi-generations, gender diversity and all six ancestral familial lineages. A further 18 participants included AIMS staff and external contractors, collaborators, stakeholders and facilitators.

From AIMS’ perspective, a key purpose of the workshop was to consult with Woppaburra people about a proposed AIMS project. The project is to investigate the drivers of survival and growth of baby coral during their first year of life, using Woppaburra corals and their sea Country as a natural laboratory. According to AIMS new Indigenous Partnerships Plan, this proposed project required the Free Prior Informed Consent of the Traditional Owners. The AIMS team also wished to co-design the study locations for the project, and identify ideas for future joint partnership projects that AIMS and Woppaburra may wish to pursue together.

The story of a People expressed in the life history and adaptation of coral Cultural revival and reconnection through a marine science partnership

Libby Evans-Illidge - Australian Institute of Marine Science

Following AIMS new policy and procedures, the science presentations began with a ‘truth telling’ session called ‘confessions of the scientist’. In this session, AIMS staff presented information about marine science AIMS had already been doing in Woppaburra sea Country since AIMS’ establishment in 1972, prior to implementing the current approach and without any engagement. This session is always an important first step in developing new relationships with Traditional Owners. It draws a metaphorical ‘line in the sand’ between the old way and the new.

“How powerful to say in future that you were the first to come back. We are the living story. We don’t want to be the story”textbook

Some of this information is received well, however sometimes past projects represent culturally offensive practice and this was the case of one past project presented to the Woppaburra people. The project in question transplanted Woppaburra corals to more northern (warmer) reef locations and then conducted heat-stress experiments to measure thermal tolerance of corals. The Woppabarra corals bleached and then recovered in the warmer water, and subsequently demonstrated improved heat tolerance that was comparable to the native corals from the warmer location. The Woppaburra corals were shown to have increased thermal tolerance by changing their zooxanthellae symbiont type. This work was a major scientific breakthrough demonstrating, for the first time, that thermal adaptation in corals was causally due to shuffling symbiont type to suit local conditions. However, to the Woppaburra participants, the removal and relocation of Woppaburra corals to another group’s sea Country, without consent, was culturally dangerous and offensive. Further open and honest discussion led Meaghan Cummins to this epiphany: The story of the corals in these experiments is analogous to that of the Woppaburra people themselves. They too were taken without consent, disconnected from Country and relocated elsewhere where they subsequently survived through resilience and adaptation to new environments.

participants lamented the loss of Woppaburra culture through time, and not one person knew of a Woppaburra song or dance. However – by the end of the workshop – the Woppaburra coral dance emerged encompassing some known Woppaburra language words. With full permissions from elders present, the dance was performed for the first time at the workshop closure, and became a major celebrated outcome of the workshop. As exclaimed by one participant “We want to go home and say ‘we made a dance!’. When we came here we didn’t know a Woppaburra dance”. The dance which was performed to clap sticks and clapping, is described on the opposite page.

1.References

The Woppaburra descendants who returned to Konomie in 2019 for the workshop

REEF IN REVIEW

E. Evans-Illidge, R. Muir, M. Gooch, E. Lawrey, T. Forester, E. Duggan, C. Randal, E. O'Regan, K. Quigley, A. Paloni and L. Bay, “WoppaburraAIMS workshp report. On country at Konomie December 2019.,” Australian Institute of Marine Science and Woppaburra TUMRA Steering Committee, Townsville, 2020. 2. AIMS, “Australian Institute of Marine Science Indigenous Partnerships Policy,” 2021. [Online]. 3. E. EvansIllidge, T. Forester, M. Depczynski, E. Duggan and D. Souter, “AIMS Indigenous Partnerships Plan - from engagement to partnerships,” 2020. [Online]. 4. Australian Museum, “Historical photos of the Woppaburra people,” Australian Museum, [Online]. Available: the-keppel-islands/historical-photos-of-the-woppaburra-people/.australian.museum/learn/cultures/atsi-collection/woppaburra-people-of-https:// 5. R. Muir and R. Muir, This is Woppa - Great Keppel Island Cultural and History, Rockhampton: Bob and Ros Muir, 2020. 6. GBRMPA, “Woppaburra Traditional Owner Heritage Assessment,” [Online]. 7. R. Berkelmans and M. van Oppen, “The role of zooxanthellae in the thermal

4. On the command of ‘Yumba’ meaning ‘home’, the larvae crouched to the ground to feel their place, displaying some of the larval settlement behaviours (tasting the substrate) that were observed in coral larvae at the workshop.

5. On the command of ‘Woppaburra’ the dancers know they are home and prepare to become stationed.

The story of the dance…

3. The dancers then begin their larval phase, and begin to disperse, to find their place.

6. On the command of ‘Yarn’ or ‘Go’, the dancers triumphantly metamorphose into adult corals, each in their own style.

THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY

Treasurer Secretary President Vice President and in the ACRS over the past 100 years.

Later Dr Patricia Mather (above) was Secretary from 1967-1975, an important time for Australian coral reef research. She was very heavily involved in co-ordinating the 2nd International Coral Reef Symposium held on board the Marco Polo in 1973 and the subsequent publication of the proceedings. She also was a very active advocate for the establishment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in 1975. Patricia was followed by Dr Anne Cameron in 1975-76. Patricia who worked extensively at Heron Island and with Isobel Bennett (who had worked with William Dakin and wrote “Australian Seashores”) produced the first field guide to the reef “A Coral Reef Handbook “ in 1978, followed by a 2nd edition in 1984 based primarily on the Capricorn Bunker Group, and in 1993 produced a completely revised version which covered the entire GBR although certainly still with a lot of focus on the southern part. These handbooks were essential reading for all the students who visited Heron Island on school or university field trips. Later on the ACRS Council realised the need for a more comprehensive book on the GBR and in 2006 signed an agreement with CSIRO publishing to produce “The Great Barrier Reef, Biology, Environment and Management”. The book was edited by Pat Hutchings, Mike Kingsford and Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and was published in 2008 with a 2nd edition in 2019. The royalties from the sale of these books have funded student grants.

REEF IN REVIEW14 Above ﬁgure: Number of male versus female treasurers, secretaries, presidents

Several other women have been secretary of the ACRS, Pat Hutchings (1985-87, 1988-89), Vicki Harriott (1987-88), Carden Wallace (1989-90), Selina Ward (1997-2000), Emma Gyuris (2000-2001), Maria del Carmen Gomez-Cabrera (2001-2004), Anke Klueter (2004-2006), Ulrike Siebeck (2006-2011), Selma

Women in the Australian Coral Reef Society

FemaleMale

vice presidents

While we lack the early historical records of the councillors of the GBRC, it is likely that few if any women were represented and this is probably because few coral reef researchers at this time were female. The records show that once women started to become Council members they often became the ACRS secretaries and have been its treasurers in unbroken succession for the last 26 years. Professor Dorothy Hill (left) was Council Secretary from 1945-1955. She wrote two extensive histories of the Society (Hill, 1984, 1985). In the opening pages of Dorothy Hill’s committee,BarrierdealingsaccounthistoricaloftheoftheGreatReefwhich would later become the Australian Coral Reef Society, we learn Sir Matthew Nathan was elected Chairman and that it was at this meeting in Brisbane on 12 September 1928 that Miss H.F. Todd was appointed to the position of Assistant Secretary.

By Pat Hutchings In 1928 a woman makes an appearance in the Great Barrier Reef Committee records (latterly the ACRS). With permission by G.H. Knibbs, Director of the Queensland Office of the Institute of Science and Industry, Miss H.F. Todd was appointed to the position of Assistant Secretary, in which she was allowed to take notes at the meeting in Brisbane on 12 September 1928. The permission was duly received and, in the decades that followed, the notes were characteristically penned by women, saying little about women. On the hundredth anniversary of the Australian Coral Reef Society- Great Barrier Reef Committee, we wish to start rectifying this situation by outlining the important role that women have played within the council of this Society, which has done much to understand and protect Australia’s coral reefs.

The Society has also been led by several female Presidents and Vice Presidents: Pat Mather, Pat Hutchings, Selina Ward, Anna Scott and currently Sarah Hamylton.

Women have played significant roles in ensuring that the GBRC/ACRS has been a major player in promoting Australian coral reef science, running several major International conferences, as well as annual scientific conferences since the 1980’s, commenting on zoning plans for Australian marine parks, and awarding student grants for research.

THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY

Bottom: Dr Sarah Hamylton

Klanten (2014-2018), Carrie Sims (2018-2020) and Stephanie Gardner (2020-2022) and all of these playing an important role in supporting the President and the Council.

Top: Dr Selina Ward

Below: Dr Anna Scott

This story of the role of women in Australian coral reef research needs to be told and we are planning to prepare a follow up paper.

Above: Dr Pat Hutchings

Selina has played a critical role in organising and running the annual conferences of the ACRS and been highly successful in sourcing venues and sponsorships. In addition, women have also been well represented on the council assisting in commenting on zoning plans for Australian coral reefs as well as in evaluating student grants. Perhaps what is even more interesting is that since 1996, all the Treasurers have been female.

Finding a long-term view of long-term change on GBR fringing reefs

Figure 1: Bleached Montipora corals on Slade islet reef off Mackay in April 2020 I often wish for a time machine so that I could go back 300 years or so and see what the coastal fringing reefs of the GBR were really like before European settlement. The next best thing is to watch what happens over time on our fringing reefs and try and figure out long-term trends in reef health. We have been lucky enough to have followed several fringing reefs for decades, making regular surveys of coral cover in multiple sites. These locations include Snapper Island, off the Daintree River entrance in the far north, Magnetic Island off Townsville and several small islands off Mackay on the central coast. These reefs have suffered multiple impacts over these studies, with cyclones, floods, crown-of-thorns outbreaks and bleaching events all taking their toll. So have we found any consistent long-term trends? It depends on which location or even which site we are looking at.

Coral cover on Magnetic Island reefs fluctuated over the seventeen years between 1989 and late 2006 but did not change dramatically despite three serious impacts: bleaching in 1998 and 2002 and a direct cyclone hit in March 2000. Four more serious impacts affected these reefs from 2006 to 2022 but overall coral cover had only decreased from 43% in 1989 to 37% in 2022. Coral recovery between impacts on the Magnetic Island reefs seems to be high enough that coral cover is mostly being maintained. When we look in detail the story is also more complicated in this

Figure 4: Long-term coral cover changes on Nelly Bay fringing reefs. Figure 5: Long-term coral cover changes on Geoffrey Bay fringing reefs.

16 REEF IN REVIEW

The Mackay reefs have suffered three major impacts in the fifteen years we have followed them. These have been caused by cyclones Ului and Debbie in 2010 and 2017 and mass coral bleaching in 2020. Although the cyclones did not directly impact the Mackay region, sustained gale force winds severely damaged these reefs. The bleaching event affected 40-70% of corals and caused further coral damage. These reefs have recovered too slowly between these major impacts to maintain coral cover, and grand mean cover has decreased from 38% in early 2006 to only 21% in 2021. This doesn’t tell the full story. Slade Islet, one of the three locations, had several sites where the reefs were dominated by sheets of Montipora. Coral cover at these sites was 68% in 2006 and had plummeted to only 12% in 2021. Victor Islet, another of these Mackay locations, had one site similarly dominated by Montipora where coral cover increased slightly in spite of these impacts, from 59% to 61%.

By Tony and Avril Ayling

Figure 8: Rich coral community on northern Snapper Island reefs 2013 Figure 9: Coral communities on Snapper Island northern reefs devastated by a cyclone in 2014

Figure 10: Coral communities at one Snapper Island site had not recovered by 2021. Note ﬁgures 8, 9 and 10 taken close to same position.

Figure 12: Coral communities at another northern Snapper site had recovered strongly by 2021.

Coral cover is up in Nelly Bay over this 33 year period, from 33% to 36%, but down in Geoffrey Bay from 45% to 35%. Even within bays there are differences. Four new shallow sites were established in the northern part of Nelly Bay in 2000 to look at possible impacts of the marina. These had 77% coral cover when set up but were down dramatically to only 15% by 2022. These sites were badly affected by flooding in the 2008/2009 wet season and by Cyclone Yasi in 2011 and have not managed to recover. At Snapper Island, up north of Cairns, there have also been many fringing reef impacts and vast fluctuations in coral cover. These reefs were seriously impacted by a cyclone and flooding in 1979 and were still recovering slowly during our first visit in 1983 with only 5-15% coral cover. By 1988 coral cover was well over 50%, despite coral bleaching in 1987, and was a staggering 88% in late 1994. Another huge flood from the Daintree River in 1996 damaged the shallow parts of these reefs, especially on the south side of the island and reduced coral cover down to only 41%. Coral cover on the south side decreased from 88% down to only 12%. Since that time there have been multiple further impacts including Cyclone Rona in 1999, COTS outbreak in 2013, more floods, more cyclones and mass bleaching in 2017. Overall coral cover reached a low of only 15% following Cyclone Rona but increased rapidly to be over 50% by 2010. Further cyclones and a COTs outbreak reduced coral cover on the northern Snapper reefs to only 2% in late 2014 and only 35% on the southern reefs. Some Snapper sites have managed to recover to good coral cover up to 2021 despite continuing impacts but others are stuck in a very low coral cover, algal dominated, state. Many of the Magnetic Island and Mackay surveys were instigated to look for potential dredging impacts. Even huge dredging programs like the Port of Hay Point capital dredging episode in 2006 had insignificant impacts on coral cover compared to the ongoing major changes caused by weather events, including associated coral bleaching. What these long-term studies tell us is that fringing reefs are subjected to regular massive impacts that can devastate coral cover. Recovery can be very strong but may be delayed locally for various reasons. There is no simple story but rather a mosaic of impact severity and recovery trends. We look forward to continuing following these fringing reef changes and trying to work out what that time machine would have revealed!

Figure 6: Rich coral community on shallow Nelly Bay reefs in 2005. Figure 7: Benthic community on same shallow Nelly Bay reefs February 2022.

Figure 11: Badly bleached corals on Snapper Island reefs in 2017

Tony and Avril Ayling 17THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY

Acknowledgements: North Queensland Bulk Ports and TropWater supported the Mackay region surveys. Magnetic Island surveys were supported by the GBRMPA, marina construction companies, the TPA and the Magnetic Island Community Development Association. The GBRMPA funded the Snapper surveys up to 2005 but AIMS have supported this location over the past seventeen years as part of the inshore fringing reef program.

Join us for the book launch at CORAL

“HOW THE REEF WAS WON. That headline ran nationwide, trumpeting the news that Ningaloo was safe. To some degree it reflected the story we told ourselves, even those of us who knew better, those who understood that the price of victory is eternal vigilance. But that’s how it felt. Ningaloo was safer. Saved, even.”

A teaser….

From preface

Coral Reefs of Australia

REEF SOCIETY

Perspectives from Beyond the Water’s Edge

From Chapter 4: Understanding the fundamentals of coral reefs

In celebration of ACRS’ 100th birthday we launch an edited collection of diverse perspectives and knowledge of Australia’s coral reefs and our relationships to them.

“Sea country has deep spiritual and ceremonial significance for Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders, who have lived alongside Australia’s reefs for many thousands of years………Over the course of four centuries, the perception of Australia’s coral reefs has shifted…….Once, a lone coral reef emerging unexpectedly from the blue depths was a jagged mortal hazard; now, it is a resilient outpost of vulnerable marine biodiversity.”

This book is an an interdisciplinary collection of perspectives from people who work and live with Australia’s coral reefs. It showcases the geographic diversity of Australia’s reefs and how people have lived alongside them through space and time, incorporating perspectives from Indigenous writers, historians, biophysical scientists, economists, anthropologists and environmentalists.

the ACRS conference in Brisbane 25-28th November 2022 19THE AUSTRALIAN

“What began for most as a passion is now deadly serious. As local and global threats have multiplied, our understanding of coral reefs in the Anthropocene is more important than ever, with humans directly changing planetary temperatures. Corals are now the ‘canary in the coalmine’ for the impacts of global climate change, having suffered more frequent and intense mass coral bleaching and mortality, dramatic species range shifts, ocean acidification, and more.”

“As with Rome, reefs are not built in a day. The modern coral reef communities that inspire us with their beauty, and command our attention, represent only thin veneers of living biology that occur on much larger rocky structures built up by successive, but intermittent, generations of reef builders over many thousands of years.”

From Chapter 9: Epilogue: the eye of the beholder

From Chapter 7: Conservation and protection of Australia’s coral reefs

20 Shipwreck tales of adventure, survival, death, and myth have long captured the imagination of divers, historians, archaeologists and others. The study of shipwrecks (and other wreck types) falls within maritime archaeology, a sub-discipline of archaeology. Considered a relatively ‘young’ field of study, maritime archaeology almost certainly took its place within scientific study around the advent of Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) equipment.

Adventure, survival, death and myth Wrecks on the Reef

By Maddy McAllister, Queensland Museum and James Cook University

REEF IN REVIEW

Ivory ruler from the ofﬁcer’s store, HMAS Pandora. Image credit Maddy McAllister Map of Queensland showing historic shipwrecks – green are located and red unlocated (accessed online 13 October 2021 www.qld.gov.au https://www.qld.gov.au/data/assets/pdf).

Australia played a critical role in the early days of maritime archaeology with the discovery and archaeological investigation of the Dutch wrecks on the western Australian Coastline. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is known for its natural beauty and myriad of ecosystems stretching nearly the entire length of Queensland’s coast. However, the reef also holds a non-renewable resource few know about –Approximatelyshipwrecks.

114 historic wreck sites are located along the Great Barrier Reef. This includes eight ship and two aircraft wreck zones protected under Commonwealth legislation, indicating the wealth of culturally and archaeologically significant maritime heritage situated on the reef. With approximately a further 900 unlocated wreck sites, much of this maritime heritage resource remains undiscovered (see Map on right with wrecks marked in red!). In particular, two shipwrecks have captured our imagination over the last 50 years: HMS Pandora and SS Yongala. HMS Pandora is one of Australia’s most infamous shipwrecks. The 24-gun British naval frigate’s major notoriety is in association with its final and fateful voyage to apprehend mutineers from HMS Bounty. The mutiny and the subsequent loss of Pandora off the far North Queensland coast in 1791 were both followed by epic voyages in open boats from the south Pacific Ocean, through the Torres Strait to Indonesia. The shipwreck sits 30m below the surface, at Pandora Entrance (near Raine Island) off Cape York Peninsula and within a gazetted Protected Zone. After discovery in 1977, the Queensland Museum led multiple archaeological investigations of the site from 1979 to 1999. Excavations recovered over 6,800 incredibly wellpreserved artefacts that survived over 200 years underwater, from enormous 6 pounder iron cannons to the most delicate ceramics, ivory and brass officers’ accessories. Notably, public interest in the wreck, the story and the archaeology played a considerable role in the success of the excavation projects. This culminated with the establishment of the Pandora Foundation in 1996 who raised $2 million dollars for the retrieval and conservation of artefacts from HMS Pandora.

Fast forward 120 years after Pandora sank and another maritime tragedy would go down in Australian history books and eventually create one of the world’s best dive sites. SS Yongala disappeared without a trace in March 1911, likely having encountered an unexpected cyclone during a journey from Mackay to Townsville. All 122 people on board went down with the ship and the location of the 100m long steamer remained a mystery until it was found in the 1950s.

At the launch of the Foundation, the Queensland Government announced an additional $17.5 million to go towards a new museum to house the Pandora collection and tell the story. In 2000, the Museum of Tropical Queensland opened with an iconic gallery focusing on the story of HMS Pandora, a testament to the significance and influence of public interest and support of maritime heritage.

Photographer on the wreck of SS Yongala. Image credit Maddy McAllister Searching for a wreck in the surf zone. Image credit Matt a ceramic spruce jar for lifting to the surface on the Pandora wreck. Image Credit Queensland Museum.

Yongala is one of the most intact historic shipwrecks in Australian waters and has become the habitat for a remarkably diverse range of marine life (particularly coral) causing the wreck to be ranked as one of the top 10 best wreck dives in the world. In 2019, Yongala had over 4,000 tourists dive the site, the majority of whom accessed the site through commercial dive charter operators with permits for Shipwrecksdive-tourism.can be potential markers for reef management and monitoring, they provide a baseline for survey data and an intriguing study of unique ecosystems like those on Yongala. With just two of the 114 known historic sites described here, there is an enticing potential for discovery of new shipwreck sites along remote stretches of the reef. There is undoubtedly a wreck that equals Pandora or Yongala waiting to be discovered on the reef.

DiverCurnock.prepares

Sir Maurice Yonge was a renowned English marine zoologist. He led the 1928-29 Great Barrier Reef

54 REEF IN REVIEW Book review: By Sarah Hamylton A Year on the Great Barrier Reef

Maurice Yonge with a coral boulder on the reef crest at North West Island

By Maurice Yonge

PhotoExpeditionleft:Maurice Yonge enjoying the birds at Michaelmas Cay Photo right: School of fish. Photo credit Matt Curnock

Significant scientific advances were made on each of these fronts and reported elsewhere, but here Yonge keeps the science to a basic outline of coral and broader reef organism biology, preferring to document his time on the reef. Descriptions cover how the Expedition huts were built, how scientific instruments were improvised, how specimens, measurements and observations were collected daily and how local Aboriginal kitchen and boat staff from Yarrabah helped with operations, including Minnie the cook’s tracker husband Claude, whose leg troubled him after he was ‘shot in the memorable affair of the Ned Kelly gang’. Only seven of the fifteen chapters focus on the time they spent at Low Isles. The remainder of the book describes visits to the nearby Howick Islands, Lizard Island, the Outer Barrier and further afield in the Torres Strait and Capricorn-Bunker Group. Yonge’s interdisciplinary outlook is one of the most remarkable features of this book. He provides a comprehensive account of Torres Strait coastal and maritime trade, including the earnings and market dynamics of beche-de-mer, trochus, oysters and pearl (for Japanese buttons). The description of the diverse cultural makeup of Thursday Island could have been penned by an anthropologist, indeed, he drew heavily on the work of anthropologist Alfred Cort Haddon, who had visited Torres Strait in 1898 to describe the harvesting activities of the Aboriginal, Papuan, Chinese, Japanese, Sri Lankan and Malaysian island inhabitants. The book is illustrated with many detailed photographs, sketches and several foldout maps. At times, Yonge writes with a flourish reminiscent of Rachel Carson’s The Sea Around Us, which conveys his enthusiasm and passion for coral reefs. All of this makes for an informative and entertaining read that will engage reef scientists with an interest in expedition life or the environmental and social history of the Great Barrier Reef.

Maurice Yonge published this book about his time on the Great Barrier Reef the year after he led the 1928-29 Great Barrier Reef Expedition. Almost a hundred years on, this unique environmental and social account of a large swathe of the Great Barrier Reef is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The Expedition established a base at Low Isles to study the reef over an extended period of time, thereby departing from ship-based approaches reef science that had been typical in the early twentieth century. The scientific aims of the expedition, explained by Yonge in the opening pages, were: ‘ the elucidation of the conditions under which coral reefs thrive and flourish so exceedingly as to build this vast rampart of limestone; the nature and population, animal and plant, of the reefs, and of the sea which washes them, and of the sea bottom on which their foundations are set; the manner of life of corals, how they reproduce, develop, grow, feed and how their various organs function’.

As Yonge describes their first sight of a coral reef while transiting to Australia from the deck of an ocean-crossing liner, the 1920s narrative reads like an Agatha Christie novel. Like Darwin, this was at Cocos (Keeling) Atoll and it set the scene for a profound encounter with what at the time, for Europeans at least, was one of nature’s lesser-known natural wonders.

The ACRS has a long and proud history of supporting young scientists in various ways including student research awards.

The ACRS awards commenced under the guise of the Great Barrier Reef Committee (GBRC) as a ‘major project proposal’ titled Support for young Australian Scientists working on the GBR. In the proposal, Councillors noted that the research allowances provided to young scientists in the day were severely inadequate to cover the high costs of travel, equipment and operating expenses. It was common practice for students to subsidise their research costs with personal funds. Realising the disadvantage this posed for many, and a possible reason few postgraduate students were undertaking coral reef research programmes, the grant scheme was proposed to support new pathways in coral reef research. The first plan proposed a minimum of three years support totalling $900 each for three individuals, and are today a one-off payment of up to $2500. The main condition of these awards has required students to provide a written report of their achievements under the award, which are auspiciously shared amongst the ACRS and reef community. Unfortunately, current records of awardees only date back to 1991, but today, their reports are shared in our Reef in Review magazine.

Supporting the research of rising reef-scientists –the stories behind our ACRS awards

The Danielle Simmons Prize was established by her parents, David and Ursula, following her untimely death in 1996. Danielle had a background in medical science. She loved to SCUBA dive and found a deep connection with her “soul animal”, the turtle, on Heron Island. Given her commitment to field work at Heron Island, successful applicants of the

By Carrie Sims and Kenny Wolfe

REEF IN REVIEW

The ACRS has offered annual student research awards since the early 1990s for up to three PhD or Masters students to be used for laboratory and/or field studies relevant to Australian coral reefs. The Terry Walker and Danielle Simmons prizes are also awarded annually to support the research of two additional students. Together, our ACRS awards have assisted over 120 students to conduct their research.

The Terry Walker Prize was initiated by the ACRS and has been awarded annually since 1992. Terry Walker was an ACRS councillor and Treasurer when he was lost at sea in the Gulf of Carpentaria while undertaking bird surveys with Darryl Reimer near Mornington Island. Despite a search involving 13 aircraft, numerous boats and 80 police, they were never found. Walker Reef and Reimer Reef were named in their honour. Given Terry Walker's commitment to field studies on Australian coral reefs and cays, this award is to be spent primarily on field studies on Australian coral reefs. The award has assisted 28 students to date and contributed to research on varied reef science fields.

Above: Aerial view of coral in the Walker Reef lagoon, taken on the Coral Sea Foundation expedition during the 2020 Great Reef Census. Location - 18° 18.955'S 146° 44.530'E. Image by Dr Tony Ayling.

Word cloud of universities of students receiving awards Bigger words represent more

The ACRS Council established a dedicated fund for the best student presentation, in memory of Vicki Harriott, who passed away in March 2005. The Vicki Harriott Memorial Student Prize recognises her special contributions to coral reef research. Vicki was an active member of the ACRS Council over many years, and is remembered as a strong advocate whose work in coral reef research, education and management was internationally recognised and widely respected. Highlights of Vicki’s career include establishing Townsville's Reef HQ coral reef exhibit, the largest coral reef tank in the world at its time. Vicki was a pioneer in the field of coral reef research and published one of the first papers on bleaching of Great Barrier Reef corals. She also carried out cutting edge research on temperate coral reefs, which represents some of her most important contributions to coral reef science. In addition to these awards, the ACRS has also had a strong commitment to supporting students to attend conferences via Student Travel Awards. These awards have supported the attendance of many students at either ACRS conferences or International Coral Reef Symposia, where they have presented their research. Students are awarded prizes for best presentations and posters at each ACRS Annual conference.

frequencyReefHQguide

standing in the touch tank showing visitors a sea star. Photo credit: Andrew Rankin. Copyright Commonwealth of Australia (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority)

Danielle Simmons award are required to use the grant prize predominantly for field work at Heron Island Research Station. To date, the Danielle Simmons award has assisted 23 students to conduct fieldwork on Heron Island.

Where are we now?

Terry Walker Prize

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, Rachel was unable to conduct her experiments. However, data collection will be underway soon, and this research will build upon understanding of how corals manage deoxygenation stress and regulate their host pigments during bleaching – a critical step in developing genetic and optical biomarkers of enhanced stress-resilient corals.

Resolving the impact of cryptic predation on crown-of-thorns starfish. CoTS research has focused on larvae and adult stages for decades, but juveniles could provide the missing link in our understanding of CoTS population cycles. Small predators, such as crabs, may be important controls of juvenile CoTS numbers and later outbreaks of adults.

RACHEL ALDERICE

The influence of symbiont genetic diversity on thermally distinct coral reefs

AMELIA DESBIENS

MARGENA MARZONIE Keeping pace with climate change with a little help from symbiotic algae

Picture opposite page: Collecting coral spawn slicks ©Christina Langley

Intertidal mangroves as fish nurseries: fact or fallacy?

ACRS Research Awards

THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY

Each year the ACRS supports the research of up to five students through provision of the ACRS Research Awards. The most outstanding proposals are awarded the Terry Walker Prize ($4,000) or the Danielle Simmons Prize ($4,000). Up to three additional ACRS Research Awards of $2,500 each are also awarded. Below we present you the recipients of the 2020 ACRS Research Awards. In the following pages, you can read articles contributed by each awardee.

Understanding how seascape configuration influences secondary productivity in coastal ecosystems.

2020 ACRS Research Awards

MOLLY MOUSTAKA

Danielle Simmons Prize

The missing link: uncovering key predators of crown-of-thorns starfish juveniles

Is low oxygen stress management key to photoprotection in reef-forming corals?

Coral reefs across Australia, and the world, have been decimated by population outbreaks of the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish (also known as CoTS). However, there is now increasing recognition that natural CoTS predators may have the capacity to control and prevent outbreaks in certain locations. Despite this, relatively little is missing link in our understanding of CoTS population cycles.

“Key rubble-based predators have the potential to suppress bottleneckthereforepopulationsjuvenileandcouldbeacrucialinthegrowth and progression of adult CoTS outbreaks.”

28 REEF IN REVIEW

cryptobenthic fishes. My project aims to identify which of these organisms are capable of consuming CoTS juveniles. Key rubble-based predators have the potential to suppress juvenile populations and could therefore be a crucial bottleneck in the growth and progression of adult CoTs outbreaks.

Above: Rubble habitats are a natural part of coral ecosystems, housing a huge diversity of cryptic organisms. © Kenny Wolfe 2021.

SimmonsDaniellePrize

The missing link: Uncovering key predators of crown-ofthorns starﬁsh juveniles

By Amelia Desbiens University of Queensland Predators | Crown-of-thorns- starfish Coral rubble

THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY rubble beds on SCUBA. Many enjoyable dives are spent searching through rubble habitats, flipping rubble pieces to reveal the secret homes of these cryptic organisms. These surveys give us an indication of which species are common or rare in these habitats. Each species collected from the rubble is offered CoTS juveniles as food in tanks in the lab. These predation tests are repeated across a range of CoTS sizes to understand how consumption may change as juveniles grow and transition to become large coral predators. Understanding which predators consume CoTS in rubble before they consume coral, and how abundant they are in natural environments, will help us to predict whether rubble-dwelling predators can suppress juvenile CoTS populations and thus reduce outbreaks of CoTS adults from Indeveloping.astudyconducted at Heron Island in September 2021, more than 100 species of cryptic animals were identified in coral rubble. Several of these species demonstrated capacity to prey on CoTS juveniles in the lab. Three different species of crabs attempted to eat CoTS juveniles that were ~10 months old. After just three days, juveniles were found with missing arms and severed bodies. Interestingly, these “old” juveniles were never eaten in full, and regenerated their lost limbs over several months when the predators were removed.

Below: Juvenile CoTs attacked by predator. Predators can cause extensive damage to vulnerable CoTS juveniles that may take several months to recover.

Above: Potential CoTS predator (Schizophrys sp.)

Below: Healthy juvenile CoTS © Daniella Ceccarelli

In 2022, more comprehensive rubble surveys and predation experiments will expand on these initial findings. I will conduct predation experiments with younger and smaller CoTS juveniles, which are more likely to be eaten than the 10-month old juveniles I used first. This will provide important information on size thresholds in predation. The outcomes of this research will have important implications for our understanding of predation as a mechanism of CoTS population control. Acknowledgments This research would not be possible without support from grants including the Danielle Simmons Award from the Australian Coral Reef Society and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s CoTS Control and Innovation Program. Many thanks also go to my supervisors Prof Peter Mumby, Dr Kennedy Wolfe and Dr Eva Plaganyi, as well as colleagues Dr Sven Uthicke and Dr Symon Dworjanyn for their ongoing assistance in supplying CoTS juveniles without which none of this work would be possible.

ecosystem-based approaches to conservation and fisheries management depends on identifying, prioritising and preserving critical habitats and migration pathways used by fish. By exploiting the biolochronological properties of fish otoliths (earbones) this study aims to ascertain whether blackspot snapper (Lutjanus fulviflamma)

recruiting to intertidal mangrove nurseries survive to adulthood, and whether the type of nursery habitat they occupy influences juvenile growth rates. This work forms a part of my broader PhD project which focuses on understanding how the configuration of habitats within a seascape influences the productivity of juvenile fish. Tracking the migration of fish from one habitat to another (termed ‘ontogenetic shift’) is difficult due to the sheer size of the marine environment and the high mortality rates experienced by juveniles. Instead, with the support of the ACRS, I am using isotopic techniques to ‘look back in time’ at the habitats previously occupied by fish. Because fish otoliths grow incrementally over the life of a fish (like tree rings), their chemical composition at different points can yield information about the type of habitat that a fish lived in as a

Usingjuvenile.stable isotope analysis on the outer zone of otoliths (reflecting Intertidal mangroves as ﬁsh nurseries: fact or fallacy?:

Ontogenetic shift | Nursery habitats | Seascape connectivity

Coastal habitats, such as macroalgae and mangroves, are often colloquially referred to as nurseries for fish. Juveniles of some fish species occupy these coastal habitats, exploiting the abundant food and shelter they offer, before migrating to coral reefs as adults. The nursery value of mangroves has been the subject of considerable debate over the past two decades. The complex root systems of mangroves theoretically make ideal nurseries, and indeed much research from Caribbean systems supports this concept. Yet studies from the Indo-Pacific have produced mixed results, with these contradictions attributed to regional differences in tidal amplitude. In macrotidal systems, such as northwestern Australia, many mangrove habitats are unavailable during low tide, forcing fish into adjacent Implementinghabitats.

University of Western Australia

ResearchACRSAward

By Molly Moustaka

30 REEF IN REVIEW

pathways.”migrationhabitatspreservingprioritisingidentifying,dependsmanagementfisheriesconservationapproachesecosystem-based“Implementingtoandonandcriticaland

My research would not be possible without the generous support provided by the Australian Coral Reef Society, the Australian Society for Fish Biology, the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment & the Ecological Society of Australia, the Jock Clough Marine Foundation, the Kieran McNamara World Heritage PhD Top-Up Scholarship, and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. I am also grateful for the support and guidance provided by my supervisors Prof. Gary Kendrick, Dr Richard Evans, Dr Shaun Wilson, and Prof. Glenn Hyndes. Finally, I would like to thank my incredible volunteers, collaborators, and colleagues for their assistance in the field and invaluable advice.

Acknowledgements

Above: Molly Moustaka conducting surveys of juvenile ﬁsh in the Dampier Archipelago, WA.

31THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY

Above: Molly Moustaka measuring Lutjanus fulviﬂamma and Lutjanus carponotatus collected in the Dampier Archipelago, WA

Below: Sectioned juvenile ﬁsh otolith (10x magniﬁcation). Each ring represents one day of life.

Above: Intertidal mangroves of Enderby Island in the Dampier Archipelago, WA © Dr William Robbins.

current habitat), I will obtain ‘chemical fingerprints’ for juvenile fish from mangroves and macroalgae habitats. For adult fish from the reef, both the inner zone (reflecting juvenile habitat) and the outer zone will be analysed, allowing me to match these ‘habitat fingerprints’ and ascertain the type of nursery habitat each fish previously Additionally,occupied.theother otolith will used to determine the age of each fish by taking a thin section through the core and counting the number of rings present to investigate differences in juvenile growth rates between nursery habitat types. In early 2021, we completed several field trips to the Dampier Archipelago during which we conducted underwater surveys of juvenile and adult fish communities in different habitats. We observed that juvenile L. fulviflamma were only found in mangrove and macroalgae habitats, and adults only on coral reefs; and subsequently collected fish from each of these habitat types. Back in the lab, I extracted the otoliths and took tissue samples from each fish. I embedded one otolith from each fish in epoxy resin and cut a thin section through the core of the otolith. In the coming weeks I will use these sections to age each fish by counting the number of rings in each otolith, allowing me to determine how fast L. fulviflamma from different habitats are growing. My next step is submitting tissue samples and otolith powder for stable isotope analysis, the results of which will reveal whether L. fulviflamma recruiting to intertidal mangroves are surviving to adulthood.

M arine heat waves have emerged as predominantthethreat to coral reefs, causing widespread coral bleaching. Bleaching occurs when tiny symbiotic algae (i.e. symbionts) that live inside corals are stressed and expelled from the tissue. After the algae leave, the coral tissue is pale and its chalky skeleton exposed, hence the term ‘bleaching’. However, certain symbionts can withstand higher temperatures than others, so who the coral chooses as its symbionts can determine if a coral bleaches.

32 REEF IN REVIEW

Asmechanisms.partofateam of scientists I went to the Coral Sea Marine Park (CSMP) in early 2020 during a bleaching event. The reefs there are some of the most isolated in the world, and well-removed from inshore impacts, making an ideal setting to look at bleaching tolerance. We collected three coral species and exposed them to shortterm heat stress experiments to identify how distinct reefs respond to temperature change. We used a portable aquarium system that fits on the back of a boat, using flowthrough seawater from the ocean. Over the month-long voyage, we collected over 700 samples from 13 reefs and measured coral health (a proxy for bleaching). One clue amidst these arehumantinierpatterns,large-scalealthoughthantheeyecansee,thesymbionts.”

Above: One of the Acropora coral species that was abundant across the Coral Sea Marine Park. We collected 5 branches of each coral colony for experiments and genetic work. © Magena Marzonie

Over the last 6 years, severe marine heatwaves have affected Australia’s coral reefs, but not all individuals, species or reefs have responded equally to these events. Differences in bleaching are due to changing environmental pressures, including temperature, light or currents. However, even for two identical corals in the same environment, one can be bleached, and the other not. So, there are other mechanisms at play that the human eye cannot Toobserve.understand why only some corals bleach and to assess impacts of further bleaching events, we must investigate bleaching at the scale of the coral host and the scale of whole ocean basins. One clue amidst these large-scale patterns, although tinier than the human eye can see, are the symbionts. If we learn how symbionts vary between reefs of high and low tolerance, we will better understand bleaching

By Margena Marzonie James Cook University/AIMS Heat Stress | Coral bleaching | Symbiosis

With ACRS funding, I extracted DNA from field-collected coral samples. I then sequenced a small region of DNA that helps identify different types of symbiont species. From there, I was able to input this sequencing information into a database, SymPortal, to discern which symbionts are abundant inside each coral. We first found that some reefs were much more heat tolerant to experiments than others in the Keeping pace with climate change with a little help from symbiotic algae.

ResearchACRSAward

Right: Coral fragments under heat stress in the aquarium experiment on the back of the research vessel. The aquarium takes incoming seawater and heats it to ambient, +3, +6 and +9 ºC for rapid heat stress.

I pay respects to the Marian Mer, Bindal and Wulgurukaba peoples as the Traditional Owners of land and sea country where I work. heat stress experiment.

CSMP. We also found that species had different responses to heat stress. The branching Acropora species was more susceptible to moderate temperatures above normal conditions (+5ºC). In contrast, the weedy Pocillopora species was more tolerant to moderate temperatures but hit a point of no return at extreme exposure (+7ºC).

This project received funding from Parks Australia to Dr Hugo Harrison, Dr Andrew Hoey and Dr Morgan Pratchett and from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and the Australian Institute of Marine Science. I am grateful to ACRS, the American Australian Association and AIMS@JCU for sequencing funding. Thank you to supervisors, Dr Hugo Harrison, Dr Line Bay and Dr David Bourne and collaborators Dr Matthew Nitchske and Luke Morris. I thank Dr Benjamin Hume (SymPortal) bioinformaticforsupport.

Because we found differences in tolerance among reefs and species, we then looked to see if symbiont community structure explained this variation. Symbionts were highly specific to their host species and to individual reefs. Essentially, you can expect that the tiny algae inside Pocillopora, a weedy coral species, are very different to those inside a branching Acropora. You could also expect that corals collected in the northern reefs have different symbionts to southern reefs. This is evidence for why distinct reefs and species have different tolerances to marine heat waves and will help us better understand the mechanisms of coral bleaching in response to future heat waves. Acknowledgments

33THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY

Below: Word cloud showing frequency of submission topics. Bigger words indicate higher frequency.

H istorically the society has always worked hard to keep reef-related matters in the government and public eye. Our submissions have included feedback on marine reserves and zoning, reef biodiversity, reef management, scientific diving, drilling, coastal development, fisheries, climate change, support for the Great Barrier Reef Act and advocacy for species protection from overfishing. These submissions have been critical in furthering Australian reef conservation.

ACRS Submissions

Black teatﬁsh. Photo credit: Kenny Wolfe Above left: Anemoneﬁsh © Anna Scott. Below: Fluorescent corals © Christina Langley

The recommendation to add the Great Barrier Reef to the list of World Heritage ‘in danger’ is grim news for the Reef, the marine life it supports and the Queensland tourism industry. It is also a call to action to the Australian government to make meaningful steps toward curbing carbon emissions.

The ACRS made the following key recommendations:

•

35THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY

A great proportion of ACRS members conduct research in Australia’s Coral Sea territory. We took this opportunity to comment on the Commonwealth Coral Sea Fishery (CSF), which requires approval for ongoing export. As a result of the current expertise of our Society Council, we focussed our comments primarily on the black and white teatfish, or sea cucumber, fisheries.

You can access the full submission here.

The ACRS response to the proposed ‘In Danger’ listing of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

•

The white teatfish fishery is not approved for Wildlife Trade Operation.

•

ACRS Submissions 2021 - 2022

•

The ACRS details their views on the potential effect to multiple industries and agencies who work on the Great Barrier Reef, including Traditional Owners, the tourism industry, and regulating partners such as GBRMPA. Critically, the ACRS finds that combined efforts from these groups will only be effective if the government can begin urgent work on a credible national plan to achieve domestic greenhouse gas emissions reductions at a speed consistent with the survival of the Great Barrier Reef.

The ACRS recommends the Teatfish fishery is not approved for Wildlife Trade Operation in the Coral Sea

See article by Kenny Wolfe next page for outcome of this matter.

• Management considers antagonistic effects of ocean warming on winter spawning survival of the Great Barrier Reef. You can access the full submission here.

The Commonwealth Coral Sea Fishery upholds the CITES listings of the black teatfish (Holothuria whitmaei) and white teatfish (Holothuria fuscogilva).

The Australian Fisheries Management Authority’s Observer Program is considered for sea cucumbers within the Commonwealth Coral Sea Fishery.

The black teatfish fishery is not approved for Wildlife Trade Operation.

36 REEF IN REVIEW

Photo credits Top and above: Kenny Wolfe Right: Bristle worms, Christina Langley.

For many centuries, sea cucumbers have been traded as a delicacy around the world. From as early as the 1700s, sea cucumbers were traded between Indonesian fishers and Indigenous communities in northern Australia, making it one of Australia’s oldest export industries. The high-value status of sea cucumbers developed under the pretence that, because of their phallic shape, consuming sea cucumbers would raise the libido and endow sexual desires. These animals are now highly exploited, and their fishery follows similar trends to other luxury seafood products such as shark fin. The rarer a species becomes, the more valuable it is perceived. Sea cucumbers continue to have high commercial value today, with some species fetching a market price over US $1000 per kilo. As sea cucumbers are slow moving, they are easily collected by hand and so it is not surprising that their wild harvest is often unsustainable. Many species are now in a perilous state of conservation. In 2014, sixteen species of sea cucumber were listed on the IUCN Red List as endangered or vulnerable to extinction, and in 2019, three species known at ‘teatfish’ were listed on the CITES Appendix II to reduce global trade of these at-risk species. However, fishing continues at a global scale. The harvest of sea cucumbers is extensive and exhaustive across our Great Barrier Reef. The Queensland Sea Cucumber Fishery harvests a range of species and has been shown to follow global patterns of exploitation even within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. For example, in 1999, fishing of the high-value black teatfish (Holothuria whitmaei) ceased on the Great Barrier Reef due to significant overharvest and concerns for the species. However, the black teatfish fishery reopened in 2019, just as their CITES listing was gazetted. It seemed there was a race to fish this high-value, at-risk species before CITES legislation could be adequately considered and Althoughactioned. fishing of the black teatfish continued for two years, in December 2021, the Australian Minister for the Environment ruled that permission to harvest the black teatfish would not be granted. This followed several years of decisionmaking and submissions from researchers and the Australian Coral Reef Society (find them here). This decision was influenced by the poor local and global conservation status of this species, and lack of recovery on the Great Barrier Reef since their excessive overharvest pre-1999. The black teatfish is now protected from fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, at least until reassessment in 2024. The Minister’s decision was coupled with ten novel conditions for the fishery, including greater attention to target species, fishing grounds and quotas, improved reporting and researchers and fishery managers to work in partnership to ensure sustainable harvest and fishing practices, especially for our threatened and CITES-listed species.

Sea cucumbers are often sold as a dried product with a high market price. The “teats” of teatﬁsh make them identiﬁable even when dried, which is expected to reduce black market trade

Thermal plasticity of marine fish across generations by Dr. Jenni Donelson

T he ACRS continued its Reef Matters Seminar Series this year to help keep our Reef community in touch during the many periods of isolation. The online seminars have occurred every 4–6 weeks and reflect our broad, multidisciplinary and international membership from students through to veterans. We continue to stay connected as a community, share our research, our views and goals.

Watch Dr Anne Hoggett’s seminar here

38 REEF IN REVIEW Reef

Reef patterns: form, scale and processes by David Blakeway Many coral reefs exhibit striking geometric patterns when viewed from above. Contemporary research indicates that these patterns are examples of biotic self-organisation, in which large-scale structure emerges spontaneously from local-scale ecological processes. Under the assumption that the best-defined reef patterns signify the most influential ecological processes, identifying mechanisms of pattern generation in coral reefs can potentially provide many fundamental insights into reef ecology.

In this talk I describe a case study investigating potential mechanisms of pattern generation in lagoon reefs of the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia. I also highlight some intriguing and understudied reef patterns elsewhere, including within the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. Lastly, I advocate for researchers to consider if, and how, biotic self-organisation may be operating at their own research sites.

Dr Anne Hoggett Lizard Island has been a focus for research since 1973 when the Australian Museum opened its research station (LIRS) there, the northernmost on the Great Barrier Reef. The current LIRS directors, Lyle Vail and Anne Hoggett, have lived at Lizard Island (Jiigurru) since 1990 and visited it as researchers since 1979 and 1982 respectively. Lyle is currently overseas. In this talk, Anne will outline changes that have occurred on local reefs over 40 years and changes in research directions at LIRS over that period.

If you are interested in participating in the Reef Matters series with a seminar please do not hesitate to get in touch with the team (below).

Dr. Kennedy K.wolfe@uq.edu.auWolfeDr. Anna anna.scott@scu.edu.auScott Matters seminar series

Watch David Blakeway’s seminar here Tess tess.hill@my.jcu.edu.auHill

A whistle stop tour through 40 years at Lizard Island

Knowledge of the capacity for species to acclimate and adapt to rapid climate change is critical for understanding likely species responses, as well as for effective management of ecosystems in the future. Much of the research we utilize to predict species’ future responses uses the current-day performance and sensitivity of populations and species to infer the capacity for persistence in predicted future environments. This approach generally suggests negative impacts to most organisms and very little capacity to cope with expected future change. However, for most species projected environmental change will occur over years and generations. Through time plastic and adaptive processes can take place, which may allow maintained performance in future conditions. I will present a series of experiments across three generations using the coral reef damselfish, Acanthochromis polyanthus, to show how the experience of warmer ocean temperatures early in life or when previous generations have experienced conditions affects thermal Watch Dr. Jenni Donelson’s seminar here

Watch Dr Mark Baird’s seminar here

While science and technology play a key role in helping us understand these threats and develop appropriate solutions, ultimately, saving coral reefs comes down to people; the decisions we make and the actions we take. From policymakers and government officials, farmers and tourism operators, and the broader community – we are all responsible for what happens next. But how can we make sure that everyone makes the right decisions for the reef? How can we be certain that solutions will be effectively implemented, monitored, and maintained? How can we encourage people to take actions that will help protect coral reefs into the future? In this presentation I will dive into the reef social sciences, within the context of the Great Barrier Reef, and discuss how understanding people and their behaviour plays a key role in deciding the future of the reef. To illustrate, I will give examples from my own research which explores the ways in which the Great Barrier Reef can motivate action on climate change and reflect on learnings from the recent Social Science Symposium for the Great Barrier Reef.

Watch Dr Marian Wong’s seminar here

Impact of catchment derived -nutrients and sediments on marine water quality on the Great Barrier Reef by Dr Mark Baird Water quality of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is determined by a range of drivers such as river flow, catchment condition, winds and waves. Observational studies have shown the impact of changing nutrient and sediment loads from the GBR catchments on water quality. Disentangling whether these impacts are caused by natural loads from undisturbed catchments or anthropogenic loads from agricultural and urban land-use changes is critical to water quality management on the GBR. This talk uses simulations of the eReefs coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical marine model forced by a process-based catchment model: Dynamic SedNet. Dynamic SedNet simulations can calculate natural and anthropogenic loads separately, meaning we can determine their relative impact on a range of marine water quality variables. We simulate reductions of anthropogenic loads to address: (1) the proposed Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan targets, and (2) application of industry-specific Innovative, Best-Practice and Minimum-Standards catchment management standards. The ability of the modelling system to isolate the impacts of anthropogenic load reductions allows us to optimise catchment management for the greatest benefit to GBR water quality. This talk provided an overview of the modelling system with its strengths and weakness, while remaining relevant to the broader coral reef science community. Simulations are publicly-available for use in relevant research including on COTS outbreaks and coral community dynamics.

Saving the Great Barrier Reef: It’s all about people by Yolanda Waters

Watch Yolanda Water’s seminars here.

Transitions in the study of social evolution of fish societies by Dr Marian UnderstandingWongwhy and how groups have evolved has been a fundamental question in evolutionary ecology, ever since Darwin pointed out that the existence of groups posed problems for his theory of natural selection. Since then, scientists like myself have been trying to work out why non-breeding subordinate group members stay within groups rather than disperse to breed elsewhere, testing theory that was initially developed with terrestrial taxa in mind. In the marine realm, understanding sociality poses a rather unique (additional) problem in that group members are typically non-kin, meaning we can essentially throw kin selection (a key explanation for sociality in terrestrial taxa) out the proverbial window. So for the last 2 decades or so (scary that I now think in decades), I’ve been pursuing answers to these questions using one particular group of coral reef fishes, the coral gobies (genera Paragobiodon and Gobiodon). What I’d like to do is take you on a journey from where it began, to where we’re currently at, to where we need to go to try and provide better answers to this enduring question. The work I’ll be discussing ranges from experimental manipulations to phylogenetic analyses to the analysis of reams and reams of video…and is the product of a hugely collaborative, productive and exciting endeavour between myself, inspiring colleagues and exceptional students.

From climate change to pollution to overfishing, coral reefs are now under more pressure than ever.

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tropical reef waters, Moorea, French Polynesia April

The stations of Australian coral reef research: Investigations in special researchplaces/rɪˈsəːtʃ, ˈriːsəːtʃ/ the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. station /ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n/ a place or building where a speciﬁed activity or service is based.

Photo credit: In Situ Chemotaxis Assays (ISCAs) suspended in associated 2018. The ISCAs are suspended by rope 1 hour before retrieval. The ISCA is a microﬂuidic device allowing to study microbial chemotaxis directly in the natural environment (I.e. do bacteria swim towards or away from the chemical cue?),. The palm-sized device secured inside the perspex boxes consists of a thin plate with wells, in which chemicals of interest can be loaded. Photo by Stephanie Gardner.

coral

Australia’s coral reef research stations are leading sites for innovative and world-class coral reef science. Their resources, facilities and amazing personnel continue to make so much of our research possible. In the following pages our research station personnel update us on station happenings over the past year as visitation increases post-COVID lockdowns. 41THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY

Most visitors were researchers from Queensland-based institutions: James Cook University, University of Queensland and Australian Institute of Marine Science. There were a few intrepid visitors from interstate too, from University of Wollongong, Southern Cross University and University of Sydney, some of whom had to go to extraordinary lengths to meet the border requirements.

Several fellows who received awards in 2019 to start in 2020 have still not been able to start their field work due to travel restrictions. These awards have all been extended and we hope that the research will be able to begin in 2022.

LIRS normally hosts about 10 student groups per year but in 2021, only one was able to make it and that was at quite short notice on its third attempt. None of the overseas groups could make it and no other interstate schools or universities were willing to risk their students being caught in a sudden Afterlockdown.ayear’s hiatus due to covid, the fellowships and grants program restarted in 2021 for research to commence in 2022. For the first– and hopefully only - time, applications were restricted to people based in Australia to mitigate the risk of travel Congratulationscomplications.

Output from research conducted at LIRS continues to be strong but the number of scientific contributions during 2021 has not yet been finalized. Lizard Island Field Lizard-Island-Research-StationWeb:Email:Phone:PMBLizardDrrecordedspecies-level3,312photoscontinues(lifg.australianmuseum.net.au)Guidetogrow.Itnowprovidesandotherinformationonlocalspeciesoutofthe7,800taxathathavebeenfromthearea.AnneHoggett&DrLyleVail,DirectorsIslandResearchStation37,CairnsQLD4892,Australia+61(0)74060-3977lizard@australian.museumwww.australianmuseum.net.au/

Student groups were also affected.

Above: LIRS Directors Dr. Anne Hoggett and Dr. Lyle Vail. © Alex Vail;

Below: Acropora-led coral recovery at North Direction Island near Lizard island.

Reefs at and around Lizard Island continue to regenerate strongly following devastation by severe cyclones in 2014 and 2015 and massive bleaching events in 2016 and 2017 and despite minor, more localized bleaching events in early 2020 and 2021. While it’s patchy, some areas now look fabulous. Acropora certainly leads the recovery but other genera and families are now becoming obvious as the corals grow, either from larval settlement or from regeneration of near-dead existing colonies. Sadly, this flourishing new growth is at risk when the next major disturbance comes along, as it will. We welcomed new maintenance staff Ruth Carr and Arthur Davie to the station in January and they have become highly valued members of our small community. Lyle Vail and Anne Hoggett chalked up 31 years as directors of LIRS this year.

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Left: New maintenance staff, Ruth Carr and Arthur Davie in the water

Lizard ResearchIslandStation

Thanks to financial support from the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation and the Minderoo Foundation, the solar power system at LIRS was expanded and upgraded during the year. Solar capacity increased by 50% and all batteries and inverters were replaced. LIRS now generates almost all its electrical power from solar. Modelling predicted that the upgraded system would meet 95% of needs but in practice, the outcome so far is even better. Since the upgrade was completed in April, the generator has only been needed for 6 hours in total. While usage and hence power needs were lower than usual during those 8 months, it was also cloudier and rainier than usual. We are confident that the system will provide excellent service when usage returns to normal.

By Dr. Anne Hoggett and Dr. Lyle Vail Directors, Lizard Island Research Station (Australian Museum) Usage of LIRS in 2021 continued to be very low due to covid-related travel restrictions. International visitors could not enter the country at all and interstate travel was hampered for much of the year. Overall, usage was only about 40% of that in 2019, the last non-covid year.

to four new doctoral fellowsJoshua Connolly, Eric Fakan, Juilano Morais (James Cook University) and Valerio Tettamanti (University of Queensland) – and to three new postdoctoral fellows –Ariana Lambrides, Eva McClure (James Cook University) and Fabio Cortesi (University of Queensland).

The Project Phoenix team, including Gus Crosbie, Dr Andrew Baird and Hanaka Mera have now collected over 400 specimens from around Orpheus and the Palm Islands representing between 250–300 species. Dr Steve Whalan returned to OIRS to examine the behavioural choice ecology of sponges across life history stages. Shiori Kanno has now finished all the field work and data collection for her PhD. Collecting over 1 million data points in Pioneer Bay from tagged elasmobranchs.

Orpheus ResearchIslandStation

Morris Family Trust Student Grant Scholarship Winners 2021 Erika Gress - Black corals species boundaries and spawning window

– The resilience potential of inshore Acropora tenuis populations of the Great Barrier Reef Internships and Volunteer Programs

The end of 2021 ended on a bittersweet note with the resignation of Station Officer, Rhys Cornish, who started at the station in 2020. Rhys has been accepted as a PhD candidate to investigate common phenotypic physiological signatures of thermal tolerance and plasticity of corals in the GBR. We wish Rhys the best of luck! https://www.jcu.edu.au/orpheusFacebook:island Orpheus Island Research TwitterStation @JCUOIRS Insta @JCU_OIRS 43

By Rebecca Tite, James Cook University 2021 was a great year for us to see researchers and education groups returning despite continuing uncertainty with borders and Covid. In addition, OIRS started Part 1 and Part 2a, 2b of our infrastructure upgrade. This includes a new office and staff accommodation, which are set to be completed in February 2022. The OIRS site has come a long way since JCU took over the site in 1978, from the few buildings that used to encompass all station operations. JCU constructed aquaria, hatchery and accommodation facilities in the early 80s, a dry lab in the early 90s and a $4.1 million upgrade to the facilities in 2004.

Julia Hung - Insight into the coral host immune response during Black Band Disease (BBD) progression Nicolas Lubitz – Drivers of elasmobranch SandramovementErdmann

Our first OIRS intern, James Tarte, completed his undergraduate Work Integrated Learning Program this year. With the new Master of Marine Science, OIRS is looking to take on Masters students in 2022.

Website

Top left: Researcher Hanaka Mera coral spawning © Gus Crosbie. Top Right: Coral spawning © Gus Crosbie. Bottom left: Student group snorkelling off the Point in southern Pioneer Bay © Heath Kiernan. Bottom right: OIRS Crew 2021. From top left: Heath Kiernan (Maintenance Officer), Rhys Cornish (Diving Officer), James Judge (Boating Officer), Allison Paley (Education Officer), Bec Tite (Station Manager), Jenny Calcraft (Causal Officer) and Johanna Leonhardt (Casual Officer)

Research Project Summaries Mia Hoogenboom and Karen Joyce ran a ‘Genes and Drones’ study comparing coral growth against various aspects of coral physiology and genetics. Comparing and validating established methods for quantifying coral growth using in water and drone imagery.

THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY

Research began with two long-term visitors to the island, Dr Mike Kingsford and Dr Daniel Harris, both from very different but equally important fields of research. Dr Kingsford continued a longterm data collection on fish assemblages. His work currently focuses on the interrelationships between soft corals and fishes, and the use of fish ear stones to monitor changes in environmental conditions.

2021 here at One Tree Island Research Station (OTIRS) once again looked a little different to years before the pandemic. Due to lockdowns and closed borders, many researchers and student groups were unable to return to the station. Despite this, interesting research was still undertaken at OTIRS in 2021.

Dr Harris’s project investigated the ecological and geomorphic zones of the reef, linking them to processesphysicalthrough field sampling

workhiatusTheytothatOTIRS,wifeDavidWeunderstanding.planningaprovidedprotectiondeterminingHisnumericalandmodelling.researchfocusesonthecoastalservicesbycoralreefs,vitalpartoffutureandalsowelcomedbackBoothandhisGigliaBerettatoadynamicduohasbeencomingOTIRSfor28years.returnedafteratocontinuetheirmonitoringthereef

One Tree Island Research Station

“Thinking about these ideas, in such a beautiful and relaxing environment, was one of the highlights of my life”

Left: Dr Daniel Harris conducting his research on the reef ﬂat . © Joeva Dachelet

The October coral spawning event was an exciting time on the station. Dr Gerard Ricardo began his research looking at identifying natural limits to coral recovery. Dr Ricardo and his team worked with live coral slicks in situ, which involved manipulating and tracking the slicks. This meant many late nights out on the boats and some logistical challenges, but it all came together on the night. He hopes to answer the question from a restoration perspective; what is the minimum coral population density needed achieve sufficient fertilisation success, and how may this vary with different levels of turbulence. We hope to welcome back Dr Ricardo next year to continue his important research. The station had some big maintenance and infrastructure projects throughout the year. This included the installation of some long awaited and well received airconditioning units and an overhaul of the water collection and filtration system for drinking water. Moving into 2022, we are eager to facilitate more research and education programs on OTIRS.

Dr Heaccomplishment.OTIRSwritingwhilstpublicationrecentmajoritywrotemathematics,researchavenuestomachinetechniquesfocuseswhoseWilliamsonworkonusinginlearningsuggestnewforintheofhisNatureonhisretreatat–ahugewrote:

OneManagers,TreeIsland Research Station

REEF IN REVIEW

Top left: Dr Anna Romanov and Dr Geordie Williamson with station managers Ruby and Heinrich.; Top right: David and Gigi heading out to one of their survey sites.

Above: Team meeting before the coral spawning event starts

fishes and benthic habitat. Their research helps to better understand long term changes in fish assemblages and the impacts of habitat disturbances such as coral

Thebleaching.station saw a first, when Dr Geordie Williamson and Dr Anna Romanov, mathematics researchers from the University of Sydney, visited the island for what was meant to be a 2-week writing retreat, but turned into an almost 3-month trip. The two found the station to be the perfect environment for focus and inspiration.

Heinrich Breuer and Ruby Holmes

While the station was quieter from the lack of overseas visitors, this was offset by a number of infrastructure development projects. The largest and most impressive was the directional drilling of two large tunnels from the pump house to the Wistari channel some 540 metres away. This was a complicated project that involved a drilling crew for 4 months and also collected some valuable coral samples down to 15 meters deep. A very delighted Professor Gregg Webb will handle samples. We also had a team from Hutchinson’s builders doing a series significantly lifted the look of the station. In the background, a large Uninterrupted continuepowercommunicationsPowerandfluctuations.Wetoenhanceand enable the Climate Change Facility which can heat or chill the continually flowing salt water for researchers. With a simple plug and play attitude, researchers can now establish experiments with various temperature profiles and based on living fresh seawater. We continue to invest heavily in this facility as the future priorities dictate such a system.

In August and September, the Heron Island region experienced very calm and warm conditions primarily as a result of La Niña. Sadly, this changed the feeding success of the small terns resulting in a mass die off through starvation. The beaches were littered with bodies as around 20% of the population perished. The other more opportunistic birds and the long-range feeders such as the shear waters did not seem to suffer the same fate. Thankfully, a shift in the wind conditions has restored the feeding success and young chicks are showing excellent weight gains thanks to Professor Graeme Cumming’s research team. Community Engagement Numerous film crews visited to capture the life of Heron Island. In particular, the research around epaulette sharks was filmed by Rory McGuiness and crew while the Bondi Vet, Dr Chris Brown, explored the success of the coral restoration activities. BBC filmmakers visited HIRS to capture Dr Tania Kenyon’s research on coral rubble within the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program. Melinda Ingram continued to develop educational materials for schools, which are also closely aligned with the Coral Watch program. Dr Chris Roelfsema and Professor Stuart Phinn filmed from outer space resulting in a range of publications highlighting the changes in the reef over time.

The Station has welcomed several new staff in 2021, including Captain Ricky Jones as the Boating and Diving officer following Captain Tom Pracy’s departure to seek adventure and hidden treasure. To the delight of several contractors, Ricky had a tough year following the Collingwood football team. We also farewelled our electrician Dave Kelly and employed a new one with thick Irish accent. Aiden O’Donnell and partner Carly Alexander have brought many laughs and value to the station life. Administration officer Kirsty Slemint finished to pursue a career in film production in the UK while new recruit Mariam El Fatimi has found island life very much to her liking, almost too much. Scientific officer Adriana Campilli took up her dream job as Benthic Ecologist with Australian Institute of Marine Science and now cruises the waters in a flash blue boat. Dr Heather Middleton stepped into the position and brought a very dry sense of humour plus a deep understanding of laboratory operations. Boating and Diving officer Davide Abate’s life changed with the arrival of a beautiful baby –congratulations to Dave, Stephanie and young Mia. Another significant staffing event was the establishment of a Heron Island Research Station Staff Association Incorporated which now owns a private boat and is enhancing the lives of the staff in various ways. A key part of the station life is now a continual series of volunteers who have helped in so many ways but also added a magic energy to the entire station.

Capital works

New Staff

The station

The research and educational activities of the station have remained operational all year despite the lockdowns and other disruptions. The coral reef in the region remains in excellent condition and will continue to form the foundation for many collaborative projects including with neighbouring One Tree Island Research Station. We anticipate that 2022 will also be full of challenges but that’s life on a remote research station! We welcome you and family to the island in 2022.

Above: HIRS staff:(from left) Aiden O’Donnell, Mariam El Fatimi, Megan Skelton, Ricky Jones, Heather Middleton, Shawnee Boen Bunting, Stuart Kininmonth (missing Erin Cobb and Davide Abate).

Heron ResearchIslandStation

By Dr. Stuart Kininmonth, Manager

The start of 2021 was filled with promise of returning to a normal pattern of operation, but Covid restrictions continued to hamper bookings mostly from overseas. Otherwise, the year was very busy with researchers and educational groups plus some large infrastructure projects. 2021 Black Noddy Tern die off

Below: HIRS construction - Construction crew working on the infrastructure improvements for the station.

THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY

46 Moreton

Teaching The Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) which consist of series of plates deployed by the Marine Society UQ in Moreton Bay has continued this year. Several students have been studying and monitoring the diverse lifeforms that inhabit the structures under the guidance of Undergradresearchers.field courses continued in 2021 and although reduced in number and size due to COVID restrictions, these were a welcome addition to the station. We also continued with high school science camps a few online camps due to COVID restrictions. We thank the many researchers, teachers and all the wonderful students who have spent time at the station. We are looking forward to seeing you again soon in 2022.

By Kevin Townsend, Manager After the challenges of 2020, 2021 began with optimism that the vaccines would allow the reopening of economies and our research and student groups would return. Working within the COVID restrictions, researchers and teaching groups began tentatively booking throughout the year and apart from the mid-year lockdown, 2021 was a busy year. MBRS staff again rose to the occasion and provided support for several research, teaching programs, and operational projects. Director Academic Director of MBRS, Associate Professor Michael Noad, continued his research with humpback whales along the Southeast Queensland coast. He was also involved in developing a Master plan for the strategic development of the MBRS site, submissions to State Government for the Dunwich township Master Plan, UQ boating review with the types of vessels required and several grant proposals. An important part of the MBRS has been working alongside Traditional Owners of the region, Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC). Assoc Prof Noad has been working closely with QYAC representatives, sharing knowledge, and creating genuine connections of mutual respect. Upgrades and equipment

The University of Queensland Properties and Facilities Division provided a facelift for the station at the beginning of 2021, including new hot water system, doors, stoves, air-conditioning and painting. We have also continued to expand our teaching and research capacity with several new PCR machines, courtesy of the UQ School of Veterinary Science. Development of the water sensory hub network continued in 2021, with work on ten small buoys by the Science Workshops. The small buoys are part of a project in collaboration with QYAC and will be deployed in marine and freshwater areas of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) in 2022. Each buoy will have temperature, turbidity, Lux and GPS positioning. The water sensory hub will provide important long-term information about the health of the waters on - and surrounding - Minjerribah.

Top: Mother and calf at Point Lookout North Stradbroke island (Minjerribah) © Jake Linksy ; Above: habitat mapping team from @UQEarthEnvironmentalSciences at MBRS on a cold June day. The team were in Moreton Bay repeating their seagrass surveys of 2004, ‘07, ‘11, ‘12, ’13, ’14 and ’15, looking at species distribution and their relation to Lyngbya and dugongs.

Research Project Summaries

ResearchBayStation

REEF IN REVIEW

We had several UQ researchers at the station in 2021, including: Chris Roelfsema and Eva Kovacs’ habitat mapping team, Prof Justin Marshall looking at stomatopods, Dr Wen-Sung published 3D images of a few species of octopus looking at octopus visual systems, Professor Cath Lovelock monitoring the vulnerability of wetlands to sea level rise, Dr Christine Dudgeon monitoring and tagging leopard (zebra) sharks, Professor Michael Noad and Associate Professor Rebecca Dunlop working on humpback whale research with the Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory (CEAL) based at MBRS, Leonie Huijser and Jake Linsky (HDR students with the CEAL) dolphin social networks and sex hormones from humpback whales to establish baseline health indices for the eastern Australian humpback whale. Dr Janet Lanyon on the health of the dugong population in Moreton Bay, Professor Andrew Fairbairn working with QYAC on archaeological sites around Minjerribah. We have also had researchers from Griffith, University of Sunshine Coast, Southern Cross University, Macquarie University, QUT, AIMS and CSIRO with projects ranging from underwater vehicle trials to the tagging of sharks.

2022 continues to be uncertain, but we are hopeful that the borders will reopen soon, permitting research groups from further afield to visit. Several long-standing research projects are already booked in, including Reef Life Survey, AIMS and the Flinders northwest dolphin research program.

We also have more documentary film crews visiting, concluding their work on the Ningaloo documentary. Several new student projects are starting, including studies on the wildlife tourism industry in Coral Bay and benthic ecology.

47THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY

The station has available accommodation for small groups, basic office and laboratory facilities, including a small library, two boats and two 4WD Hilux vehicles. Follow our news and activities on Facebook: Coral Bay Research Station and Project Manta WA.

Below: Earthwatch student challenge participants - intertidal survey near Coral bay boat ramp. ©Mike van Keulen

By Prof. Mike van Keulen, Director 2021 was another unusual year (is this to be the new normal?), with continued limited interstate travel. We did manage to host a few interstate researchers, but largely we worked with local researchers this year. Local tourism boomed, and our Project Manta database continued to expand. Our regular Earthwatch expeditions were cancelled, but we hosted a team of very enthusiastic WA high school students through Earthwatch’s Student Challenge program. The students joined us from around the state, and participated in a range of activities, including manta ray field IDs and database work, shark nursery monitoring, benthic habitat surveys and beach plastic surveys.

Murdoch University ran its 14th Annual Tropical Marine Biology field course in July 2021 (between semesters), again, only with students from local universities. The course provides the students with 10 days of advanced marine ecology training in the wonderful Ningaloo Reef setting. The unit is at undergraduatethird-yearlevel,and we welcome undergraduate students with secondyear biology or ecology experience.

Coral Bay Research Station

The Social Science community for the Great Barrier Reef held its inaugural symposium on Tuesday 5 October 2021 in Townsville, Queensland.

Stay tuned for announcements coming soon for the

Social Science Community for the Great Barrier Reef

The symposium was attended by a diverse array of people from across Australia and abroad (see summary over page) can find recordings of symposium presentations here 2022 symposium!

The Social Science Community for the Reef brings together social science practitioners and academics working in the Great Barrier Reef Region. The purpose of the group is to collaborate, share knowledge and provide a platform for improving understanding of social science for the Reef, both research and Thisapplied.Community

The symposium inspiration was social perspectives on maintaining and enhancing connections and flows that link and replenish, essential for the diversity and resilience of the Reef. We sought to explore social-ecological connectivity, which we defined as exchange or connection of ideas, benefits, knowledge, information and data, people and place, tele-connected and cross-scalar movements and other relationships.

is an initiative of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in collaboration with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Office of the Great Barrier Reef (Department of Environment and Science, Queensland), James Cook University: the Cairns Institute and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Queensland University of Technology and University of Queensland.

To join or for more information please contact science@gbrmpa.gov.au Social Science Community for the Reef Symposium 2021

We had an exciting program with a welcome from the Authority’s Chief Scientist Dr David Wachenfeld, two plenary talks, from Peta Ross (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and GBR Traditional Owner) and Dr Bruce Taylor (CSIRO), 12 presentations and two discussion sessions around the themes “Connecting and collaborating” and “Navigating change”. We ended the symposium with a panel discussion on critical paths forward.

You

Be a Marine Biologist for a Day

“These students are the next generation of Reef custodians, we hope to increase their understanding of the Reef and inspire a love for environmental science.” Holly Lambert, Assistant Director – Reef Educations. The initiative brings together a number of Reef Authority programs including Reef Guardian Schools, High Standard Tourism Operators, Master Reef Guides, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s monitoring program ‘Eye on the Reef’ which contributes to the long-term protection of the Reef.

‘Be a Marine Biologist for a Day’ assist teachers, marine tourism operators and reef guides to promote high quality learning and first hand experiences for students visiting the Great Barrier Reef. The package of educational assets includes; customisable teaching, instructional resources and activities that are curriculum-linked and aligned with specific stages of learning from younger students through to Year 12.

44 REEF IN REVIEW50 REEF IN REVIEW

‘Be a Marine Biologist for a Day’ is made up of three parts; ‘Preparing to find out’ phase – students learn at school about Rapid Monitoring techniques and what species they may discover on the TheReef.‘finding out’ phase – students get their heads underwater and participate in citizen science activities. The ‘Final phase’ – back in the classroom where students make connections and expand their experiences on the Reef and connect it to the world around them.

News from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

The Master Reef Guide Program is delivered by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators and Tourism and Events Queensland. It is the first of its kind for the Reef, with the Reef, Loe the Reef, Protect the Reef Locations of individual Master Reef guides

“The Master Reef Guides were brought together to learn how to enhance people’s reef experiences through storytelling, creating those unforgettable WOW moments, and planting seeds for people to take home and grow into something beautiful,”

The aim of the Master Reef Guides is to be the world’s leading reef guides and interpreters, sharing the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef. As Reef ambassadors, they are considered the best in their field to convey up-to-date scientific and management information, reef interpretations, and master story telling and delivery. Most importantly they can explain what anyone can do to make a difference for the Reef. Master Reef Guide Natalie Lobartolo believes it’s important to be able to explain to anyone what they can do to make a difference for the Reef.

Master Reef Guides

#See

51THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY Above:

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

needs dashboard 52 REEF IN REVIEW

• How can we improve our management through innovation and technology?

• What is the condition and trend of key values?

• How can we optimise our management impact?

Science and Knowledge Needs for Management

Our Science and Knowledge Needs for management set out the Authority’s priority information needs. It has a focus on elements that will help improve our management and protection strategies over the long term and spans four key themes:

he Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has a long history of working collaboratively with science and knowledge providers and basing our management on the best available science. Every few years we reflect on our knowledge gaps, in particular following on from our five-yearly Outlook Reports, and identify priority needs.

• How is the Reef used?

The Reef is one of the most well researched and monitored ecosystems in the world. The Authority is focused on brokering the exchange of knowledge between science providers and those that will use and act on the findings – including government, Traditional Owners, industry, or the community. Our preferred approach to harnessing science and knowledge for evidence-based policy, programs and decisions is based on co-design, co-production and the sharing of knowledge. knowledge

See Interactiveour science and

Obtaining robust information that address priority needs; supports evidence-based reporting, enables ecologically sustainable use, increases capability and effectiveness of our management responses and better protects the Reef for future generations.

PhotoWherearewegoing?credit:SlickStreams, Karl Forcey.

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Understanding the natural adaptive capacity of reef building corals, and the extent to which it can be enhanced through active restoration interventions, is a priority area of targeted research and development.

“There is no such thing as a special category of science called applied science; there is science and its applications, which are related to one another as the fruit is related to the tree that has borne it.”

The Reef is under threat

Louis Pasteur, Correspondence of Pasteur and Thuillier Concerning Anthrax and Swine Fever

Vaccinations

We have studied the evolutionary potential of reef building corals on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) for close to two decades. During this time, we have witnessed a shift in research focus from understanding the underlying biological mechanisms of acclimatisation and adaptation to applying such knowledge to enhance corals’ thermal tolerance, for example in reef restoration. While perceived as disparate by some, the underpinning questions are often the same and advances in both research fields are based on parallel discoveries.

A changing climate for coral reef research

Some corals likely harbour the raw material for adaptation

Indeed – funding for research into restoration and adaptation can provide an opportunity to fast-track our fundamental knowledge of coral reefs’ futures required for conventional management and conservation.

A changing climate for coral reef research

By Line K Bay (AIMS), Juan Ortiz (AIMS), Kate M Quigley (Minderoo Foundation)

The scale, frequency and severity of marine heatwaves that cause mass coral bleaching are increasingly eroding the reef resilience. Coral adaptation to warming ocean temperatures will be critical to sustain functional assemblages of species into the future. Management and conservation approaches that protect or enhance the resilience and adaptive capacity of structure-building corals, and by extension, the reef biodiversity they support, are therefore urgently needed.

Some coral populations harbour extensive standing genetic variation that may facilitate adaptation to current and future warming and individuals with enhanced tolerance under predicted future conditions currently exist across reef scapes. While restoration and adaptation seek to map these heat tolerant corals to identify sources for restoration activities like selective breeding, this research also provides essential information to support decisions for the spatial protection of sensitive or tolerant populations, management of extractive activities, or active restoration.

Above: Coral spawning event provides an opportunity to study the reproductive biology of corals and apply this knowledge to coral propagation and aquaculture. © ReefSkyPhoto

How much adaptation is enough?

The level of adaptation required to avoid regular bleaching depends on species-specific stress thresholds, background rates of warming, and the severity of acute events. To date, bleaching thresholds have been determined from observations and the analysis of samples collected during bleaching events, as well as experimental approaches in the laboratory or the field, like in the staged deployment of heat tolerant corals. However, how much potential for natural adaptation based on underlying genetic diversity and how much this process can be accelerated with assisted evolution is unclear. In this context, a combination of ecological models that incorporate the main mechanism driving reef dynamics and evolutionary models focusing on natural adaptation rates can and should inform on the potential benefits and risks of different intervention strategies and how much adaptation (both naturals and enhanced) may be required to maintain reef resilience.

“We stand united in our call to decision makers, business, and the broader community to act on climate change now.”

Top of page left : Rapid heat stress assays undertaken in the ﬁeld are used to determine the distribution and abundance of heat tolerant corals and can be used to develop markers for selective breeding. © James Gilmour

Above: Quantitative genetics is the study of the inheritance of traits and forms the basis of selective breeding for enhanced tolerance. © ReefSkyPhoto.

The future for coral reefs?

References: 1. Hughes TP, Anderson KD, Connolly SR, Heron SF, Kerry JT, Lough JM, Baird AH, Baum JK, Berumen ML, Bridge TC (2018) Spatial and temporal patterns of mass bleaching of corals in the Anthropocene. Science 359 (6371):80-83. 2. Ortiz, J. C., Wolff, N. H., Anthony, K. R., Devlin, M., Lewis, S., & Mumby, P. J. (2018). Impaired recovery of the Great Barrier Reef under cumulative stress. Science advances, 4(7), eaar6127. 3. Anthony KR, Helmstedt KJ, Bay LK, Fidelman P, Hussey KE, Lundgren P, Mead D, McLeod IM, Mumby PJ, Newlands M (2020) Interventions to help coral reefs under global change—A complex decision challenge. Plos one 15 (8):e0236399. 4. Kleypas J, Allemand D, Anthony K, Baker AC, Beck MW, Hale LZ, Hilmi N, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Hughes T, Kaufman L (2021) Designing a blueprint for coral reef survival. Biological Conservation 257:109107. 5. Knowlton N, Corcoran E, Felis T, Ferse S, de Goeij J, Grottoli A, Harding S, Kleypas J, Mayfield A, Miller M (2021) Rebuilding Coral Reefs: A Decadal Grand Challenge. International Coral Reef Society and Future Earth Coasts, 56 pp. https://doi.org/10.53642/ NRKY9386. 6. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2019) A Research Review of Interventions to Increase the Persistence and Resilience of Coral Reefs. National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.. 7. Bay LK, Rocker M, Boström-Einarsson L, Babcock R, Buerger P, Cleves P, Harrison D, Negri A, Quigley K, Randall CJ, van Oppen MJH, Webster N (2019) Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program: Intervention Technical Summary. A report provided to the Australian Government by the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (89pp). 8. Matz MV, Treml EA, Aglyamova GV, Bay LK (2018) Potential and limits for rapid genetic adaptation to warming in a Great Barrier Reef coral. PLoS genetics 14 (4):e1007220. 9. Fuller ZL, Mocellin VJ, Morris LA, Cantin N, Shepherd J, Sarre L, Peng J, Liao Y, Pickrell J, Andolfatto P (2020) Population genetics of the coral Acropora millepora: Toward genomic prediction of bleaching. Science 369 (6501). 10. Howells EJ, Bay LK, Bay RA (2022) Identifying, monitoring, and managing adaptive genetic variation in reef-building corals under rapid climate warming. In -Omic approaches for the conservation and management for coral reefs. Springer. 11. Drury C, Caruso C and Quigley KM (2021) Selective Breeding to Support the Long-Term Persistence of Coral Reefs. EcoEvoRXiv. 12. Cornwell B, Armstrong K, Walker NS, Lippert M, Nestor V, Golbuu Y, Palumbi SR (2021) Widespread variation in heat tolerance and symbiont load are associated with growth trade-offs in the coral Acropora hyacinthus in Palau. Elife 10:e64790 13. Long-Term Monitoring Program - Annual Summary Report of Coral Reef Condition 2020/21 | AIMS REEF IN REVIEW

56 Above: Natural variation in bleaching tolerance is evident in corals photographed near Lizard Island in March 2021.© Dr Emily Howells

While the GBR has seen an increase in coral cover over the past few years the long-term threats to this iconic ecosystem from global threats like climate change remain and are predicted to increase. We stand united in our call to decision makers, business, and the broader community to act on climate change now. However, even if carbon emissions are reduced immediately, the legacy of historic emissions will result in significant warming over the coming decades and corals will continue to decline unless tolerance increases rapidly. While many uncertainties remain around restoration and adaptation it is increasingly clear that doing nothing is not a risk-free option either. The scientific community needs to focus on the fundamental knowledge needed for coral reefs and be ready to apply this information in the most appropriate manner to give our reefs the best future we can.

T he world’s first globally consistent coral reef habitat maps are now freely available. Habitat maps describing the geomorphic zonation and benthic composition for every shallowwater coral reef around Australia can now be accessed via the Allen Coral Atlas. Additionally, Great Barrier Reef specific maps are available through the Reef Knowledge System powered by the Reef Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program (RIMReP).

The Allen Coral Atlas data download directions for any shallow reef in the world: 1. You will need to create a free login and sign in on www.allencoralatlas.org in order to download data from the Atlas. Downloads will be sent to the email address associated with your Allen Coral Atlas account.

2a. To download an entire region (e.g. Eastern Africa & Madagascar), navigate to the “Mapped/Monitored Areas” dropdown menu, find and select and select the region of interest (e.g. titled “Eastern Africa & Madagascar”). The option to see the stat card and download the area will appear next to the region name.

The Allen Coral Atlas is an international collaboration between experts in the fields of reef science and earth observation, who officially launched the world’s first globally consistent coral reef habitat map in September 2021. This scientific tool for reef science includes both a mapping and monitoring component, set to revolutionise reef conservation and management around the world.

Thereefs.methods used to create both the GBR10 GBRMP and Allen Coral Atlas map products combine satellite images, reference data and physical attributes (depth, bathymetry and waves), to train and validate semi-automated machine learning classifiers and object-based clean-up protocols.

2. You can download data either by selecting an entire region for download from the “Mapped/Monitored Areas” dropdown menu or selecting an area of interest using the Polygon Tool.

A team at the University of Queensland’s Remote Sensing Research Centre led the development and implementation of the habitat mapping process. This global mapping approach was based on original work conducted by the team during pilot studies funded by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority for mapping the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). These pilot studies led to the creation of the geomorphic zonation, benthic cover and predicted coral type maps. These are known as the GBR10 GBRMP maps, which can be accessed via the GBRMPA reef knowledge system. The methods used for the GBR10 GBRMP maps are fine tuned specifically for the GBR and only includes the reefs within the GBR marine park. These methods have been adapted by the Allen Coral Atlas in order to achieve a globally consistent map for the world’s reefs.

Globally consistent reef habitat maps

The Atlas’ coral monitoring tool uses the world’s first satellite-based global reef monitoring system for coral bleaching and turbidity. The bleaching detection system identifies the brightening of corals by detecting changes in the spectral signature of coral when analysing satellite imagery which coincide with a ‘bleaching warning’ from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coral Reef Watch. These data are now vital, with modelling predicting that 70 to 90% of the world’s coral reefs will be lost by 2050 due to ocean warming, pollution and acidification. Additionally, by having created a suite of habitat maps, which all use the same globally consistent classification scheme for every reef around the world means comparisons can easily be made between all Australian shallow-water tropical coral

A brief comparison between the two approaches: The GBR10 GBRMP maps predominantly used data specifically fine tuned, calibrated and validated for the GBR. For instance, the field data protocol and sampling method was designed and executed for the GBR. These maps used Sentinel 2 satellite imagery surface reflectance and derived absolute water depth data (Mean Sea Level) by EOMAP ltd and 19 different wave climate parameters, based on SWANN modelling (Callaghan et al The2015).Allen Coral Atlas maps did not have the resources to fine tune the data collection for specific areas on earth but rather focused efforts more broadly across large regions globally. As a result, and in combination with COVID-19 restrictions, field data was gathered from the global reef community. Specifically, 1000 scientists and organisations from around the world were approached, which resulted in the collation of over 500 datasets. These datasets were then translated in over 600,000 geomorphic and 1 million benthic reference data points for the training of the classifier and the validation of the maps. Additionally, the Atlas maps are based on the higher resolution Planet Dove imagery which was tailored to be used

Now we sea

Bothglobally.the GBR10 GBRMP and the Allen Coral Atlas habitat maps are publicly available to download and are valuable resources for Australian’s coral reef research.

By Chris Roelfsema and Chantel Say, Remote Sensing Research Centre, The University of Queensland

3. If you have the stat card open, you can download the data by navigating across from the ‘Stats’ tab to the ‘Download data’ tab. Here, you will be provided with multiple download options. These options include which data layers you would like to download: Visual Planet Dove Imagery (2018, 2019, 2020; raster, Geotiff), Benthic and geomorphic Map (raster JSON, vector- shapefile), Quarterly Turbidity (raster, GEOTIFF), Bathymetry - composite data (raster, GEOTIFF)

M.,

A CORAL REEF SOCIETY

2. Download the GBR10 GBRMP via following hyperlinks: Benthic, Geomorphic, Depth and Sentinel 2 image mosaic (Raster GeoTiff). Alternatively, you can copy the webservice address C. Lyons, M. B., Kovacs, E. M., Borrego-Acevedo, R., Roe, M., Phinn, S. R., Larsen, K., Murray, N. J., Yuwono, D., Wolff, J., & Tudman, P. (2021). Reef Cover, a coral reef classification for global habitat mapping from remote sensing. Scientific Data, 8(1), 196. 10.1038/s41597-021-00958-zhttps://doi.org/ 2. Li, J., Knapp, D. E., Lyons, M., Roelfsema, C., Phinn, S., Schill, S. R., & Asner, G. P. (2021). Automated Global Shallow Water Bathymetry Mapping Using Google Earth Engine. Remote Sensing, 13(8), 1469. 2072-4292/13/8/1469https://www.mdpi.com/3. Lyons, M. B., Roelfsema, C. M., Kennedy, E. V., Kovacs, E. M., Borrego-Acevedo, R., Markey, K., Roe, M., Yuwono, D. M., Harris, D. L., Phinn, S. R., Asner, G. P., Li, J., Knapp, D. E., Fabina, N. S., Larsen, K., Traganos, D., & Murray, N. J. (2020). Mapping the world's coral reefs using a global multiscale earth observation framework. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 6(4), 557-568. doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.157https:// 4. Roelfsema, C. B.-A., Rodney; Canto, Robert; Harris, Daniel; Kennedy, Emma; Kovacs, Eva; et al. (2021a). Benthic and Geomorphic Reference Data for Global Coral Reef Mapping. figshare. m9.figshare.c.5233847.v4https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.6084/Collection.

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from each of the four data sets and use that in your GIS environment. For additional information and resources: • Visit the Allen Coral Atlas • Watch the video – Powered By Planet Data, Allen Coral Atlas Completes Map of all the World’s Coral Reefs • Read the UQ News piece –‘Momentous’ mapping project completed, helping to save the world’s reefs • Read the media release from the Minister for the Environment –‘Technology breakthrough sheds new light on Great Barrier Reef’ References: 1. Kennedy, E. V., Roelfsema,

The GBR10 GBRMP data download directions for the shallow reefs of the GBR marine park :

2b. To download a specific area, start by selecting the Polygon Tool on the left side panel. Use the tool to digitise around the area of interest. Double click to complete the polygon, which will result in a stats card to appear. Note, if the area is over 100km2, you will be prompted to save it. However, it is recommended to save areas even if they are smaller than 100km2 using the "Save Area" button, as an area must be saved before it can be downloaded. Additionally, you will be able to revisit all saved areas by navigating to the “My Areas” in the top toolbar. The option to see the stat card and download the area will also appear beside the saved area in the drop down.

5. Roelfsema, C. M., Lyons, M., Murray, N., Kovacs, E. M., Kennedy, E., Markey, K., BorregoAcevedo, R., Ordoñez Alvarez, A., Say, C., Tudman, P., Roe, M., Wolff, J., Traganos, D., Asner, G. P., Bambic, B., Free, B., Fox, H. E., Lieb, Z., & Phinn, S. R. (2021b). Workflow for the Generation of ExpertDerived Training and Validation Data: A View to Global Scale Habitat Mapping [Methods]. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8(228). fmars.2021.643381https://doi.org/10.3389/ A URL which can be used to add the data as a web service in a GIS environment C Available data includes benthic and geomorphic maps, satellite imagery and depth data. Key features available for each dataset include: The Reef Knowledge System Accessing Great Barrier Reef specific data

The downloadable dataB A brief overview of the data followed by a more in depth description

4. If you agree to the data license terms, you will then be able to hit the "Prepare Download" button. When the data package is ready, the data will be sent to you as an email for download. The data package will be available for download for 30 days.

1. Go to the GBRMPA knowledge system website at StepReefKnowledgeSystemhttps://reefiq.gbrmpa.gov.au/orgodirectto2below.

4. Values, culture, image, and reputation

One of their primary outputs during 2021 were guidelines for researchers about parachute science and how to avoid it. This subcommittee released an ARC Centre Code of Conduct to provide a clear statement of the expectations of members in respect to their professional and personal conduct.

3. Leadership

This subcommittee is focused on creating measures that ensure and support transparency and diversity in student and staff recruitment and retention, as well as through all levels of employment from casual to senior staff.

Working towards Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

by Michele Barnes, Alana Grech, Georgina Gurney and Kristin Hoel ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies

In late 2020, the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee was created at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies to address systemic inequalities in our workplace and research practice. This volunteer-based Committee has over 20 members affiliated with the ARC Centre, and includes postgraduate students, early-career and senior researchers.

This subcommittee focused on imbalances in leadership diversity and implemented a series of professional development programs, trainings, and events that focused on JEDI issues. These included training, film events, a NAIDOC week presentation by Michelle Deshong, and an Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency course. This subcommittee also organised for permanent JEDI committee representation on the ARC Centre’s Scientific Management Committee.

This subcommittee has been working to embed and celebrate JEDI in the Centre’s culture and community. In 2021, they developed the JEDI webpage on the ARC Centre’s website, worked with the ARC Centre seminar committee to ensure a diversity of speakers on diversity and inclusion related topics which resulted in three JEDI focused seminars in late 2021: ‘Turning the tide of parachute science’ with Paris Stefanoudis, ‘The AIMS Indigenous Partnerships Plan – moving from engagement to partnerships’ with Manuwuri Forester, Bob Muir and Libby Evans-Illidge, and ‘Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies’ with members of the JEDI Committee.

2. Pipeline, recruitment, and retention

Throughout 2021, this subcommittee proposed and implemented a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement on the ARC Centre careers page. They also developed an information package for the ARC Centre’s Scientific Management Committee with evidence-based suggestions for improving diversity throughout the pipeline.

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1. How we work

This subcommittee aims to strengthen members’ understanding and implementation of inclusive and just research practices within the ARC Centre and in the places where our research is conducted. “How we work” is concerned with understanding and addressing what ARC Centre members can do to ensure JEDI values are upheld.

JEDI

The Committee was formed to ensure JEDI values are considered and included throughout the ARC Centre’s work, including research, training, and stakeholder engagement. While the ARC Centre is already a leader in conducting world-class marine research, the Committee’s goal is to improve our leadership in addressing systemic inequalities in academia.TheCommittee focused on four key areas assigned subcommittees and described under the subheading below. These subcommittees worked throughout 2021 to bring JEDI values into the spotlight, develop policy and guidelines and generate conversations within the ARC Centre community to change practice.

Rachel Alderice doing fieldwork.

Knowing that women carry a lot of other responsibilities outside of their careers, 2021 events were held during work hours, making childcare and family commitments more manageable for those attending. There are plans for some evening events in 2022.

“The WotR network allows me to connect with other women working in or around my field that I would perhaps never meet. It’s a supportive network that allows me to make connections and move forward with projects that I would have never pursued.”

• The State Library of Queensland, 2020 John Oxley Library fellows, Dr Deb Anderson and Associate Professor Kerrie Foxwell-Norton. Deb and Kerrie will be talking about their joint project The Women of the Great Barrier Reef: The Untold Stories of Environmental Conservation in Queensland. The project highlights the significant role women have played in the conservation of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland

“We knew at the first event, there was a need for a Women of the Reef network, and it grew from there. We hope over time the network will be a long-term project that helps bring equity” Maxine Newlands (co-cordinator) of WotR

Members have reported the following benefits of Women of the Reef, including:

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• A functioning network you can rely on for potential influence • Increased capacity and empowering women working in the reef space • New contacts to share information with and learn about others work Their experience tells us these benefits and other actions are currently missing from their support networks. As well as network events, the womenofthereef website provides a shared space for members to post other networking events, jobs, workshops, talks, or other relevant information. Joining the network is easy and free- members can then access the shared information space, contact each other via a Slack group. Who is in the network?

By Maxine Newlands (JCU) and Alana Grech (JCU)

The network has rapidly developed since the inaugural event, in December 2020. In the past 14 months Women of the Reef has grown from 24 people to now more than 100 members. Today, the network includes marine scientists, social scientists, economists, reef managers, members of industry, the conservation sectors and others from Townsville, Cairns, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Wollongong, Sydney and Hobart.

What is the WotR? Women of the Reef is a professional network that supports information brokering and builds long-term professional relationships. Networking during COVID19 is particularly important for women as it shapes resilience through the identification of opportunities for employment, funding and professional development.

The Women of the Reef network hosted three events in 2021. We began in March with a speed-networking event to facilitate introductions, conversations and partnerships between members of the network. By July, we launched the website womenofthereef.org with a social event to provide an opportunity for women to reconnect. We ended the year in November with a series of icebreaker activities to facilitate introductions and get people interacting.

Members work at James Cook University, Australian Institute of Marine Science; CSIRO; GBRMPA; University of Wollongong; Queensland Government, Queensland Museum network; as independent consultants, Great Barrier Reef Foundation and other organisations.

Women of the Reef : A new network to support gender equity for scientists, managers, and industry.

What does the next 12 months look like?

The next 12 -18 months we’ll be hosting (for dates and tickets please go to the website womenofthereef.org)

W omen make up less than a quarter of senior management roles in marine science and conservation organisations. Data shows that women hold between 13% and 24% of senior roles. Reaching parity often requires networking, sharing opportunities, ideas, mentoring and career advice. We started the Women of the Reef (WotR) network to support professional women working in marine science, management and industry.

65THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY • Women of the Reef Winter dinner • Mentoring sessions, ECR/ career advice and knowledge brokering • Celebrating Women of the Reef-a panel discussion and Q&A, with distinguished female leaders. What can you do for the network? All of our events so far have been in the Townsville region. In 2022 we will be making some events available online. We are keen to spread our impact, so please get in touch if you’d like to host your own Women of the Reef event. We’ll provide support and advice. If you’d like to support an event through sponsorship, please contact us. To find out more information and join our network, please visit womenofthereef.org and join our Facebook page for event“WotRupdates.network for me represents our best attempt at collective grassroots action to actively address the stark gender inequity we see within our industry. More broadly it can only mean better science and better outcomes for the Reef - which I suppose for most of us is our higher purpose”

Science in Action Image credit Paige Strudwick 2021 ACRS competition. of 64: Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. Image credit Matt Curnock. Image Bank.

Image top

photo

Ocean

Sharon Wismer--reef ecologist and mom--is the best tour guide a kid could have for a visit to the underwater world of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Alice Wong's richly detailed, accurate watercolors take a boy and girl snorkeling to see the fishes that maintain the ecological balance between the corals and their main competitor, algae. Without the fish species that brush, crop, scrape, excavate, and browse the algae, coral reefs would die. A coral reef is a brilliant and colorful example of how a complex ecosystem functions and why its keystone species are critical to its health.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of Earth's most celebrated natural treasures. Here, children discover why the reef is threatened and what we can all do to help protect it. Endorsements are coming from Jane Goodall, Charlie Veron, and David Bellwood, a world-renowned reef fish ecologist whose lab is the source of much of the information in this book.

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Keepers of the Reef is the rare children's book combining cutting-edge science with narrative and pictorial magic. Thorough backmatter sources and resources are included.

“Coral reefs are places of wonder and excitement that stir kids’ imaginations and create curiosity that lasts a lifetime. Keepers of the Reef nurtures that curiosity. It will encourage the children of today to become the stewards of tomorrow.”

# pages 40 Publisher Tilbury House Written by Dr. Sharon Wismer Illustrated by Alice Wong Read what they are saying: “When children discover the wonders of the natural world, they become fascinated and curious, and this often sparks a life-long appreciation for the environment. This book offers young readers a glimpse into the delicate balance between corals, algae, and the reef fishes that together make up these important ecosystems. A journey of discovery that will educate and inspire a connection with our oceans and the magic of coral reefs.”

Dame Jane Goodall

ISBN 978-0-88448-904-7 Grade Level. 1-5

“Keepers of the Reef invites kids to look beyond the pretty colours, revealing fascinating fish behaviours that are key to the survival of coral reefs. A delightful perspective on life in this beautiful yet fragile marine habitat.”Professor David Bellwood

“Keepers of the Reef” by Dr. Sharon Wismer

Dr. Charlie Veron

67THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY

ACRS MEMBERSTop

Given the quality of marine-themed art submissions in last year’s magazine, ACRS put the call out again this year. It is striking how many of us have arDsDc ﬂare, and we are thrilled to showcase this talent again. There was no barrier to submissions this year, branching beyond our ACRS membership for marine and reef-themed art using diverse mediums including painDngs, drawings, digital media, and even cake design. We received 174 fantasDc submissions from 54 arDsts from around the world, including six current ACRS members. These are showcased, as well as a selecDon of others to exhibit the breadth of talent, mediums, and arDsts. Hopefully, this inspires a liNle creaDvity in us all. OUR

left: Drawing by Morane Le Nohaic; Top right: octopus cake art by Maria Bavins. Right side: Drawings by Marko Terzin. Left: Pelican drawing by Kennedy Wolfe

REEF IN REVIEW68

SUBMISSIONS FROM

Marine Art

Above: GrinblatpaintingLeft:BrayshawpaintingParrotfishbyMichelleShipwreckbyMila

SUBMISSIONS FROM BEYOMD THE ACRS MEMBERSHIP 70 REEF IN REVIEW The we love turtles series….. (and a nudibranch) Clockwise from top left: Mady Hughes; Charlie Tuck; Acacia Collard; Kerri Tanner

71 THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY Top of page: Chanelle Robinson. Above: Sue Liu, Nudibranch Left: Mathew Lynn Below: Jenna Pickering

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Above and right: Cyanotype Exposure by Kylie Goldsack. Dating back to the 1840s, the cyanotype produces beautiful blue tones and is one of the first photographic processes invented. A UV-sensitive emulsion is prepared and hand-painted onto archival-quality watercolour paper that is dried and exposed in the sun. Each image is created using coastal botanical specimens in work inspired by the ocean and the tides.

Above and left: Christina Harkness - crochet/knit

73 Clockwise from top: Stephanie Ellis; Anthony Scholfield; Matthew Adams; David Neil THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY

74 Clockwise from top: Alex Thornton; Jessica Blackmore; Karyn McDonald; Chloe WilliamsREEF IN REVIEW

A/Prof. Sarah Hamylton University of Wollongong President Prof. David Suggett University of SydneyTechnology Vice-President Dr. Anna Scott Southern Cross University Past President & Reef Matters seminars coordinator Dr. Stephanie Gardner University of New South Wales Secretary Dr. Stephanie Duce James Cook University Treasurer Dr. Samantha Goyen Australian Institute of Marine Science Membership Manager Dr. Michelle Dyer Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Reef in Review Editor Dr Victor Huertas James Cook University Social media manager Brett Lewis Queensland University of Technology Councillor Dr. Kennedy Wolfe University of Queensland Reef Matters seminars coordinator & Reef in Review Dr. Coulson Lantz University of New South Wales Web Manager Prof. Graeme Cumming James Cook University Councillor Catheline Froehlich University of Wollongong Reef in Review Team Tess Hill James Cook University Web Manager and Reef Matters seminar coordinator Dr. Sven Uthicke Australian Institute of Marine Science Councillor Dr. Chris Roelfsema University of Queensland Councillor Dr. Carrie Sims Australian Institute of Marine Science Councillor Dr. Gergely Torda James Cook University Councillor Dr. Selina Ward University of Queensland Councillor The 2021-22 ACRS Council 75THE AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEF SOCIETY Dr. Saskia Jurriaans Australian Institute of Marine Science Treasurer and Councillor

BECOME A MEMBER IT’SDONATE.TAX-DEDUCTIBLE! Printed recycledonpaper. GET IN TOUCH! www.australiancoralreefsociety.org austcoralreefsoc@gmail.com @AustralianCoralReefSociety @AustCoralReefs @austcoralreefsociety ©NudibranchGrantThomas/Coral Reef Image Bank Photo credit: Valerio Tettamanti. Blackwater octopus larva.

Reef in Review 2022

Articles inside

Women of the Reef

News from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Keepers of the reef: children’s book

Globally consistent reef habitat maps

Social Science Community for the Great Barrier Reef

A changing climate for coral reef research

Reef Matters Seminar Series

Adventure, survival, death and myth: Wrecks on the Reef

2020 ACRS Research Awards

The stories behind our ACRS awards

The story of a People expressed in the life history and adaptation of coral

ACRS Submissions 2021-2022

A conservation win for sea cucumbers

Women in the Australian Coral Reef Society

Book review: A Year on the Reef, Maurice Yonge