Protecting Coastal Saltmarsh
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cradle to coastlines in this issue Page 3 Improving the river environment for our iconic species Page 4 Monitoring Hooded Plovers on Three Hummock Island Page 6 Protecting Coastal Saltmarsh
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Page 7 Short-tailed Shearwaters arrive late! Page 8 Is the grass greener on the other side? Page 9 Seedlab classes to support sgribusiness Page 10 Choose your own adventure in May Page 12 Cradle Coast NRM at World Ocean Conference
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Page 14 Little Penguins declared as sensitive wildlife Page 15 NRM Strategy Review Page 16 What's on More news
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cradle coast nrm 1-3 Spring St Burnie Tasmania 7320
www.cradlecoast.com/nrm www.facebook.com/CradleCoastNRM/
Improving the river environment for our iconic species
The Giant Freshwater Crayfish Astacopsis gouldi, or lutaralipina in palawa kani, is the largest freshwater invertebrate in the world and can grow up to 6 kg and a metre in length. It is found only in the rivers of northern Tasmania and is one of our iconic species. Cradle Coast NRM has recently received funding to protect and increase the size of the population. This will largely happen through improving the extent and quality of their habitat. We are currently in the process of identifying four to six discrete project areas to work in across the north west and we are just starting to contact landholders in these areas to gauge their interest in being part of this project over the next 3 years. Landholders in the priority areas will get the opportunity to access technical advice on river management, access funding incentives to
undertake habitat improvement works such as fencing, off stream water points or revegetation and erosion control. Information on conservation covenants and the Land for Wildlife program can also be provided. The main food of the Giant Freshwater Crayfish is decaying wood and they like habitat that is well shaded, rivers with flowing or still permanent water, native vegetation and streams with undercut banks and rock or boulder-based streams rather than sandy ones. Fiona Marshall, our Giant Freshwater Crayfish Project Coordinator, will be contacting groups of neighbouring landholders in the selected priority areas who may be interested in undertaking works along or adjacent to their river environments.
Preferred Giant Freshwater Crayfish habitat. Photo credit: Fiona Marshall
This project is supported by the Cradle Coast Authority, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
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Monitoring Hooded Plovers on Three Hummock Island
This Regional Landcare Program funded project will protect the threatened beach-nesting shorebird, the Hooded Plover, on Three Hummock Island by working towards eradication of feral cats from the Island, controlling the invasive weed, Sea Spurge, and removing marine debris. Last December, our project partners, BirdLife Australia’s Beach nesting Birds team, undertook population monitoring and habitat availability assessment for Hooded Plovers on the island’s sandy beaches. The great news was that the population of Hooded Plovers on the island is estimated at between 21-24 adult Hooded Plovers (with sightings and re-sightings of 28 birds over the four days of surveying). Actively nesting Hooded Plovers were observed at Homestead beach and Mermaid Bay. Other sites where Hooded Plovers demonstrated nesting behaviour were at West Telegraph, Burgess Point and Golden Beach. Hooded Plovers are excellent indicators of coastal health. Hatching success and chick survival are directly impacted by a range of coastal pressures including introduced predators (foxes and cats) and superabundant native predators (ravens and gulls), human disturbance, off leash dogs and tidal inundation which is intensified by loss of habitats from weed invasions.
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Adult survival can also be threatened by vehicle strike, entanglement, oiling, disease and poor body condition related to high disturbance rates. In addition to this project, BirdLife Australia has captured and banded a subset of birds to determine population size through tagging of individuals and collecting genetic samples to contribute to a study of the genetic variation of the Eastern Hooded Plover population. Further Hooded Plover surveys are planned towards the end of this four-year project after threat mitigation activities are completed. This will help us to better understand the health and size of the local population. The full survey report “Monitoring of the Hooded Plover population and assessing habitat availability on Three Hummock Island, Tasmania” can be viewed at: www.cradlecoast.com/creating-a-hoodedplover-stronghold-on-three-hummock-island This project is supported by the Cradle Coast Authority, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
A Hooded Plover is captured for tagging and genetic sampling. Photo credit: Dr Grainne Maguire, Birdlife Australia
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Protecting Coastal Saltmarsh One of the big threats to Coastal Saltmarsh in north-west Tasmania is the invasive weed, Rice Grass (Spartina anglica), that competes with saltmarsh vegetation while also restricting water and nutrient flow, invading commercial oyster leases, and trapping sediment causing build-up of banks that impact recreational areas.
Cradle Coast NRM recently announced two projects to be delivered over the next four years, that focus on protecting the Threatened Ecological Community, Coastal Saltmarsh, in the Rubicon-Port Sorell Estuary, and in the Circular Head area. Robbins Passage – Boullanger Bay includes the largest wetland complex in Tasmania (28,000 ha) and provides habitat for the largest aggregation of migratory birds in the state including more than 20 species of trans-continental migratory waders.
Historical works to convert saltmarsh vegetation to pasture have also reduced saltmarsh extent. In addition, sediment and nutrient transfer from the intensively farmed catchments upstream have a detrimental impact. Both projects will be kicking off this summer, with contractors and Landcare volunteers working on controlling Rice Grass. Also this summer, researchers from the University of Tasmania are conducting a project about fish communities in Spartina.
Coastal Saltmarsh in the project area provides significant feeding habitat for many of these migratory species and resident birds, as well as other ecosystem services such as filtering surface water before it reaches the sea, carbon sequestration, habitat for marine and estuarine species including commercially-important fish, and stabilising and buffering the coastline.
This project is supported by the Cradle Coast Authority, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
Dr. Vishnu Prahalad looking for fish in a saltmarsh. Photo credit: Iona Flett
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Short-tailed Shearwaters arrive late!
Every year, Short-tailed Shearwaters migrate more than 15,000 kilometres from the Bering Sea in the northen hemisphere to southern Australia and arrive like clockwork around 22 September. This year has been different, with many of the birds arriving late to Tasmania, and hundreds of thousands of birds still remaining in the Bering Sea in October. “Short-tailed Shearwaters are incredibly regular in their timing of their migration and breeding activities,” Marine Conservation Program DPIPWE wildlife biologist Ross Monash said. The Short-tailed Shearwater is the most abundant Australian seabird with around 18 million arriving in Tasmania each year.
Before shearwaters undertake their long migration, they need to find enough food to fuel their mammoth flight. Thousands of dead shearwaters have washed up on Alaskan and Russian beaches for five consecutive years. Shearwater wrecks (die-offs) have been recorded before, but according to John Peter, writing in Australian Birdlife in December 2019, what was unusual last year were the sheer numbers of dead birds, the extended period and the geographical spread of the wrecks. The sea surface temperatures off Alaska have been unusually warm, which may have led to a shortage of food. This may have delayed the birds' arrival. Scientists from the Marine Conservation Program at DPIPWE and colleagues have completed their annual December survey shearwaters, and report that bird numbers and bird weights are within the normal range. Surveys will be repeated in March to determine how many of the eggs have hatched and successfully produced chicks.
Short-tailed Shearwaters feeding off the Tasman Peninsula. Photo credit: Marine Conservation Program, DPIPWE
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“Information gathered in March will help inform decisions around this year’s harvesting season and provide information about the long-term sustainability of the species,” said Ross Monash.
Is the grass greener on the other side? Feeding stock is a tricky balancing act, one that producers spend a lot of time and money fine tuning to get the best out of their pasture. The season and the weather each year will play a part in how best to grow quality feed. Nutrient additions and carefully timed grazing regimes may be required to ensure optimal digestibility to provide enough energy to grow healthy animals. Livestock classes differ and your farm may have dry cattle or sheep, pregnant at mid or last stages, lactating, weaning or growing. At each stage your herd will have different requirements to maintain satisfactory production levels; it’s a complex juggle. Digestibility declines as pastures mature. Stock production is highest during active pasture growth that produces up to 80% digestibility. The sweet spot is pasture grass that is between 5 cm and 10 cm in height, and usually deep green. As the pasture ages toward early flowering, digestibility drops off, and so too does the capacity to produce enough energy for stock. When flowering has ceased and the grass dries off, you can maintain dry stock effectively, though once all stalks are dry, stock will generally lose weight. Managing a growing herd requires close management of timing, stocking rates and pasture growth rates.
Knowing more about what goes on under the pasture is critical. Cradle Coast soils are typically naturally low in pH (acidic) due to leaching from higher rainfall, meaning that no matter how much fertiliser you apply, pasture does not respond. As well as wasting fertiliser (and costing money), invasive species often occur outside optimum soil pH ranges. Ensuring that the soil pH is optimal, between 6 – 7, allows the release of nutrients that are already there but previously locked up due to low pH. Soil testing is key to understanding your system. Adjusting pH with a liming program may be the best start towards improved pasture management and cost savings. Cradle Coast NRM’s Agriculture team are working with producers, agronomists and soil scientists to provide support in fine-tuning nutrient inputs through a series of field days and workshop events, plus establishing commercial scale demonstration trials to showcase results over time. This work is part of the “Protecting our Productive Soils” project. Find out more and register your interest by contacting Ali Dugand, Agriculture Project Coordinator on 03 6433 8444 or 0414 955 501, or adugand@cradlecoast.com. This project is supported by the Cradle Coast Authority, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
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Seedlab classes to support agribusiness The Cradle Coast Authority has partnered with Seedlab Tasmania and launched the Food Producers’ Network providing free and discount training for start-ups and existing food and agri businesses. Seedlab Tasmania provides support to food and agribusinesses in Tasmania. Three programs are planned: Germinate, a free 2-day workshop for start-ups looking to export a food product; Cultivate, an intensive 6-month accelerator program; and Propagate, a monthly masterclass on topics of interest to the industry featuring globally recognised speakers.
If you are interested and would like to apply for a discounted ticket or suggest class topics, email Carol at cbracken@cradlecoast.com. Information sessions are being run on 10 February at Burnie and Devonport. For further information about Seedlab Tasmania, all future events and training including bookings go to www.seedlabtasmania.com.au.
Cradle Coast Authority is providing a half price discount for businesses located in the region to attend the Propagate Masterclasses and other events.
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Choose your own adventure in May
Are you ready to survey raptors this year? Project Where? Where? Wedgie! - into its third year now is happening this year on the following dates: Fri-Sat 15-17 May Fri-Sat 29-31 May.
Go to Where? Where? Wedgie! on https://naturetrackers.com.au/, check the details of what’s needed under ‘Prepare’ and explore the map under ’Take Part’. Bookings open in early February.
Coordinator Dr Clare Hawkins of the Bookend Trust reports that the survey methods are working well, with 108 teams in 2019 sending in data. If repeated over the years, this will be enough to track how numbers of threatened Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle are changing. But more surveyors, exploring Tasmania more widely, could make a huge difference.
In the meantime, you can hone your skills with the online videos, and also pick up a FREE identification guide from our office. Schools students can lead up to the survey via the dedicated lesson plans and videos on https://expeditionclass.com/
Larger numbers of surveys could detect smaller changes in eagle numbers, and help track numbers of the other species surveyed. Plus, the findings will be more accurate if more participants venture west, southwest and to the Midlands. Information is needed from poor habitat as well as good, to gauge how common eagles are in different areas. ‘Zero heroes’ - who despite keen and expert searching, record no raptors - deserve as much appreciation as those who are rewarded with a good view of an eagle! To take part, advance planning is the key. Make sure you plan and book where you’ll survey. If possible, choose a survey in a patch of unbooked squares. Six 10-minute surveys are needed on the day, each separated by at least half an hour and each from different locations in your square.
Lock the dates in your diary and start choosing your survey square now!
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The most important skill for Where? Where? Wedgie! is to be able to accurately identify a wedge-tailed eagle. Beware confusingly brown juvenile sea eagles like this one! Photo credit: Jacquie Gardner Pick up a FREE identification field guide in our office.
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Cradle Coast NRM at World Ocean Conference
Cradle Coast NRM’s Anna Wind accepted an invitation to present at the World Congress of Ocean during World Ocean Week in the garden city of Xiamen, off the southeast coast of China. Xiamen is a model city of the future in China. Advances in sustainability are evident with streets free from rubbish, four types of street recycling, recycled water for parks and electric cars and motorbikes with rows of electric charging bays the norm. Around 200 delegates from 30 countries and regions attended the conference with presentations on the blue economy (sustainable ocean use), ocean energy and engineering, maritime law, ocean disaster and prevention, smart ports, “green” shipping, sustainable ocean development and ocean protection. “It was a fantastic opportunity to hear about innovative solutions and challenges in protecting ocean health and to meet researchers, inventors and environmental protection managers from around the world”, said Anna.
International delegates heard from Anna about the Macquarie Harbour marine debris clean-ups over two years, bringing community groups and the aquaculture and tourism industries together to tackle the marine debris problem and protect Tasmania’s wildlife and environment. The clean up won the Keep Australia Beautiful Tasmania Clean Beach Award in 2018. Global Treaty on Ocean Plastics A notable presentation by Jivan Dasgupta, Maritime Institute at Ghent University, Belgium, was on the need to develop a global treaty on ocean plastics to address plastic pollution. While 80% of marine plastics originate from land, plastics can stay in the ocean for up to 1,000 years. There is currently no legally binding international instrument with the primary objective to tackle this problem. Jivan said we need to start producing and using plastics in a more sustainable way and to ban the most harmful single use plastics with chemical additives. We need to put a cap on global production of plastics, develop national targets on waste collection, and reduce waste production.
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Dr Hansen summed up the aims of the conference and challenges: “With population increase and ecosystem challenges, the topic of ocean health is very important because of the increase in using ocean resources and the misuse of what’s left over. Oceans are the last frontier on the planet and there is a lack of knowledge of our oceans. We spend more on exploring space than our oceans. We’re not balancing environmental protection and development and need a balanced strategy to protect ocean health.”
Aquaculture Aaron Irving from the National Aquaculture Council in Australia said the biggest challenge for the aquaculture industry is social licence and access to water. It is a very different case in China where there is a long tradition of aquaculture with every bay or coastal water body converted to catching or farming fish and seaweed. In the Xiapu region, a floating village spanning an enormous area, as far as the eye can see, has been established to farm Yellow Fish. Blue Economy and Sustainable Ocean Clusters Dr Eric Rolf Hansen, Economic Transformations Group, USA, presented on “Sustainable Ocean Clusters” which play a major role in advancing sustainable ocean development. Case studies highlighted best practice projects rooted in collaborative action, key partnerships with government support, and value adding through innovation.
Anna Wind represented the Cradle Coast Authority at the conference but personally funded the conference costs, her travel and accommodation in China.
Aquaculture in the Xiapu region, China. Photo credit: Anna Wind
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Little Penguins declared as sensitive wildlife
Penalties for dog owners with dogs who attack Little Penguins in these locations have also been increased.
If your dog attacks a Little Penguin in a sensitive area you can be fined up to $5,040. Additional penalties may apply for dogs found in or taken into a Council declared Prohibited Area, dogs at large and for dogs attacking people or other animals. The increase has been made through amendments passed in Parliament to the Dog Control Act 2000, in response to a recent spate of dog attacks on Little Penguins. This is a positive step towards protecting Little Penguin colonies and will hopefully reduce the number of Little Penguin deaths in the State and penguin chicks needing rehabilitation. Little Penguins in rehab. Photo credit: Anna Wind
Minister for Primary Industries and Water, Guy Barnett, has declared Little Penguins to be ‘sensitive wildlife’ and declared several areas in the state to be ‘sensitive areas’. In the northwest, the whole coastal strip from Don Heads to Burntwood Point at Wynyard, and the Stanley peninsula have been declared ‘sensitive’. In other parts of the state, Low Head and Bicheno have also been declared.
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For more information and to view the maps go to: https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/wildlifemanagement/marine-conservationprogram/little-penguins-intasmania/monitoring-and-protection/dogcontrol-act
NRM Strategy Review
The review of the current Cradle Coast NRM Strategy 2015 - 2020 is underway in preparation for developing a new Cradle Coast NRM Regional Strategy to fulfil State and Australian government requirements. To begin this process, we are inviting your feedback on the current Strategy. The 2015-2020 Strategy is available on the Cradle Coast Authority website in the NRM documents portal.
We are particularly interested to hear your comments on: The use and relevance of the Strategy in the last 5 years. The role of Cradle Coast NRM in the region – is it well defined and easy to understand? If you were involved in Strategy development in 2014: was the process used for the development of the last strategy efficient and effective in gathering community feedback? Do the Focus for Action sections for each landscape theme provide a clear path for implementation? We are analysing the effectiveness of the current Strategy. Do you have any stories of success, effectiveness or project impacts you would like to contribute to the review? What are your expectations and ideas for the 2021-25 NRM Strategy, and would you like to be involved in consultation about the new Strategy? Please send your comments to Iona Flett, Monitoring, Evaluation and NRM Planning Coordinator at iflett@cradlecoast.com by Friday 28 February, 2020.
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What's on what
where & who
when
Comments due for the CCNRM Strategy Review
Please send your comments to Iona Flett, Monitoring, Evaluation, and NRM Planning Coordinator at iflett@cradlecoast.com
Friday 28 February
Clean Up Australia Day
Anywhere you like! More info: https://www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/
Sunday 1 March
Bluff Blitz: Take 2 Marine debris clean-up
Mersey Bluff coastline, Devonport. Meet at the Skate Park. More info: Bass Strait Maritime Centre and Sea Shepherd. 6424 7100 or bookings@bassstraitmc.com.au
11am - 1pm Sunday 8 March
In-Cab GPS erosion control technology explored
Forthside Vegetable Research Facility More info: Ali Dugand - Agirculture Project Coordinator on 6433 8444 or adugand@cradlecoast.com
Tuesday 24 March
Submissions on the EPBC Act review deadline extended due to bushfires
More info: www.epbcactreview.environment.gov.au
Friday 17 April
Where? Where? Wedgie! citizen science survey. Book your square on-line, from February.
In priority squares across Tasmania, especially in the south-west and west. More info: www.naturetrackers.com.au or info@naturetrackers.com.au
15-17 May 29-31 May
Other news The King Island Scrubtit and Brown Thornbill Survey report is available on the CCA website. https://www.cradlecoast.com/new-report-provides-key-information-on-endangered-king-island-birds/ It is Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday, 1 March 2020. If your community group is planning to conduct an event, and would like help with promotion, rubbish bags or gloves, please let us know at iflett@cradlecoast.com Don’t forget that as well as the Cradle Coast NRM Strategy review, you also have a chance to provide a submission on the review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The independent reviewer has extended the due date for submissions to Friday 17 April 2020. See the Department of the Environment and Energy’s website for a discussion paper and details. Pick up a FREE Birds of prey identification guide at our office, courtesy of Nature Trackers.
cradle coast nrm 1-3 Spring St Burnie Tasmania 7320
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