Biodiversity of marine fauna on the Central West Coast, Western Australia

Brief description

The WA Museum with funding from Strategic Research Fund for the Marine Environment (SRFME) focused on documenting the fauna of the Central West Coast, Western Australia, specifically the diversity of fishes, molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms, scleractinian corals and sponges. The specific locations were Jurien Bay and Green Head localities with a focus on the Jurien Bay Marine Park, and Cervantes to the South and Dongara to the North.

Lineage

Maintenance and Update Frequency: notPlanned

Statement: Fieldwork conducted in April and May 2005 was in the Jurien Bay and Green Head areas, and in 2006 was at Cervantes and Dongara (see download section for exact lat/long locations). All fieldwork was undertaken jointly with a team of CSIRO scientists led by Drs. Russ Babcock and Julia Phillips. Sampling was quantitative and undertaken on a range of sampling scales, i.e. 0.25m2, 1m2, 5m2, 25m2 and 250m2. Two dominant habitats of the region were sampled, namely reefs and seagrasses. Although sand habitat is also represented in the region, fieldwork logistics and time constraints did not allow for this habitat to be sampled. Sampling design had a cross shelf (distance from shore) and degree of exposure component with inshore, midshore (exposed and sheltered), and offshore (exposed and sheltered) reefs sampled. Within sites, dominant cover was recorded and targeted sampling ensured that various covers were sampled. For example at some reef sites Sargassum and red foliose algae occurred adjacent to Ecklonia dominated areas. In this case quadrats and transects were located in both floral areas. Seagrass habitats either had beds of Amphibolis or Posidonia and both types of habitat were sampled for faunal biodiversity. A summary of the sampling procedure for reef habitats is presented in Table 1.1 (see data download section). Procedures for seagrass habitats are summarised in Table 1.2 (see data download section). Fish were surveyed by two additional methods. Trawling was undertaken in seagrass habitats to collect cryptic fishes, and three reef sites were selected as rotenone stations, again to assess fish diversity not detected in visual census transects. A total of 16 reef and seagrass sites were examined by WAM staff at Jurien Bay and Green Head. In addition, one rotenone station and one box trawl were undertaken. One site (site 9) where CSIRO collected could not be accessed by the Museum because of adverse sea conditions on the only day sampling could be attempted. Thirteen sites were sampled at Cervantes and Dongara, as well as two rotenone stations and two box trawls.

Notes

Credit
Scientific team: C. Hass, L. Marsh, G. Moore, M. Salotti, M. Titelius & C. Whisson - Strategic Research Fund for the Marine Environment (SRFME)

Credit
Strategic Research Fund for the Marine Environment (SRFME)