Research Project
Full description The Point Lookout Ecological Assessment (PLEA) project involved assessment of the flora and fauna of the North Stradbroke Island Dive sites over 2013-2014, to compare with results from the 2001 UniDive survey, and monitor the health of the area. 535 dives were undertaken to complete the assessment and volunteers were trained in survey techniques, data entry and analysis, fish and invertebrate identification, coral health analysis and underwater mapping techniques. Since the 2001 detailed baseline study, no similar seasonal survey has been conducted. The 2014 data is particularly important given that numerous changes have taken place in relation to the management of, and potential impacts on, these reef sites. In 2009, Moreton Bay Marine Park was re-zoned, and Flat Rock was converted to a marine national park zone (Green zone) with no fishing or anchoring. In 2012, four permanent moorings were installed at Flat Rock. Additionally, the entire area was exposed to the potential effects of the 2011 and 2013 Queensland floods, including flood plumes which carried large quantities of sediment into Moreton Bay and surrounding waters. The population of South East Queensland has increased from 2.49 million in 2001 to 3.18 million in 2011 (BITRE, 2013). This rapidly expanding coastal population has increased the frequency and intensity of both commercial and recreational activities around Point Lookout dive sites (EPA 2008).