R18: A summary of marine and coastal data assembled to date under the NSW
Natural Resources Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (MER) Strategy 2010-2015
The objective of this document is to describe in more detail elements of the MER program that are
relevant to marine biodiversity in NSW and to indicate where MER monitoring activities, especially
those developed over the last 2-3 years, might align with marine park monitoring needs. The NSW
MER Strategy addresses 13 Natural Resource Management targets (see also 10: OEH MER
Backgrounder). Of relevance to marine biodiversity, the MER program collects data on estuaries &
coastal lakes, marine waters & ecosystems, and invasive species. Many of these monitoring data
are relevant to marine parks and provide benchmark and trend information that allows
assessments of the condition of ecosystems and the pressures on them. Importantly, MER data
from marine parks, and particularly sanctuary zones, many become increasingly important in
providing reference conditions for marine habitats with reduced anthropogenic influence.
1. Estuaries and coastal lakes
The target for this MER theme is:
By 2015 there is an improvement in the condition of estuaries and coastal lake ecosystems.
For assessing the condition of NSW estuaries, the first set of State of Catchment report cards
(http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/soc/stateofthecatchmentsreport.htm) used the following
indicators:
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Chlorophyll a - Trigger values were defined as the 80th percentile of reference site data, in
accordance with the recommendation of the National Water Quality Management Strategy
(ANZECC & ARMCANZ 2000). Data were analysed for the period 2005–2008 and scored
based on the percentage of samples complying with the triggers.
Turbidity - Trigger values were defined as the 80th percentile of reference site data. In
assessing estuary condition and assigning triggers, only data collected for the two years of
the monitoring, evaluation and reporting program was used, due to the potential uncertainty
associated with data collected using different methods and/or for special purposes (e.g.
flood runoff).
Seagrass extent - Two broadly comparable state-wide surveys are available from the early
1980s and the early 2000s for estimating the spatial extent for estuarine macrophytes. The
difference in extent between these two surveys was used to score the seagrass indicator –
an increase was considered ‘good’ and a decrease was considered ‘poor’.
Saltmarsh extent – This used the same datasets and scoring system as for seagrass.
Mangrove extent – This used the same datasets as for seagrass, but the scoring system
differed (‘no change’ was considered good, but a large increase, either positive or negative,
was flagged the need for further investigation).
Fish communities – This used data on juvenile fish sampled with small beach seine nets in
many NSW estuaries. Condition was scored by comparing the fish assemblage from a
particular estuary with that from the most diverse estuary in a given bioregion.
The frequency of occurrence of macroalgal blooms in estuaries was also identified as a potential
indicator of condition. To date, however, a practical method of gathering information on nuisance
macroalgae at a state scale has not been identified. Consequently, no assessment was done for
the initial assessment, and no data have been collected since.
Various pressures caused by human activity in the estuary and its catchment are also considered
in the evaluation process. An initial assessment of these was also provided as part of the initial set
of report cards. The pressures were selected on the strength of their cause-effect link to condition
and the feasibility of data collection or modelling along the entire coastline. The technical basis for
the pressure and condition assessments is detailed in Roper et al (2011). This first assessment
defined condition for approximately 120 estuaries (out of a total of 184), with 63 of these in marine
parks.
There is a coordinated ongoing program of data collection for all but one of the condition indicators
in most NSW estuaries. Sampling of turbidity and chlorophyll a by OEH has continued since 2008
as part of the MER program and data for these variables are now available for over 120 estuaries.
A revised grading system has been applied to the data and draft results for all estuaries sampled
are available from OEH. Mapping of estuarine macrophytes (seagrass, saltmarsh and mangroves)
is being continued by DPI with 12-15 estuaries mapped every year, with updated maps provided to
agencies including the Marine Parks Authority at regular intervals. Where resources allow, historic
aerial photographs are also sourced and analysed to provide a long-term assessment of change
over time and hence a more reliable assessment of trend. The one indicator for which broad scale
monitoring data are not currently being collected is estuarine fish. However, there are several
research projects which are collecting data on estuarine fish in particular estuaries, and there are
several reviews underway which are examining the most appropriate methodologies to use to
adequately describe the health of estuarine fish assemblages.
2. Marine
The target for this MER theme is:
By 2015 there is no decline in the condition of marine waters and ecosystems.
The marine MER theme has 4 indicators:
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Rocky reef biota
Frequency of algal blooms
Marine Protected Areas
Beachwatch
These indicators are being used to assess the condition of marine waters, including those within
marine parks. For the MER program, ‘marine waters’ have been defined as oceanic waters to the
east of a straight line drawn from headland to headland across the mouths of every estuary or
coastal waterway (creeks, small lagoons, etc) out to the NSW state limit of 3 nautical miles. The
general aim of the marine MER theme is to monitor the condition of marine waters and ecosystems
to evaluate whether condition is declining over time due to human activities.
It is recognised that the latter two are not true indicators of ecological condition. ‘Beachwatch’ is a
public health indicator which measures the suitability of marine waters for recreational bathing – it
will not be considered further in this document. ‘Marine Protected Areas’ is an indicator of a
management response, but it does have some relevance to the discussion of protecting marine
biodiversity. It was also acknowledged at the outset of the MER program that not only were there
no suitable benchmarks, but also that considerable research work would be necessary in the initial
phase of MER to develop suitable monitoring protocols and analytical frameworks for marine
waters.
Each of these 4 indicators was separately assessed, but no overall condition assessment was
made as there are no good baselines or reference conditions available. Further, only a superficial
assessment of pressures for NSW marine waters was contained in the first set of State of the
Catchments Reports (http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/soc/stateofthecatchmentsreport.htm ).
The technical basis for the condition assessments is provided in Creese et al. (2011). Importantly,
this report also describes improved ways for collecting, analysing and assessing data for the
indicators which have most relevance to marine biodiversity. Routine collection of data using these
new indicators commenced in 2009.
Rocky reef biota
The first assessment of this condition indicator included several components that were identified as
sub-indicators of the condition of rocky reef biota:
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large habitat-forming algae
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abundances of sea urchins, abalone and lobsters
commercial catches of reef fish in demersal fish traps set in NSW coastal waters.
Assessments for these sub-indicators were done on the basis of published information or other
data sets that had been collected at a state-wide scale for a variety of other purposes (eg fisheries
stock assessments). No new data were collected as part of this component of the Marine MER
program between 2006 and 2008. Two major new sampling programs have commenced since the
first condition assessment was done in 2009 and these aim to determine relative condition of
intertidal and subtidal habitats based largely on macroalgae (using aerial photography), and
provide a fishery independent assessment of key reef fish species (using underwater video
sampling) - as described below.
Intertidal and shallow subtidal monitoring post 2009
As the MER program assesses condition across the state, and many of the impacts are expected
to occur over large spatial scales, it was considered that airborne remote sensing using high
resolution digital images was the most efficient and effective way of sampling macrobiota on
intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats. A helicopter is used to collect images of intertidal areas
when there are no breaking waves obscuring the rock platform. The program has stratified
sampling among three bioregions. Within each bioregion numerous sites with different levels of
human disturbances are sampled, some of which are in sanctuary zones or marine protected areas
(see attachment 1). Human populations are assumed to relate to levels of human disturbance and
population will be used as a co-variate in analyses.
Subtidal reef sites are approximately 500 m long and target shallow reef (0.5 – 8 m depth). Five
replicate images per site are sampled with a 40 x 40 m grid of 80 points to estimate percentage
covers of habitats. Sites range from 20 – 100 km apart and span the coast from Ballina to
Merimbula. Images have a resolution of 3.1 cm and the following five habitats can be consistently
discriminated:
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Macroalgae
Caulerpa filiformis (which can be distinguished because of its bright green colour)
Cobbles (barren, small rocks)
Barrens (barren/encrusting algae, large boulders)
Sand
In shallow water, the brown alga Phyllospora comosa can also be identified.
Intertidal reef sites are also approximately 500 m long sections of coastline and stratified by tidal
height (lowshore and midshore). Six replicate images per site are sampled with a 5 x 4 m grid of 80
points to estimate percentage covers of habitats. Sites (1.5 – 5 km apart) are nested within
locations (30 – 100 km apart) and span the coast from Ballina to Merimbula. Midshore habitats are
sampled at a subset of locations. Images have a resolution of 7 mm, enabling good discrimination
of taxa such that the following habitat categories can be distinguished:
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Large canopy forming algae; broken down into: Phyllospora, Ecklonia, Durvillaea
Small-medium algae broken down into: Sargassum, Caulerpa filiformis, Hormosira, Ulva,
Codium, Porphyra, Brown Turf (e.g. Zonaria, Padina, Colpomenia, brown filamentous
alage), Red Turf (e.g. Pterocladia, Laurencia, Gelidium, Gracilaria, Champia, red
filamentous algae).
Calcareous algae: articulated corallines (Corallina officinalis, Amphiroa), encrusting
(Peyssonnelia, Hildenbrandia)
Invertebrates: Pyura, mussels, barnacles
Other: bare rock, rock pools, shadow
Reef fish assemblage monitoring post 2009
The rocky reef biota indicator includes a sub-indicator of reef fish. In the first assessment this was
based on commercial catch data from the NSW Ocean Trap and Line Fishery as there were no
fishery independent estimates of reef fish which could be used to establish reference conditions or
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examine regional trends. In order to provide an independent estimate of reef fish, trials of a Baited
Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) sampling program commenced in 2009 based in 4 marine
parks. This is a relatively unobtrusive method to census reef fish assemblages, and has proven to
be a cost-efficient and statistically robust method to assess potential changes in the fish
assemblages on reefs deeper than 10 m.
There has been a considerable amount of BRUV surveys on intermediate reefs (20 – 40 m water
depth) in recent years to examine marine park specific changes in species composition and
relative abundance, and to assess the effectiveness of existing habitat surrogates for fishes. The
program has recently been expanded and standardised across all mainland marine parks to
provide an assessment of reef fishes that can be included in the MER program. The survey design
is hierarchical, with zones, locations within zones and sites within locations. Zones has 4 levels
including sanctuary zones, habitat protection zones, general use zones and areas outside marine
parks. Amongst other reasons, areas outside the parks were been included to address the issue of
shifting effort. The relative abundance, diversity and assemblage structure of fish is measured at
over 400 sites each year. A subset of sites is sampled using stereo BRUVs to allow accurate
estimates of distance to improve standardisation, as well as accurate measure of fish length to
provide information of size-structure of fish populations.
At present the program is still primarily a Marine Parks monitoring project, and it does not provide
full coverage of NSW waters outside of marine parks, with no surveys conducted south of
Montague Island, north of Cape Byron or between Jervis Bay and Port Stephens. A review is
currently underway to assess the feasibility of extending the current BRUVs program to fill these
gaps as part of the ongoing MER program.
Algal blooms
There has not previously been a coordinated monitoring program for algal blooms in NSW marine
waters. Previous reporting of marine algal blooms has been based on sightings of visible algal
blooms that were opportunistically received and investigated. Algal Blooms occur naturally in the
marine environment. Occasionally potentially harmful species do occur within blooms along the
NSW Coast. Nutrients promoting their growth come from upwelling and estuarine outputs, both
closely related to ENSO weather cycles. Ocean outfalls may also affect local nutrient supplies.
The marine MER program has adopted a new, more objective approach to monitoring and
evaluating marine algal blooms using ocean colour satellite imagery. During cloud-free periods
when unobstructed satellite images can be obtained, this technique allows daily analysis of the
entire NSW coast to examine the location and size of algal blooms.
The method, which uses chlorophyll concentration as a surrogate for algal biomass, is still
undergoing development to quantify uncertainty of calculation of concentrations of chlorophyll
levels derived from the satellite data. These uncertainties arise from the optical properties of
coastal waters in which suspended materials, other than phytoplankton, and coloured dissolved
organic matter from terrestrial sources may confound the algorithms. In order to reduce the
uncertainties in parameter estimates, and allow robust estimates at a state-wide scale, a number of
specific components are being progressed by OEH in collaboration with CSIRO:
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Development of regional satellite remote sensing products for NSW
Inclusion of optical measurements to routine validation work
Examination of the contribution of atmospheric effects on uncertainty of estimation of
water quality parameters
Development of regionally tuned algorithms
Reassessment of ANZECC trigger values for phytoplankton blooms for different regions of
NSW waters
Examination of the feasibility of discrimination between algal phytoplankton groups from
satellite remote sensing.
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Extent of Marine Protected Areas
This is recognised as more of a performance measure than a condition indicator. The first
assessment estimated the area of each marine park zone type within the marine waters of each
coastal region. Because of the way marine waters are defined in the MER program (see above),
there is an artificial construct separating estuarine and marine ecosystems which has little intrinsic
value for the assessment of this indicator. Further, there is no consideration of marine protected
areas or the zones within them for estuaries, and thus this indicator, on its own, has limited value
for informing future measures to conserve marine biodiversity as a whole. To overcome this, in
future it is proposed that the various zones of marine protected areas should be evaluated across
both the marine and estuarine themes.
In addition, because of the absence of complete mapping coverage for marine habitats, it is not
possible to accurately assess the exact level of representation of each defined habitat type within
zoning categories. The habitats used to assess representation are defined within a hierarchical
classification scheme, and there is ongoing research to extend habitat mapping coverage and
refine the habitat classification scheme. Future assessments will attempt to report on the extent of
marine protected areas by habitat rather than simply by region.
There is also a need to extend this indicator to include all estuarine and marine areas of all marine
protected areas, not just marine parks. This will allow a more comprehensive assessment of the
extent of various pressures on each habitat type and provide more effective linkages to the habitat
indicators used within the estuarine and marine themes of MER. This is currently only possible for
assessing representation in the different zone types for estuarine macrophytes as these data are
available statewide.
3. Invasive species
The target for this MER theme is:
By 2015 there is a reduction in the impact of invasive species.
The invasive species MER theme has 3 pressure indicators:
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Number of new invasive species established (all new species whose impacts are likely to
be significant).
Distribution and abundance of emerging invasive species (selected species only).
Success of control programs for widespread invasive species (selected species only) as
measured by: (i) a reduction in biodiversity impacts; and (ii) a reduction in other impacts (eg
socio-economic, impacts on land and water).
Of relevance to marine biodiversity, the NSW Invasive Species Plan classifies the green alga
Caulerpa taxifolia as an ‘emerging’ species, and its distribution and abundance is reported through
the MER Invasive Species program under the second of these indicators. Further, the green crab
(Carcinus maenas) is currently being evaluated as another possible ‘emerging’ marine pest
species, and investigations are underway to determine the best ways to measure its distribution
and assess its impact. Both species occur, and are a potential threat, in southern NSW waters, but
they only currently occur in one marine park - Batemans MP (see also 24: Backgrounder – marine
biosecurity). Periodic, park-wide surveys for marine pests are currently only done for Lord Howe
Island Marine Park. However, the occurrence of any non-native marine species that is encountered
as part of other research activities is noted for possible reporting under the first indicator (new
invasive species).
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Bibliography
Creese R, Glasby T, Hickey C, Campey M, Jordan A and Davies P 2011. Assessing the condition
of marine waters and ecosystems in NSW. Monitoring Evaluation and Reporting program
Technical Report Series. NSW Department of Primary Industries. 122 pp.
(http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/414369/MER-marine-waterstechnical-repor.pdf)
Roper T, Creese R, Scanes P, Stephens K, Williams R, Dela-Cruz J, Coade G and Coates B, 2011
(in press). Assessing the condition of estuaries and coastal lake ecosystems in NSW.
Monitoring Evaluation and Reporting program Technical Report Series. NSW Office of
Environment & Heritage. 220 pp.
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Attachment 1. Helicopter sampling sites in mid coastal areas of NSW relative to Batemans, Jervis
Bay and Port Stephens Marine Parks.
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