Monitoring dugongs within the Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program: final report of the dugong team in the megafauna expert group

The objectives of this report are to determine for the dugong: An assessment of the current status of the relevant elements of the Great Barrier Reef (the Reef), including an evaluation of primary drivers, pressures and responses using the Driving Forces, Pressures, States, Impacts, Responses (DPSIR) Framework; Identification of priority indicators for monitoring the key values associated with these elements; Summary of potential sources of data; Evaluation of adequacy of existing monitoring activities within each theme to achieve the objectives and requirements of RIMReP; Recommendations for the design of an integrated monitoring program as a component of RIMReP, specifically considering: The information requirements for each key element of the Reef to ensure that appropriate data and information are being collected to meet the fundamental objectives of RIMReP; The spatial and temporal sampling design to ensure that greatest value can be extracted from the data collected; The logistics of the design to ensure that it can be implemented efficiently; Likely funding required to implement the recommended monitoring design.An accessible copy of this report is not yet available from this repository, please contact [email protected] for more information

Dwarf minke whale tourism monitoring program (2003--2008)

This report provides a comprehensive account of interactions with dwarf minke whales by swimming-with-whales (SWW) endorsed vessels in the Cairns/Cooktown Management Area of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park over the period 2003 to 2008. Results presented in this report are primarily based on analyses of Great Barrier Reef tourism industry-collected Whale Sighting Sheets. Key management processes and outcomes, arising from bi-annual stakeholder workshops (held pre- and post-season) during the 2003–2008 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority-funded Dwarf Minke Whale Tourism Monitoring Program are also summarised and discussed. During the latter three years of this program, three PhD studies (by Mangott, Sobtzick and Curnock) contributed significantly to our knowledge of this unique aggregation of dwarf minke whales, their interactions with humans in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the sustainable management of these interactions. Some of the key findings of these three PhD studies are included in this report

Review and suggestions for upgrading StrandNet as a key element of the Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program: final report of the StrandNet team in the megafauna expert group

The objective of this report is to provide an overview of the present StrandNet program and suggest how it might be improved to enable the StrandNet database to function as a central component of the megafauna component of the Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program (RIMReP). The report results from a cross-sectoral, expert workshop held in Brisbane on 11 June 2018 and attended by personnel from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Queensland government departments of Environment and Science and Agriculture and Fisheries, James Cook University and the University of Queensland, plus subsequent input from some of the workshop attendees

Monitoring whales within the Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program: final report of the whales team in the megafauna expert group

Two species of great whales are commonly encountered on a seasonal basis in the Reef, the humpback, Megaptera novaeangliae, and the dwarf minke, Balaenoptera acutorostrata subsp. This report focuses on these two species, acknowledging that many other large and migratory whales utilise the Reef. Other limitations of this report include spatial and jurisdictional boundaries (i.e. a focus on specific information needs for agencies responsible for protection and management of values within the World Heritage Area). We acknowledge the need for more research to improve our overall understanding of these whale populations (e.g. stock structure and population connectivity through the south Pacific and Southern oceans), and the significance of risks to them through their extended habitat and range outside the World Heritage Area.An accessible copy of this report is not yet available from this repository, please contact [email protected] for more information

Use of videogrammetry to estimate length to provide population demographics of dwarf minke whales in the northern Great Barrier Reef

Commercial swim-with-whale programmes, based on the dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), have been conducted in Great Barrier Reef waters since 1996 and under permit since 2003. Evaluating the effectiveness of management requires information on the biology of the whales, including possible impacts on their critical life stages, such as mating or calving. In this study, length measurements have been used as the best available proxy for age and thus state of sexual maturity. Underwater videogrammetry was used to estimate the lengths of dwarf minke whales interacting with boats and swimmers during June/July 2003 and 2004. The calibrations used to correct\ud systematic biases in distance and length estimates are presented and other sources of error associated with the methodology and the behaviour of the whales are discussed.\ud Mean lengths (from replicate measurements of individually identified whales) ranged 4.82-6.61m in 2003 (n=23, from five encounters) and 4.48-7.18m in 2004 (n=56, from 29 encounters). The overall mean length (2003: 5.90m, 2004: 5.73m) did not differ significantly between years. In both years, the mean lengths of the majority of whales (2003: 57%; 2004: 59%) were less than 6m, which is regarded as\ud sexually immature based on available life history data. The size ranges within a single encounter were broad; no encounter was dominated by one size class. Segregation by size was not observed. This paper presents the first field measurements of dwarf minke whales on their tropical wintering grounds. While most whales interacting with vessels or swimmers were immature, adult whales, including cow-calf pairs, also were involved. More information,\ud especially on cumulative effects, is needed to assess the impact of these swim-with programmes

Managing the swimming-with-dwarf minke whales tourism industry in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park: developing collaboration between managers, industry and researchers

Each austral winter a unique aggregation of an undescribed subspecies of whale occurs at the edge of the east Australian continental shelf in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP). The occurrence of these whales, now recognised as dwarf minkes (Balaenoptera acutorostrata\ud subspecies), in remote offshore areas of the GBRMP to the north of Cairns, was first documented in the 1980s via reports from an emerging scuba dive tourism industry. Increasing reports during the early 1990s revealed that in-water interactions were occurring between these whales and\ud scuba divers at sites along the Ribbon Reefs, and that the interactions appeared to be initiated and voluntarity maintained by the whales. In 1996, researchers began working with dive tour operators to study this little known whale, as well as the interactions between whales and\ud swimmers to ensure that the interactions were not harmful to the whales. Due to the remoteness of the interactions and the infrequency of an enforcement presence, a voluntary Code of Practice for managing the whale-swimmer interactions was developed in 1999 to assist the industry to self-regulate and minimise its potential impacts on the whales. In the same year annual workshops commenced involving dive tourism operators, GBRMP managers and researchers, to review research findings and discuss management issues associated with a growing swim-with-whales tourism industry. In 2003 the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority capped the industry and issued special permits to nine tourism operators, effectively establishing the world’s first fully-permitted swimming-with-whales tourism industry. A six-year research and\ud monitoring program commenced in 2003, with bi-annual workshops held to review findings and address management concerns, involving all key stakeholders. This paper examines the key processes and drivers affecting the development of this unique collaborative management model\ud and evaluates current and future challenges for the sustainable management of this swimming-with-whales tourism industry

Gulping behaviour in rorqual whales: underwater observations and functional interpretation

Observations of non-feeding gulps in dwarf minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata sensu lato confirmed the axial rotation and lateral divergence (omega rotation) of the lower jaw suggested for rorquals. Gulps were either restricted to the inter-mandibular area or involved expansion of the whole ventral pouch; the extent of filling appears to be under voluntary control. Gulps may have different functions, e.g. feeding or display. Maximum gape (about 70º) occurred during inter-mandibular gulps, involving both depression of the lower jaw and elevation of the head and upper jaw. The lower jaw was depressed only to about 40º, much less than the 90º generally illustrated in the literature for rorquals. The mouth was closed as the ventral pouch was still filling; closure was rapid, associated with the moderate depression of the lower jaw. The whole ventral pouch contracted uniformly to expel water. The fibrocartilage skeleton of the ventral pouch was involved in outpocketing of the mental (“chin”) region both at the beginning and end of gulps. During expulsion of water, partial axial rotation of the lower jaw maintained a groove just lateral to the baleen plates, opening as a vertical slit posteriorly. This would allow water expelled between the baleen plates to flow backwards, especially from the angle of the mouth. Incorporating these new observations, we discuss evolution of filter feeding and suggest that suction feeding was the primitive condition for baleen whales

Gulping behaviour in rorqual whales: underwater observations and functional interpretation

Observations of non-feeding gulps in dwarf minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata sensu lato confirmed the axial rotation and lateral divergence (omega rotation) of the lower jaw suggested for rorquals. Gulps were either restricted to the inter-mandibular area or involved expansion of the whole ventral pouch; the extent of filling appears to be under voluntary control. Gulps may have different functions, e.g. feeding or display. Maximum gape (about 70º) occurred during inter-mandibular gulps, involving both depression of the lower jaw and elevation of the head and upper jaw. The lower jaw was depressed only to\ud about 40º, much less than the 90º generally illustrated in the literature for rorquals. The mouth was closed as the ventral pouch was still filling; closure was rapid, associated with the moderate depression of the lower jaw. The whole ventral pouch contracted uniformly to expel water. The fibrocartilage skeleton of the ventral pouch was involved in outpocketing of the mental (“chin”) region both at the beginning and end of gulps. During expulsion of water, partial axial rotation of the lower jaw maintained a groove just lateral to the baleen plates, opening as a vertical slit posteriorly. This would allow water expelled between the baleen plates to flow backwards, especially from the angle of the mouth. Incorporating these new observations, we discuss evolution of filter feeding and suggest that suction feeding was the primitive condition for baleen whales

Compensating for geographic variation in detection probability with water depth improves abundance estimates of coastal marine megafauna

The probability of an aquatic animal being available for detection is typically <1. Accounting for covariates that reduce the probability of detection is important for obtaining robust estimates of the population abundance and determining its status and trends. The dugong (Dugong dugon) is a bottom-feeding marine mammal and a seagrass community specialist. We hypothesized that the probability of a dugong being available for detection is dependent on water depth and that dugongs spend more time underwater in deep-water seagrass habitats than in shallow-water seagrass habitats. We tested this hypothesis by quantifying the depth use of 28 wild dugongs fitted with GPS satellite transmitters and time-depth recorders (TDRs) at three sites with distinct seagrass depth distributions: 1) open waters supporting extensive seagrass meadows to 40 m deep (Torres Strait, 6 dugongs, 2015); 2) a protected bay (average water depth 6.8 m) with extensive shallow seagrass beds (Moreton Bay, 13 dugongs, 2011 and 2012); and 3) a mixture of lagoon, coral and seagrass habitats to 60 m deep (New Caledonia, 9 dugongs, 2013). The fitted instruments were used to measure the times the dugongs spent in the experimentally determined detection zones under various environmental conditions. The estimated probability of detection was applied to aerial survey data previously collected at each location. In general, dugongs were least available for detection in Torres Strait, and the population estimates increased 6-7 fold using depth-specific availability correction factors compared with earlier estimates that assumed homogeneous detection probability across water depth and location. Detection probabilities were higher in Moreton Bay and New Caledonia than Torres Strait because the water transparency in these two locations was much greater than in Torres Strait and the effect of correcting for depth-specific detection probability much less. The methodology has application to visual survey of coastal megafauna including surveys using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Understanding the Social and Economic Values of Key Marine Species in the Great Barrier Reef: MTSRF Project 4.8.6(a) Final Report, June 2010 with a section focusing on marine turtles

The research reported in this document was conducted by a group of researchers within the Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF) Program 8 (led by Dr Colin Simpfendorfer), under Project 4.8.6 (led by Professor Bruce Prideaux).\ud \ud The specific task addressed by this group's activities relate to Research Task 4.8.6 (a):\ud To identify relative social and economic values of key marine species, including large fish around tourist facilities.\ud \ud This report constitutes the Final Report of that research task, and also includes a section dedicated to the socio-economic values of marine turtles in relation to scuba diving tourism in the Far Northern Section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Section 6). The following\ud sub-sections of this introduction provide a brief overview of the methodological approaches used to meet the goals of the project, with more specific details provided in the main body