Report
Final post-upgrade survey of the critically endangered marine brown alga Nereia lophocladia on and near the Coffs Harbour Northern Breakwater (2022)
National Marine Science Centre
2022
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Abstract
Nereia lophocladia is a critically endangered marine alga that exists around the breakwater of Coffs Harbour. This species needs to be protected from impacts of upgrades to the breakwater. The objective of this study was to complete a 5 year monitoring project following completion of the construction works on the CHNB. Specifically, we aimed to (i) assess the recovery of Nereia along the breakwater and (ii) determine the occurrence of Nereia sporophytes on adjacent natural reefs.
This report describes that populations of Nereia on natural reefs around Muttonbird Island have not changed much since the breakwater upgrade in 2018. In contrast, there has been a complete loss of Nereia from the breakwater structure. This impact to a critically endangered species is significant and suggests Nereia is vulnerable to construction impacts. Nonetheless, the breakwater construction at Coffs Harbour is unlikely to threaten Nereia throughout its range, as we also discovered Nereia at six additional sites along 70 km of coast in northern New South Wales (Sawtell to Minnie Water). Based on these findings, we recommend continuing surveys for Nereia along the CHNB into the future to quantitatively assess any recovery. By doing this, regulators and developers will be able to make evidence-based decisions about the longevity of any future construction-based impacts to NSW’s only critically-endangered alga.
Details
- Title
- Final post-upgrade survey of the critically endangered marine brown alga Nereia lophocladia on and near the Coffs Harbour Northern Breakwater (2022)
- Creators
- Brendan Kelaher - Southern Cross University
- Publisher
- National Marine Science Centre
- Number of pages
- 13
- Grant note
- NSW Department of Industry.
- Identifiers
- 991013153313302368
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; National Marine Science Centre
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Report