Reef Check Australia on the Fraser Coast

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1 Subscribe Share Past Issues Transl The latest news and updates from Reef Check Australia Dear <<First Name>>, Our teams have been busy the past month--forging the way for new survey programs to expand our survey coverage area, diving in to clean up debris and partnering with other ocean-lovers to provide more opportunities to help people dive in and take action. Read on to find out about our new Fraser Coast program, helping to expand our Queensland coast monitoring programs. Plus, find out how you can contribute to fundraising endeavours that support the work of our dedicated volunteers. Those of you out and about enjoying the incredible marine wildlife spending time in Queensland right now, dont forget to share your photographs with our friends at Grey Nurse Shark Watch and the Minke Whale Project! Best Fishes, Jenn, Jodi and the Reef Check Australia Team Reef Check Australia on the Fraser Coast This month, our teams braved the chilly winter waters off the Fraser Coast to establish the first long-term monitoring locations in the area, helping to close the gap between our Great Barrier Reef sites and South East Queensland sites. The team visited 5 sites, including 3 sites inshore Hervey Bay and two off the Woongara Coast near Bundaberg. We worked with local management authorities and researchers to select sites with existing baseline data and important management priorities, with water quality as a particular focus. Reef Check sites will help to provide additional long-term reef health data for these unique subtropical reef systems. Thanks very much to Great Sandy Marine Park, Bundaberg Aqua Scuba, Bundy Dive 1/6

2 Charters, the Hervey Bay Boat Club and a few passionate locals for all of your help implementing this new project. Check out the trip photos! This project is supported by funding from the Australian Government s Caring for Our Country. Grey Nurse Shark Watch membershave you seen our special sharks? Did you know that there is at least one missing aggregation site for pregnant grey nurse sharks and that it is probably in Queensland waters? The Grey Nurse Shark Research and Community Engagement Program team are on a crusade to find it and you can help. Four mature female grey nurse sharks were equipped with acoustic transmitters at Flat Rock off North Stradbroke Island on 3 August 2012 (see picture above) in the hope that they will become pregnant as a result of the 2012 October/November mating season and lead us to an unknown gestation site. The Missing in Action (MIA) research program, complements the Grey Nurse Shark Watch project to increase our understanding of this Critically Endangered species. For more information about this research program please refer to the MIA Factsheet. You can help this important research program succeed by submitting photographs and reporting sightings of the tagged sharks to Grey Nurse Shark Watch or you can the GNS team directly. Team Up to Clean Up- A great success! Are you a friend of the Minke Whale? Reef Check Australia teamed up with Surfrider Foundation earlier this month to Dwarf minke whales visit Australian waters each winter. They grow up to 8 2/6

3 clean up the Mooloolaba Spit, on the Sunshine Coast, in a land to sea event. Whilst beach goers tackled rubbish along the shoreline of this popular tourist destination, our underwater team cleaned up Mudjimba Island and Inner Gneerings, both popular snorkelling, diving, and fishing areas off the Mooloolaba coast. With 6 million tonnes of rubbish making its way into our oceans every single year, community clean ups highlight the direct effect this stuff from our daily lives have on these important ecosystems. So thankyou, everyone. The day was a success with over 20kg of debris collected along the beachfront, and 3 anchors found amongst some rope and fishing line during the underwater clean up. Industry Spotlightmetres in length, and sometimes approach boats closely. Very little is known about their life history and migration. Our friends at the Minke Whale Project (based at James Cook University) are studying the biology and behaviour of these whales, and compiling records of their interactions with people around Australia and elsewhere in the South Pacific. If you see a dwarf minke whale, they are very keen to hear about your sighting! Donating copies of any photos or video footage from your sighting could also help to identify and track the movements of individual whales. For more information and to report a minke whale sighting, please visit: Our fantastic underwater team also managed to squeeze in two surveys, making the day very productive!! The event ended with a good ol fashioned BBQ for all the volunteers who lent a hand, and a front page story in the Sunshine Coast Daily. Thankyou to everyone who helped out, and thankyou to Scuba World, who helped get the Reef Check Australia team out to the sites! A big thanks to the Sunshine Coast Council who is supporting our Sunshine Coast volunteer training, underwater clean ups and reef surveys through a Community Partnership grant. 'What do reefs mean to you' competition winner A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in our What do reefs mean to you? campaign. The winner of the Reef Check Australia reusable coffee cup went to Christa S. from the Sunshine Coast, with her response Reefs means vibrant life but also death, beautiful holiday locations and snorkelling, nasty cuts, lots of 3/6

4 SCUBA World Located in Mooloolaba, on the Sunshine Coast, Scuba World is a family operated dive business, that works in partnership with Reef Check Australia to provide the essential resources required to get us to some of the long term monitoring sites set up along the Sunshine Coast. beautiful fish, an underwater wonderland that needs protecting. I LOVE BEAUTIFUL REEFS! Thank you for your insight, Christa! Rob McKinnon, Manager of Scuba World, realises Reef Check Australia s role in collecting vital information to monitor and protect our local reef systems. We greatly appreciate the work Reef Check conducts, and we look forward to continuing our partnership into the future. Scuba World takes small groups to amazing dive sites such as the ex-hmas Brisbane Conservation Park and surrounding reefs. Training is available to all levels, and they offer awesome adventures to both domestic and international destinations. With their strong commitment to quality experiences, and training, the helpful team at Scuba World offers an array of unique dive experiences. Also, for the months of August, September and October 2012, mention this story to receive 20% off a variety of nationally recognised First Aid training courses. So, if your renewal is due- take advantage of this amazing offer! If you want to know more, head to REEF IQ Marine Kitthankyou! Another big THANK YOU to all the educators who participated in the Reef IQ Marine Kit survey. Your feedback is greatly appreciated, as it allows us to shape a new and exciting resource over the coming months. A summary report detailing our findings from the study will be available shortly. Congratulations to Kelly T. in Tasmania! Your valuable feedback has won you an educational movie kit for Bag It: Is Your Life too Plastic? Remember, if you are interested in being a part of the marine education kit trial, please Jodi so she can contact you for further details. 4/6

5 Upcoming Events Sept Underwater Festival Sept 2 Coastal Clean Up Day at Amity Point Sept Australian Marine Turtle 1st Biennial Symposium Sept 15 Fundraising Event- Flinders Reef day trip Sept Coast to Coast Conference Sept Caloundra Music Festival She sells sea shells on the sea shore! Of course we don't sell sea shells. But, we DO have a great range of products such as clothings, activity books, reusable mugs and photos. Anything you buy represents a contribution to coral reef conservation through Reef Check Australia. Browse our range here. Underwater Festival. Are you ready? September 1 to 30, grab your camera and submit your entries to the Underwater Festival! There's $100,000 of prizes to be won! Register now! For every Queensland entry, Underwater Festival will donate $10 from your registration fee to Reef Check Australia. Join in the celebration of our underwater environments and share your reef experiences through your underwater images. For more info, please Jenn! forward to a friend We would love your contribution to this enews! Write an article, send us a story, send us pictures of your last dive, have your efforts featured or just send us your opinion. If you would like to contribute, Jenn. * I * * END* 5/6

6 You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your address. If you would prefer not to receive any further s, please unsubscribe here or with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. If you've received this from a friend, you can subscribe to the newsletter here. Reef Check Foundation Ltd. (Australia) ABN: Reef Check Australia is a registered Environmental Organisation and Australian Charity with tax deductible gift recipient status. PO Box George St Brisbane QLD Tel /6