Norman Reef Great Adventures Pontoon : 1997 biological survey and summary of damage from Cyclone Justin

Cyclone Justin crossed the coast in the vicinity of Cairns in March 1997. The 50 knot northerly winds that followed the passage of the cyclone led to the break-off of the Great Adventures Norman Reef pontoon. and its subsequent grounding on the reef flat. Sea Research was asked to resurvey the permanent transects that were set up near this pontoon for past monitoring programs as a prelude to repositioning the pontoon. The aim was to establish what damage had occurred in the benthic community due to the pontoon break-off. and to compare this with the effects of the cyclonic waves themselves on the benthic community. A quantitative survey was also made of the pontoon drag scar on the reef flat, and of surrounding reef benthic communities to determine the effects of the pontoon grounding. The survey was carried out in April 1997, almost a month afler the cyclonic episode

Medium-term changes in coral populations of fringing reefs at Cape Tribulation

The aims of this study were to investigate the medium-term effects of sediment run-off caused by the construction of a coastal road through rainforested catchments in late 1984 on the coral communities of the Cape Tribulation fringing reefs. In the absence of any pre-construction baseline we relied on surveys of two similar control locations, north and south of the potential impact location adjacent to the new road catchment, to determine the significance of any changes that occurred. The southern control was adjacent to the long-established portion of the road south of Cape Tribulation and the northern control adjacent to a small undisturbed catchment A preliminary three-year study had suggested that the road construction had no effect of the fringing reefs of this region (Ayling and Ayling 1991). It was also hoped that this longer-term study would shed some light on the nature of on-going changes in the benthic communities of fringing reefs in the Great Barrier Reef region

Crown-of-thorns and coral trout density on three central section reefs : 1983-1989

Sea Research have carried out density surveys of crown of thorns stars, coral trout and chaetodontids on three reefs off Townsville: John Brewer, Lodestone and Davies, on a number of occasions since 1983. Initially, surveys were made on a single back reef slope site, but since November 1984 surveys were also made on front reef sites on each reef. Most sites were surveyed three times over a six year period but the back reef site at Lodestone has been visited four times in !he same period and that on John Brewer five times. In the latest survey of these sites, in June 1989, lethrinids and lutjanids were also counted

The effect of sediment run-off on the coral populations of fringing reefs at Cape Tribulation

The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of sediment run-off caused by the construction in late 1984 of a coastal road through rainforest catchments on the coral communities of the Cape Tribulation fringing reefs. In the absence of any pre-construction baseline we relied on surveys of two similar control locations north and south of the potential impact location adjacent to the new road catchment to determine the significance of any changes that occurred. The southern control was adjacent to the long-established portion of the road south of Cape Tribulation and the northern control adjacent to a small undisturbed catchment

Norman Reef environmental monitoring project 1989

The establishment of a tourist destination pontoon serviced by 300 seat international catamarans on Norman Reef to the NE of Cairns prompted the GBRMPA to require an on-going biological monitoring program to be implemented. The aims of the program were to attempt to establish the effect such intensive tourist operations were having on the reef community; specifically on the percentage cover of encrusting organisms, the height of coral colonies and the density of selected fish species. Surveys of corals, other encrusting organisms and fishes were made at 4 sites on Nonnan Reef between March 1987 and June 1988. Sites were: adjacent to the Great Adventures pontoon; in the area of Great Adventures semi-submersible operation; adjacent to the Deep Sea Divers Den main mooring; and at an undisturbed control area. A total of 35 permanent 20m line transects were used to measure the cover of corals and other encrusting organisms. Measures of coral height were also made at each site. Fishes were counted along 5 haphazard 50 x 20m transects at each site

The effect of the Daintree River flood plume on Snapper Island coral reefs

Surveys of fringing reefs were conducted in the Cairns region in early 1995. The reef slope of these reefs supported rich coral communities with mean coral cover of around 80%. The reefs around Snapper Island were particularly rich at this time with 88% cover recorded on the north face of the Island and 88.3% on the south. This small, narrow island is only about two kilometres long from west tip to east lip and lies about 75 kilometres north of Cairns and only five kilometres east of the Daintree River mouth

Contractualism and Policing in the Public Interest

Once, police largely depended on their status as the embodiment of the State’s monopoly on coercive force to obtain the assistance they needed to do their job. Today they are increasingly reliant on formalised arrangements of reciprocity with other public and private agents. Police are both purchasers and vendors of goods and services, including security services. This paper explores the issues surrounding the growing importance of contractualism in policing and its risks. After an examination of events policing by one large Australian police organisation, the paper concludes that, although the risks are substantial, newer economic forms of policing like ‘user-pays’ are not necessarily antithetical to the public interest. They may, in fact, promote it

Shoalwater Bay fringing reef resource assessment

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is involved in preparing management strategies for the whole Shoalwater Bay area, as well as zoning plans for the Byfield Coast area, immediately east of Shoalwater Bay. They have found a lack of information on the state of the fringing reefs that aerial photographs suggest are present around many of the shoals and islands in this area

An investigation of optimum methods and unit sizes for the visual estimation of abundances of some coral reef organisms

Surveys of abundances of demersal biota provide the empirical bases for assessing the biological status of the Great Barrier Reef, testing the success or failure of management strategies, investigating anthropogenic impacts on the reef, and contextualising fundamental research. The accuracy and precision of the data that arise from surveys will be at least partly a function of the survey methods. It is important, therefore, to thoroughly document the sampling characteristics of those methods. We sought to examine the relative biases and characteristics of precision of sampling several species of benthic organisms and demersal fish by visual surveys of belt (or strip) transects of a range of sizes. We also examined the biases arising from several procedures for counting organisms within transects

Role, importance and vulnerability of top predators on the Great Barrier Reef: a review

The purpose of this review is to evaluate the ecological role of predators on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), their vulnerability to human activities and their contribution to ecosystem and economic values. Marine systems around the world are under increasing pressure, from the localised anthropogenic impacts of fishing and terrestrial run-off to the global pressures of climate change. There is concern over exploitation and declining numbers and biomass of large marine predators, worldwide and on the GBR. Understanding the role of predation and the consequences of predator loss is a priority for managers. To better understand the link between the protection of exploited fish stocks, the enhancement of the GBR’s overall resilience and the maintenance of ecosystem structure and function, this review seeks to answer the following questions:ID: 181