McKenna, S.A., Van de Wetering, C., and Wilkinson, J. (2022) Port of Townsville Seagrass Monitoring Program, Interim Report: October 2021. Report. TropWATER, Cairns, QLD, Australia.

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Abstract

This report summarises the results of the Townsville Channel Upgrade Seagrass Program (CUSP) 2021 dry season (September/October) survey, and builds on the Long-term Seagrass Monitoring Program (LTSMP) established in 2007. Key findings include:

• 1,577 sites were assessed for seagrass in the 2021 dry season (October) survey.

• Seagrass in monitoring meadows were in a good condition with the footprint, species composition and density of seagrass at expected levels for this time of year.

• Seagrass inside the whole-of-port survey limit covered 17,146 ha. About an 18% increase from the same time last year. Of this distribution:

○ LTSMP meadows covered 7,074 ha ○ CUSP meadows covered 4,417 ha

• Ten of the eleven seagrass species that are known to occur in the Townsville region were present in 2021.

• Green sea turtles, dugongs and their feeding trails in seagrass meadows were observed during helicopter and boat-based field surveys indicating a high use of the area by megafauna.

• So far seasonal assessments suggest the seasonal signal in seagrass density and area in Townsville is not as strong or consistent as other areas in tropical Queensland.

• The next seagrass monitoring survey is scheduled for May 2022.

Item ID:	75099
Item Type:	Report (Report)
Keywords:	Port of Townsville, Seagrass, monitoring program, 2021
Related URLs:	Publisher
Copyright Information:	© James Cook University, 2022
Funders:	Port of Townsville Limited (PoTL)
Date Deposited:	19 Oct 2022 23:56
FoR Codes:	41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410404 Environmental management @ 100%
SEO Codes:	18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1899 Other environmental management > 189999 Other environmental management not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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