A new blueprint for Western Australian marine research
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A new report to guide Western Australia’s coastal research priorities and initiatives signals a renewed focus for statewide marine science.

The Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) today launched the Blueprint Refresh 2022-2027, identifying opportunities for marine science to improve the sustainable use and management of WA’s coastal and estuarine marine environments.

Developed with advice from WA marine stakeholders, the result is a snapshot of the existing and emerging marine science needs of WA’s marine industries, managers, regulators and the wider community, shaped by changes and advances over the last five years to the marine landscape.

Promoting collaboration across all sectors, WAMSI has identified six major science themes and knowledge gaps to focus marine science investment and activities in Western Australia over the next five years.

WAMSI CEO Dr Luke Twomey said WA’s coastal and estuarine ecosystems were under increasing pressure from cumulative impacts associated with population growth, economic activity, and climate change.

“Strong direction backed by good science is needed to manage these pressures into the future,” Dr Twomey said.

“The Blueprint Refresh is a snapshot based on our collective knowledge, best available information and vision for Western Australian marine science and is aimed at better understanding the needs of the sectors that interact with WA’s marine environments.” Dr Luke Twomey, WAMSI CEO

“It provides the contemporary view to refresh the scientific knowledge required to head into the future and contribute to discussions that will drive change to strategy, practice, and policy across industry, government, and in the community.

Three focus areas emerged from the collective stakeholder input – Traditional Owner participation, accessible data and social engagement – that were considered central to the delivery of any marine science program.

“This Blueprint Refresh provides decision-makers and the community with a clearer understanding of the direction for future blue economic activity in Western Australia, which in-turn provides our marine scientists with the intelligence necessary to focus their future research endeavours,” Dr Twomey said.

Cockburn Sound – home to a surprising diversity of marine species
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Scientists have found an unexpectedly diverse assemblage of marine life living on the seafloor in Cockburn Sound.

The species were identified following surveys of benthic communities in soft sediment and naturally occurring hard substrate as part of a research project that seeks to better understand benthic biodiversity and mitigate environmental impacts in the area.

The research team from the Western Australian Museum and Curtin University carried out a series of scuba-based visual surveys along the Kwinana Shelf, an area which had not been surveyed for some time.

At 12 sites sampled across two seasons, the researchers documented more than 2500 individual specimens on belt transects, including the hairy and porcelain crabs, worm snails, hammer oysters, blue ring octopus and the starry octopus, Octopus djinda, along with purple sponge barnacles, a range of urchins, sea cucumbers and sea stars, as well as eleven different species of scleractinian coral.

Thirty-five sponge species were identified, of which 21 have not previously been collected from Cockburn Sound.

Every individual animal encountered was identified in-situ or collected for identification in the laboratory. Work on the specimens is ongoing, but currently, more than 200 species across eight major marine invertebrate groups have been identified.

Dr Zoe Richards from the Western Australian Museum and Curtin University said “Derbal Nara (as Cockburn Sound is known to the Noongar people) is a nursery for pink snapper but what people might not realise is that one of the reasons the snapper aggregate and spawn there is because there is a huge variety of food sources in the Bay. Animals such as sponges, soft corals and tunicates form microhabitats for crustaceans, molluscs, worms and many other epifauna animals that the snapper prey upon”.

“The unexpected diversity and abundance of the smaller (<5 cm) marine animals has been critical to document in recent times, as this faunal component is vastly understudied on a global scale, an important aspect of food web ecology and consistently reveals species new to science” – Dr. Lisa Kirkendale, Western Australian Museum

Many of these specimens require genetic sequencing to confirm their identification and this is currently underway through the WA Museum’s Molecular Systematics Unit.

Additionally, the Museum has hosted Murdoch University and Edith Cowan University scientists have worked closely with Museum scientists to assist on site who are assisting with the processing of trawl samples that were collected in another phase of the project, and those samples will be used to assess the ecological values of the benthic community.

This research is being carried out under the WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program that will inform the development of Western Australia’s new container terminal.

Common construction materials trialled for future artificial reef

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Researchers from Murdoch University and Edith Cowan University are investigating materials for a future artificial reef in Cockburn Sound that will act as a settling area for local, non-invasive invertebrates.

The experiment, carried out under the WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program, is trialling four common construction materials (PVC, low-carbon concrete, natural limestone and mild steel) to understand which materials might be favoured by native marine species.

The material is cut into tiles and placed on aluminium frames called arrays then suspended in water.

As key stakeholders in Cockburn Sound, Austal Pty Ltd, Fremantle Ports, and CBH Group are facilitating this research by hosting eight of these arrays underneath their jetties, which will remain in place for a year.

Using this study design, the researchers can investigate what materials not only support the most diverse invertebrate community, but also what material may enhance coastal productivity by supporting the greatest number and biomass of invertebrates.

Historically, artificial reefs were first created unintentionally when ships were wrecked, for example Omeo in Coogee, but are now intentionally constructed as a way to enhance coastal aquatic ecosystems.

Early artificial reefs were built from surplus industrial product such as used car tyres and even whitegoods, however these materials were not favoured by reef-building species and sometimes leached harmful chemicals. They can also be exploited by invasive species that colonise areas rapidly and outcompete native fauna for resources.

Dr Sorcha Cronin-O’Reilly from Murdoch University’s Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems and Henry Carrick from Edith Cowan University’s Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research note that it was important to determine the structural design and suitability of various materials of artificial reefs to replicate a naturally occurring biotic community.

“We expect many different invertebrates to settle, such as tunicates, sponges, and mussels, with more mobile invertebrates such as predatory sea slugs and marine worms to hide among these colonies.”

“Two weeks after deployment, we could already see some invertebrates had begun to inhabit the materials – showcasing the high demand for prime real estate, even in the ocean!”

As for which material may be most favoured by native invertebrates, it’s time to place your bets.

This research is also locally supported by Italia Stone Pty Ltd, Collie Crete, Plastral Pty Ltd, and CSM Fabrication.