Sponges can filter up to 50,000 times their own volume of water in a day, making them an important link between the water column and seabed. They serve as habitat to other marine organisms and play an important role in the cycling of nutrients, making them a critical part of the marine ecosystem. So, understanding […]
By Jo Myers & Mat Vanderklift (CSIRO) Dredging associated with large port developments can reduce the light required for seagrass photosynthesis and smother their growth. This can be caused by large plumes of sediment which some seagrasses are very sensitive to (along with natural disturbances such as cyclones), while others have the capacity to cope, […]
By Dr Alex Brown WAMSI-supported researchers have been in the Cambridge Gulf and Prince Regent River working with local rangers to find out more about the distribution, abundance and population structure of the Australian snubfin (Orcaella heinsohni) and humpback (Sousa sahulensis) dolphins. The Australian snubfin and humpback dolphins are found in coastal and estuarine waters […]
At least two access ways through freshwater barriers need to be established for endangered freshwater sawfish (Pristis pristis) populations living in the north of Western Australia and other areas need to be monitored according to a new report by Murdoch University researchers. The report1, funded by the Chevron Wheatstone project through the Western Australian Marine […]
By Murdoch University News Research indicates strong public support for protecting and conserving much of the Kimberley coastline according to a report for WAMSI’s Kimberley Marine Science Program. Murdoch University scientist Dr Jennifer Strickland-Munro and her research team conducted an online survey of more than 370 people to find the majority placed a high value […]
By Kandy Curran, Roebuck Bay Working Group An audience of more than 100 people at the latest Science on the Broome Coast series were surprised to hear the tide is turning in different directions for the two species of crocodiles in the Kimberley region. CSIRO freshwater crocodile biologist Dr Ruchira Somaweera, and Parks and Wildlife […]
By Kandy Curran, Roebuck Bay Working Group Professor Theunis Piersma’s footprint on the mudflats of Roebuck Bay and Eighty Mile Beach will go down in scientific history, for 20 years of continuous research of the wetland’s remarkable migratory shorebirds and rich invertebrate life. Recognising the critical importance of the benthic fauna from his base at […]
Only six months after one of the worst summers in history for coral bleaching, a new coral reef biodiversity and health survey suggests some of Australia’s most biologically important fringing reef communities in the central Kimberley remain intact. READ MORE Category: Kimberley Marine Research Program
Surprisingly, little is known about what flatback turtles eat and what we do know comes from examining the stomach contents of dead flatback turtles. The Department of Parks and Wildlife has joined forces with WAMSI to try to answer this question through a 17 day field campaign to flatback turtle foraging grounds in the little known […]
Western Australia’s marine science, government, industry, conservation and community sectors met at the inaugural Blueprint for Marine Science Forum in Perth to begin building an Australian-first collaboration around marine science. For more information, click the following link: http://www.marinescienceblueprint.org.au/latest-progress/wa-marine-science-strategy-achieves-unprecedented-collaboration