Port Curtis and Rodds Bay Seagrass Monitoring Program. Biannual western basin & annual long term monitoring November 2012

This report details the findings of the November 2012 seagrass monitoring survey of Port Curtis and Rodds Bay. The survey incorporated the established annual seagrass monitoring program for Port Curtis (forms part of the Port Curtis Integrated Monitoring Program (PCIMP)) as well as additional seasonal mapping of seagrasses within the entire Western Basin region of the port. The additional mapping has been conducted bi-annually since 2009 as a part of increased monitoring for harbour expansion and dredging programs. The results presented here integrate findings from the June and November 2012 surveys with previous long-term monitoring surveys, assessing seagrass meadow area, biomass and species composition. The 2012 surveys included an assessment of intertidal and shallow subtidal meadows in the Western Basin region from The Narrows to Boyne River, as well as long-term monitoring meadows located in Rodds Bay. Key Findings: • Seagrass meadows in the Gladstone Western Basin showed signs of recovery with increases in area and density of meadows following several consecutive years of reduced distribution and abundance. • Mean biomass of seagrass had increased in each of the six regions from 2011 to 2012 with significant increases in five of the fifteen monitoring meadows. • Dugong and their feeding trails were observed in the Western Basin region in areas where they have historically been present, as well as for the first time in the South Trees Region providing positive signs of recovery. • Gladstone is one of the few locations along the developed east coast of Queensland where seagrasses have shown recovery in 2012. • Despite these positive signs of recovery, several consecutive years of decline have likely left seagrasses with a reduced resilience to further impacts and it may take some time for meadows to reach pre-flood (2009) levels