Gladstone Permanent Transect Seagrass Monitoring: June 2012 update report

[Extract] Seagrass has been monitored quarterly at permanent transects at seven locations in Port Curtis and Rodds Bay since November 2009 (excluding Redcliffe which has been monitored since August 2010) (see maps on pages 3 to 5). The program was established to determine within and among year variation in seagrass condition and form the key sensitive receptor sites for assessing seagrass condition during the Western Basin dredging operation. In September 2011, Gladstone Ports Corporation Limited commissioned additional monthly surveys outside of the regular quarterly monitoring to provide more frequent assessments of seagrass condition during dredging operations. These additional monthly surveys are conducted aerially to avoid damaging sites through repeated on-ground sampling. In December 2011, an additional permanent transect site was established at Wiggins Island due to the development of the Wiggins Island Coal Terminal near the original site. Both sites are being monitored to determine if there are significant differences in seagrass communities between sites. In March 2012, an additional permanent transect site was also established at Facing Island where changes in meadow distribution resulted in the original site being situated at the edge of the meadow. Both sites are also being monitored to determine if there are significant differences in seagrass communities between sites. This interim update report provides results for seagrass percent cover from the most recent quarterly survey of permanent transects undertaken from the 4th to 7th of June 2012. The report also provides results of a comparison between new and original sites at Wiggins Island and Facing Island