Coral Sea Marine Park Coral Reef Health Survey 2021: Report on reef surveys February 2021

The Coral Sea is a critically important and significant ecosystem, which (like coral reefs globally) is increasingly threatened by changing environmental conditions, particularly ocean warming. In early 2020 shallow reef habitats across the Coral Sea Marine Park (CSMP) experienced severe and widespread bleaching, with 63% of all corals surveyed across the CSMP, and up to 89% of corals at individual reefs being bleached. James Cook University was commissioned by Parks Australia to assess (i) the latest condition of fish and benthic communities, (ii) the impacts of the 2020 bleaching event on benthic, fish and invertebrate communities, and (iii) gain some understanding of the potential resilience and recovery of corals throughout the CSMP. The project undertook detailed surveys of coral, fish and macro-invertebrate communities and associated reef health at thirteen CSMP reefs in February 2021. Surveys were conducted to provide rigorous quantitative information on temporal (i.e., 2020 vs 2021) and spatial (i.e., among reefs and regions) patterns in (i) cover and composition of corals and macroalgae; (ii) regional patterns of biodiversity; (iii) coral health, injury and recruitment; and (iv) abundance and composition of reef fishes, sea snakes, and ecologically or economically important invertebrates