Seagrass meadows Geographe Bay supports the most extensive seagrass meadows in temperate Western Australia1 and around 9,500 hectares in waters < 10 m are in good condition2. The most common species is Posidonia sinuosa which is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN redlist. In Geographe Bay the P. sinuosa meadows are healthy with reasonably consistent density…
West Coast bioregion recreational catch Recreational catch of dhufish in West Coast bioregion (includes the south-west zone) was higher in 2015/16 (97-129 t) compared with 2013/14 (69-94 t). Recreational catch Blue Swimmer Crabs in West Coast bioregion (includes the south-west zone) in 2015/16 (36-50 t) was similar to 2013/14 (50-68 t). Calls for action Adhere…
South West recreational fish Top five most common finfish species taken by rec fishers in south-west in 2015/16 were school whiting (14% of total catch), Australian herring (9%), WA Dhufish (7%), Silver trevally (5%) and Snapper (4%). Calls for action Adhere to fishing limits Catch only what you need not what you can Want to…
Whales Conservation Dependent humpback, endangered blue and endangered southern right whales have shown consistent, seasonal use of important habitat in the southwest region with an apparent steady increase in humpback sightings. Seasonal observations undertaken between 2005-2017 have resulted in a total of 22,600 humpback, blue, and southern right whale sightings recorded from Pt Picquet. Of…
Marine Parks The South West NRM region is home to 2 of the 17 marine parks in Western Australia (including the Walpole and Nornalup Inlets Marine Park and the Ngari Capes Marine Parks) protecting scenic and biologically important areas of ocean and coastline (usually to high water mark) cover a total area of 1142 and…
Marine debris Marine debris is a threat to marine life. The SWCC region has four distinctive coastal areas with differing conditions and sources affecting marine debris. The long stretches of sandy beaches between Leschenault Inlet to the Myalup desalination plant records the highest abundance of marine debris within the region. Winter storms drive offshore debris…