Mapping and characterisation of key biotic and physical attributes of the Torres Strait ecosystem (T2.1)
Dr Roland Pitcher, CSIRO with GA, QDPI, Qld Museum

This work will map ecosystems in central-eastern Torres Strait including:

• seabed habitat and biodiversity, distribution & abundance;
• seagrasses;
• water column attributes; and
• physical factors that drive the patterns in these ecosystems.

This project will assess the status and condition of the complex ecosystems of this area. It will also establish benchmarks to help managers assess the health of the ecosystem. In addition, the project will determine the impact of trawling on the seabed.

We will use cost-effective methods including optimised stratified sampling (video, sediment grab, benthic sled, prawn trawl), measurement (CTD and other sensors) and remote sensing (imagery, acoustics). We will be able to predict likely communities found in some areas by analysing biophysical relationships and matching communities to environmental features.

This information will be used for conservation, planning, management and monitoring, ultimately helping to preserve the unique values of this region.
The information will be used by other researchers that want to understand ecosystem processes and dynamics an also for environmental risk/sustainability assessments in the management evaluations project.

Objectives
Deliver baseline maps and other information needed to ensure that the Torres Strait Protection Zone (TSPZ) is sustainably managed. This information will also be used in plans being developed by AFMA and other regional, State and Commonwealth Government agencies to conserve biodiversity in half of the TSPZ that surrounds the trawl fishery.

Outcomes

• Improve knowledge about the status of ecosystems in the central-eastern Torres Strait, which is of use in Regional Marine Planning
• Improve identification of marine species at risk
• Estimate the level of exploitation of seabed communities in the area and the level of improvement/restoration required
• Facilitate the development by stakeholders of sustainability indicators for bycatch species and seabed benthos which can be used in fisheries management to achieve environmental sustainability objectives under State and Commonwealth fishery and environmental legislation and delivery of agreed indicators for ESD reporting.
• Incorporate environmental indicators which can be measured into fishery management plans
• Provide information which stakeholders can use to ensure: reasonable use of the area to maintain the ecosystem, bycatch & benthos and; develop and implement management plans to ensure an ecologically sustainable fishery
• Make a strategic assessment of the TS trawl fishery which will meet AFMA Management goals, and State and Commonwealth fishery and environmental legislation
• Integrate understanding of the central-eastern Torres Strait ecosystem into models that can evaluate alternative management strategies for the trawl fishery and contribute to sustainable development