This year's SURG weekend camping trip will be at Illaroo Campground which is north of Minnie Waters in the Yuragir National Park.
The campsite is situated a short distance along the Sanden Road after leaving Minnie Water. The club will be camping at the southern end of the site as it's only a short walk to the rock platform for snorkelling. There is also a large BBQ areas for the Saturday evening group BBQ.
The campsite operates on a first in first served basis. Park entry...
Professor Steve Smith and sea slug researcher Matt Nimbs will talk to us about the preliminary findings for the Coffs Harbour inaugural Sea Slug Census which was held from the 17th to 23rd January in the mid north coast region spanning the Solitary Islands Marine Park from Brooms Head to Sawtell. Sea Slugs, also known as nudibranches, are not only beautifully coloured, exotic sea creatures but also their presence help scientists identify any changes to our marine environmental. Volunteer...
The Sea Slug Census program is a community-based research project led by Southern Cross University with the objective of documenting the diversity and distribution of these charismatic marine creatures. Starting at Nelson Bay in December 2013, the program has now expanded to 32 censuses spread over 12 locations. During this time, more than 1200 participants have photographed around 450 sea slug species including species that are new to science. They have also helped to map changing...
The upcoming survey on the 2 December is the 8th of 8 and the 4th (and final one) since the introduction of the Container Deposit Scheme. Detailed analyses of the data collected from state-wide surveys haven't been concluded as yet. However, I can say that with regard to beverage containers the indications are that there has been a reduction in the numbers being collected by volunteers up and down the coast. So a big thumbs up!! And also thanks to all those who have participated in marine...
Tom Mair has again been busy getting the wheels in motion for Christmas. SURG has the 'Harry Weller' shelter (closest to the railway bridge) at Boambee Reserve booked for the December 1st. Entry to Boambee is $5 per car. The shelter is booked for the whole day so if you arrive first, notify the office so they can turn on the power. Tom has organised excellent tides for the afternoon to satisfy those bringing water crafts to play on. More details will follow as the date approaches.
For this meeting we are fortunate enough to have Chris Goatley from the University of New England who will talk to us about coral reef fishes.
Coral reef fishes are some of the most colourful and biodiverse organisms on the planet, but a surprising number of species are tiny, and are overlooked by divers and scientists alike. In his presentation Chris will reveal the hidden biodiversity of global coral reef fish communities, explain how scientists sample small fishes, and highlight...
Tom will show some of his encounters with the amazing creatures within the Solitary Island Marine Park, which he has filmed over the years.
By adding music to the video footage he has tried to emulate the creatures movements.
As part of research into the impact of the bottle deposit scheme on garbage in NSW, Bob Edgar in now conducting the penultimate clean-up of this project for Coffs Creek. As usual the clean-up will involve the collecting and collating of rubbish at the boat ramp to the creek behind Dolphin Magic in Coffs Harbour. Closer to the date Bob will check the tides and let us know what time to meet.
Between 2015 and 2018, SURG members, with the assistance from the general public, have been assessing threats to estuarine species and the habitats that they rely on during some stage of their life cycle. Using a number of research methods these threats were quantified and the impacts to the estuarine ecosystem determined along four local estuaries. This research aimed to inform the wider community of the local threats to critical habitats, identify areas of high risk, direct on-ground works...
Dr. Ben Mos is a post-doctoral researcher based at Southern Cross University's National Marine Science Centre. He will present a series of 5 minute talks about some of his research projects that revolve around two major challenges in the aquatic realm – (1) what impacts are humans having in aquatic ecosystems?, and (2) how can we use the aquatic realm to sustainably feed 9 billion people?
