Marine Futures Project - Geographe Bay - reef habitat

Statement: Areas of seafloor in water deeper than 10 metres were surveyed with hydroacoustics using a Reson 8101 Multibeam or interferometric swath echosounder system, mounted on the hull of the sampling vessel. These data were processed to construct full coverage maps of seafloor bathymetry and textural information. These maps, combined with observations recorded from in situ video footage, unerpinned the development of statistical models that produced the most efficient, objective, and ecologically meaningful classifications of sea floor features and inhabitants as possible for natural resource management and planning. ; Credit Natural Heritage Trust ; The Marine Futures Project was designed to benchmark the current status of key Western Australian marine ecosystems, based on an improved understanding of the relationship between marine habitats, biodiversity and our use of these values. Approximately 1,500 km2 of seafloor were mapped using hydroacoustics (Reson 8101 Multibeam), and expected benthic habitats "ground-truthed" using towed video transects and baited remote underwater video systems. Both sources of information were then combined in a spatial predictive modelling framework to produce fine-scale habitat maps showing the extent of substrate types, biotic formations, etc. Surveys took place across 9 study areas, including Geographe Bay in the southwest Capes region. The marine environment at this location varies from extensive seagrass meadows in protected waters, to kelp-dominated granite and limestone reefs in areas of high wave energy. A small number of corals are also found throughout the region, reflecting the influence of the southward flow of the Leeuwin Current. The fish fauna is also diverse, with a high proportion of endemic species.