This summer the Smithsonian’s MarineGEO program along with the Hakai Institute conducted a marine BioBlitz survey in the coastal waters of British Columbia. Over 40 researchers from a dozen institutions spent three weeks participating in collections, processing of Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS), and visual surveys.
RLS just got back from Ningaloo Reef where 8 dedicated RLS divers completed 7 days of surveys, adding 73 transects to the database across 26 sites.
This year saw the annual Port Stephens and Solitary Islands surveys run back to back.
Big blue groper, dhufish and lobsters being protected within sanctuary zones….These were discussed with the Rottnest Island Authority the day before the 10th annual RLS monitoring weekend at Rottnest Island. This discussion proved almost prophetic, with the surveys over the weekend finding lobsters abundant, more dhufish than ever in the last decade (at least 14 across four different sites), and four blue groper (one a very large male).
RLS recently surveyed Cod Grounds Commonwealth Marine Reserve in Western Australia, with the team recording 76 species of fish on method 1 and 35 species of invertebrates and cryptic fishes on method 2.
