Regular readers of the Ningaloo Coast News will recall back in the Winter 2021 edition that we shared a sneak peek at the Nyinggulu seasonal calendar as a work in progress. Today, the Nyinggulu Joint Management team is delighted to share the finished product with the Nyinggulu (Ningaloo) community. 

Canopy forming seaweeds are common in the Ningaloo lagoon, often creating large meadows which provide shelter and food for a range of fish and invertebrate species. Of particular interest are emperors (family Lethiridae) and cods (family Serranidae), which are an integral component of the recreational fisher catch.
 
Annual surveys of seaweed and coral reefs by DBCA and Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) scientists along the length of the Ningaloo coast have quantified how often these fish can be found in the different habitats, during both adult and juvenile stages of their lives. Combining this with fisheries catch data, periodically collected by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), DBCA estimate that seaweed associated fishes regularly account for most of the recreational catch at Ningaloo.

Since 1998, there have been four published assessments of the catch composition at Ningaloo and seaweed associated fish have always represented more than 60 percent of reef fish retained by recreational fishers (primarily spangled emperor and Charlie Court cod). Seaweed associated species are also important to fisheries in the Philippines and Kenya, whilst they are less important in many island nations in the Pacific.

Information from 133 fisheries, collected from 28 countries, indicates that seaweed associated fish typically account for about a quarter of the catch, suggesting seaweed habitats are a valuable contributor to fisheries around the world. However, very few species rely on a single habitat type and sound management of the reef and associated services should consider all habitats and how they are connected to each other.  

These findings have been recently published in the journal Fish and Fisheries which can be downloaded online.

The North West Cape has seen little fire activity over the past three decades, with the exception of two bushfire events in 1990 and 2012. The infrequency of bushfire has contributed to an accumulation of fuel, primarily spinifex and acacia shrublands along the Cape. On Monday, 14 February 2022, a lightning strike ignited a fire at Charles Knife in Cape Range National Park. Over twelve days, the fire burnt around 7300 hectares of national park, unallocated Crown land and a part of Exmouth Gulf Station. Burning in rugged and mainly inaccessible terrain, fixed-wing water bombers were brought in to help ground crews fight the fire. The fixed-wing water bombers contributed significantly to the control of the fire and executed more than 100 drops, each at over 3,500 litres.

Throughout the bushfire, more than 100 of DBCA's Parks and Wildlife Service firefighters and incident personnel from across the state were in attendance with on-ground support from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA, Exmouth Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services, Exmouth State Emergency Service, Western Australia Police Force, Shire of Exmouth, Royal Australian Air Force, Water Corporation, Main Roads WA and Horizon Power. Local businesses and the community also provided valuable support through catering, accommodation and contractors, which was vital to the success of the event and greatly appreciated.  

Now the seasons are changing, Parks and Wildlife Service is starting the preparation for prescribed burning. Prescribed burning is the process of planning and applying fire to a predetermined area, under specific environmental conditions to achieve the desired outcomes. Burning is carried out in the cooler months so fire behaviour is mild, resulting in a patchy mosaic of burnt and unburnt vegetation. Over time, annual burning results in varying fuel ages across the landscape, reducing the intensity and severity of bushfires and facilitating bushfire suppression.

Prescribed burns include an assessment of the critical environmental, cultural and structural assets within burn areas. A key component of the process is stakeholder engagement, including Traditional Owners, ecologists, meteorologists and landholders to ensure all components are taken into consideration in the planning process.

A number of planned burns will be carried out within Cape Range National Park and surrounding unallocated Crown land. These burns aim to promote biodiversity, protect critical assets and the community and assist with suppression in the event of bushfires. Burn implementation will only occur under the appropriate weather conditions to achieve desired outcomes.

For more information regarding the prescribed burning planned for this season, please contact the Exmouth District Office on 9947 8000.

DBCA's Parks and Wildlife Service is continuing its ongoing commitment to reduce the impacts of feral cats and foxes on native wildlife within the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area. Over the coming months, 1080 baiting will be carried out on the North West Cape.

Led by Western Shield, the 1080 baiting program includes areas within Cape Range National Park (CRNP), Exmouth Water Reserve, Defence Estate, sections of the Jurabi Coastal Park and unallocated Crown land which is proposed as an extension to CRNP (see map).

Parks and Wildlife Service would like to remind pet owners to avoid the baited areas all year round.

If you would like to find out more about the 1080 baiting program please see the Western Shield webpage.

Ningaloo Reef is one of only a few places in the world where these gentle giants appear regularly in relatively large numbers where they are easily accessible to observers.

When recreationally boating in Ningaloo Marine Park, please remember to:

Touching, disturbing, interfering with the natural movement of, or breaching separation distances for whale sharks in WA is prohibited under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions encourages everyone to report injured, entangled, stranded, or dead marine animals to the Exmouth Office (08) 9947 8000.