Supplement. Detailed information on the analyses and results obtained during the study. These data include the average environmental conditions present at each site and number of kelps obtained. The supplement also provides information on each candidate model since model selection depended on the metric used to evaluate the models.
Off the Ningaloo coast of North West Western Australia, Spangled Emperor Lethrinus nebulosus are among the most highly targeted recreational fish species. The Ningaloo Reef Marine Park comprises an area of 4,566 km2 of which 34% is protected from fishing by 18 no-take sanctuary zones ranging in size from 0.08–44.8 km2. To better understand Spangled Emperor movements and the adequacy of sanctuary zones within the Ningaloo Reef Marine Park for this species, 84 Spangled Emperor of a broad spectrum of maturity and sex were tagged using internal acoustic tags in a range of lagoon and reef slope habitats both inside and adjacent to the Mangrove Bay Sanctuary zone. Kernel Utilisation Distribution (KUD) was calculated for 39 resident individuals that were detected for more than 30 days. There was no relationship with fish size and movement or site fidelity. Average home range (95% KUD) for residents was 8.5±0.5 km2 compared to average sanctuary zone size of 30 km2. Calculated home range was stable over time resulting in resident animals tagged inside the sanctuary zone spending ∼80% of time within the sanctuary boundaries. The number of fish remaining within the array of receivers declined steadily over time and after one year more than 60% of tagged fish had moved outside the sanctuary zone and also beyond the 28 km2 array of receivers. Long term monitoring identified the importance of shifting home range and was essential for understanding overall residency within protected areas and also for identifying spawning related movements. This study indicates that despite exhibiting stable and small home ranges over periods of one to two years, more than half the population of spangled emperor move at scales greater than average sanctuary size within the Ningaloo Reef Marine Park.
Very large swarms of the red jellyfish Crambione mastigophora in north-western Australia disrupt swimming on tourist beaches causing economic impacts. In October 2012, jellyfish stranding on Cable Beach (density 2.20 ± 0.43 ind. m -2 ) was estimated at 52.8 million individuals or 14,172 t wet weight along 15 km of beach. Reports of strandings after this period and up to 250 km south of this location indicate even larger swarm biomass. Strandings of jellyfish were significantly associated with a 2-day lag in conditions of small tidal ranges (\5 m). More than 90% of strandings occurred 2 days after winds were blowing onshore, but with the small number of days when satellite wind data were available during the study period, this result was not statistically significant. Dedicated instrument measurements of meteorological parameters, rather than the indirect measures used in this study (satellite winds and modelled currents) may improve the predictability of such events and help authorities to plan for and manage swimming activity on beaches. We also show a high incidence of predation by C. mastigophora on bivalve larvae which may have a significant impact on the reproductive output of pearl oyster broodstock in the region.
Phone 61 08 9360 24792 ABSTRACT A Minchinia sp. (Haplosporidia: Haplosporidiidae) parasite was identified infecting rock oysters and morphologically described by Hine and Thorne (2002) using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).The parasite was associated with up to 80% mortality in the host species and it is suspected the parasite would be a major impediment to the development of a tropical rock oyster aquaculture industry in northern Western Australia.However, attempts to identify the parasite following the development of a specific probe for Haplosporidium nelsoni were unsuccessful. The SSU region of the parasite's rRNA gene was later characterised in our laboratory and an in situ hybridisation assay for the parasite was developed. This paper names the parasite as Minchinia occulta n sp. and morphologically describes the parasite using histology, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The non-spore stages were unusual in that they consisted primarily of intracellular, uninucleate stages reminiscent of Bonamia spp. The parasite's spores were ovoid to circular shaped and measured 4.5 μm -5.0 μm x 3.5 -4.1 μm in size. The nucleus of the sporoplasm measured 1.5 -2.3 μm and was centrally located. The spores were covered in a branching network of microtubule-like structures that may degrade as the spore matures.
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