Torres Strait Fishery

Quantitative ground and aerial surveys of shorebirds, and significant breeding colonies for the Top End of the Northern Territory (NT), sourced from the Parks and Wildlife Service of the Northern Territory (PWSNT). At time of collating this report, some gaps were apparent in the data provided. Data exist from 1990-1999, but records from 2000-2003 are missing.

Torres Strait Reef Sites Habitat

Torres Strait Turtle Fishery

Torres Strait Dugong Fishery

Quantitative ground and aerial surveys of shorebirds, and significant breeding colonies for the Top End of the Northern Territory (NT), sourced from the Parks and Wildlife Service of the Northern Territory (PWSNT). At time of collating this report, some gaps were apparent in the data provided. Data exist from 1990-1999, but records from 2000-2003 are missing.

The study was designed to address significant gaps and very limited species level data in the Torres Strait Protected Zone (TSPZ), to provide managers with information on habitats, biodiversity distribution and risks. From 2003 to 2006, the Torres Strait Mapping and Characterisation Project has mapped habitats and their associated biodiversity across the length and breadth of the Protected Zone to provide information that will help managers with regional planning and to ensure that fisheries are ecologically sustainable, as required by environmental protection legislation. Comprehensive information on the biodiversity of the seabed was acquired by visiting almost 200 sites, representing a wide range of known environments, during two 1-month-long voyages on two vessels and deploying several types of devices such as: towed video and digital cameras, an epibenthic sled and a research trawl to collect samples for more detailed data about plants, invertebrates and fishes on the seabed. Data were collected and processed from ~100 km of towed video and >10,000 photos, and from sorting and identification of ~2,000 benthic samples, ~1,200 seabed fish samples, and ~200 sediment samples. A key output from the project is the identification, by means of the trawl exposure and sustainability indicators, of species at risk or potentially at risk from trawling. Different species were highlighted by different indicators, with the top ranked species for all indicators listed and recommended to be considered for stakeholder consultation regarding future action. It was also recommended that long-term monitoring of trends in ecological condition of identified key seabed habitats and constituent species be implemented to assess responses to regional pressures, including climate change.

Torres Strait Finfish Fishery

Torres Strait Reef Fish Species Richness

Quantitative waterbird surveys over seasonal wetlands of the Alligator Rivers Region (ARR) of the NT, provided by the Supervising Scientist Division (SSD) of the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA). Ground and aerial surveys at 17 billabongs within the Magela Creek catchment. Environmental information includes structural classification of each billabong surveyed