Sea floor images now available to all! 

Have you ever wondered what the sea floor looks like off the NSW coastline? 

Thousands of images of the NSW sea floor have just been made publicly available online. 

Researchers, ocean enthusiasts and members of the public can now view over 11,000 images of the sea floor along the NSW coast captured by NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy scientists. 

It is all part of a project to track the impact of climate change on marine habitats in NSW. 

It's official! Bank protection works can result in more carbon storage as well as trapping sediment to keep waterways healthier. 

The ability of mangroves to trap sediment and in doing so store carbon was put to the test by Southern Cross University (SCU) researchers recently at a research site at Emigrant Creek near Ballina. 

The SCU researchers are monitoring the growth of mangroves that have established after the installation of a log fillet bank stabilisation project at Emigrant Creek near Ballina which have recorded impressive results. 

Not only have mangroves and saltmarsh recruited since installing the log fillets, but they have also been storing huge amounts of carbon in the soil as they grow. 

We all know the risk of a criminal leaving behind their DNA at a crime scene.  

We’ve all watched enough true crime to know how easily a single hair or skin flake can be used to identify a culprit.  

But did you know our scientists are now using very similar DNA technology to find out what fish are in an area?  

They can do this without ever spotting a single fish, simply by collecting water samples containing tiny DNA fragments shed by fish through their skin or excrement. 

DPIRD Fisheries Max Osborne has been leading the project to rehabilitate several heavily impacted coastal wetland sites.  

He said using eDNA to monitor fish communities will be a great way to track the health of these wetland sites.  

We all know that 2022 was a wet year and that all rivers lead to the sea. But to what extent do floodwaters from extreme rainfall events impact the ocean? 

A recent study by the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) used data collected by robot-like devices to see how the plumes of river water entering the ocean from the 2022 floodwaters impacted the ocean. 
 
Tim Ingleton, a marine scientist working on the DCCEEW project, used data collected by robot-like instruments for the study. 
 
What they found was surprising. 

Rangers from Batemans Bay Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) have restored a traditional rock fish trap at Buckenbowra on the NSW south coast near Batemans Bay. 

Located on the Clyde River, the Buckenbowra Fish Trap holds cultural significance for the local Aboriginal community of the Batemans Bay and Mogo region. 

The rehabilitation project was initiated after Elders from the local area voiced their concerns about the condition of the traps. 

It’s official, coastal residents and visitors love our NSW coast! 

That’s according to recently released DPIRD Fisheries surveys of coastal residents, visitors, and youth. 

The Marine Estate Community Wellbeing Surveys surveyed over 2100 coastal residents, 850 coastal youths aged 14 to 17 and 1100 coastal visitors to better understand how they use the coast and its importance to their quality of life. 

This is the story of how a fishery has turned around, seen through the eyes of fishermen and scientists. Government and industry collaboration led to strategic management changes, improving fish stocks and economic sustainability.  

This effort culminated in the development of a harvest strategy guiding the NSW Eastern Rock Lobster's recreational and commercial harvest. 

Danny Stewart, a veteran commercial fisherman of 32 years on NSW's north coast, reflects on the significant changes since he started in the early 90s, describing it as a time akin to the "wild west".