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Today the Australian Institute of Marine Science released the annual update from its Long-Term Monitoring Program. It is extremely encouraging to see the headline Reef health indicator – coral cover – has continued to recover in the northern and central Reef. However, coral cover in the south has declined slightly, primarily driven by predation from crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS), highlighting the importance of our ongoing COTS control program.
A Master and the First Officer of a 289-metre bulk carrier, the Sea Coen, have been convicted and fined $40,000 and $35,000 respectively after pleading guilty for exiting a designated shipping area within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
The Australian Government’s $1 billion Reef protection package includes a $253 million investment in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s key programs over nine years.
The Reef Authority, along with our partners at AIMS and the CSIRO, has released the Reef health Snapshot, which provides a summary of Reef conditions over the past summer.
Darumbal Traditional Owners today celebrated the official launch of a community-based plan for managing their Sea Country in a joint agreement with the Australian and Queensland governments.
Stabilising reef surfaces, remediating reefs after a ship grounding, and other science-based actions that help corals grow are among the suite of innovative actions that can improve the Great Barrier Reef’s health and resilience.
Reef HQ Aquarium undergoing planned works until Saturday 7 March
