This year as part of the Great Barrier Reef Festival, we hosted our first ever Seagrass Talk and Tour at the marina. In conjunction with the team at Reef Catchments and CQ University, who run the seagrass restoration project, we invited locals and visitors to come and explore the wonderful world of marine science.
Project coordinator, Alexandra (Lexi) Williams (Reef Catchments) provided attendees with an overview of the research work being done at the marina in and the adjacent seagrass meadows in Pioneer Bay. Following the talk, attendees were able to make their own seagrass seed balls which would later be dropped into the seagrass meadows.
Once the seed balls were ready, the attendees headed out with vessel owner Dale Tansley on Whisper Cruises for a tour of Pioneer Bay and to drop the seed balls at the research site. The vessel Tallulah (Whisper Cruises) is a whisper quiet, fume-free electric boat which runs bespoke turtle spotting cruises in the bay – the perfect vessel for our tour! Almost as soon as we left the marina leads, Dale spotted our first turtle friend, the first of many in the 50-minute cruise.
Seagrass Flower Collection Events
How can you get involved? Volunteers needed!
Over the next couple of months as series of seagrass flower collection events will take place at Cannonvale Beach, to collect the flowers needed to continue the Pioneer Bay research project.
We invite members of the community to join the passionate team of researchers for what will be an educational and rewarding few hours. No previous experience required, all ages welcome.
Details of the times and dates of the collection events are below:
- Saturday 9 August – 3.30pm
- Saturday 6 September – 2.30pm
- Saturday 20 September – 2.30pm
- Saturday 4 October – 1.30pm
About Seagrass
Seagrass, the name seems to say it all, are grasses that live in the sea. They are very unique in that they represent the only flowering plants that can live entirely in the sea.
Seagrasses are considered critical habitats that provide a long list of ecosystem services and benefits to humans
Seagrass meadows are a major component of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem by acting as important nutrient and sediment filters between catchment runoff and the Coral Sea. They also act as nursery grounds for recreationally and commercially valuable fish and shellfish, food for dugongs and turtles, and capturing carbon.
Seagrass Restoration Project
Seagrass Restoration is being delivered through the Reef Islands Initiative, a Great Barrier Reef Foundation program, supported by funding from Lendlease, the Australian Government’s Reef Trust, the Queensland Government and the Fitzgerald Family Foundation.
In this project, researchers collect, cultivate, store and germinate seagrass seeds (Zostera muelleri and Halodule uninervis) in order to enhance the seagrass meadows in Pioneer Bay. The seagrass nursery at Coral Sea Marina plays a crucial role in this project, as do the seagrass flower collection events. Please consider getting involved!
