The main aim of this voyage will be to survey benthic habitats
and biodiversity within two soon-to-be declared Commonwealth Marine
Protected Areas south of Tasmania, and on the Cascade Plateau,
a large flat-topped seamount 150 miles to the east.
Of interest to this survey are sites mapped during a companion
survey last November [PDF] on the inner shelf and the mid-continental
slope (100 to 2,000 m depth) that included many volcanic 'cinder
cone' seamounts. That survey used the ship's multibeam sonar and
CMAR's deep towed camera system to map habitat and community distributions
at high spatial resolution.
This survey will make biological collections
to complement the mapping with biodiversity information at species-level.
Scientific Objectives
The scientific objectives of this survey support the process of
SER (in full) Estate inventory and management performance assessment
by providing interpreted benthic habitat maps, faunal inventories
and documented conservation values in scientific reference sites
from selected Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the SER estate. Data
will enable us to further test and refine predictive methods for
identifying seabed habitat types using acoustic swath data (primarily
backscatter, bathymetry and bathymetric derivative variables such
as slope and aspect).
Itinerary Depart Hobart Wednesday, 28th March 2007
Return to Hobart Wednesday, 11th April, 2007
Voyage Track
A map showing the proposed voyage track (purple line) for SS02/2007 to
the Huon, Tasman Fracture, South Tasman Rise and Cascade Plateau study areas
(hatched red) within the proposed MPA regions in green (excepting Cascade
Plateau).
The scientific
objectives for the survey – split
across two voyages (SS11/2006 for leg 1 and SS02/2007 for leg 2) are to:
use advanced sampling tools and techniques that are,
to the extent possible, non destructive.
collect precisely georeferenced
baseline data at scientific reference
sites to enable indicators to be quantified (e.g. biodiversity
metrics and
levels of fishing effort at each site). These data will be
documented and
available for use for targeted monitoring during subsequent surveys.
provide
results that can assess the achievement of the TSMR management
plan
to date (revisit four seamounts photographed in 1997 – Main
Pedra, Sister 1, K1
and D1; look for changes in fished and unfished sites) and refine
baseline data.
enable future assessment against performance
objectives for the TSMR and
selected proposed Commonwealth MPAs – Huon, Tasman Fracture
and possibly
South Tasman Rise and Freycinet depending on the time available
at sea.
test efficiency of the various biodiversity
metrics to determine effectiveness,
cost and potential for monitoring other deepwater reserves.
provide
samples for key taxa that can be used in subsequent genetic research
to refine definition and extent of endemicity in deepwater fauna.
complete
swath mapping of relevant parts of continental
slope between Hobart and SW Cape.
These scientific objectives aim to:
Develop specific and generic research and monitoring
options
for the benthic ecosystems of offshore MPAs using ecological
indicators identified though comparative deep water surveys.
Trial
and develop these through scientific survey of selected MPA areas
in the SE estate selected MPA areas in the SE estate selected.
Evaluate
and report the baseline data acquired.
at established scientific
reference/ monitoring sites within and outside MPAs.
in
forms that can be understood by, and are available to, all
stakeholders.
in forms that can be presented to general
public through the print and television media.
Voyage Objectives
The overall voyage objectives are to:
Generate swath acoustic maps of target areas with the Simrad
EM300 multibeam.
Collect targeted biological, physical and photographic
ground-truth samples with
a sediment grab, rock sled, epibenthic sleds and the CMR SVS
or MVS camera
platform from regions of upper continental slope seabed (~100-2000
m)
Collect and curate benthic invertebrates to provide
a biological
inventory at various scales of taxonomic resolution.
These objectives are split across two legs (separate voyages):
during leg 1
(SS11/2006) we plan to map the areas of interest using the EM300
multibeam
and then ground-truth habitats using the towed camera system.
There may
also be opportunistic sampling of sediments using the sediment
grab and or
rock sled during leg 1. During leg 2 (SS02/2007) we plan
for mostly biological
sampling of seabed communities using the sleds. Sample locations
for leg 2
will be largely based on the mapping and photographic ground-truthing
done
on leg 1, however, if time permits, and ‘weather window’ is
available, we will
also complete sampling on the South Tasman Rise and Cascade Plateau.
Principal Investigators
Dr Alan Williams (Chief Scientist) – CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research.
GPO
Box 1538 Hobart 7001 – email: Alan.Williams@csiro.au
Mr Rudy Kloser – email: Rudy.Kloser@csiro.au
Dr Nicholas Bax – email: Nic.Bax@csiro.au
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