Walmadan's Coral Reefs and Marine Gardens

“We know more about the surface of Mars than we know about the Kimberley Marine Environment”. Turning the Tide, WA Marine Science Institute 2009.

On 9 February 2010 the Western Australian Marine Science Institution and the Australian Marine Sciences Association WA branch held the Marine science in Western Australia: Show and tell symposium. Over 230 researchers attended the Western Australian Maritime Museum at Fremantle.

WAMSI Chief Executive Officer Steve Blake said marine research was a vital prerequisite to answer questions about the survival of coral reefs, climate change, the future of marine species, food webs, fisheries, tsunamis, extinctions, warming temperatures and ocean acidification.

Speakers discussed the dazzling array of new corals being discovered in the Kimberley region, the presence of heavy metals, tsunami warning systems, ocean temperature and current speed forecasting, the impact of coastal developments, fisheries biology, social uses, dredging of ports, the discovery of new sponges, environmental pests (there are 55 known to impact WA waters), monitoring estuaries, and how particles and larvae are being distributed by the Leeuwin Current.



On the highest tide for Feb 2009, this photo video was filmed on the exact location for the proposed Jetty for the proposed Kimberley LNG and where the mascara of pipe – lines will be laid. One of the amazing things about the Kimberley tides is that there is no need to have access to a boat in order for people to experience the beauty and the biodiversity of the Kimberley coral reefs. On low tides people can view this marine wonderland by foot, by walking around these coral reef pools and ocean ponds.

It is reasonable to claim that there is little too no information about the distributions of perennial sea grass meadows and sponge gardens along the coastal strip from Walmandan - Kundandu and Murdudan.

There is very limited data on ephemeral sea grasses, and mangals, no data on other important benthic communities such as coral reefs, filter-feeders, stromatolites, subtidal reef platforms, beaches, rocky shore or intertidal shoreline reef. Although marine ecological communities are of high conservation value our understanding of their distributions is very limited.

The spatial scale of the existing marine benthic habitat at the proposed LNG location (this will require more study than a day visit to the site on neap tides, in October) needs to be mapped, in an adequate scale in order to provide a convincing argument that the following activities will have no detrimental effects to this marine environment:

• Explosive excavation during construction,
• 24/7 dredging shipping channel: sedimentation, siltation, turbidity & reduced water quality.
• Change to the chemistry local water with construction of breakwater.
• Changes to the bottom topography, composition and nutrient flow due to tidal scoring
• Major alterations of the alongshore current flow, with changes to the available food regimes

Not to mention:
Collected waste water, sewage, grey water, rainwater runoff from contaminated areas, machinery washdown water, brine from the desalination process, marine discharges, terrestrial wastes and discharges, noise and vibration, sediment deposition and turbidity, invasive marine species, vessel movements and massive changes to the coastline.

There is a great need to improve both our understanding of the distribution and diversity not only of this particular coral reef community but the Kimberley coral reef system in total. There is also a greater educational role needed to ensure that people are made aware of their existence and importance to the marine environment.

KLC Executive Director Wayne Bergmann has been quoted as saying “that the coral reef at James Price Point (Walmandam) is dead”.
Redhand would like to suggest he goes with his children for a walk, this coming Tuesday, on low tide, at James Price Point and see for himself, the dead reef, the dead fish, dead crabs, dead corals and the dead people fishing there.

Redhand is very thankfull to Murranji photography,Broome for their photos.