Citizen scientists help track unusual migratory patterns of important fish species
Thanks to an unusual combination of a prolonged marine heatwave and a stronger than usual Leeuwin Current, warm waters from the Pilbara have surged southward.
WA citizen scientists have been using Redmap (Range Extension Database and Mapping), logging reports of unusual or out-of-range sightings of marine species and providing photographic and video evidence, in turn helping experts.
Ten years of Redmap reports have confirmed that many important commercial and recreational species including mangrove jack, red emperor, red-throat emperor and Rankin cod as well as smaller non-fishery species including Moorish idol, threadfin and butterflyfish have moved further south down the WA coast.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) has been a partner in the Redmap project led by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at University of Hobart since its inception.
DPIRD principal research scientist Gary Jackson said WA locals would be noticing unusual marine species along the WA coast and encouraged them to report their sightings through to the Redmap website or app (
redmap.org.au
).
'In sheer size, the WA and Australian coastlines are challenging, so it often makes our citizen scientists the sentinels of our marine environment and they play a vital role in reporting their observations with photos of what they've seen,' Dr Jackson said.
'Fishers, divers and snorkellers who regularly visit a patch of coastline can help us build a better understanding of movements of marine species and through Redmap we can get a more detailed insight of what's changing and where.
'Redmap invites Australian ocean users to spot, log and map marine species that are unusual, so download the Redmap app and join a strong community helping us learn more about our changing marine environment.'
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