Jun 30 2015
Keep your doings out of Roebuck Bay!
Surprised that your septic, if not maintained well, can pollute Broome’s coastal waters and provide nutrients for blooms of toxic Lyngbya? Follow the tips on the magnets below to prevent sewerage from your septic seeping into the aquifer below Broome, or overflowing and entering stormwater drains that discharge into Roebuck Bay. Sewerage can become food for toxic blooms of Lyngbya majuscula that impact seagrass, fish, dugongs and marine life. These blooms pose a threat to human health and to Roebuck Bay’s fish stocks and marine life. One magnet is for residents living close to Roebuck Bay, the other, for people close to Cable Beach. You probably already have one 🙂
Jun 29 2015
Dinosaurs, drones and lasers
Great opportunity on July 7 to hear Palaeontologist Dr Steven Salisbury’s presentation on the Cretaceous dinosaur tracks of the Dampier Peninsula. With the help of robotic experts from CSIRO and a remote sensing team from Airborne Research Australia, Dr Salisbury and his team has been recording hundreds of tracks along the West Kimberley coastline with drones, ladar aircraft and photo imaging. Using sophisticated software, the advanced digital vision they have collected is creating three dimensional images of the tracks, which will provide an invaluable resource for conservation and research into the future. Steve will walk you in the footsteps of dinosaurs – awesome!
The series is run by Roebuck Bay Working Group Inc and Yawuru Land and Sea Unit, and sponsored by Inspiring Australia, Rangelands NRM and Western Australian Marine Science Institution.
Jun 11 2015
Short film editing workshop
Roebuck Bay Working Group invites filmmakers of any level to submit a short film (any length to 5 minutes including credits) with a focus on Roebuck Bay. To help rec filmmakers edit their films, a FREE workshop is on June 15, 6-8pm, Lotteries House. Entries close for short films on Friday July 31, 2015. Roebuck Bay MUD & SALTwater SHORT FILM FEST is funded by Rangelands NRM through the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, and Inspiring Australia.
Jun 5 2015
World Environment Day
Its World Environment Day and Roebuck Bay Working Group are celebrating turtles, ancient reptiles that evolved 220 million years ago and are seen in Roebuck Bay. The Hawkesbill turtle, like all other turtles, is battling, with the world’s oceans changing drastically over the last 500 years. Two proactive actions that can help turtle survival is to plant natives (don’t need fertiliser) in coastal gardens and use cloth bags for shopping (plastics can cause ‘floating symdrome’). Thanks Ricki Coughlan for the exceptional infographic of the Hawksbill turtle (Redtail Interpretive Nature Signs).
Jun 4 2015
Marvellous moon snail
Egg mass of a conical moonsnail (Polinices conicus) illuminated by the moon. © Kandy Curran
It was -a marvellous night for a moondance’ on Roebuck Bay this week. How beautiful is the clear jelly egg mass of the moon snail on the moonlit mudflats ! The tiny eggs within are revealed by the moonlight.
Every fortnight spring tides occur in Broome. They have an amplitude of eight to ten metres and as the intertidal zone is so flat, several kilometres of mud are alternatively covered and exposed, revealing the extraordinary life that exists there.
Jun 4 2015
Marine sanctuaries
A series of tidal creeks with high biodiversity have been put forward as a possible marine sanctuary zone in a Ngalugun Roebuck Bay Marine Park. © Kandy Curran
RESEARCH at Ningaloo Reef has found fish caught by fishermen as well as non-target species tend to be larger and more abundant if they reside in sanctuary zones in the region. What is even more intriguing is that little fish appear to do better with bigger fish around.
The research, which was collated in 2006 and 2007 across four separate locations, provides strong evidence to suggest protected areas can increase the abundance of overall fish assemblages in the ocean. Read the story on Science Network WA »
Jun 2 2015
Fab Free App on Kimberley Coast
Cruising the Kimberley coast will be better with the App, Saltwater Tales STORIES FROM THE KIMBERLEY on smartphones. © Kandy Curran
A new free app called Saltwater Tales STORIES FROM THE KIMBERLEY offers a new insight into Kimberley marine environment. The app is officially available today and the stories, photos and film footage are excellent. The app will help locals and visitors to the Kimberley coast to learn about the Kimberley coast its marine life. The app, developed as part of the Kimberley Science and Conservation Strategy, will better inform nature and culture-based tourism between Eighty Mile Beach and the Northern Territory border. Museums and universities have reviewed the app’s content and both Yawuru and Daambimangari people have made significant contributions.