SIMS

This new study will investigate the movements and residence times of wobbegongs around Manly using passive acoustic telemetry. This relatively new technology uses acoustic receivers or 'listening stations' that can record unique identity codes sent by transmitters attached to animals such as sharks, rays or other fishes. Five of these listening stations were recently deployed within the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve thanks to which wobbegongs will be tracked with an accuracy of 3-10 metres.

Ten wobbegongs from the Aquatic Reserve will be captured and internally tagged within the body cavity through a small incision in the abdomen. Stitches will be applied before releasing the wobbegong with the whole surgery taking less than 5 minutes. The movements of these wobbegongs will then be monitored for a couple of months prior to releasing ten wobbegongs from Sydney Aquarium that will also be tagged prior to the release. These wobbegongs were born in captivity and part of a study looking at wobbegong growth to determine their resilience to fishing pressure.

The success of the release of captive-bred wobbegongs will be assessed through monitoring the movement of these sharks and comparing observed patterns to those of wild wobbegongs. The listening stations will also tell us if the captive-bred wobbegongs leave the Aquatic Reserve. Furthermore, the impact of the captive-bred wobbegongs on the wild population will be assessed by comparing the area of movements of the wild wobbegong populations prior and after the release of the Sydney Aquarium wobbegongs.

This study will be later expanded through tagging of various other species such as the juvenile whaler sharks occurring within the Reserve, Australian Giant Cuttlefish, Blue Gropers, and possibly Weedy Seadragons. The inclusion of these other species will help us getting a better understanding of the ecosystem impacts of releasing predators within protected areas.

This project is jointly supported by:

• Department of Environment and Climate Change;
• Sydney Aquarium Conservation Fund;
• Sydney Institute of Marine Science;
• Macquarie University;
• NSW Department of Primary Industries;
• AATAMS(part of the Integrated Marine Observing System) and;
• Defence Maritime Services.

For more information contact:
Dr. Charlie Huveneers
AATAMS Technical Officer
Tel: 02 9969 2664
Mob: 0405 635 257
Email: charlie.huveneers@sims.org.au