Fishes of Moreton Bay: Ecology, human impacts, and conservation
File version
Version of Record (VoR)
Author(s)
Gilby, Ben
Connolly, Roderick
Tibbetts, Ian R
Henderson, Christopher
Stevens, Timothy
Thackway, Sarah K
Schlacher, Thomas A
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Tibbetts, IR
Rothlisberg, PC
Neil, DT
Homburg, TA
Brewer, DT
Arthrington, AH
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
License
Abstract
Moreton Bay is a heterogeneous seascape containing a mosaic of habitats that support a diversity of fish. The fish fauna includes many species that are harvested by recreational and commercial fishers as well as numerous taxa that are of conservation concern. The fish fauna of mangroves, seagrasses, inshore reefs and intertidal flats is well sampled. By contrast, fish surveys in saltmarshes, soft sediments, offshore reefs and surf zones are sparse and incomplete. Fish diversity and abundance are typically highest on reefs and seagrass meadows, but most species move among habitats to feed and spawn. These movements connect habitats and link both fish assemblages and food webs across seascapes. The combined effects of water quality, coastal urbanisation and fishing also shape fish assemblages in Moreton Bay. Fish diversity and abundance increases from the urbanised western to the less developed eastern Bay. This spatial pattern mirrors gradients in water quality and habitat condition across the Bay. The shorelines of many estuaries and ocean beaches have been developed, and this coastal urbanisation has altered fish diversity, abundance and diet. Numerous species have, however, adapted to capitalise on the abundance of food and shelter in urban estuaries. No-take marine reserves prohibit fishing, and this promotes fish abundance and diversity in some ecosystems (e.g. coral reefs, seagrass meadows), but not in others (e.g. estuaries, ocean beaches). Important challenges for future research in Moreton Bay include: (i) testing how multiple human pressures combine to modify fish assemblages and fish habitats; (ii) identifying how the ecological attributes of ecosystems and seascapes shape conservation outcomes; and (iii) examining how fish assemblages, habitats and fisheries change in response to range shifts of tropical species that move south with rising sea temperatures.
Journal Title
Conference Title
Book Title
Moreton Bay Quandamooka & Catchment: Past, present, and future
Edition
Volume
Issue
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
DOI
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
© 2019 The Moreton Bay Foundation. This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Properly acknowledged quotations may be made. Requests regarding this book should be made to The Moreton Bay Foundation, PO Box 3214, Newstead Qld 4006, Australia. Email: admin@moretonbayfoundation.org.
Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Environmental sciences
Conservation and biodiversity
Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
Fisheries sciences not elsewhere classified
Persistent link to this record
Citation
Olds, A; Gilby, B; Connolly, R; Tibbetts, IR; Henderson, C; Stevens, T; Thackway, SK; Schlacher, TA, Fishes of Moreton Bay: Ecology, human impacts, and conservation, Moreton Bay Quandamooka & Catchment: Past, present, and future, 2019