Estuarine monitoring project

This project will assess the current and future condition of estuarine assets by undertaking rigorous ecological monitoring across NSW estuaries of the north, mid and south coasts. Infaunal (invertebrates that live in the sediment), epibenthic (plants and animals living on the estuary floor), and fish communities will be monitored. We will use a combination of established and emerging methods to characterise and monitor estuarine ecosystems after the significant flooding events in 2022 including:

• Baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs) that can reveal fish diversity, abundance and size but its effectiveness in often turbid estuaries is uncertain
• Environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques that collect DNA from water and sediment allowing us to identify the species that may be in a location
• Sediment sampling that provides information about the biodiversity of animals that live within and on top of the sediment
• Acoustic cameras that use sound to generate underwater images of the estuary and larger animals within it and may be useful when visibility is poor
• Electrofishing that uses controlled, non-lethal pulses to stun fish so that they can be identified, counted and sized, then released alive.

The estuarine monitoring project will inform managers of the status of these estuarine ecosystems and their future resilience to floods. It will also provide a framework for future efficient and suitable ecological monitoring of NSW estuaries.