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Published VersionCC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
The distribution and significance of stingray feeding pits in Quandamooka (Moreton Bay), Australia
Marine & Freshwater Research, Vol.75(18), pp.1-11
2024
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Context
Quandamooka (Moreton Bay) is a large, subtropical, urban, Ramsar-listed marine park in which stingray feeding pits (SRFPs) provide nursery habitat for commercially important nekton.
Aims
Nearmap aerial images were used to assess the distribution and abundance of SRFPs and their relationship to shore characteristics around Quandamooka’s perimeter.
Methods
SRFPs were surveyed using 25-m2 quadrats overlain on aerial images at 65 sites on low-energy tidal flats around the perimeter of Quandamooka, and a polygon encompassing the region with the highest SRFP densities was used to make a preliminary assessment of its potential contribution to whiting and prawn fisheries.
Key results
SRFPs were present at 63 of the 65 sites surveyed, with habitat type in the high shore (especially mangroves v. seawalls) being the most important spatial driver of SRFP density.
Conclusions
Eastern Quandamooka sites held more SRFPs and may therefore be an important nursery habitat, holding an estimated 600,000 individuals of postlarval whiting (genus Sillago) and 8 million postlarval penaeid prawns.
Implications
Given the potentially important role of SRFPs for fisheries, especially those adjacent to mangroves, they should be considered a specific habitat type in future marine park zoning plans and managers should ensure the ongoing protection of stingrays.
Details
- Title
- The distribution and significance of stingray feeding pits in Quandamooka (Moreton Bay), Australia
- Authors
- Max L. Giaroli - The University of QueenslandIlha Byrne - The University of QueenslandBen Gilby (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringMatthew Taylor - The University of QueenslandCraig A. Chargulaf - GHD Pty Ltd (Australia)Ian R Tibbetts - The University of Queensland
- Publication details
- Marine & Freshwater Research, Vol.75(18), pp.1-11
- Publisher
- C S I R O Publishing
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1071/MF23247
- ISSN
- 1448-6059; 1323-1650
- Copyright note
- © 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
- Data Availability
- The data that support this study will be shared upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.
- Grant note
- This study was supported by The University of Queensland through a licencing agreement with Nearmap Australia.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991086498802621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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