parks victoria technical series marine natural values study vol 2 ...
parks victoria technical series marine natural values study vol 2 ...
parks victoria technical series marine natural values study vol 2 ...
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Parks Victoria Technical Series No. 79<br />
Flinders and Twofold Shelf Bioregions Marine Natural Values Study<br />
2.3 Point Hicks MNP – Twofold Shelf Bioregion<br />
Point Hicks is one of three Marine National Parks in the Twofold Shelf bioregion, which also<br />
contains Ninety Mile Beach and Cape Howe MNP. Other conservation areas are Gippsland<br />
Lakes and Cape Conran Coastal Parks. Point Hicks MNP is approximately 450 km east of<br />
Melbourne, 68 km east of Orborst and 25 km south-east of Cann River. It adjoins Point Hicks<br />
Lighthouse Reserve and the Croajingolong National Park. It extends offshore to state limits<br />
from high water mark along 9.6 km of coastline from two kilometres east of Clinton Rocks to<br />
Stable Bay (Figure 17). It includes Whaleback Rock and Sensation Reef. Point Hicks MNP is<br />
accessible by a short walk from Point Hicks Road, or less readily by boat (Parks Victoria<br />
2006f). The reef directly below Point Hicks (formerly known as Cape Everard), Whaleback<br />
Rock and Satisfaction Reef are the best-known geological features of the park (Parks<br />
Victoria 2006f). The area of coast between Point Hicks and Thurra River is a site of State<br />
geological and/or geomorphological significance because of its important dune stratigraphic<br />
sequence.<br />
Aboriginal tradition indicates that the Point Hicks MNP is part of the Country of the Bidawal<br />
people and Gunai/Kurnai people and that other Aboriginal people including the Monero-<br />
Ngarigo people also have an association with the coastal region of this area (Parks Victoria<br />
2006e).<br />
Important <strong>natural</strong> <strong>values</strong> of Point Hicks MNP are its granite intertidal and shallow and deep<br />
subtidal rocky reefs, sandy shores and open oceans that provide habitat for a diversity of<br />
<strong>marine</strong> flora and fauna species, including sessile invertebrates, algae, fish and transient<br />
whales (Parks Victoria 2006f). Shallow rocky reef habitats have varied forms, from flat<br />
platform reefs bordered by sand, pinnacles and bombies, gutters, large boulders rising to six<br />
metres to clusters of smaller rocks and stones (ECC 2000; Carey et al. 2007b; Edmunds et<br />
al. 2010a). They are highly exposed, which is reflected in the types of kelp habitats present<br />
(Edmunds et al. 2010a). Deep subtidal reef characteristics have not been fully described<br />
(Edmunds et al. 2010a). The MNP also has extensive subtidal soft sediments of variable<br />
grainsize, with a low carbonate content (Carey et al. 2007b). Very high faunal species<br />
richness, including intertidal and shallow subtidal invertebrates have been recorded in the<br />
MNP (ECC 2000). Eastern temperate and southern cosmopolitan species co-occur, as a<br />
result of the mixing of warm eastern and cool southern waters (Parks Victoria 2006f). The<br />
<strong>marine</strong> flora and fauna of the subtidal reefs are spectacular with colourful and diverse sessile<br />
invertebrates (Carey et al. 2007b). A notable feature are the front reefs and Whaleback<br />
Rock, which have high relief gutters of 1 - 15 m and a high area of sessile invertebrate<br />
habitat on the vertical walls (O'Hara 2000).<br />
An important characteristic of Point Hicks MNP is its canopy forming algae and small<br />
understorey algae (ECC 2000; Carey et al. 2007b). The stands of canopy forming algae are<br />
generally a mixture of crayweed Phyllospora comosa and common kelp Ecklonia radiata,<br />
with the proportions of these two species varying according to the habitat, depth and location<br />
(Williams et al. 2007; Edmunds et al. 2010b). The reef beneath the canopy varies from<br />
encrusting and erect sponges to small fleshy red algae (Parks Victoria 2003). The<br />
Phyllospora invertebrate community includes relatively high abundances of the predatory<br />
whelk Cabestana spengleri and the seastar Patiriella calcar, and moderate abundances of<br />
blacklip abalone Haliotis rubra and the red bait crab Plagusia chabrus (Parks Victoria 2003;<br />
Edmunds et al. 2005; Williams et al. 2007). The herbivorous sea urchin Centrostephanus<br />
rodgersii can remove all erect algae to create ‘urchin barrens’ on the reefs in the MNP<br />
(Williams et al. 2007).<br />
Fish assemblages at Point Hicks MNP are a mixture of cool southern and warm eastern<br />
species. They are dominated by large numbers blue throat wrasse Notolabrus tetricus and<br />
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