Regions of coastal NSW are likely to experience marine heatwave conditions this summer, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting that ocean temperatures along Australia’s south-eastern coast could be up to 2.5°C warmer than normal.
A marine heatwave is defined as a prolonged period unusually warm water in a specific area. Just like heatwaves on land, they can also cause significant impacts in our oceans, including short-term changes in the distribution of mobile target species such as kingfish, bonito and mackerel.
This summer NSW DPIRD are well prepared for these events, with staff having developed a Marine Heatwave Response Plan to guide actions taken across the summer marine heatwave cycle.
The plan includes an early warning system, an incident response assessment, response actions and a communications strategy (that includes information, like this, directed to key fishing stakeholders, like you). Right now, we’re in the early warning stage where we are closely monitoring ocean conditions and communicating these broadly.
Having many eyes on the water helps to detect early impacts of marine heatwaves. Through the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy, NSW DPIRD are collaborating with the citizen science project Redmap Australia. This collaboration aims to better understand and communicate how ocean warming is affecting marine life along the NSW coast. Redmap provides a platform for fishers and divers to report uncommon observations of species that are suspected to be out of the usual range, potentially due to warmer than normal ocean conditions. These sightings are formally verified by species experts and contribute to a unique database of species that may be shifting further south as ocean conditions continue to warm. If you happen to have an unusual or uncommon catch this summer, snap a photo and consider logging it with Redmap here.
