The intensification of human activity in the lower D’Entrecasteaux Channel has led to increased concern regarding the effects of sustained low-level organic enrichment on the health and function of rocky reef ecosystems in this region.
Our team at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) has been developing and trialing a “Rapid Visual Assessment” method (RVA) designed to detect the impacts of organic enrichment on reef ecosystems in regions of salmon aquaculture expansion.
In our recent report by White et al. (2021) we use the RVA method and abalone recruitment modules (ARMs) to establish baseline reef conditions for future monitoring and reference sites of importance to the abalone industry.
