by woppaburra
Since December 2021, Woppaburra Traditional Custodians have teamed up with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation to better understand vessel use in the Woppaburra TUMRA region. The team is using underwater microphones, called hydrophones, to record vessel noise in specific locations. Priority locations are regularly identified in collaboration with Traditional Owners and managers from the Reef Authority. The hydrophone units do not involve removing or interfering with anything in the Marine Park and remain in the field for up to 3 months. Once retrieved, scientists download and analyse the data.
Results from this project will provide a better understanding of vessel use in the Woppaburra TUMRA area and will answer questions such as: Where are the vessels and where do they go? How long do they stay in one area? Are there any differences between day- and night time activities? It is important to note that all data is completely anonymous and does not provide any information on which vessels the recorded sounds originated from or who operated the vessels. The information from this project will be used by the Reef Authority to help inform management decisions in areas such as compliance, planning as well as co-management arrangements with Traditional Owner Groups. For more information click: https://woppaburra.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Methodology_sheet_Woppa_webpage_FINAL.pdf
