Marine Life Society of South Australia
Inc.
Newsletter
January 2007 No. 339
“understanding, enjoying & caring for
our oceans”
Next Meeting
This will be the February Meeting and it will
be held as usual at the Conservation Centre on the 21st February commencing at
7.30pm. Our guest speaker is member Robert Browne who will be telling us about
the Aquariums he has visited all over the world.
CONTENTS
Pipefish (Kevin Smith)
What’s hot!?
The Climate Change and Greenhouse
Emissions
Reduction Bill 2006 (Robert Browne)
South Australia’s
Jetties (Steve Reynolds)
EDITORIAL
I
hope you all had a great Christmas and have made some New Year resolutions.
Could
one of them include the writing of articles for the Newsletter? I am very short
of a variety of articles.
The
Journal has been well received but the next one will be about 40 pages maximum
as the printing and download times for the larger Journal caused some problems.
The
2007 calendar has almost broken even on the sales front but we still have three
boxes to sell or they will be wasted. We are working on the 2008 version now.
If you have any really great underwater pictures then please get them to me
ASAP.
Pipefish found in South
Australian Waters
Kevin Smith gave
an excellent talk on the various species of Pipefish found in South Australian
waters at our General Meeting in October 2006. Several members missed the talk
so Kevin has agreed to let me publish the slides from the talk in a few of our
Newsletters.
Of course the
additional comments and explanations, questions and video footage cannot be
included.
However, I hope
this will give you some idea of the identification of the various Pipefish.
Editor
Pipefish
-a presentation to the Marine Life Society of South Australia
18th of October, 2006.
Pipefish
•
With
seahorses, seadragons and pipehorses, pipefish are members of the family
Syngnathidae (tail pouch).
•
They are
generally small and thin with a body possessing bony plates formed into a
series of rings.
•
Pipefish are
sexually dimorphic.
•
Female fish
deposit eggs into a male’s brood pouch located on the ventral surface of the
tail. The young are released alive and live independently of the adults.
•
While more
than twenty species of pipefish are found in South Australian waters this
presentation includes only those encountered by the author.
Identification
•
Identification
keys use observable features to distinguish between types.
•
Some pipefish
are easily recognisable although others may need careful assessment.
•
The most
useful identification features and methods are:
–
raised ridges
on the trunk, tail, snout and operculum
–
presence or
absence of fins and the number of rays on each
–
counts of
trunk and tail rings, in particular those under the dorsal fin
–
snout length
relative to head length
Some of the more
easily recognisable types:
Brushtail Pipefish
Leptoichthys fistularius
•
Up to 65cm
•
large caudal
fin
•
hovers
horizontally in and over Posidonia and Zostera beds.
•
often found in
groups
Brigg’s Crested
Pipefish
Histiogamphelus briggsii
•
Found in sandy
areas near the protection of rocks, algae or seagrass but also out in the open.
•
Can look very
similar to decaying posidonia.
Rhino Pipefish
Histiogamphelus cristatus
•
Also known as
Macleay’s Crested Pipefish.
•
Has a short
head with a very high dorsal snout ridge.
What’s hot!? The Climate Change and Greenhouse Emissions
Reduction Bill 2006
by Dr Robert Browne, MLSSA Science
Officer.
What’s hot?, is
the planet as one climate record after another gets broken, is the rapid
thawing of the Tundra and the Arctic, is the increasing drought cycle in
southern Australia as predicted in most greenhouse warming models, is that run
away greenhouse effect may already be occurring as the vast deposits of carbon
are released from the Tundra, and that climate warming is the greatest threat
to biodiversity.
What’s hot? is
that a new approach to the value, use, and pollution of the atmosphere is
required at an international level. Increasing evidence shows that the
prevention of climate warming should be the paramount concern of humanity and
that societies could collapse under the stress of a greenhouse world. Recent
effects of climate change, including heat waves, droughts, violent storms, and
floods will increase in size. These crises will be accompanied by destruction
to life and property, loss of agricultural production, and loss of natural
habitat – including marine habitat.
The Conservation
Council of South Australia’s General Meeting in August addressed ‘Responding
to Climate Change’.
Speakers were Maggie Hine, from the Climate Change Division, Department of the
Premier and Cabinet, and Stephanie Williams from the Department of Environment
and Heritage. The audience was large and the topic was ‘hot’ and to be
legislated in the South Australian ‘Climate Change and Greenhouse Emissions
Reduction Bill 2006” found at www.climatechange.sa.gov.au.
This ‘Climate
Change and Greenhouse Emissions Reduction Bill 2006’ to some extent defines the current state of climate warming and
effects legislation to limit climate warming. Urgent measures are required to
stop and hopefully reverse the effect of climate warming. However, the
legislation fails to address two important issues, 1) it does not seek for the
normalization of the atmosphere but only a 60% reduction of 1990 carbon dioxide
levels by 2050, and 2) it does not have strong enough incentives for the
reduction of emissions from industrial sources or from energy usage.
Marine conservationists should encourage the prevention
of more climate warming. The marine
environment is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate warming. Predicted
effects include sea level rises due to the melting of ice and the expansion of
sea water as it warms. This will cause coastal erosion and the loss of
remaining coastal estuaries and marshes. Lowered salinity and warming waters
will effect oceanic currents and alter the climates of whole regions. Higher
air temperatures will cause stratification of the water layers in shallow bays
and estuaries thus increasing the chances of dinoflagellate blooms and red
tides. Areas of seagrass and other marine species will die from heat stress.
In spite of
these threats very little has been done to prevent the climate warming crisis
and governments have only recently begin to mobilize on the issue. Several
countries that are particularly dependent on the profligate use of energy have
resisted global agreements to address climate change. Nevertheless, at a global
scale evolving policies plan to turning climate change around, through reducing
carbon dioxide and methane emissions, and through the fixing and storage of
carbon.
Even under the
best current scenarios for the amelioration of climate warming the Earth will
probably get hotter for fifty to one hundred years before beginning its cooling
to normal. Carbon emissions can be reduced by using less carbon based
fuels. The best thing would be to
immediately adapt the economy to accommodate only a net fixation of carbon.
However, all industries are based on the use of carbon emitting fuel sources
including coal, oil and gas. Therefore, the manufacture and maintenance of
non-carbon fuel sources themselves result in the short term increase of carbon
dioxide, including the mining and processing of ore to yield uranium for
nuclear reactors.
We still have
some problems with technologies to ameliorate the crisis, but there are also
opportunities for improved conservation outcomes. Carbon can be fixed by trees
but this method of reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide is limited. As forests
mature their net mass of carbon levels out and no more carbon can be absorbed.
After this for increase in the amount of net fixed carbon more trees must be
planted. The atmosphere already contains the carbon dioxide from previously
cleared great forests, and the replanting of these forests is unlikely in the
near future. However, there can be great advantages to conservation from the
planting of carbon sinks besides carbon fixing.
If areas of low
conservation significance are chosen for planting the climate can be moderated
by trees, valuable timber produced, and areas for wildlife and recreation
provided. Plantation forests could have a certain percentage of their area
reserved for wildlife and never harvested, with these areas of high diversity
distributed along roads and in recreation areas. This type of habitat matrix
could support a very high diversity of plants and animals including endangered
species and take pressure of protected areas.
To supplement
the fixation of carbon by new forests, and to speed up the progress of climate
normalization carbon dioxide could fixed by physical or chemical processes. A
possible physical process is the deposition of frozen carbon dioxide under the
sea floor. Surprisingly, natural deposits of carbon dioxide on the seafloor
could be subject to sublimation and then explode to the surface thus releasing
carbon dioxide. A chemical process for the removal of carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere is its absorption by seawater in the ocean. The absorption of carbon
dioxide is already occurring to the extent that some seawater is becoming
unsuitable for the maintenance of native life forms, and perhaps should not be
relied on as a major carbon sink.
Addressing the
problems of global warming through the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions,
and creating policies for abatement and adaptation to the effects of climate
change on biodiversity were the main aims of the South Australian ‘Climate
Change and Greenhouse Emissions Reduction Bill 2006’. At the heart of the
legislation is a 60% reduction of the 1990 levels of greenhouse gas emission by
2050.
One widely
discussed problem with the ‘Climate Change and Greenhouse Emissions
Reduction Bill 2006’ is that there appears to be little incentive for
industry to engage in major programs for the reduction of carbon dioxide. The
nature of ‘Sectorial Agreements’, a foundation of the policy, was widely
discussed at the CCSA meeting. These ‘Sectorial Agreements’ agreements are
between a greenhouse gas emitter and the State Government. They state a future
emission target for the participant. The basis’ of a secular agreements are; 1)
Government representatives and sectors would reach a target for reduced
emission, 2) Four year report on progress, and a 3) Review option with
prescriptive measures which would be performance based. The agreements can be
with a person, industry, or business. The value of the agreements is that they
define objectives, strategies, and methods.
Questions are
also raised as whether the legislation really addresses the state of the
climate crisis. There appears to be an immediate need to stop the emission of
carbon dioxide and reverse the past damage, and a target of 60% reduction in
carbon dioxide emission over another four decades seems very conservative. For
instance the present over usage of oil will prevent many current uses in the
near future; the optimistic forecast is a decline to a crunch in less than two
decades. Considering the potential costs of climate warming to both society and
biodiversity a target of zero net greenhouse emission within a shorter period
could be more practical. There is a need for a complete restructuring of the
economy and industry to achieve this goal. For instance to reduce the problems
of emissions from transport, legislation should encourage urban consolidation and
increased use of public transport. Building designs can also be optimized for
energy usage.
What is really
needed to address the issue of climate change is a major change in culture. The
consumer society will have to change to a sustainable society. For to long have
a small vested interest group profiting from increasing use of fossil fuels
manipulated the world economy, politics, and society for their benefit. They
have shown no regard for the destruction of public resources such as the
atmosphere which is encouraged by their activities. Marine conservationists
must support further efforts by the government to limit the negative ecological
effects of these destructive industries and their associated cultures.
An important
aspect of South Australia’s approach to climate change is the abatement of
negative effects and the adapting of ecosystems to probable environmental
changes. These include the identification of vulnerable biodiversity assets,
building resilience in ecosystems, improving ecological function and
connectivity, and protecting terrestrial and coastal habitats form anticipated
changes. These goals are limited by a lack of practical information –
particularly of vulnerable coastal environments. Besides encouraging the
government to directly address the causes of global warming marine
conservationists should also encourage projects who’s goal is increasing our
knowledge of coastal biodiversity and the monitoring of the effects of climate
change.
Nevertheless, in spite of the complexities of the
issue, the enduring quality of the ‘Climate Change and Greenhouse Emissions
Reduction Bill 2006’ will be as a foundation and stepping stone to a
general acceptance and implementation of sustainable management. Although there
is a clear need for more powerful legislation on climate change, South
Australia is already providing a global leader in addressing the problems of
climate change.
by Steve Reynolds
What is a jetty?
Where does the name “jetty” come from? Jetties are often called piers, in
countries such as England for example. My old English encyclopaedia says that a
jetty is “A pier or embankment used to direct or concentrate a current or to
shelter a harbour”. This sounds like a breakwater to me.
My Australian
Pocket Oxford Dictionary says that a pier is, amongst other things, a
“structure running out into the sea and serving as promenade or landing-stage”.
The same dictionary says that a jetty is a mole or landing pier (from the
French word ‘jettee’). Henry Rymill agreed in 1994 that the word “jetty” is
derived from the French word ‘jettee’ which, he said, meant ‘throw out’. My
Hugo’s French-English Dictionary says that ‘jeter’ means to ‘throw’. The same
dictionary says that ‘jettee’ means pier, jetty or mole.
So what is a
mole? My Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary says that a mole is, amongst other
things, a “stone pier or breakwater or causeway” (just like I said about an
English jetty or pier).
Michael
Atchison’s “Word for Word” in The Advertiser of 10th March 2005
explains that large stone buildings were once described as a ‘pile’. That came
from a 14th century word ‘pyle’ which meant ‘castle’ or
‘stronghold’. When we speak of a jetty in Australia we often refer to a wooden
structure.
There are lots
of jetties along SA’s coastline at present. Many of these are struggling to
survive as they battle the elements. According to Ronald Parsons, in his book
“Southern Passages” (Wakefield Press, 1998), the Government began to provide
little ports with jetties as early as the 1850s. These ports quickly became a
part of the transport network with the provision of a jetty. Eventually, most
of the ports along the SA coast had jetties built by the Government. By 1910 SA
had some 85 government-owned jetties and a few private ones. Many were later
demolished when they were no longer required. Many others were broken up by
storms.
When I started
scuba diving, I became interested in the history of our jetties. I continually
seek out snippets of information about them, even about those that no longer
exist.
EDITHBURGH JETTY
Here’s an
interesting thing, in my view. Edithburgh on the Yorke Peninsula has two
jetties. The main jetty is situated at a spot called Point De Mole (or De Mole
Point). When I read that Point De Mole had been chosen as the site to build a
jetty I thought that there must be some kind of mistake. Since a mole is a
jetty I thought that either the point was named after the jetty or after an
earlier jetty built there. How wrong could I be? The book “South
Australia – What’s in a Name?” by Rodney Cockburn says that there is a Point De
Mole at Streaky Bay. Captain R Douglas, the Harbour-master, named the point
after George E DeMole, a surveyor who accompanied him during his survey of the
area in April 1858. DeMole drew the charts of Douglas’s survey. It seems that
Point De Mole at Edithburgh is also named after the same surveyor. The booklet
“Edithburgh Jetty 125th Anniversary”* by student Jarrod Thompson
says that Point de Mole (sic) was named after a SA surveyor, presumably the
same one that Streaky Bay’s Point De Mole was named after.
*Not the
full title – it has also been called “History of Edithburgh Industry 1873-1998”
but the full title appears to be “Souvenir of the Edithburgh Jetty 125th
Anniversary 1873-1998 25th and 26th April 1998, History
of Edithburgh Industry, Salt – Grain – Gypsum”.
Jarrod’s great,
great-grandfather Jacob Staeben (Stehbens?) died at the jetty in 1891 when he
was run over by one of the horse teams there. He was just 53 years old at the
time of his death.
Edithburgh
jetty in 1988 (Photo by Steve Reynolds)
The
Edithburgh jetty was opened in January 1873. It was only 45m long initially but
subsequent extensions made it some 175m long and 11.3m wide over some of its
length. Edithburgh was declared a port on 15th September 1875. It
was, however, closed as a port on 11th January 1973. The top decking
of the jetty was covered in concrete in June 1996. As mentioned above, there
are two jetties at Edithburgh. The second jetty there is located south of the
boat ramp. It was built in the 1890s and it is known as the Fishermen’s Jetty.
RAPID BAY JETTY
A jetty was
first built at Rapid Bay jetty on the Fleurieu Peninsula in 1867.That jetty was
just 48m long. It was washed away during a storm in 1916. The present Rapid Bay
jetty was built by BHP during WWII, between 1939 and March 1942. It was built
to a length of 487.7m but its length is now officially just 420m (and it has a
224.5m long ‘T’ head at the end).
Steve Reynolds preparing
to dive at Rapid Bay jetty (Photo by Peter Gower)
Adelaide
Brighton Cement used the jetty for several years until 1998 when it was no
longer needed by them. Demolition work was then done on the redundant
ship-loading equipment. Within one year of the demolition work, the ‘dolphin’
platforms attached to the ‘T’ head were under threat. A ‘dolphin’, apart from
being a friendly marine mammal, is a bollard or mooring post or buoy. There
were plans to remove the dolphin platforms from the ‘T’ head for safety
reasons. The Scuba Divers Federation of SA was assured that the jetty itself
was in good shape and successfully fought for the dolphins to be retained. The
jetty has since fallen into a state of disrepair and it was (mostly) closed on
Christmas Eve in 2004. The future of the jetty is now uncertain. Diving at the
jetty can now only be done by way of either a boat dive or a long swim from the
rocky shore.
REFERENCES:
“Southern Passages” by Ronald Parsons (Wakefield
Press, 1998)
The pamphlet “South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula, Unlocking
the secrets – Historic jetties”.
“Yorke
Peninsula . . . A Resident’s Views” by Allan Parsons, second edition 1987,
National Library of Australia ISBN 1 86252 059 2.
“A Story of Coobowie, Edithburgh and District”
published by the Edithburgh Museum Committee, 1986.
“South
Australia – What’s in a Name? (Historically significant place names) by Rodney
Cockburn, Axiom Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0 9592519 1 X.
“Souvenir of the
Edithburgh Jetty 125th Anniversary 1873-1998 25th and 26th
April 1998, History of Edithburgh Industry, Salt – Grain – Gypsum” by Jarrod
Thompson, Edithburgh Museum, 1998. ISBN 0 646 35330 6.
“The Jetties of South Australia – Past and Present” by Neville Collins,
published by the author, 2005. ISBN 0-9580482-2-3.