This is the MLSSA Newsletter, the monthly publication of the Marine Life Society Of South Australia Inc. Our Society is active in trying to protect our marine environment and this Newsletter usually contains articles about marine life and the marine environment.

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As well as several general reports and short articles you may find the following of interest:-

Cuttlefish

A report on the new regulations is given later.

Oarfish

You will find an interesting item sent to us from NSW. It arrived by e-mail after a web search by the writer. The Net is working well!

Freshwater Species Protection

An article on this topic is included.

Edithburgh

Details of this great Long Weekend are to be found later and also dive report.

Wirrina Reef

Have you dived here? David Muirhead has and you can read all about it.

Glenelg Barges Fish List Update

As previously promised, here is the updated List.

New Members

We welcome Scott Marshall from Mount Barker and Tim Hoile from the Star of the Sea School as members and hope to see them at our meetings and on our field trips.

1998 Boat Show

A final reminder that this will be held at the Showgrounds from the 10^th to the 13^th July. Look for the MLSSA display in the Southern Diving bus.

Philip Hall

This will be held at our usual meeting place, the Conservation Centre, 120 Wakefield Street on Wednesday 15^th July, starting at 8pm.

Our speaker will be Chris Hall, who was unable to give his talk at the June Meeting. He will be showing slides taken on his dives. They are of a more general nature than those taken by David Muirhead and will show many familiar dive sites.

I recently received the following notice from PIRSA (Primary Industries and Resources S A) dated 22^nd May 1998.

"The Government, on advice from the Minister for Primary Industries, Natural Resources and Regional Development, has reviewed the management arrangements introduced for the cuttlefish fishery on 25^th February 1998.

Recreational bag/boat limits have now been introduced for cuttlefish throughout South Australia.

These measures now include the closure of all waters of Spencer Gulf within an area bounded by a line commencing at the Point Lowly lighthouse, then to the southern end of the Port Bonython jetty, then to the seaward end of the western boundary fence of the SANTOS facility (position latitude 32° 59.7´ S, longitude 137° 45´ E), then following the high water mark in an easterly direction to the point of commencement until 30 September 1998 to the taking of all species of cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish and octopus). All other species of scalefish can be taken.

A recreational bag limit of 15 cuttlefish per day and a boat limit of 45 per day have now been implemented in all remaining waters of the state to protect the resource.

It should be noted that management arrangements for the fishery will continue to be reviewed following further surveys and the development of biological indicators."

Philip Hall

The guest speaker at our March meeting was David McGlennon, a fisheries scientist for SARDI Aquatic Sciences. David had been the author of an article in our September Newsletter about artificial reefs so we invited him to come and speak to us on the topic. He spoke about the reasons for artificial reefs and their functions. He discussed the many varied types of artificial reefs - tyre reef, sunken ships and illegal reefs (made from anything from timber to washing machines to car bodies). He spoke about the results of research into artificial reefs and the conclusions reached. The work of other countries such as Japan was discussed. We heard the summary from the report of the recent inquiry into artificial reefs. Many questions and answers were exchanged. David gave us several copies of an American fisheries magazine - "Fisheries" Vol.22, No.4, April 1997 published by the American Fisheries Society. It was a special issue on artificial reef management. These are available from our library. Many thanks David for the magazine copies and for being our guest speaker in March.

Steve Reynolds

MLSSA Dive Report - June '98 Long Week End

The weekend began on the Friday night with the arrival of Phill & Barb McPeake, Philip & Margaret Hall, Phil & Ann John and Evan & Kadie John at the Edithburgh Caravan Park. Peter & Louise Hoskin and family also arrived and stayed at the Troubridge Motel. After a very wet and windy night, Saturday morning looked good for a dive even if a little on the cold side. The rain had stopped and the wind was coming from the right direction.

The first dive was under the Edithburgh jetty. Phil John, Peter Hoskin and Phill McPeake thought this was an enjoyable dive. In the evening the group were joined by Chris Hall and his friend Jean who had arrived during the afternoon, and Peter and Jean Gilbert from Pt Moorowie. A great social time was enjoyed over dinner at the Edithburgh Hotel. After dinner, when we were back at the Caravan Park, Ralph Richardson arrived.

Sunday morning saw us all getting up early for a trip to Pt Turton. Ron and Sandra Bellchambers from Maitland joined us just before we set off. The divers on the second dive were Peter Hoskin, Phill McPeake, Evan John, Ralph Richardson and Chris Hall. Philip Hall and Ron Bellchambers snorkeled. Again the dive was enjoyed by all even though the visibility was not as good as at Edithburgh.

At this point I should mention that Phill and Evan John were returning to diving after an absence of a Decade or more. They quickly regained old skills and had a good time.

We returned to Edithburgh for lunch. After lunch Chris Hall dived at the Edithburgh jetty with his camera. Later in the afternoon we all set off to Pt. Moorowie for a BBQ at Peter and Jean Gilbert's place.

Monday morning found us packing up ready to return home but not before our last dive at Edithburgh jetty.

I take this opportunity to thank all who attended this trip and made it a most successful long week end at Edithburgh.

Hope to see you all again next year.

D.O.

On 12^th of June MLSSA received an e-mail from Peter Govett regarding a strange find on a beach in NSW. Here is the main part of the message.

"Recently we found two unusual fish washed up on Washerwomans Beach at Bendalong on the NSW south coast (Just south of Jervis Bay). I have identified them from pictures on the net as oarfish. One was about 5 metres long with the body being ovalish in section and about 250mm deep. They had two downward and backward pointing antennae (?) below the head with an untidy bunch of spines or quills above and a continuous fin along the top of the body with black vertical markings every 70 - 80mm along the lower part of the fin and onto the body. The other was the same but a bit shorter - about 4.5 metres - and lighter in the body section.

As I gather they are quite rare I thought someone at your site might be interested.

Regards - Peter Govett"

(Readers may remember we published an article, based on one in the International Express, in the October 1997 edition of our Newsletter on this particular fish. A Web search using the word Oarfish will bring up the MLSSA article and lead to our Society.)

In my article about Ewens Ponds in our Newsletter last January (No.240) I mentioned the Autumn 1997 issue of Southern Fisheries (Vol.5, No.1) which had an article about endangered freshwater fish. The article " "Fair go" for endangered eight" was written by Bryan Pierce, the Leader of the Inland Waters Research & Development Program, SARDI Aquatic Sciences. The article listed eight species of freshwater fish that were being listed in the IUCN Red List of threatened animals in 1997. I had referred to the article because the eighth species in it was the Ewen Pygmy Perch, Nannoperca variegata. According to the article, this little fish occurs only in Ewens Ponds and a few minor wetlands in the lower Glenelg River system in Victoria. The IUCN rated the species as "Vulnerable". It chooses to live in very dense aquatic vegetation growing in flowing water. It is threatened by:-

1. living in only a handful of small waters

2. by introduced predators having been liberated into most of these clear-water systems

3. Its preference for what is a quite rare and vulnerable habitat

The other seven species in the article were:- Silver Perch, Southern Purple-spotted Gudgeon, Trout Cod, Agassiz' Chanda Perch, River Blackfish, Southern Pygmy Perch & Freshwater Catfish.

My only reason for mentioning all of this is that the 1998 SA Recreational Fishing Guide says that these eight species are now totally protected in SA and must not be taken as they are endangered species. Murray River Crayfish and Yabbies with eggs attached are also protected. There is also a closed season on Murray Cod from September 1 to December 31 inclusive.

Steve Reynolds

The traditional holiday did not start very auspiciously as the weather, and forecast for the next few days, was very poor on the Friday afternoon. Much rain and wind was met and also forecast.

Margaret and I arrived at the Caravan Park to meet up with Phill and Barbara and past members Phill and Anne John. His brother Evan and Kadie John were also early arrivals. In nearby flats were Peter and Louise Hoskin and two of their children. We retired to our beds eventually, only to hear the rain drumming on the roof for most of the night.

Saturday morning dawned fair and the dive was under the Edithburgh Jetty with 10 metre visibility. A Leafy Seadragon was found and a very large louse removed from its head.

That afternoon, Phill and I went fishing down at the jetty and scored 38 Tommy Ruff between us in double quick time, before our Gents blew away. The weekend was really going well.

The dinner at the Edithburgh Hotel was attended by all the 16 people in our party. This also included Peter and Jean Gilbert from Port Moorowie. A great time was enjoyed. Later that night Ralph also arrived and stayed with Chris Hall and Jean who had arrived early on Saturday morning.

Monday was the dive at Point Turton and several divers entered the water together with myself and Ron Bellchambers using Snorkle. Ron and Sandra had joined us for the morning.

Later in the afternoon we all went over to Port Moorowie to accept the hospitality of Peter and Jean for a barbecue and to view their spectacular home and aquarium setup.

On arrival back at the campsite Phill, Ralph and I went down to the swimming pool to see what was about. Unfortunately the plug had been pulled out and only a small pool was left. However squid, shellfish, crabs and anemones were abundant.

Monday was packing up and a dive at Edithburgh. This was not as good as the previous dive here but was still well worthwhile.

We all made a safe journey home after another very successful Edithburgh trip.

Philip Hall

Even though Hallett Cove School is a little too far south for some, the June General Meeting was well attended. We were enthralled by the brilliant aquariums and the creatures on display.

During the meeting Tony Isaacson showed his unique video of the birth of Leafy Seadragons. We also saw superb footage of the Singapore Aquarium Seadragons, which came from South Australia via the Mornington Peninsula.

Our speaker Chris Hall was unwell, so once again David Muirhead stepped into the breach with some more of his excellent fish slide.

An excellent meeting!

Philip Hall

It is quite some years since I dived this reef but it remains clear in my memory (and dive log) and I will briefly describe it as an excellent example of a near-pristine, deeper west-coast, southern Fleurieu reef.

The reef, as with the Seacliff and Seaford reefs, possibly represents an old coastline and, like these, consists of a more or less continuous low drop-off of 1-2 metres, running roughly parallel with the shore and approximately 4 kilometres out from Wirrina Cove.

It is quite deep at 20-22 metres and supports a profusion of exciting and colourful marine life. There is a similar reef off Normanville, slightly shallower at 17-19 metres, and both reefs are popular snapper fishing sites, supporting heavy populations of hammer oysters and scallops.

I have also dived this Normanville reef, known locally as "Summies Reef", and noted a similar profusion of marine life but with more evidence of fishing pressures in the form of beer bottles and fishing tackle.

The Wirrina Reef was introduced to me by Godfrey Thomas, the dive instructor and farmer who now lives in Queensland. During the course of several dives in 1986-1987 stand-out features were the very healthy and prolific algal and benthic growth, the lack of silt and the beauty and variety of fish life including some species seen less often on reefs closer to Adelaide. These include harlequin fish, blue morwong, beardies and juvenile groper wrasse, and (one only!) maori wrasse. Striking colonies of orange ascidians were seen as well as a good variety of sea stars.

Bottom times are limited due to the depth but I still have photographic records of some of the above. It would be interesting to monitor the site over time given the expected increase in fishing pressure following the completion of the new Wirrina Marina, but I guess the barriers of depth, time and cost will conspire against such a project.

David Muirhead

On Friday 19^th June David Muirhead, Margaret and I went to the Education section of the Zoo for a talk to this group. It was well attended with more than twenty children and adults present. Both the children and adults asked many very intelligent questions and showed great interest.

David was the speaker and he showed a varied selection of his slides. He started with a representative selection of local fish on the theme of camouflage and defence. David then showed a variety of other creatures most of which the audience had never seen before. His talk was very informative and he did a great job.

Tony Isaacson had loaned me a crate full of preserved specimens, from his school, which I took along. This proved a good follow up to the talk. It allowed both the children and adults to see in close up some of the creatures David had previously described.

Philip Hall

The Glenelg Barges are two wrecks sunk 6.5km off Glenelg over 13 years ago. A redundant sand hopper barge was sunk first in April 1984. An old suction dredge called the "South Australian" was then sunk close to the barge in January 1985. Although the two wrecks are known individually as the "Barge" and the "Dredge", together they are known as the "Glenelg Barges". David Muirhead has been keeping records of his fish sightings at the Barges for the past ten years. As mentioned in our October 1997 Newsletter (No.238), the list printed in our September 1997 Newsletter of fish sighted by David Muirhead on the Glenelg Barges did not indicate which species are featured in our Photo Index. We said that we would try to rectify this later on so here is a list of the 48 species of fish sighted. Our Photo Index features 35 of these and David is aiming to photograph the other 13 species for our Index.

Steve Reynolds

Photo Index Officer 1998-9

COMMON NAME	FAMILY	GENUS	SPECIES	PHOTO INDEX
Old Wife	Enoplosidae	Enoplosus	armatus
Morwong, Dusky	Cheilodactylidae	Dactylophora	nigricans
Morwong, Magpie (Perch)	Cheilodactylidae	Goniistius	vizonarius
Silverbelly	Gerreidae	Parequula	melbournensis
Roughy	Trachichthyidae	Trachichthys	australis
Gurnard Perch, Gulf	Scorpaenidae	Neosebastes	bougainvilli
Seaperch, Black-banded	Serranidae	Hypoplectodes	nigrorubrum
Boarfish, Long-snouted	Pentacerotidae	Pentaceropsis	recurvirostris
Boarfish, Brown-spotted	Pentacerotidae	Paristiopterus	gallipavo	NO
Mullet, Red	Mullidae	Upeneichthys	porosus
Leatherjacket, Horseshoe	Monacanthidae	Meuschenia	hippocrepis
Leatherjacket, Blue-tailed	Monacanthidae	Eubalichthys	cyanoura
Leatherjacket, Rough	Monacanthidae	Scobinichthys	granulatus
Leatherjacket, Six-spined	Monacanthidae	Meuschenia	freycineti
Leatherjacket, Pygmy	Monacanthidae	Brachaluteres	jacksonianus
Leatherjacket, Spiny-tailed	Monacanthidae	Bigener	brownii
Leatherjacket, Velvet	Monacanthidae	Parika	scaber
Leatherjacket, Yellow-striped	Monacanthidae	Meuschenia	flavolineata
Leatherjacket, Mosaic	Monacanthidae	Eubalichthys	mosaicus
Flathead, Dusky	Platycephalidae	Platycephalus	fuscus	NO
Flathead, Tassel-snouted	Platycephalidae	Thysanophrys	cirronasus
Bullseye, Common	Pempheridae	Liopempheris	multiradiata
Wrasse, Brown-spotted	Labridae	Pseudolabrus	parilus
Wrasse, Senator	Labridae	Pictilabrus	laticlavius
Wrasse, Black-spotted	Labridae	Austrolabrus	maculatus
Wrasse, Castelnau's	Labridae	Dotalabrus	aurantiacus	NO
Wrasse, Blue-throated	Labridae	Notolabrus	tetricus
Trevally, Silver	Carangidae	Pseudocaranx	dentex
Salmon, WA	Arripidae	Arripis	truttaceus
Drummer, Silver	Kyphosidae	Kyphosus	sydneyanus
Pike, Long-finned	Dinolestidae	Dinolestes	lewini
Coral Fish	Chaetodontidae	Chelmonops	truncatus
Moonlighter	Microcanthidae	Tilodon	sexfasciatum
Ling, Rock	Ophidiidae	Genypterus	tigerinus	NO
Catfish, Estuary	Plotosidae	Cnidoglanis	macrocephalus	NO
Globe Fish	Diodontidae	Diodon	nicthemerus	NO
Cowfish, Shaw's	Ostraciidae	Aracana	aurita
Grubfish, Wavy	Mugiloididae	Parapercis	haackei
Trachinops, Yellow-headed	Plesiopidae	Trachinops	noarlungae	NO
Tommy Rough	Arripidae	Arripis	georgianus	NO
Garfish, SA	Hemiramphidae	Hyporamphus	melanochir	NO
Grubfish, Spotted	Mugiloididae	Parapercis	ramsayi
Zebrafish	Girellidae	Girella	zebra	NO
Cardinalfish, Southern	Apogonidae	Vincentia	conspersa
Toadfish, Ringed	Tetraodontidae	Omegophora	armilla
Rock Cod, Bearded	Moridae	Pseudophycis	barbata	NO
Whiting, King George (Spotted)	Sillaginidae	Sillaginodes	punctata	NO
Whiting, Silver (Sthn. School)	Sillaginidae	Sillago	bassensis	NO

On 18/6/98 the Advertiser published an article covering the subject of the Leafy Seadragon as an endangered species. The Threatened Species Network Project Officer, Vicki-Jo Russell, again asked that the State Government adopt the Seadragon as the State Fish Emblem. She refuted arguments put forward that increased publicity would further endanger this fish. She asserted that a greater "sense of community ownership" would in fact protect the creature.

Philip Hall