Coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef
NORTHERN SECTION - CAPE YORK TO COOKTOWN:
* 26 reefs surveyed
* Average hard coral cover estimated at 36 per cent, the highest level in 36 years of monitoring
* That's a significant recovery from the most recent low of 13 per cent in 2017
* Much of the recovery was in the Cape Grenville and Princess Charlotte Bay sectors that were severely affected by mass bleaching in 2016
* Crown-of-thorns starfish numbers were low overall
* Aerial surveys at the height of this year's bleaching event recorded bleaching at eight survey reefs; most had between 30 and 60 per cent of colonies bleached
CENTRAL GREAT BARRIER REEF - COOKTOWN TO PROSERPINE
* 33 reefs surveyed
* Average hard coral cover estimated at 33 per cent, the highest level in 36 years of monitoring
* That's a significant recovery from the most recent low of 14 per cent in 2019
* Aerial bleaching surveys at the height of this year's bleaching event recorded severe bleaching at 22 monitored reefs, and moderate or major bleaching at seven reefs
* No crown-of-thorns outbreaks were reported despite previous ones in recent years
* The region has been the focus of active culling by the Crown-of-thorns Starfish Control Program
SOUTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF - PROSERPINE TO GLADSTONE
* 28 reefs surveyed
* Average hard coral cover estimated at 34 per cent, down from 38 per cent last year
* Southern region was the only one to see a decrease in coral cover this year
* Decrease was primarily driven by crown-of-thorns starfish predation despite culling by the Crown-of-thorns Starfish Control Program
* Widespread but low levels of bleaching recorded during surveys in January this year
* Aerial surveys at the peak of the bleaching event saw varied bleaching across the region
* Of 16 reefs surveyed by air during this year's bleaching event, three had major levels of bleaching, four moderate, seven minor, and two had no bleaching
SOURCE: Annual Summary Report on Coral Reef Condition for 2021/22, Australian Institute of Marine Science.
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