Health and Status of Seagrass in Cockburn Sound, Owen Anchorage and Warnbro Sound: 1998 to 2008

Since 1998, a survey of seagrass health has been repeated annually between Stragglers Rocks and Warnbro Sound in the Perth metropolitan waters, in January, on behalf of DEC (Department of Environment and Conservation) and CSMC (Cockburn Sound Management Council). The survey has incorporated measurements of several quantitative variables at each assessment site, and also established a series of permanent transects over the lower depth limit of seagrass meadows at four different sites.

Parameters measured (some were measured only in some years) include: - Seagrass shoot density - Shoot height (maximum) - Shoot height (average) - Leaf productivity - Seagrass above ground biomass - Epiphyte biomass - Photoquadrats - Photography of leaves - Video transect - Videography of leaves - Canopy cover (%) - Meadow cover (%) - Epiphyte cover (%) - Epiphyte composition - Rhizome mat - Coloniser species