State of the Environment

2006

Coasts and oceans

Theme commentary
Trevor J Ward, Greenward Consulting, Perth, Western Australia
Alan Butler, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Brisbane, Queensland
prepared for the 2006 Australian State of the Environment Committee, 2006

Glossary

Australia’s Marine Area
The area of sea or seabed for which Australia has jurisdiction and rights under the Law of the Sea Convention. It includes the Exclusive Economic Zone and extended continental shelf off the Australian mainland.
benthic
Referring to the organisms or environment of the seabed, for example plants and animals living on or in the sub-sea sediment.
biocide
A chemical that kills animals and plants.
biodiversity
The variety of all life-forms: the different plants, animals and microorganisms, the genes they contain, the ecosystems they form and the processes that maintain them; often considered at three levels: genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity.
biomass
The quantity of biological material, generally in weight.
bio-prospecting
Searching for free-living animals or plants that have properties of value for deriving drugs to treat human diseases, or other values and human uses.
bioregion
A large area of the ocean that is classified as having similar types of plants, animals and ocean conditions, compared to other similarly-sized areas.
bloom
The uncontrolled and rapid growth and multiplication, usually of plants, in response to freely available nutrients in waterways, and forming a nuisance or toxic biomass.
bryozoans
Marine animals commonly known as moss animals, sea mats or (for some forms) lace coral. The majority of living byrozoans are encrusting, forming flat sheets that spread out over the substrate but others grow upwards into the water column.
bycatch (or incidental capture)
The catch, by a fishery, of species other than those targeted; generally discarded because they have low commercial or recreational value.
cetaceans
Members of the mammalian group Cetacea, including whales, dolphins and porpoises.
crustacea
A class of arthropods, which have gills and bodies covered by a hard shell (e.g. crabs, lobsters, shrimps).
dead zone
A condition of the ocean where all or most marine life is unable to survive because of extreme pollution.
demersal
Living on or near the bottom of the sea.
ecosystem
A dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit.
ecosystem services
The role played by organisms and environmental processes in creating a healthy environment for human beings, from production of oxygen to soil formation and maintenance of water quality.
endemism
species found only in a particular region; for example, a species endemic to South Australia is not found anywhere else.
entraining
a form of behaviour exhibited by animals when they become habituated to fishing vessels or aquaculture facilities, and rely on the supply of food these may inadvertently supply as operational wastes, discards, or accidental releases.
erosion
The removal of sediment from the seabed by the action of wind, waves, or tidal currents.
eutrophication
Excessive nutrients which causes high levels of plant growth. Often resulting in nuisance algal blooms, turbid waters and subsequent decay and decomposition of the plants.
fishing effort
The amount of fishing gear of a specific type used on the fishing grounds over a given unit of time, for example, the number of hauls of a beach seine net per day.
genera
The plural of genus, the scientific grouping of plants and animals immediately above the species level; when combined with species provides a unique identifier of a type of plant or animal in scientific nomenclature.
infrastructure
The built systems of, for example, water supply, wastewater treatment, drainage, airports, roads and ports.
invertebrates
Animals without internal skeletal structure.
macro-algae
The algae are a major group of ‘plants’; they are plants without a vascular or ‘vein’ system, living in fresh or marine waters. Macro-algae are the large, visible algae or ‘seaweeds’, such as kelps, as opposed to micro-algae, the microscopic algae that form phytoplankton.
marine protected area
Any area of intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its overlying water and associated plants, animals, historical, or cultural features, which has been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment.
marine reserve
A marine protected area that is highly protected, and is effective as a complete sanctuary; no extractive uses are permitted, and very few (or no) other human uses (including scientific research) are permitted.
non-target species
Fish or invertebrates taken in a fishery that is targeting other species; they may be either retained and sold as a product, or discarded as bycatch.
nutrients
Substances required for the growth of plants; for example, nitrogen and phosphorus.
overfished
The condition of a fish stock where the rate of fish extraction will lead soon to too many fish taken, or where the breeding stock is so low that the population may not be able to adequately produce young fish to replenish the population.
pelagic
Associated with the surface or middle depths of the water column, for example, fish swimming freely in the open sea.
phytoplankton
Small plants, mostly microscopic, that are suspended in water and free-drifting.
plankton
Small plants or animals and the reproductive stages of larger ones, mostly microscopic, that are suspended in water and free-drifting.
sessile
Organisms fixed in one position to the seabed.
subsistence fishing
Fishing for food (consumed by the local group of people who do the fishing), not for commercial sale.
substrate
A surface of the seabed on which organisms live.
threatened species
A species of plant or animal threatened with extinction either locally or globally, without defining its formal status as to the degree of threat.
turbidity
The cloudiness in water that is caused by particles, usually of fine sediment or microscopic particles of biological material.
upwelling
The phenomenon of deep ocean water rising to the surface, usually bringing nutrients which can increase productivity.
vulnerable species
A species of plant or animal vulnerable to extinction, but carrying a lower level of concern than ‘endangered’.