Contents
Dragon Search (SA)
Who is involved
Many Thanks
How can you help?

‘Dragon Search’ is an exciting new project which aims to involve the community in marine conservation and in the search for the elusive weedy and leafy seadragons. Very little is known about the basic ecology and movement of weedy and leafy seadragons. Sensible management of these spectacular fish is virtually impossible because of a lack of knowledge of their natural history. With this in mind the Marine and Coastal Community Network, Marine Life Society of SA and National Threatened Species Network, with assistance from the South Australian Research and Development Institute, have initiated ‘Dragon Search’.

Divers, surfers and beachcombers are encouraged to report any sightings of the two seadragon species whether seen on dives or washed up on the beach and to fill out a survey form (found in brochures enclosed). The information will be added to our growing community database and used to determine the status and distribution of the seadragons, ultimately leading to better protection of the species and their marine environment. Even if participants are unable to locate a seadragon during a search, that information is useful so it is very easy to be involved and to make a useful contribution. .
 

Who is involved

Any one who visits the beach and swims in the sea can participate in the project. Behind the scenes however there are a number of groups and projects that go to make up ‘Dragon Search’. It might be useful for you to know who they are and what they are doing.

Dr Rod Connolly
Griffith University, Queensland
The aim of Dr Connolly's work is to make a rigorous assessment of population sizes and the degree of movement of individuals within populations. The first step towards this aim is to be able to reliably identify individual animals. Two tagging methods will be tested in laboratory and field trials during the first year, initially using individuals of the more widely occurring weedy (or common) seadragon.

The possibility of being able to identify individuals using peculiar colour patterns and markings will also be assessed. The best of these methods will then be used to ‘mark’ animals in the field at locations in SA and WA to estimate population sizes and asses the degree of movement. This work is fundamental to any further understanding of the ecology of leafy seadragons and to any management plan for the species. Rod will be assisted in SA by Rachel Bathgate of Adelaide University.

Jeffrey Kwik
Flinders University, South Australia
Jeffrey is an Honours student and is looking at the distribution, population dynamics and habitat preference of the weedy and leafy seadragons. The aims of the project are to: determine the distribution of the two species of seadragon within South Australian nearshore coastal waters, determine their population dynamics and behavioural ecology and to determine any possible habitat preference between reef system and seagrass ecosystems. This will result in a better overall perspective of the population ecology and distribution of the two species.

The Marine Life Society of SA
The Marine Life Society of SA is a community group which encourages its members to understand, enjoy and care for our oceans. Society committee member, Steve Reynolds,  has for some years been documenting seadragon sightings and his work has been catalytic in developing the 'Dragon ' program. The Society has expressed an interest in assisting the project by promoting it, referring data and by sitting on the Advisory Committee.

Tony Flaherty
Marine & Coastal Community Network (SA)
The Network was established in 1993 to assist community involvement in caring for our oceans and coasts. It is a non-government community-based organisation that aims to bring together a range of organisations to develop a more cooperative and coordinated approach to marine resource management. As a part of this the Network has facilitated the expansion of the seadragon  monitoring project and worked with other groups to gain funding and public attention. The Dragon  Project Officer is based at the Marine and Coastal Community Network and the Network is providing a great deal of in-kind support to the project. Tony Flaherty is the M&CCN Coordinator for South Australia and is available on +61 8 8302 6568.

Vicki-Jo Russell
Threatened Species Network (SA)
Based at the Conservation Centre, the TSN is a non-government community-based network which aims to increase the support for protection of threatened species and their habitats throughout Australia. The Network facilitates its aims through community education and involvement, networking with key groups and advocating on species issues. The Network has been involved in the seadragon project since the beginning of 1995 and worked with the M&CCN to secure grant funding for the project. The funding will be used to pay the Project Officer for one day a week over 12 months and provide funds for printing, travel, photographs etc and a workshop to be held later this year. The Network Coordinator, Vicki-Jo Russell has taken up the position of Dragon Project Officer and is available on +61 8 8223 5155.

Dr Karen Edyvane and Janine Baker
SA Research & Development Institute (SARDI) (Aquatic Sciences)
SARDI was established to focus on research and development activities in the areas of natural resources and primary development. Its mission is to lead and conduct innovative and practical research that enhances the State’s economic growth and enable conservation of natural resources for the people of South Australia. SARDI is the host organisation for the M&CCN and the ‘Dragon ’ project. Karen and other staff are assisting Dr Connolly’s project, part supervising Jeffrey’s project and providing much welcomed services and advice to the ‘Dragon ’ program. Janine Baker has been developing databases for mapping and analysis of SA's marine biodiversity. She has lent her expertise to developing the 'Dragon ' computer database and will be assisting with expert advice on the analysis of the data.  SARDI can be reached on + 61 8 8200 2400.

So far many dive clubs, dive shops and enthusiastic individuals, many also from interstate,  have shown an interest in the project and have already started sending in their much appreciated records. We hope to receive lots more material in the next few months and to be able to provide you with some early feedback soon. Because of concerns for the protection of seadragons from collectors, site specific data from the project will not be available to the public. Instead regional results and information will be used in public reports and updates.
 

Many Thanks

Already we are indebted to a number of interested individuals and the team would like to take this opportunity to thank Rudie Kuiter and Dr Amanda Vincent (Oxford University) for sharing their experiences and for comments and advice given so far with the project and in the production of the Dragon  brochures. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Bill and Peter Boyle from Ocean Planet Underwater Photography for allowing us to copy some of their magnificent slides, thank you for your generous donation. We are eager to receive more slides and encourage any one interested in assisting the project to send them in. They will be used in the presentation of talks, for media graphics and in the production of educational material. In particular we are requesting photos of typical seadragon habitat, brooding adults and juveniles. We also encourage survey groups to take photos of the search teams in action as these will be both souvenirs of the occasion and excellent graphics for the project.
 

How can you help?

Learning about the marine environment is the best way to help make a difference. There are many excellent resources available, contact the Marine & Coastal Community Network for more general information. By reading the information and survey brochures, organising a survey dive, recording old sightings  onto survey sheets, looking out for seadragons amongst the seagrass as you stroll along the beach, contributing articles to The Dragon's Lair and letting others know about the project you can make a significant contribution to this project, the protection of the two seadragons and ultimately the marine environment.

If you would like to help the Dragon Search Project, register your interest with the Dragon Search Coordinator in your State.
 
 

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