CSIRO to conduct Kaiar pre-season survey in November
CSIRO will be conducting a pre-season Kaiar abundance survey over the neap tides between the 3rd and 20th November 2024. The mothership ‘Wild Blue’ (20470QB) and a dive tender will be used to conduct the survey.
CSIRO will be counting and measuring Kaiar at approximately 74 dive sites. They will also count and record data about plants and some animals they see on the seabed, as well as what is at the bottom of each dive site, what they call “substrate type”. Examples of these include sand, rock, live coral, sponges, seagrass and algae, and they will also count sea cucumbers, pearl shells and clams.
CSIRO will be taking measurements of water temperature and other physical data to inform Kaiar and other ongoing climate change research.
If they anchor up near your community, please feel free to approach them, so they can say hello and answer any questions about the survey.