For Reef Check Australia (RCA), 2012 is off to a busy start! Since the New Year, RCA teams have completed 10 surveys, including the kick-start to their 2012 Great Barrier Reef survey season with a few surveys on Magnetic Island. If you’re an RCA diver, you can check out the survey calendar to see where and when you can get involved. New survey locations are also in the works for Lady Elliot Island, Fraser Coast and the Ningaloo Coast.
RCA has also been taking an active role in addressing marine debris issues, with a huge event on Clean Up Australia Day in Moreton Bay that included 14 partners, over 70 volunteers and 253 kg of removed debris. Data will be used in a University of Queensland research project on the impact of debris on Moreton Bay sea turtle populations. In partnership with the Townsville City Council, RCA also hosted a workshop to educate residents on how to participate in studies on marine debris that feed into a national database striving to find solutions to marine debris issues.
Congratulations are in order for long-time RCA volunteer Jodi Salmond. Jodi was selected as a finalist in the Vodafone Australia World of Difference progam and, as a result, has secured a full-time paid position with RCA as Community Engagement Officer. Jodi will start work on a number of projects in June.
For more information on RCA and how you can get involved, visit www.reefcheckaustralia.org