Fed Govt funding brings certainty to Port Douglas cruise operators, also allows close monitoring of Reef health
Reef Health
Port Douglas cruise operators have welcomed further government funding towards ensuring expert monitoring, conservation, and coral planting on the Great Barrier Reef.
Announced as part of the federal budget, Queensland Reef tourism businesses along the state’s coast will between them receive a total of over $15-million to help the businesses recover after COVID and allow further conservation and monitoring.
Doug Baird, Quicksilver Group’s Environmental and Compliance Manager said the funding is welcome news before the traditionally quiet summer break when particularly international tourism downturns bring uncertainty.
“It gives us certainty in a really uncertain time,” Mr Baird told Newsport.
“Everybody invariably overspends at Christmas and then suddenly we’ll be trying to tighten up an already tight belt.
“Within the marketplace, if you can’t let agents know that you are actually going to operate, they can’t book you. So it gives us that certainty that we can put our schedule out there.”
Reef cruises also hit by staff shortages
Staff shortages, a widespread problem after COVID have also hit boat operators hard.
But the funding will help the operators retain minimum key personnel essential for any Reef cruise to be able to operate.
“There’s legislation which you have got to meet in terms of workplace health and safety as well as AMSA (Aust Maritime Safety Authority), so it’s very difficult for us to go from having not operated to full operations again,” Mr Baird said.
“It enables us to keep all of those team members and staff that we can’t operate without.”
Funding program allows scientific Reef monitoring
Wavelength Reef Cruises co-owner Jenny Edmondson said they are “excited” to be involved with the latest Reef monitoring program.
“Our crew of marine biologists and master reef guides are dedicated to conservation and coral planting,” Ms Edmondson said.
“Our crew has planted over 60,000 corals making wavelength the single largest contributor to coral planting efforts on the reef.
“The grant will allow us to do more over the next two years and also to continue our larval seeding research in collaboration with UTS Sydney’s Climate Cluster Research Team.
“We are grateful for the opportunity this grant gives us to continue our plan to maintain Wavelength’s world class snorkelling sites.”
Quicksilver will be able to assign dedicated personnel to collect what Mr Baird said is “really important environmental information” about many key spots on the Reef.
“By us being able to use some of those instructors to go and collect this scientific information, they come back and they’re all really excited because they get the chance to just look at the Reef,” he said.
They will also be able to monitor the Reef more accurately for any further coral bleaching events before and after the coming peak summer temperatures.
“Hopefully we’ll get a bit of a south-easterly change coming through and that’ll cool the temperatures down. But being able to get a snapshot pre summer and then subsequent snapshots after that enable you to really confidently speak about the effects of any bleaching event.”
Cape Tribulation operator Ocean Safari was also successful in the Reef funding, and will receive $105,000.
Reef funding contract details
The successful tourism operators will undertake work on:
- Reef health and impact monitoring;
- Crown-of-thorns starfish control;
- Drupella snail removal;
- Reef education resources;
- Development of interpretation content, talks and tours that better connects visitors to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area;
- Permitted site-intervention activities such as coral gardening;
- Facilitation of on-country visits for Traditional Owners to support reconnecting with country.