What do Shoal Bay, sea squirts and unsolved mysteries have in common?

By Ewa Meyer
Adapted from Ewa’s article Port Stephens Examiner

Shoal Bay, sea squirts and unsolved mysteries were all featured at Econetwork’s Marine Forum held 23 August 2026, focussing on the “Resilience of Port Stephens’ Coastal and Marine Life.’

More importantly, they are all linked in some way to the effects of climate change on our local marine ecosystems. Extreme weather events such as flooding and damaging winds, together with sea level rise, are just three of the significant impacts we are witnessing here in Port Stephens.

Hosted by EcoNetwork’s new special interest group, the Port Stephens Marine Study Group, and held at the Tomaree Community Centre, the Forum gave the audience an opportunity for a deep dive into the underwater world of Port Stephens.

We enjoyed hearing from an outstanding line up of expert presenters — all of whom live or work in Port Stephens.

*Marine Forum presenters from left: Iain Watt, Victoria Cole, Tom Tang, Tom Davis, Bob Creese.*

Organisers were delighted with the response as soon as this Forum was announced. “Places booked out very quickly, so we knew that this was a topic of great interest to our local community”, said Event MC, Bob Creese.

*Forum MC Bob Creese welcoming Marine Forum audience on 23 August*

Port Stephens is home to the largest marine park in NSW which aims to protect its natural assets. But in the face of increasing threats, including our rapidly changing climate, how resilient are these habitats and species?

“This is what we wanted the forum to address,” said Bob Creese. And it did not disappoint.

*Bottlenose dolphins. Photo: Lisa Skelton*

The Study Group, led by Bob Creese and Iain Watt, is currently assessing the status of our dolphin population whose numbers in the Estuary have been declining in recent years. The Group is keen to fill knowledge gaps through focussed community-driven projects.

Crumbling coastlines

Coastal habitats are naturally dynamic places that endure extreme weather events. Now, in the face of increasing human encroachment both on land and in the oceans, what are some of the negative consequences and how can we solve them?

If you’re a regular walker along the foreshore of Port Stephens Bay, you’ll have seen the problems with coastal erosion in Shoal Bay or Conroy Park in Corlette.

Iain Watt is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience to help find solutions to these problems. He explained the forces behind our crumbling coastlines, and discussed possible strategies to address some of the long-term solutions needed.

He said “Beaches constantly change, experiencing cycles of accretion and erosion. Typically, constructive waves deposit sand, while destructive waves remove it. Rising sea levels have changed that; pushing waves further up the shore and increasing the impacts of shoreline erosion.”

Port Stephens beaches are vital for tourism and recreation, but sea level rise is threatening local coastal infrastructure and recreational amenity.

“Since 1990, sea levels have risen by 10cm corresponding to a 10 metre loss in beach width. The loss of our beaches is climate change in action,” Iain added.

Shoreline protection takes a variety of forms but seawalls are outdated and expensive. Nature-based solutions such as mangroves would be ideal but are less favoured by engineers. Offshore submerged artificial reefs that mimic natural reefs are a possible option which could be explored.

For an in-depth analysis of our local coastline and possible solutions including for Shoal Bay, read Iain Watt’s article here.

The bad news — and some good news too

Collaborating with Dave Harasti on marine biodiversity and threatened species management, Dr Tom Davis, research scientist with the NSW Department of Primary Industries Fisheries at the Port Stephens Fisheries Institute spoke about four of their case studies following the flooding events of 2021 and 2025. He revealed the impacts on kelp, fish, sponge gardens and mobile invertebrates in the Port Stephens estuary.

*Forum Dr Tom Davis presenting findings from 4 case studies following major flood events.*

A summary of underwater data in the sponge gardens indicated that gorgonian and soft corals died, while sea squirts and sponges were killed or injured. Most of the negative impacts were in the shallower waters less than 10m deep — but they can recover, with some sponges bouncing back in under 12 months. They are so resilient that they could survive being put through a blender. But please don’t try this at home!

*Thriving colonies of the endangered ‘Cauliflower soft coral’ in Port Stephens prior to extreme flooding in 2021-22. Photo*: *Dave Harasti*

Studies revealed that fish abundance also recovered within 12 months but that mobile invertebrates, such as sea urchins and featherstars, were not so lucky and were virtually wiped out in shallow areas. Molluscs such as nudibranches were also badly impacted.

Davis concluded that “habitats and animals can recover given time but that the increased frequency and severity of floods due to climate change may increase negative impacts.”

“We can help by reducing pollution and taking action to reverse climate change”, he added.

Rewilding lost reefs

But what of poor management and historic damage to the marine environment in the Port since European settlement? Some newer residents may not be aware of the almost complete loss of what were once extensive reef ecosystems that resulted from past dredging for oysters. Their ecological importance and restoration efforts were explained at the Forum by Dr Victoria Cole, a research scientist also based at the Port Stephens Fisheries Institute.

Cole shared the encouraging results of the oyster reef restoration project with restored reefs beginning to resemble natural reefs to support millions of oysters as well as fish and invertebrate communities.

It may be possible to utilise the oyster reefs being reinstated across the Estuary. For example, to produce multi-functional submerged reefs, provide shoreline protection, snorkelling opportunities, and to attract fish and other marine biota.

*Re-establishing oyster reefs on a sandy seafloor in the northern part of Port Stephens estuary. Photo by Kirk Dahle*

The (still) missing link: turtle deaths

Large volumes of freshwater entering the Port from upstream after large flood events can impact seabed habitats and sensitive wildlife by radically altering water quality. Storms don’t just batter our beaches — they trigger invisible ecological disasters. Experts have linked this phenomenon to last year’s unprecedented surge in sea turtle deaths.

A dead turtle *with barnacles on its shell* *was located on the rocks at Shoal Bay . (Supplied: Lia Pereira*, *from ABC #)*

*A dead turtle found in Port Stephens. (Suppled: Lia Pereira, from ABC #)*

However, Dr Tom Tran, veterinarian at Irukandji Shark and Ray Centre, explained that despite extensive investigations, it has not been possible to link the deaths to any single event, virus or toxins such as pesticides or PFAS. A combination of factors is most likely at play. The Forum heard how the Irukandji team and wildlife rescuers were faced with dozens of dead or dying turtles.

Yet again, the climate crisis is in the spotlight and the environment is impacted in ways we are yet to witness.

If you like to contribute to Econetwork’s Marine Study Group, please contact info@econetworkps.org

# Dead turtles with bleeding eyes wash up on Port Stephens beaches, from ABC 22 Augusr 2025