This morning the wind was blowing from the south which is a little exposed at Ricketts Point. But the wind was forecast to swing more east so we waited until about 9AM before heading out. This time we decided to swim from the Beaumaris Yacht Club car park to Quiet Corner. The reef is quite varied along the way. Twice, we were confronted with schools of snapper feeding at Ricketts Point on sea urchins, which is quite significant.
Other highlights were four huge ‘snook’ or Southern Barracuda. A beautiful Haeckel’s Jellyfish put in an appearance and there was a good diversity of fish life including Reef Flathead, Six-Spined Leatherjackets and numerous large Dusky Morwong.
Full grown snapper are the size of small pigs. We don’t get any of those, as they were speared out years ago. But over 20 years of protection, the size proportions have slowly increased. You can imagine what it would have been like before.
Unlike most land-based animals, fish populations vary in size. Large snapper would have made quick meals of urchins but in doing so, create food for slightly smaller snapper, enabling the smallest to pick up the crumbs.
In this case, we were watching some 30cm long snapper opening up the urchins for other smaller fish. A Fiddler Ray came in too, so did the Morwong. I wonder if Port Jackson Sharks might have begun the process last night.
A marvellous recovering ecosystem
It’s intriguing watching a recovering ecosystemHow ecosystems function An ecosystem is a community of lifeforms that interact in such an optimal way that how ecosystems function best, is when all components (including humans and other animals) can persist and live alongside each other for the longest time possible. Ecosystems are fuelled by the energy created by plants (primary producers) that convert the Sun's heat energy More. Ricketts Point Marine Park is one of the few places near Melbourne where you can see nature at work rebuilding. It’s a portent for what’s possible if we allow it. It’s also why we should be doing everything possible to limit any risk of legal or illegal fishing slowing the recovery. Even fishing at the margins of the park is a problem. But animals like the Snook, which are very site-specific, are very few and far between. These predators are essential and it only takes a moment to wipe out significant proportions of the population.
Meanwhile, get down there. The water is clearer now and it’s warm too.
