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Join the Bass Strait Project, VIC & TAS

Join the Bass Strait Project

Source: http://www.oceans.gov.au/Oceans_action_bulletin.jsp
A project that aims to document changes to marine ecosystems in Bass Strait is looking for more participants.

The Bass Strait Project is a non-profit program that started in 2002 and now involves more than 140 student researchers in Victoria (Apollo Bay) and Tasmania (King Island).  The project is aimed at secondary age students, and has included development of a resource kit for teachers. Activities revolve around changing the perception of the marine environment from one of recreation to that of guardianship and exploration.  With guidance from the project coordinator the program can be suited to any age group or funding level. All you need is access to a marine ecosystem.
Participants in the program undertake scientific research in the local marine environment through mediums including snorkelling, scuba, penguin observations and exploration of rocky shores. They then construct detailed scientific reports, presenting their data and providing conclusions and recommendations relating to their research. After multiple research sessions focusing on data including biodiversity, human impacts, and individual populations, students communicate their findings to each other via a web forum.  By comparing and contrasting similar data, students are able to draw conclusions about the health of their local marine ecosystem and that of Bass Strait.

The Bass Strait Project aims to include as many groups a possible in the collection of scientific data.  Participants are now looking back on data collected over the last three years and making important findings about their changing marine ecosystems. For example, over recent months, students on King Island have observed more than twenty nudibranchs of the same species, which had not been recorded at the site during the previous three years.

The program also asks participants to present their findings publicly, through media such as web pages, local newspapers and newsletters.  This communication provides a vital link in the understanding and awareness of local marine environments.

For more information on the Bass Strait Project visit the forum page at http://www.mesa.edu.au/forums/ and let us know about your local marine ecosystem. You can also contact the project coordinator, Ben Camm on Benjamincamm@hotmail.com