Standard Presentation (15 mins) Australian Marine Sciences Association 2022

Conservation of sea snakes in a rapidly changing marine environment (#345)

Shannon J Coppersmith 1 , Kate L Sanders 1 , Vinay Udyawer 2 , Mathew Hourston 3
  1. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
  2. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Darwin, NT, Australia
  3. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Perth, WA, Australia

Viviparous sea snakes (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae) are fully marine, air-breathing reptiles and are a unique component of Australia’s biological heritage. Western Australia’s coast is home to approximately 25 of the >60 recognised sea snake species, six of which are endemic to the region. Many species have patchy distributions and are susceptible to poorly understood local extinctions, and almost all rely on coastal habitats that also support fisheries and industrial development projects. Despite being an obvious conservation priority, there is a critical lack of data on the distribution, threats, and population connectivity of sea snakes across seascapes. This project aims to use a combination of molecular analyses, research trawl survey data and acoustic telemetry to generate critical data on sea snake ecology, connectivity and threatening processes in priority seascapes across Northern Australia. This knowledge will provide the means to forecast and minimise negative impacts of industry and changing marine environments on sea snake diversity. The collective outcome of my results will provide the means to forecast and minimise negative impacts of industry on sea snake diversity before costly offset and management actions are needed.