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Mass stranding of common (weedy) seadragons (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) in Sydney: impacts and implications
David J Booth1, Andrew Trevor-Jones1, Selma Klanten1
1Fish Ecology Lab, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Abstract:
In April 2022, mass stranding of weedy (common) seadragons occurred, with a total of over 200 individuals washed ashore on beaches in the Sydney, Australia region, recorded by citizens. Causes of the stranding, which is unprecedented, were likely related to a series of east coast low storm events, leading to record wave heights, record coastal rainfall, and potential loss of critical food sources (schooling mysid crustaceans). A significant proportion of the local population was likely lost in this series of events, indicating a future threat to seadragons, with east coast low intensity predicted to increase under human-caused climate change.
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