Local shellfish including native razorfish and flat oysters, and feral pacific oysters, are showing strong ecosystem benefits for marine species within the Port River estuary ecosystem in Adelaide – with Flinders University researchers also discovering an exotic whelk that has found a foothold in the popular coastal area.
Local shellfish including native razorfish and flat oysters, and feral pacific oysters, are showing strong ecosystem benefits for marine species within the Port River estuary ecosystem in Adelaide – with Flinders University researchers also discovering an exotic whelk that has found a foothold in the popular coastal area.
Environmental monitoring of the Port Adelaide marine environment, which features nearby natural assets including remnant mangrove forests and the International Bird and Dolphin Sanctuaries, has seen many changes in water quality and species composition over the years.
This led Flinders University PhD candidate Brad Martin, from the Ecosystem Resilience research group, to conduct fieldwork of the different shellfish reefs throughout the Port River earlier this year to assess the species using these poorly understood habitats.
Read more at Flinders University
Image: Juvenile whiting are common in Port Adelaide waters where shellfish beds are recovering. Photo: Brad Martin (Flinders University)
