Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs (Lord Howe Marine Park) Coral Reef Health Surveys 2024

Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs are the world’s southernmost open ocean platform reefs, supporting a unique mix of tropical and subtropical species.

While isolated reefs, such as Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs, are often described as being ‘near pristine’ due to limited local anthropogenic impacts, these isolated reefs (like coral reefs globally) are being increasingly exposed to changing environmental conditions, particularly ocean warming.

Quantifying the status and trends on these reefs is critical to understand the responses of these reef ecosystems to contemporary and future disturbances.
James Cook University was commissioned by Parks Australia to:

1. assess the current condition of benthic, fish and invertebrate communities within Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs using methods that were consistent with previous surveys (2011, 2014, 2018) of these reefs, and directly comparable with those used in the Coral Sea Marine Park (2018-2024)
2. assess the status of endemic and/or threatened species, including Black cod (Epinephelus daemelii), McCulloch’s anemonefish (Amphiprion mccullochi), and doubleheader wrasse (Coris bulbifrons)
3. explore benthic and fish communities within deeper (>15m) habitats around Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and/or Baited Remote Underwater Videos (BRUVs).

The project undertook detailed surveys of coral, fish and macro-invertebrate communities and associated reef health at 14 sites on Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs over 6-days from 9th – 14th February, 2024. Surveys were conducted to provide rigorous quantitative information on temporal (i.e., 2011, 2014, 2018, 2024) and spatial (i.e., among sites, reefs, and regions) patterns in:

1. cover and composition of corals and macroalgae
2. regional patterns of biodiversity
3. coral health, injury, and recruitment; and
4. abundance and composition of reef fishes (including endemic and/or threatened species), and ecologically or economically important invertebrates.