51. CORAL TROUT 'SURVEY' (1964) - Capricorn & Bunker Group.

Fish speared from a single bommie by Ron Taylor & three friends

Coral trout filleted by a professional illustrates 55% recovery 45% waste.

48lbs 8oz 'Blue spot' coral trout 

Acaption

Ron Zangari (left) was deck hand aboard Riversong.  Lot's of coral trout from a single bommie in Fitzroy Lagoon was an incident that puzzled everyone to this day.  Why were they so concentrated. Mating has to be the obvious reason.  We should have studied stomach contents at the time.

Wally Muller (below) in 1973

Both 1964 pictures

50. LIZARD ISLAND (Named by Capt. James Cook)

Marine History SHIP LOGS 1770

12 August 1770

Sunday 12^th _^^when I immediately went upon the highest hill on the Island where to my mortification I discovered a reef of Rocks laying about 2 or 3 Leagues without the Island, extending in a line NW and SE farther than I could see on which the Sea broke very high   this _^^however gave me great hopes _^^that they were the outermost shoals, as I did not doubt but what I should be able to get without them for there appear'd to be several breaks or Partitions in the reef and deep water between it and the Islands   I stay'd upon this hill untill near sun set but the weather continued so hazy all the time that I could not see above 4 or 5 Leagues round me so that I came down much disap disappointed in the prospect I expected to have had. but being in hopes the morning might prove clearer and give me a better View of the Shoals. with this view I stay'd all night upon the Island, and at 3 in the Morning sent the Pinnace with one of the Mates I had with me to sound between _^^the Island and the reefs and to examine one of the breaks or Channels and in the mean time I went again upon the hill where I arrived by sun rise but found it much hazier than in the evening —

About noon the Pinnace return'd having been out as far as the reef and found from 15 to 28 fathoms water. it blowed so hard that they durst not venture into one of the Channels which the Mate said seem'd to him to be very narrow but this did not discourage me for I thought from the place he was at he must have seen it at a disadvantage. Before I quit this Island I shall desirable^cribe it. It lies as I have before observed observed about 5 Leagues from the Main, it is about 8 Miles in circuit and of a height sufficient to be seen 10 or 12 Leagues it is mostly high land very rocky and barren except on the NW side where there are some Sandy bays and low land which last is cover'd with thin long grass Trees, &C^a the same as upon the Main here is also fresh water in two places the one is a runing stream the water a little brackish where I tasted it which was close to the sea, the other is a standing Pool close behind the sandy beach of good sweet water as I dare say the other is a little higher up way from the Sea beach: The only land-animals we saw here were Guanoes or Lizards and these seem'd to be pretty plenty whence^ichoccasioned my nameing the Island Lizard Island The inhabitants of the Main Visit this Island at some seasons of the year for we saw the ruens of several of their hutts and heaps of Shells &C^a—

SE 4 or 5 Miles from this Island lay the other two high Islands which are very small compared to this and near them lay three other yet smaller and lower Islands and several Shoals or Reefs especially to the SE. There is however a clear passage from Cape Flattery to these Islands and even quite out to the _^^outer Reefs leaving the above Islands to the SE and Lizard Island to the NW —

 The 1927 expedition leader to the inshore Low Islands for the British Museum returned 40 years later to gaze out upon a coral reef that bears his name - Yonge Reef (not shown in this view).  Sir Maurice Yonge on the day he learned by telegram of his knighthood in the UK.

James Cook Rocks  (at his lookout on Lizard Island)

under construction

49. LOW ISLES (Port Douglas, Queensland).

Low Isles fan coral (Port Douglas)

48. EASTERN GREEN Rock Lobster (Under construction)

 

                         

47. SHARK PICTURES - © John Harding

 

46. Crown of Thorns REPORTS (1968 and 1983)

 

Starfish control. Formaldehyde injections. Guam USA 1969

Informative summary of the mess at Green Island (Cairns).

The era as remembered by me, John Harding:

Heron Island was 'the great barrier reef' - further north was still unexplored territory for southerners.  With very few crown of thorns being seen around the Capricorn and Bunker Group (which is where Heron Island is located), the starfish was virtually unknown to underwater explorers of the era.

Off Cairns it was a very different situation - but few southerners wanted to suffer traveling 1000 miles of dangerous narrow highway littered with broken windscreens.

"There are no crown of thorns starfish on The Great Barrier Reef" (or words to that effect) announced one colleague to a media press conference and Queensland state government keen to downplay warnings by Dr. Robert Endean, Reader in Zoology at the University of Queensland.

Heron Island was 'The Great Barrier Reef' and supplied everything we needed to photograph - fish, sharks, coral and warm clear water, although no giant clam (Tridacna gigas) and virtually no crown of thorns starfish.

The Belgian Expedition 1967 had opened our eyes to what was happening underwater up north.

These two magazine reports were published side by side in the same issue of Australian Skindivers Magazine, a small circulation monthly mailed to members of the USFA. (Underwater Spear Fisherman's Association - later Underwater Skindivers and Fisherman's Association).In that era magazine news reporting was slow, taking months between concept and publication.

The first story-report gives statistics on crown of thorns density at Green Island (Cairns).

The second report (by me) also published in Sea Frontiers the highly regarded semi-scientific magazine of the International Oceanographic Foundation.

Former address:  Sea Frontiers, Rickenbacker Causeway, Virginia Key, Miami, Florida.   Editor: Jean Bradfisch.

Otter Reef (Townsville) 1967 during The Belgian Expedition.

Similar text published in Sea Frontiers magazine, USA. (1969).

Crown of Thorns starfish (on Wikipedia)

Ron Taylor

 

45. NORTH QUEENSLAND 1980

 Today the place is full of backpackers binge drinking at hostels..... or is it? Life in a rain forest home seemed to me to be idyllic in 1995 - then a cyclone hit the area. The ferry was washed ashore and put out of order, while about six feet of flood water went through houses on the Daintree River. Visitors to Cape Trib. were stuck for a few extra days, some got out by boat. Life in a rain forest has some set-backs, a few too many. (A fantasy for city people like me who visit during the dry season).

44. Crown of Thorns starfish - report (Fathom 1971)

Crown of Thorns in aquarium. Ron Taylor aboard The Belgian Expedition GBR 1967

© Peer Productions   (John Harding photograph)

Sand cay is a clue to relocating this reef.

Fathom magazine (Australia) - 480 page library <Click

Two reefs east of Mystery Cay (The Swain Reefs) Coralita divers found  a massive population of starfish in 1975.