Seadragon search

Any Australian forum users help on this one?

Taken from Divernet:

DIVERS ASKED TO ASSIST SEARCH FOR LEAFY SEADRAGON

Divers are being asked to report any sightings of South Australia's leafy and weedy seadragons amid fears about the impact of pollution on the species.

The rare creatures are protected by law, but scientists are finding difficulty in measuring changes in the size of the leafy and weedy seadragon populations as there has been no survey of their numbers. Dragon Search South Australia is asking divers to report any sightings so that an assessment can be made of whether the seadragon populations are in decline.

The leafy and weedy seadragons are larger than seahorses, but are well-camouflaged and live in seagrass close to shore. This habitat is likely to be harmed by increasing pollution and the use of fertilisers in agriculture which get washed into the sea.

The Dragon Search South Australia website is at www.dragonsearch.asn.au

12 February 2003

Gorgeous looking creatures. Anyone have any pics?

I bet Bob has one somewhere in his collection!

Mark

I bet Bob has one somewhere in his collection!

Is there something he doesn’t have?

I find this information confusing as there is a lot of research going on regarding LSD's in Sydney & as far south as Tasmania. There are large colonies in both of these areas specifically, this may just prove that scientific bodies do not interact and share info, or they want someone else to do the hard work for them.

I've got stills & video somewhere.

Alto, I don't have Humbolt squid pictures!!!

Just to point out to ease any confusion, we have to species of Seadragons in Australian waters.

The Leafy Seadragon Phycodurus eques is found in predominantly in South Australia and parts of Western Australia. There have been occasional sightings in Victoria but it is not common in that state. It is not a very common species to find and best place to find it is under some of the jetty's in SA and WA.

The Weddy Seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus is the more common of the two. It is very common around Sydney and then down south to Victoria and Tasmania and around the southern part of our coast to Western Australia

A webpage with info can be seen at:

Leafy & Weedy SeaDragons

I have attached an image of a weedy seadragon so you can see the difference:

Hi Dave

thanks for that... Interesting site and nice pictures.

that's the best pic of a leafy I have yet seen.

I have dived many times in the cool waters near and south of Sydney, and have always seen weedy seadragons on each dive. In South Australia, I have seen many leafy seadragons, particularly near Adeleide. I love these fish for their grace and beauty, and they make for great photography subjects. I've attached a few photos I took this year.

- Graham

I have few weedys posted here ...

I used to dive a lot in Sydney: there's a good site there for Weedies called Magic Point. There are some Grey Nurse Sharks there too. Pretty cool if anyone gets the chance.

Kit

I did a handful of dives around Sydney (Kurnell, Old Man's Hat, etc.) and spotted weedies on every dive, including this one which carried some eggs...