Working for the understanding, sustainable use, and conservation of Sharks and their relatives in the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean
Venue and Location
North Stradbroke Island 2018
Moreton Bay Research Station
21 - 23 February 2018
About North Stradbroke Island
Minjerribah. North Stradbroke Island. Straddie. Whatever you call it, it’s marvelous, particularly if you’re a fan of sharks and rays (and we assume you are!). Straddie is the second largest sand island in the world and forms part of the outer barrier to Moreton Bay (Quandamooka). The protected waters of the Bay and exposed offshore waters are inhabited by 44 species of sharks, 30 species of rays and two species of chimeras (Wild Guide to Moreton Bay 2011). Moreton Bay lies central to the subtropical biogeographic zone and the dynamic changes in water temperature driven by the East Australian Current have large impacts on the faunal assemblages.
During summer you’ll find manta rays, leopard sharks and guitar sharks aggregating close to Point Lookout. In winter, grey nurse sharks aggregate a bit further off shore and white sharks are occasionally observed following the humpback whale migration. Moreton Bay is a nursery area to many whaler shark species and home to other resident species. Minjerribah is home to multiple tribes of the Quandamooka people, the native title holders, and has provided natural resources for their existence for over 20 000 years. Sacred sites, such as the Aboriginal midden which is located directly in front of MBRS, are found across the island.
Moreton Bay Research Station
Moreton Bay Research Station (MBRS), located in the township of Dunwich, was originally established in 1949 as a joint fisheries research station between Qld Government, CSIRO and UQ. It became the first UQ managed marine research station in 1961. A major upgrade occurred in the 1990s and the current station opened its doors in 2000. MBRS not only provides facilities for conferences, education and conducting research on, in and around Moreton Bay, but is also a centre of community activity and employer of many local residents. MBRS has significance for the OCS. This was the site of the first major Oceania Chondrichthyan IUCN Red List Assessment meeting in 2003.
In 2004 and 2005 the Southern Queensland Elasmobranch Research Forum was held at MBRS, a regional pre-cursor to the OCS and where some of the seeds were sewn for initiating the OCS. It’s fitting then, that the 10th anniversary for the OCS is being held at one of the locations the society started from.
Find out more on MBRS: http://www.uq.edu.au/moreton-bay-research-station/
How to get to Straddie
Straddie is only accessible via ferry. Passenger and car ferries leave from Cleveland (Middle Street), a bayside suburb of Brisbane. You can purchase passenger tickets at the ferry terminal. It’s best to purchase car ferry tickets online in advance.
To get to Cleveland from the domestic airport via train - take the Airlink train to Brisbane CBD and transfer to the Cleveland line (at any station from Bowen Hills to Park Road). There are shuttle buses from the Cleveland train station to the passenger ferries for most of the ferry services but check the ferry schedules for services that are missed.
Train schedules and details: https://translink.com.au/
You can drive to Cleveland and leave your car in either non-secure or secure (paid) parking.
There are two passenger ferries. The Gold Cat Flyer arrives at the One-Mile Ferry terminal which is closer to MBRS (see map) but both ferry stops are within walking distance.
www.stradbrokeferries.com.au/transport-options/water-taxi
The car ferries are run by one ferry service.
Oceania Chondrichthyan Society
