Launch of Australia wide Redmap

by Carl Hyland on 14 Dec 2012 It was with great delight that I attended the media launch today for Redmap, the range extension Database and Mapping Project as it is also known.

It was a great event and since its inception three years ago to the day, Redmap within Tasmania has been a very successful project. With the site and reported sighting of fish species not normally seen in Tasmania being very popular amongst the fishing fraternity and diving groups, organisers of the Project under the guidance of Dr Gretta Pecl decided to take the website database Australia wide.

Led also by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) at the University Of Tasmania, as of today the concept has gone c into every state of Australia.

Redmap encourages fishers and divers to report sightings and upload photos of marine life that aren’t usually found at their local fishing, diving and swimming spots. These community sightings help to reveal if fish are ‘shifting their range’ in search of optimal water temperatures, as seas generally warm in a changing climate.

A network of Marine scientists will monitor and review sightings as they come to hand as they have done in the past locally and verify species and photographs before uploading to the Redmap website.

Today’s event was launched by Dr Gretta Pecl and Andrew Hart of ‘Hook, Line and Sinker’ fame at Mures Seafood on the Hobart Waterfront and was attended by many divers, Utas scientists and representatives from the Recreational sector and other interested organisations. The site was sent live to Australia at 10.30am.

Professor Colin Buxton, Director of IMAS Fisheries, Aquaculture and Coasts Centre said that Redmap was a wonderful example of how the community and scientists can work together to understand how climate change is affecting our oceans and help manage this uncertain future.

‘This information will allow some communities to take advantage of new fish arrivals and will help others minimise risks such as the introduction of pest species for those fisheries or regions that may be more impacted by species on the move,’ Professor Buxton said.

All Australians can now get involved by becoming a Redmap member, signing up for the quarterly newsletter, liking Redmap on Facebook and logging unusual marine animals on the Redmap website.

If you would like information about Redmap in your state contact Dr. Gretta Pecl on 0408626792.

Redmap N.S.W Associate Professor Natalie Moltschaniwskyj on 0417509463 Natalie.Moltschaniwskyj@newcastle.edu.au
Redmap QLD Martha Brians ;Research Officer 0447662570 martha.brians@jcu.edu.au
Redmap SA Keith Rowling 0437675573 Keith.Rowling@sa.gov.au
Redmap TAS Dr Gretta Pecl 0408626792 or gretta.pecl@utas.edu.au
Redmap VIC(not available until December 18th) Dianne Bray 03347448 dbray@museum.vic.gov.au
Redmap WA Dr Gary Jackson Gary.Jackson@fish.wa.gov.au