Established in 2018, AusSeabed is a collaborative national seabed mapping initiative focused on delivering freely accessible seabed mapping data and coordinating efforts to map the gaps across the Australian maritime region of responsibility. AusSeabed is driven by a cross-sector steering committee bringing together organisations from the government, academia and private sectors to ensure an inclusive and diverse representation of the seabed mapping community. The Annual Highlights Report presents the key achievements of the AusSeabed program over the 2020/21 financial year. The report is structured in five sections, the first four are aligned to the 2020/21 work plan objectives and the fifth highlights engagement activities over the past year.

Northern Australia has been the focus of recent marine biodiversity research to support natural resource management for both industry and conservation, including management of the Oceanic Shoals Australian Marine Park (AMP). Much of this research has targeted habitat-forming sessile invertebrates and charismatic megafauna, but smaller macrofauna and infauna may also be important because of their roles in ecosystem functions. In this study we characterised the biodiversity of polychaetes collected from four marine surveys to the Oceanic Shoals AMP between 2009 and 2012 from which sediment samples were elutriated (500 μm) to separate macrofauna. We used this species-level inventory to examine several questions related to marine management, namely: (1) do polychaete assemblages vary among surveys; (2) can environmental variables or geomorphology explain differences in community structure; and (3) how do ecological patterns change according to taxonomic resolution (species, family) and functional group (feeding, habitat, mobility)? A total of 2561 individual polychaetes were collected from 266 samples, representing 368 species and 43 families, including new species and genera, as well as new family records for Australia (Iospilidae, Lacydoniidae). Polychaete species assemblages and functional groups showed variation among the surveys, but this was not observed at the family level. Species and family assemblages were weakly related to environmental factors, but functional groups showed stronger relationships. Plains and banks each supported distinct polychaete assemblages, although the latter showed temporal variation. The results provide baseline biodiversity and ecological data about polychaetes on the northern Australian shelf, and these are discussed in relation to marine management strategies. Notably, intersurvey and environmental patterns differ from those of larger sessile fauna (sponges) collected on the same surveys, highlighting the need to consider small macrofauna in monitoring programs of marine protected areas. <b>Citation:</b> Przeslawski Rachel, Glasby Christopher J., Nichol Scott (2019) Polychaetes (Annelida) of the Oceanic Shoals region, northern Australia: considering small macrofauna in marine management. <i>Marine and Freshwater Research</i> 70, 307-321. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF18060

This document presents an overview of the AusSeabed 2021/22 Work Plan created by the AusSeabed Steering Committee and endorsed by the AusSeabed Executive Board. The work plan builds on the great work delivered in 2020/21 (see the Annual Highlights Report & Annual Progress Report). For more information on the direction and vision of the program, please refer to the AusSeabed 2030 Strategic Plan. For further information about AusSeabed see <a href="https://www.ausseabed.gov.au">https://www.ausseabed.gov.au</a>

This dataset comprises an amalgamation of State, Territory and Commonwealth priorities in terms of Seabed mapping as of February 2017. Data that were identified as important for: safe navigation, environmental baseline assessment, resource competition and baseline data, and urgently required to support policy and government decisions were given priority. Agencies then ranked their priority areas 1 – very high/high (red), 2 – moderate (blue), and 3 – low (green), based on the need for the data and the impact of the data. These priority sets were compiled by Geoscience Australia and submitted to the Australian Hydrographic Office (AHO) for consideration as supplementary material for their "Hydroscheme" acquisition plan.

This Annual Progress Report provides a detailed account of the progress made against the AusSeabed program activities planned for 2020/21. A summary of highlights can be found in the Annual Highlights Report. The detailed report presented here includes six sections: 1. Achievement summary 2. Annual financial statement 3. Detailed report 4. Key program learnings 5. Appendices providing details for various elements.

Bathymetry is the study and mapping of the sea floor. It involves obtaining measurements of the depth of the ocean and is the equivalent to mapping topography on land. Bathymetric data is collected in multiple ways: 1. Satellite data can be used to produce maps showing general features over a large area at low resolution. Satellite altimetry measures the height of the ocean surface. If there are hills/mountains on the sea floor, the gravitational pull around that area will be greater and hence the sea surface will bulge. This measurement can be used to show where the seafloor is higher, and this can be used to produce maps showing general features over a large area at low resolution. 2. Single beam echosounders produce a single line of depth points directly under the equipment. These measurements are usually made while a vessel is moving to identify general sea floor patterns and/or schools of fish. 3. Equipment that captures swathes of data by acquiring multiple depth points in each area, such as multibeam echosounders (or swath echosounders) and airborne laser measurements (LADS). These datasets are very high resolution, with data down to better than one metre accuracy. This bathymetry dataset is a collection of singlebeam data sourced from seismic navigation lines, multibeam data, satellite and LADS data acquired by GA and by other government and non-government agencies.

<div>The development of Australia’s offshore renewable energy (ORE) industry can learn and benefit from decades of international experience and research. However, local knowledge of our unique receiving environment and the organisms that depend on it is critical for ensuring development minimises impacts on marine ecosystems. Long-term monitoring and adaptive management strategies that consistently evaluate and address environmental impacts of offshore wind farms will be necessary throughout the operational lifespan of ORE. This collaborative National Environmental Science Program project established an inventory of environmental and cultural data and best practice monitoring standards to support regulatory decision-making for ORE development for current proposed and declared areas: Hunter, Gippsland and Bass Strait, Illawarra, Southern Ocean and south-west Western Australia. We provide detail on 1) potential impacts of installation, operation, and decommissioning; 2) best practice standards for monitoring; 3) cultural and environmental values of Indigenous communities with links to development areas; 4) seabed geomorphology and habitat characterisation; potential interactions with oceanography and 5) the seasonality and distribution of interacting species. The inventory, which is available to the Government, proponents, and researchers, will improve the effectiveness of future research for the sustainable development of ORE in Australia. Presented at the 2024 AMSA-NZMSS Conference Hobart Tas