Wonderful worms and seagrass in hot water
Recently, our Seagrass Project Officer Alex Gibson had the opportunity to fly to Perth to attend a marine polychaete (worm) taxonomy course at Murdoch University, led by senior curators and scientists from the Australian Museum and Museums Victoria.
Participants learned how to recognise Australian marine worm families during a series of lectures and practical laboratory sessions, covering worm ecology, physical form and reproduction.
A lab full of worm expertise: Anna Murray and Chris Glasby (the Australian Museum), Andrew Hosie (Western Australian Museum), James Tweedey (Murdoch University), Elena Kupriyanova and Pat Hutchings (The Australian Museum), Ana Hara (Western Australian Museum), Robin Wilson (Museums Victoria). Photo: Alex Gibson.
Freshly collected and preserved specimens were provided, and ‘BYO’ worms were also welcomed! Alex brought along Broome’s common mudflat dweller, the green paddle worm. This worm is sometimes mistaken for Phyllodoce novaehollandia, however inspection of the worm’s throat organ revealed it was in fact P. malmgreni.
A green paddle worm in Roebuck Bay. Photo: Victoria de Bryun.
The training was an opportunity to expand networks, meet scientists and fellow worm enthusiasts, and gain skills in worm identification to enhance understanding of benthic ecosystems.
Making up around 70% of all the species of invertebrates living in the mud of Roebuck Bay, worms play a big part in the diet of our migratory shorebirds, as well as other predators such as crabs, molluscs and fish. Their high numbers and biomass support these higher levels of the food web, which allows energy to be transferred through the food chain and helps support the overall health and biodiversity of our marine ecosystems.
Terebellidae – found on coral reefs and within seagrass beds, often living within a hard tube. Here you can distinguish their curly red gills from their long feeding tentacles. Photo: Betty Yu, Murdoch University.
Next time you are exploring mudflats or reefs, take a closer look at our worm friends down there. You’ll start to notice the intricate details in worm forms and functions. As many species are still undescribed, there is much we are yet to learn about the diversity of worms under our footsteps!
Look at the long chetae (hairs) of this fire worm (family Amphinomidae). The name comes from the pain inflicted if you get one of these hairs on your skin! Photo: Alex Gibson.
While in Perth, Alex also attended a seagrass marine heatwave response working group meeting at Edith Cowan University. This was an opportunity for scientists, government, Traditional Owners and community groups from across WA to discuss how to coordinate responses in the event of marine heatwaves impacting seagrass.
Volunteers capture data on sea worms during seagrass surveys. Photo: Alex Gibson.
The meeting highlighted knowledge gaps around how Kimberley seagrasses might respond to marine heatwaves; for example, what is the highest temperature Kimberley species can withstand?
We look forward to learning more about ways of protecting our region’s seagrass meadows in this rapidly changing climate.
- Adapted from an article by Alex Gibson that first appeared in the December 2025 edition of EK News.
Entrance Point - why it deserves protection
The Broome peninsula has a magnificent coastline.
Stretching back through geological time, the Broome sandstone harbours 130-million-year-old dinosaur footprints with profound meaning to traditional custodians. Then there are the 2,000-year-old human ones. Cultural treasures that feature in ancient stories are embedded in the rock and coastline. Registered Aboriginal heritage sites abound along the coast, middens attesting to the food riches sustained over millennia.
The reefs, with more than 40 species of coral, are gems of colour, shape and size, home to Clownfish, octopuses and anemones. Stand at Entrance Point at the right time and you can see Humpback Whales steaming past, Snubfin Dolphins hunting the Roebuck Deeps and, around the corner at Simpson's Beach, endangered sawfish skim for food and schools of salmon swim for their lives along the shore.
Recent photographs of previously undocumented animals (undoubtedly known to First Nations people), such as an unusual crab and poisonous anemone, show how little we know and how rich this tropical coastline is. During a recent visit to Reddell Beach (remember the marina planned for it?) with a marine biologist, we saw a Leopard Ray shoot off from our feet, a turtle pop its head up and birds dive-bomb fish balls – “It's so good to see this ecosystem is healthy; down south they're trashed,” was the comment.
With such a rich natural and cultural history, wouldn't we be protecting it? 'No' appears to be the answer from the state government, with its support for the plan to build an industrial floating jetty that would cut through the popular, rich reef of Entrance Point.
Just around the corner, plans for a unique Broome beach, bookended by sandstone headlands, are to cover it in 10 metres of concrete. In front, where we can now see Gourdon Bay across the turquoise waters of Roebuck Bay, would rise a 12-metre rock wall to serve as a breakwater. The estimated costs to taxpayers three years ago - $77 million. Inflation and a tradie shortage make it more than $100 million now. The purpose - to allow tinnies a few extra hours in the day to launch and for inexperienced boaties to bring in vessels when they haven't checked the weather and tides and find they're in trouble.
As locals born and bred here keep saying, if you can't launch and retrieve a boat safely now, you shouldn't be in the ocean without an experienced hand with an understanding of tides and wind around Broome. Instead of destroying one of Broome's most beautiful recreational beaches full of marine life and geological treasures, a memorial site for loved past residents of Broome, for $100 million, let's spend it on looking after Country and people.
You can help protect Entrance Point Reef by sending a message to Premier Roger Cook and Minister for Ports David Michael here.
Photos of Entrance Point Reef life: Sharmaine Donnelly. Photo of Broome locals protest: Damian Kelly.
Call for protection of Roebuck Bay and Kimberley coast from invasive threat by foreign vessels
Broome-based conservation group Environs Kimberley is signalling the alarm over catastrophic threat risk from foreign vessels bringing invasive species to Roebuck Bay, Broome’s cherished natural asset and the world-famous Kimberley coast. EK is calling for community consultation and an independent environmental risk assessment.
“Roebuck Bay is one of Broome’s most important community assets. Whether it's fishing in the Bay or on the shore, crabbing in the mangroves, exploring the seagrass and reefs or going for a swim at Town Beach, a vast majority of the people of Broome care deeply about it and the Traditional Owner connection is vital,” said Environs Kimberley’s Martin Pritchard.
The State and Federal Governments’ plans to give First Point of Entry (FPOE) status for the Port of Broome would mean foreign vessels could come directly into Roebuck Bay from overseas with the risk of bringing invasive species with them.
“Roebuck Bay has been relatively sheltered from invasive species because foreign ships must quarantine at another port first. We’ve seen disasters like the Black-striped mussel invasion in Darwin, requiring mass poisoning to control it. We don’t want that kind of disaster happening here.”
Marine invasive species can cost millions in damage and efforts to remove them, but once they establish themselves they can be impossible to eradicate.
Questions in the WA Parliament have uncovered marine invasive species at the Port of Broome, including White colonial sea squirt (Didemnum perlucidum), which is originally from the Caribbean. It is known to grow heavily over mussels and oysters and smother them.
Asian Green Mussel has also been found at the Port of Broome.
“We’re calling on the Federal Minister Catherine King and her State counterpart, Minister for Ports David Michael, to consult the community over their plans to open up Roebuck Bay to foreign vessels so that everyone understands the risks involved and can have a say. We’re also calling for an independent environmental risk assessment,” Mr Pritchard said.
“Both State and Federal Governments are putting the Kimberley coast at risk, an area known the world over as being intact. It is worth tens of millions of dollars in tourism revenue,” Mr Pritchard said.