Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership

Last Friday, GHHP Project Officer Hannah King and GHHP Research Officer Tania Skewis attended the exciting launch of CQUniversity’s Hydrogen Central in Gladstone! 🌏💡 This milestone achievement is the result of months of planning, collaboration, and community engagement—bringing together industry leaders, researchers, educators, and government to create a hub for hydrogen and renewable energy. A huge congratulations to CQUniversity and all the valued partners who contributed to this development of a hub for hydrogen and renewable energy right here in Gladstone! ⚡Interested? Head over to the CQU Gladstone Marina Campus for a tour! #RegionalReportCardPartnership #Partnership #Gladstone #Environmental #Environment #GladstoneHarbour #Renewables #Hydrogen

🌱 Hydrogen Community Information Centre Open Day 🌱 Get ready to discover the future of hydrogen and renewable energy at the Community Launch of CQUniversity's Hydrogen Central! This immersive, interactive space is designed for everyone curious about the exciting world of clean energy. 📅 Date: Saturday, 29th March 2025 ⏰ Time: 11 AM – 3 PM 📍 Location: Hydrogen Central, CQUniversity Gladstone Whether you’re passionate about sustainability, science, or just curious, this event is perfect for everyone! For more info: h2central@cqu.edu.au

🪸Coral Monitoring in Gladstone Harbour Coral health in Gladstone Harbour is a key focus of our ecosystem monitoring. Researchers assess coral cover, juvenile coral density, and reef recovery potential to better understand and protect these vibrant underwater habitats. 📊 Last week, GHHP Research Officer Tania Skewis gave a presentation on coral monitoring for the Gladstone Harbour Report Card to the Gladstone Local Marine Advisory Committee (LMAC) on Wednesday, 19 March. The presentation showcased the critical role coral plays in our marine environment and the importance of ongoing monitoring. 🔍 Research like this helps us ensure a brighter future for our reefs and the species that call them home. 🌊✨ #RegionalReportCardPartnership #Partnership #Gladstone #Coral #Environmental #Environment #Social #Cultural #Economic #GladstoneHarbour #LMAC

🌊💙 It's World Water Day! 💙🌊 Water connects communities, ecosystems, and economies, making it one of our most precious resources. This World Water Day, March 22, we celebrate the role of clean, healthy waterways—and the science behind protecting them. In Gladstone Harbour, water quality monitoring plays a critical role in tracking nutrient levels, physicochemical properties, sediment, and metals to ensure our marine environment remains resilient and sustainable. This long-term research supports informed decision-making, conservation efforts, and a future where every drop counts. Special thanks to the Port Curtis Integrated Monitoring Program (PCIMP) for the use of their water quality data. #RegionalReportCardPartnership #ReportCard #WorldWaterDay #Water #Environment #Social #Cultural #Economic

🦀🌊 Tracking Mud Crabs in Gladstone Harbour The CQUniversity CMERC team is back in the field, continuing nine years of dedicated mud crab monitoring for the 2025 Gladstone Harbour Report Card! As a key species in our estuarine ecosystems, mud crabs act as indicators of waterway health. By studying their populations, researchers gain valuable insights into environmental changes and ecosystem stability. Already, the team has been out assessing these important marine species, tracking: 📌 Relative abundance – How many mud crabs are caught? 📌 Sex ratio trends – Are male and female populations balanced? 📌 Rust lesion prevalence – A health indicator, which remains low! Using strategically placed crab pots across key estuarine zones, researchers collect data on mud crab numbers, size, and health. This information feeds into the Gladstone Harbour Report Card and provides long-term data that is relevant to habitat protection, fisheries management and conservation efforts. By monitoring these iconic crabs year after year, we can better understand how environmental conditions, climate variability, and human activities influence their populations. This long-term research is a crucial piece of the puzzle in maintaining a healthy, thriving Gladstone Harbour. 🌊✨ 📸: Tahlia Thomas, CQUniversity #GHHP #GladstoneHarbour #EnvironmentalEducation #FutureStewards #ProtectOurWaterways #Sustainability #RegionalReportCardPartnership

🌟 Monday Motivation from Gladstone Harbour! 🌟 Let’s kick off the week with energy and purpose — Gladstone Harbour is a place of beauty, opportunity, and inspiration! 💧💚 Each step we take, big or small, helps improve our environment and strengthens the resilience of our local ecosystem. Whether it’s supporting local initiatives or making positive changes in our own lives, we’re all contributing to a brighter, healthier future for the Harbour. 🌱✨ Let’s make this week count — together, we’re driving real change and creating lasting impact! 🙌 #MondayMotivation #GladstoneHarbour #GHHP #HealthyHarbour #PositiveChange #SmallStepsBigImpact #RegionalReportCardPartnership

🌊🔬 Inspiring the Next Generation of Harbour Stewards 🌱👩🔬 A healthy harbour starts with education, and at GHHP, we’re passionate about making science accessible and engaging for all ages. Through resources like our Catchment Story, interactive games like Drains and Ladders, and a range of educational materials, we’re helping students and the community understand how our local waterways function—and why they need our care. By learning about water quality, ecosystems, and sustainability, young minds are developing the knowledge and passion to become future custodians of Gladstone Harbour. Whether it’s understanding how stormwater drains connect to the ocean or recognising the role of seagrass and mangroves in a healthy marine environment, these lessons shape how we care for our waterways now and into the future. Education creates change. The more we understand our environment, the better we can protect it. #GHHP #GladstoneHarbour #EnvironmentalEducation #FutureStewards #ProtectOurWaterways #Sustainability #RegionalReportCardPartnership

📸🌿 Check out the latest images captured by the James Cook University TropWATER: JCU's Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research team during surveys for the 2024 seagrass assessment! For 22 years, Gladstone Ports Corporation Ltd’s seagrass monitoring program has been providing valuable insights into the health of Gladstone’s seagrass meadows. This long-term dataset is an in-kind contribution to the annual Gladstone Harbour Report Card, helping to track ecosystem changes 💙🌊 Did you know? The surveys are conducted via helicopter—without doors—hovering just one metre above the water! 🚁 This method allows researchers to cover large areas efficiently while capturing high-resolution data on seagrass meadow extent and species composition. This year’s program was a full baseline survey, meaning two helicopters! Long-term monitoring like this is essential for understanding and protecting our marine environments. 🌏✨ #RegionalReportCardPartnership #Partnership #ReportCard #Gladstone #Seagrass #SeagrassMonitoring #GladstonePortsCorporation #JamesCookUniversity #TROPWATER #HelicopterSurveys #Environment

🌊 National Sea Week 2025 – The Ocean Makes Earth Habitable 🌎 From March 1–9, we recognise National Sea Week, a time to reflect on the critical role our oceans play in sustaining life on Earth. This year’s theme, “The Ocean Makes Earth Habitable”, highlights just how much we depend on healthy marine ecosystems. The ocean produces over 50% of the oxygen we breathe, regulates our climate, and supports an incredible diversity of marine life. Here in Gladstone, our waterways are deeply connected to the health of the ocean, influencing everything from local biodiversity to the industries and communities that rely on them. How can we support ocean health? ✅ Reduce plastic waste and marine pollution ♻️ ✅ Protect key coastal habitats like seagrass and mangroves 🌿 ✅ Support science-based conservation and monitoring efforts 🌎 As a community, we all play a role in preserving our marine environment. What does the ocean mean to you? Let’s start a conversation. ⬇️ #NationalSeaWeek #TheOceanMakesEarthHabitable #GHHP #GladstoneHarbour #Sustainability #MarineConservation #OceansMatter #RegionalReportCardPartnership #Partnership #Gladstone #Environment

🌊 Wild Waves Across QLD's Coast 🌊 If you noticed unusually high tides and stronger waves over the weekend, it’s due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred off the coast. Cyclones create low-pressure systems, which cause the ocean to rise slightly. Combined with strong onshore winds, this leads to higher-than-normal tides, increased wave energy, and coastal erosion. This highlights the vital role of sand dunes and dune vegetation in protecting our coastline. The root systems of these plants help stabilise the dunes, reducing erosion and buffering the impact of extreme weather events. Maintaining healthy dune ecosystems is crucial for long-term coastal resilience. It's also always a good opportunity to Take 3 for the Sea. Any rubbish picked up today is rubbish that won’t wash into the ocean tomorrow! ♻️🐢 Extreme weather reminds us of nature’s power, but also of the importance of sustainable coastal management. Interested in knowing more about coastal plans and strategies in our region? Visit the Gladstone Regional Council site here to learn more: #TannumSands #CycloneAlfred #CoastalErosion #ProtectOurBeaches #Take3ForTheSea #LoveWhereYouLive #GladstoneHealthyHarbourPartnership #GHHP #RegionalReportCardPartnership