They’re on the water year-round and know their patch like the back of their hand, so who better to help keep an Eye on the Reef than marine tourism operators. 

Now about 60 industry professionals are heading back to school off Cairns for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s (Reef Authority) annual pre-summer Eye on the Reef training.

They’ll learn to gather critical information on Reef health at high value tourism sites and supply valuable data vital to support management decisions going into another hot summer on the Reef.

Reef Authority Chief Scientist, Dr Roger Beeden said tourism operators are perfectly placed to provide trained eyes on the Reef.

“We need to be across what is happening over a vast region to effectively manage the Reef,” Dr Beeden said.

“The World Heritage area covers 344,400 square kilometres, which is bigger than Italy or about the same size as 70 million football fields, so extra eyes in the water, particularly well-trained eyes, are invaluable.

“Tourism operators are out in the Marine Park most days and often have an intimate knowledge of their sites. 

“We take that knowledge a step further and train them how to conduct Reef Tourism Weekly Surveys and Reef Health Impact Surveys, including how to look for and report on coral health, and to recognise bleaching, damage and disease.”

The new recruits have already completed much of the theory around monitoring Reef health.  They’ll now hit the water and learn to put that theory into practice.

“They’ll be recording Reef health indicators, environmental measurements and the presence of protected and iconic species,” Dr Beeden said.

“All of these factors directly relate to specific concerns about the resilience of the Reef.  This knowledge is invaluable for us, providing information about current health, as well as long-term trend data to inform our management actions to protect the ecosystem.”

Eye on the Reef enables anyone heading out on the water to report on Reef health, sightings and incidents through the Eye on the Reef app.  

Since it began in 1997, the program has fostered strong partnerships with the tourism industry, with countless industry professionals trained in a range of survey methods.

And with a second training session scheduled for the Whitsundays coming up soon, more than 100 new surveyors will join those ranks, their eyes locked firmly on the Reef for summer.

The Eye on the Reef app gives people access to zoning maps and rules and allows users to record Reef health, animal sightings or incidents. By using the app, you contribute valuable data to help Reef managers understand and protect these ecosystems. You can download the app through Google Play or the App Store.