Each year over 120,000 Tasmanians go fishing at least once. Imagine ….120,000 potential ‘citizen scientists’ collecting valuable data about the marine environment! Redmap did.As the global climate changes, so too do the distribution of animals throughout the world. All have a preferred temperature range that they like to live, breed and feed in, and marine creatures are no different. The ocean provides a super-highway throughout which marine species can change their distribution, or range, to keep pace with the temperature changes.

In the southern hemisphere, range shifts usually occur in a southerly direction as species shift pole-ward to avoid the warming waters of their usual habitats. The waters around Tasmania are warming at a rate of over three times the global average, and we are increasingly finding species from mainland Australia arriving on our doorstep. With the east coast of Tasmania predicted to continue warming at an unprecedented rate, it is important for us to keep an eye on what’s turning up in our waters in order to predict some of the potential impacts of these range-extending species.

Redmap is a reporting tool that uses the valuable information provided by recreational divers, fishers or coastal users just like you to collate information about marine species in our waters. This new and interactive website encourages the Tasmanian community to spot, log and map marine species that are uncommon in Tasmania or in particular areas of our coast. The information collected by the website is mapped and displayed on the site to demonstrate changes in species distribution over time. Recreational coastal users such as yourself have a huge depth of knowledge and the broad-scale information you can provide is invaluable to scientists.

Seen a new species when you’ve been diving? Not sure if the fish you saw on the weekend was supposed to be there? Want to know what you should be on the lookout for? Just curious to know more? Check out the Redmap site for more details.

The TUDC has a page on the Redmap website through which you can report your sightings. Sign up and join the group to collate your sightings with other club members.

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