Monday 29-ii-88.
[Flight from Perth to Geraldton, visited Museum]
Tuesday 1 March 1988
[Boat to Mangrove Island, discussion on Rock Lobster population]
Station Pelsart#1 PG#1
Burnett Island (This island is also called Fin Island on Lands Dept 1:100,000 off Army map 7290) Pelsart Group Houtman Abrolhos WA. sand, rubble, live & dead coral; 0-0.5m. I snorkelled with Loisette for about 3 1/4 hr. Differences in fauna around island appear to be more closely related to microhabitat there to degree of exposure on different sides of the island. However in embayment on WE side (N of little islet adjoining island) there is a sandy cove with Tapes litterata (though only freshly dead broken shells found - unpatterned & patterned with grey-black) & very many small oysters (? Dendostrea) on dead coral rubble, old metal, old plastic etc/ Same - but not so many of these same oysters were found in slight embayment near hut on SE facing side of island (near FW lands). Fred found a couple of Saccostrea cuccullata. I found a dead R valve of a larger D. folium. In the small "channel" between, the islet & the island to the NW of "our hut" was a diversity of molluss & cowries etc - not seen elsewhere. Most commonly found bivalve was Leptomya? (semelid) psittacus ? - none found alive - many dead, mostly dissociated. Next most common was Ctena bella of all sizes - most white - one pinking found - all dead taken. Few other lucinids (?Monitilara) few tellins of different species, very few arcids (Barbatia). a few live pteriids on Acropora; 1 small venerid; 1 mactrid (small); 1 Carditid (dead); live Septifer bilocularis; 1 dead pinnid?; 2 species of stomatellids; 1 v flat; trochid (Cantharidus ? 1 or 2 spp; 1 orange nudibranch; few large Dolabella? [sketch]; dead bailer - live egg mass; Euchelus 1 or 2 spp.; mant dead Turbo pulcher; few live many dead Tectus; Fair number of dead liotiids. Cerithiids extremely numerous particularly below sand surface. Island is edged in most places by small "cliff" about 2 feet high - only in a few places is there a shingle beach. On the NW and there is a lot of dead Acropora & a high diversity of living coral - though usually only small colonies - plus Xenia, several species of starfish . holothurians of one species of echinoid - under stones - covered with shell fragments. Further to the SE but still NW of the hut are some large patches of zoanthiids. Algae mainly basal parts of Sargassum spar spp & lots of red - mostly Laurencia with some filamentous brown(?) & patches of brown Zonaria to SW ride of island. Here there were also a little Caulerpa. In embayments sediment v fine - but coarse among corals. Some bivalves drilled (Nassariids, drupes seen) few broken (bald[?] chin[?] seen) many oclopes[?] seen - particularly off SW side. Note Check names on most recent. Lands Dept Maps. the 1:100000 map gives Fin Island instead of Burnetts I & Uncle Margies I " " Mangrove I &
Wednesday 2 March 1988.
[...]Finally got away about 9.30am & went to reef to east of Burnetts Island.
Station PG#2
Approx 400m south of Coronation Island. Pelsart Group, Houtman Abrolhos WA reef edging lagoon, 0-10m living & dead coral & sand &rubble slopes. I swam with Loisette for approx 1 3/4 hrs (In at about 10.20am). Steep slopes - like landslide - were bare but those with more gentle slopes supported growths of Halophylla. Ded coral supported low growths of basal parts of Sargassum with few patches of Caulerpa & very little Zonaria. Coral growth was abundant lush & diverse with some dense strands of staghorn Acropora amd large colonies of various species at about 8-10m & below. Plenty of large dead brachiopods numerous small living red brachiopods. Diversity of oysters. 1 large Hyotissa hyotis attached to loose lump of dead coral - at about 1-2m - many have been washed over from reef top. 1 large Hyotissa sp. 4-5m. Ostrea tuberculata abundant on diversity of coral. Very Abundant small oysters - Dendostrea cf folium on basal parts of & dead stems of staghorn Acropora & Possibly some species under plates of dead coral. definite Dendostrea folium; Ventricolaria toreuma; Cardita ? [?]; Spondylus sp or spp; Chama sp or spp - crenulated lips, spinose, pale, ?, purplish interior; Barbatia sp - brownish; another arcid Barbatia (Acar); Septifer bilocularis; Lithophaga 2spp (in dead coral); Tapes litteratus - small, large dead except for 1 juvenile; cardiids; Pteriids on staghorn Acropora; ?Isonognomids on staghorn Acropora; Ctena bella; Chlamys squamosum; C. finebris; (?)Gloripallium pallium; Irus sp in crevices in dead coral; petricolid; malleid; Fissurellid - dead (Amblychilates crucatenata; Tectus pyramis - live & dead - many; Trochus cf maculatus -dead -many; Turbo pulcher -dead; Astralium tentoriiforme; Chlorodiloma zeus; Cenal Acmeid (small, high conical, rad. stipes, ?pinkish edge to mantle); 1 Nudibranch - hard sulphur yellow
2-iii-88 (cont)
At about 4pm went for another dive (Loisette stayed in camp).
Station PG#3
Approximately 400m N of W end of Mangrove Island, Pelsart Grp, Houtman Abrolhos - 2-6 metres. living staghorn Acropora with depressions with dead Acropora but living colonies of a diversity of other species - no bare ground, sand etc. I swam with Gerry & Nick for approximately 1 1/4 hours (in at about 4.20pm). Molluscan fauna depauperate - few species - as is typical of areas of dense live coral. Much Zonaria - little of any other algae except a few clumps of a few species of Caulerpa & Pteria sp on living Acropora. ?Dendostrea on living Acropora. few Ostrea tuberculata. Tectus pyramis - some with notch (shallow) in lip - many - pale bases; Turbo pulcher with many Hypponyx; v few dead Trochus ? maculatus; Astralium tentoriiforme - many on bases of dead Acropora. Some broken valves of Pecten & Aequipecten (? from elsewhere). I found 2 spp of starfish for Loisette - no other echinaderms seen. Many white brachipods under large dead plates of coral. Several bald chin grouper & coral trout were "collected" & cooked for dinner - fish "pig-out". Nick gave me a drink of his scotch & I was given a toast of birthday wishes. 
Thursday 3-iii-88.
Left at about 9.30 to go to Jacksons Island in Coronation Group. Just after turning into entrance of the Nook. the engine of the Fisheries jet boat cut out & the boat was towed into the jetty by the Zodiac. After fixing it - a lead had come off a terminal - we went around to the bay on the NE side of the island. 
Station PG#4.
Jacksons Island, Pelsart Group, Houtman Abrolhos, 3-25m, steep slope c dead & living coral & algae.
#4a deeper water.
Tectus many; Astralium tentoriiforme many; Pteria on Acropora fair number - not as many as at #2. ?Dendostrea on Acropora; Dendostrea on cable. 
#4b Shallower water
Turbo pulcher many; Tectus many; Asralium few; Chama spp; Spondylus spp (4) purple lip, coarse spines, (2) pale lip, fine spines; Anomiid under stone; Trochus cf maculatus; Streptopinna - very long; Septifer many; Barbatia few; Ostrea tuberculata few; Chlamys (Gloripallium) pallium alive. 
Clay & Fred collected; juvenile Chlamys squamosus; 2 spp Lithophaga.
Thursday 3-iii-88 (cont)
PG#7
In afternoon went with Loisette, Gsry & Randall to Coronation Island where we looked at rock pools in interior of island - 1 large, turbid - didn't look very interesting though apparently sometimes clear; 2 smaller ones - really clefts in rock - clear water 1 contained large numbers of conical growths of coral Cyphostrea - annulated on outside - polyps inside [sketch of coral]. Other cleft was deeper water - fisheries sometimes stack it with cover.
PG#5
Then afterwards we went to island SW of Rotondella Island (which is SW of Jackson Island). Loisette & I Revisited pond in centre of island which Mike & I had found on our trip here. Water was beautifully clear - large growths of Caulerpa, Ulva, red semi-coralline, & green fine network. All of these except coralline were laden with small molluscs - trochids (?Calliostoma Gena) ? rissoids. Beautiful tube  worms - sponges - ascidians - great numbers of bristle worms (red/pink c white bristles) in mud at base of Caulerpa clumps - other large polychaetes in red algal clumps. Nemerteans 2 or 3 spp. V few fish. Few Leptograpsus purple. No large molluscs seen, few species of brittle stars. Turbinid -?Homatopoma? Cantharidines - vv abundant - small; Gena - v. abundant; ?Botelloides - many on decaying Ulva; Marginellids - red weed; bulloids - green weeds; oysters on rubble. [sketch map]. Gena - shells black (sometimes brownish) & white. Calliostoma umbilical chunk only. Front edge of foot square - corners c short tentacles. Snout & head gnerally dark - clear brown of various shades. Cephalic tents cross banded c cream white & maroon sots as are mantle tentacles (3 per side) Maroon colour seems more obvious in maroon banded shells often black in green banded shells. Sides of foot & epipodium. Turbinid - Homatopoma?
Stn PG#6
Garry's Station at Newman Island.
Friday 4-iii-88.
Went to White (or Sandy I) - W of Basile I. Dived on reef to W of islet - outer side [sketch map]
Station PG#8
White I., Pelsart Group, Houtman Abrolhos WA. - 1 - 15m. Steep slope of dead & living coral, ridge slope[?] c coral slabs, embayment bottom of very fine white silt. Tapes litteratus; Chlamys squamosus; Trochus cf maculatus; Barbatia ?helblingii; Malleus - in silt attached to rock - broken; Angaria -dead; sepiolid; Solecurtids? -dead only; Amussium (?from here? all in 1 spot); Gloripallium pallium; Chlamys squamosus; Tectus - abundant everywhere but particularly in shallows; Turbo pulcher - in shallows only. Astralium - all depths; Clanculus - dark brown (shallows); Trochus cf maculosa - shallows in rubble &/or under boulders; Angaria; Lima fragilis - pale unbanded tentacles. Chama spp; Pteria in Acropora; ?Hyotissa?; Oysters conspicous by their absence; Aneumiids; Lamellaria. Little algae in shallows- sparse algal turf in deeper - basal parts of Sargassium & other fucoids; deepest - Asparagopsis, Peysonellia, large thallus gelatinous red. Sea grasses in soft bottom - Halophylla? but narrow leaves or flowering! - sparse.
4-iii-cont
In afternoon we all (except Nick) went across to the N end of Pelsaer I. - handn't had time to blow tanks so all went snorkelling instead [sketch map]
Station PG#9
Between Gregory & Pelsaert I, Pelsaert Group, Houtman Abrolhos. Shallow sublittoral flat & shallow areas of sides of deep pool. 0-2m. Pseudostomatella ?moriae; liotiids under stones; Tectus - v abundant; Turbo pulcher ?few; Leptomya; Ctena; Tellina (small); Spondylus; dead chamids seen but no live ones. dead Cantharidus - S end of pool - in sand; Pinna - dead piece only; Isognomonid - dead; Gloripallium pallium; oysters absent! Algae mainly Sargassium - basal parts only, in shallower areas - long upstanding stipes[?] in deeper areas - some shallow areas with lush growth of crustose coralline - same, slightly deeper, sandy.
Saturday 5-iii-88
We all went to the inside (between Jackson & Pelsart Is) &  swam down steep slope to 25m on W side & then swam around to SE side before working shallows.
In PG#10
Foale's Island, Pelsart Group, Houtman Abrolhos, - 0 - 25m sheltered to open coral covered reef slope. - live & dead coral - much Zonaria or Padina (non-rolled lip) on sheltered West side of island. On walls of 'channel' & on outer corner much less Zonaria but clumps of Caulerpa peltata up on branches of staghorn Acropora; in other places this was replaced by bracnhed red (soft) & ?Liagora deeper water - gelatinous red - tends to biped branching; Malleus 1 only ? 10-12m; Spondylus few; Chamids - few on Acropora - more in shallows; Lithophaga; G. pallium - in much depth; Angaria ? 10m on ded coral; Saccostrea cuccullata on jetty piles; ?Dendostrea folium on jetty piles lower down; ?Dendostrea folium on Acropora & on rope (few); Pteria on Acropora - red member; Astralium tentariiforme; Turbo pulcher - shallower; Tectus man deep & shallow; Cuculaea cuccukkata dead - ? 10m; Septifer - shallow; Chlamys ?finebris dead; Isognomon; ?Periglypta (piece) dead ?12m; Ctena; Barbatia (white); Siphonaria dead 2 spp, shallow sand; Barbatia (brownish); Liotia; Barbatia (Acar); Anomia small; ?Striarca; Sepia apama - med & small - live - 1 affected by rotenone[?].
5-III-88 (cont)
 In afternoon we all went to the Coral Patches - approx NE of Jacksons I. A seal on beach - came to investigate stayed to play & pose & much photographed.
Stn PG#11
Coral Patches, Pelsart Group, Houtman Abrolhos; 0.5-1m sand & crustose, coralline flat with slabs of dead coral very little living coral (previously disturbed by fish?). Loisette & I collected here. Some others dived in deeper water to about 2 metres off flat was slope of very luxuriant staghorn Acropora, formosa & some fragile growths of Montipora. Much Zonaria/Padina unrolled - striped & plain & ?Pockockiella (or  diff sp of Zonaria), Ctena - mostly small; Margaritine trochid - Herpetoporma ? concellata dead; ?Plicutulid (or small Spondylid) damaged - live taken; ?Leptomya - very few - dead cantharidine trochid - vv few dead. Young but not juvenile, live; -Pinctada margaritifera; Chloridoloma zeus -live -sparse; small Lima fragilis with some tentacles - live under rubble; Streptopinna - large -live; Chama -few live; Barbatia; ? Naetiid; Isognomon; few cones, muericids etc; variety of starfish.
6-iii-88 Sunday
We all went down the eastern side of the group sea being calm & day overcast & still. and made 2 steps off the eastern shore of Pelsart I. Conditions were calm with a slight swell so we made 2 dives on one tank - 1/2 at each station, 1 hour from 10.15.
Station PG#12 
off N part of eastern shore of Pelsart I, Pelsart Group, Houtman Abrolhos, WA. 6-25(28?)m - steep slope of dead & living coral down to sand bottom at about 25-28m. Upper slope deeply indented with gutters running vertical to shore. Spurs with heavy algal growth, Much articulated coral spp particularly in deeper water. Some Caulerpa peltata - deeper. fair amount of large leaved Halimeda near base of slope at junctions c sand. Increasing amounts of Sargassum spp & Ecklonia coming up slope & scattered bunches of ?Euchemna with thinner "branches" which are curved under at edges. Sand at base of slope with very little shell material & much drift algae - found piece of an olive shell. I found a large triton with thin spine - alive at bottom of slope on algal covered rocks (Charonia tritoni); Isognomon sp - white long small; Haliotis elegans - smallish - dead; H..? semiplicata alive, med size; Chlamys sp? -dead -good condition even scaled ribs; Ctena bella dead; Turbo pulcher - nacreous; Tectus nacreous; Astralium - in shallows, mod. uncommon; Malleus - live -pale->brown mod. small.
Station PG#13
off southern part of eastern shore of Pelsart Island off Ben Ledi Wreck. 3-9m. 1 1/4 hrs from 11.30. Not being able to go deeper than 8 metres because of short duration since previous dive Loisette & I were limited to upper slope which was more steeply sloping than previous station though without the abrupt change to a steep slope. It lacked gutters - the only one seen was a shallow gutter of the site of the outer wreck (not that in shallow surf zone). I found pair of bursids at about 7m - small clinging to shell of larger near to but lateral & sl posterior to posterior siphon (pink lips, dark red band). Anomia -white; Barbatia spp - orange & brown - white; ?Striarca; Isognomon - white; Lithophaga - small pale in dead coral; Phasianella ventricora - dead; Chama - spp abundant (orange & white/purple spp); Malleus - pale (white->tan) fragile; Angaria - abundant large worn live; Spondylus rare; Tectus - mod common; Turbo rel. common; Astralium - rare?; on wreck - oyster (?Hyotissa sp) - flat mod large -couldn't remove through lack of air; Haliotis semiplicata - live - mod large.
6-iii-88 cont.
Late in afternoon Loisette, Gary, Randall & I went to Square Island, S of Basile I to collect. Loisette or I snorkelled & Garry & Randall dived with SCUBA. The others went to the pool in the reef between Burnett & Mangrove Islands (-still regarded as StationPG#1). The coral growth around Stick Island is magnificent - huge beds of staghorn corals of a variety of colours including mauve, blue & deep blue (richest colours I have seen). There were Montipora colonies of a variety of colours but other corals were sparse & small. As is usual in this type of habitat molluscs are scarse. However on dead coral - which became more abundant in towards island (we swam on SW corner (where there is a rubble spit extending intertidally)). - but dead coral is mostly in the form of overturned plate Acropora. On W side of island near SW corner there are shallow channels running about W&E. On the island we saw 7 seals (i being juvenile) which got excited but not enough to enter water to investigate. 
Stn PG#14
Square Island, Pelsart Group, Houtman Abrolhos - shallow sublittoral on SW corner 0.5-1.5m. Chlamys? finebris - dead; G. pallium - alive & dead; Barbatia - dead; Septifer - rel. abundant; Tectus - v numberous - scarcely predated; Turbo - not numerous alive but extremely heavily predated; Astralium tentoriiforme - rel. abundant but not predated apparently; Chlamys sp; Chama - very abundant but almost all are old & worn - some very old & bulky - perhaps with thick crustose coralline layer - seem to be all ? species - but impossible to be sure; Oysters on Acropora - vv sparse; Lithophaga teres - under stone!; Lithophaga sp - pale; Trochus cf maculatus not predated?; Dendostrea folium dead; ?vv small turbinid on Lomalopomatid[?] - globose c dark spots. Rain, thunder & lightning in evening. 
7-iii-88 Monday.
We all set off for the southern end of Pelsart Island but the motor of the jet boat broke down about 1/2 way to Square Island so we turned back & returned to Burnett Island being towed by the Zodiac. So then we revised our plans & Clay, Gary & Loisette went off in Zodiac to the Half Moon Reef about 1/2 way between the wreck site of the "Windsor" & the South Grounds in a more or less sirect line from Basile I between Sqaure I & Ship Rock. Subtidal -> 1.2m sand bedrock c brown weed Cystophora
Station PG#15
Half Moon Reef, Pelsart Group, Houtman Abrolhos - outer reef flat (about 250-500m from edge) sand on bedrock, Loisette & Clay collected. Barbatia; Isognomon (white); dead "Leptomya"; dead Ctena bella; Chloridoloma zeus[?]; Oyster.
While they were out Gerry & I went out to dive at at the edge of the reef off the free-standing jetties belonging to Burnett Island fishermen. Gerry used rotenone in deep pool just landward of the line of jetties & I swam there & out off the edge to about 12m (v fine silt) - Lytocarpus on cables, orange Pentagonaster.
Station PG#1b
Burnett Island, Pelsart Group Houtman Abrolhos, off NE side of island. drop off of dead & living coral to silt at about 12m. ie 1-12m, steep coral slope to soft bottom. dived 1 1/4 hour. 12.20 - S. (All localities around Burnett I are grouped under Stn #1 - subscript is up to collector - if wishing to separate substations.). Very few mollucs.
Pteria on staghorn Acropora; Oysters on staghorn Acropora; ?Dendostrea on jetty piles & anchor & buoy ropes; Pinctada albina on cable across lagoon; Chama; Ctena v. dead; Tapes litteratus - dead; (see 2 pages over) Oysters on jetty piles & on dead coral - Dendostraea large nonfoliate anal lappett.; Oysters on living coral; Isognomon white; ?juvenile with fine dark red/brown radiating bifurcating stripes -> Tellinid - Macomine - ?Exotica - pink stripes dead. 
On soft bottom at about 9m - Halophylla ?ovalis (narrow blades, in flower) sparse & Caulerpa? racemosa? (sparse). In deeper water ? 10-12m. ?Laurencia ?filiformis in loose tangled bunches & in dense growth of filementous branched green (but might possibly be a "red"). Tellinid- Macomine 0 ?Exotica - pink stripes dead; Tellus(Clathrotellina)
Oysters from PG#1a:
Oysters from ropes, coral, jetty pile are all the same species of Dendostrea? [two pages of detailed anatomical description]
8-iii-88.
At about 8.30am "or a little later." Gerry, Flay, Nick & I set of in Zodiac for Half Moon Reef. Fred was to leave for Geraldton in the Fisheries vessel (?"Abel Tasman") when it called to pick up the jet-boat to tow it back for repairs. Loisette & Gary were to dive over the edge in front of the island jetties (ie Stn PG1). We went diwn the chanel between Square Island & Stick Island then on past Skip Rock to reef. After being carried NW by strong winds (seas were rough & trip very bumpy - I even fell overboard on one particularly violent bump. My back started to seize up with the jarring but fortunately we got into shallower more sheltered water soon after & all was well. The site where we eventually anchored was apparently somewhat to the SE of yesterdays' station. Apparently much of the fauna was different. We swam briefly around in the coral covered area ?80% cover of dead & living Acropora & few small colonies of other groups & then swam towards the reef crest where several large bombies emerged above water level. We could clearly see the southern end of Pelsart Island with its tower & much closer what seemed to be part of the wreck of the "Windsor". The majority of the collecting I did was in the zone of dead coral & exposed pavement with shallow mixed sand between the Acropora zone & the reef top. I did some collecting in shallower pools cut down into the pavement rock of the reef top - very abundant Septifer, Tectus, some Dicathais, Astralium, variety of mesogastropods & neogastropods (drupes, cones, etc). Oyters on bombies S. cuccullata with large barnacles. Gryphaeids (Hyotissa numisma?) under dead coral slabs. Many Tectus (but few Turbo) predated.
Station PG#15 (to be separated as #15a)
Half Moon Reef, Pelsart Group, Houtman Abrolhos WA.  - 0-1m. Reef top & area of loose coral slabs behind it. 
Isognomon small white; Barbatia sp white/orange; Barbatia sp brown; Septifer; Chama white/purple cren.; Astralium; Siphonaria large 2spp?; Turbo pulcher; Lithophagi pale; Tectus; Hyotissa ?numisma but purple interior; Angaria for few - hoary; Pinctada sp small, RV much more inflated; Chloridoloma - many alive; Ctena dead; Saccostrea cuccullata; "lepton"; Clanculus brown; Gibbula ? red & other colours; liotiid (diff from other collected elsewhere?).
Clay reported a large Tridacna maxima on reef among dead coral rubble. Collected dead Melo with exert spine. Saw Dolabella; collected Cypraea chinensis; 2 spp nudibranches - 1 speckled black darid - 1 multicoloured.
Station PG1#C
Gary collected from Halophylla from off the island jetties at about 14m. 0 it was the broad leaved type - from the channel. 
9-iii-88
Started packing early - ready on island jetty when carrier boat Southern Lady arrived at about 11am. Delivered fuel to 2 jetties on Jacksons Usland (collected Austrocochlea alive at one - same as our Stn PG#4 & one on "the Nook" (ie that little island between Jacksons & Newman) & also at one of the islands further south. Arrived at Geraldton about 4.30on unloaded - then went over to the Fisheries Dept. to organise gear etc. [Dinner etc, departed for Perth arriving at about 8pm.]
[7 pages at rear of book list and summarise stations and dates]