Middleton Reef
Middleton Reefis acoral reefin theCoral Sea.It is separated by a deepoceanicpass some 47 km wide from nearbyElizabeth Reef,forming part of theLord Howe Riseunderwater plateau.It is around 230 km fromLord Howe Islandand 555 km from the coast ofNew South Wales.In 1997 theEnvironment, Sport and Territories Legislation Amendment Bill 1996included the reef in Australia'sCoral Sea IslandsTerritory.[1]
It is among the southernmost platform reefs in the world. Despite its relatively high latitude, there is a wide variety offloraandfaunaon the reef and in the surrounding waters, due to converging tropical and temperateocean currents.
It is about 8.9 km long by 6.3 km wide. At low tide most of the reef flat is exposed, at high tide only onecayis visible, The Sound, 100 m by 70 m and one metre above sea level.
The reefs form theElizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Park Reservemanaged by theGovernment of Australiaunder theNatural Heritage Trust.
Flora and fauna
[edit]Surveys by theAustralian Institute of Marine Sciencehave highlighted healthy numbers of black codEpinephelus daemelii,a threatened species[2]inNSWwaters.[3]The survey in 2003 highlighted 111 species of coral and identified 181 species of fish. The number of recorded fish species is 311 across several surveys. High numbers ofGalapagos sharksCarcharhinus galapagensiswere observed at Elizabeth Reef, and may indicate that the reef is a nursery.Sea cucumber(black teatfish),Holothuria whitmaei,[4]were also found in high numbers at Elizabeth Reef. While the 2003 survey found only small numbers ofcrown-of-thorns starfish,a survey in 2005 indicated that that species is now active.[5]
Shipwrecks
[edit]Along withElizabeth Reef,the reef has been the site of numerousshipwrecks.According to theNational Shipwrecks Databasethe ships stranded include: Middleton Reef:Agnes Napier,Annasona,Blue Jacket,Britannia,Defender,Maelgwyn,Mallsgate,Mary Lawson,Queen of the East,Stuart Russel,Runic,Fuku Maru no 7. Britanniais listed for both Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs. The yachtSospan Fachwas wrecked on Middleton Reef in 1974, and its crew of four was rescued after being stranded for six weeks, during which they lived on the wreck of theFuku Maru.[6]
Middleton Reef:Agnes Napier,Annasona,Blue Jacket,Britannia,Defender,Maelgwyn,Mallsgate,Mary Lawson,Queen of the East,Stuart Russel
Britanniais listed for both Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Prescott, Victor(1998)."The Uncertainties of Middleton and Elizabeth Reefs"(PDF).Maritime Studies.1998(100): 8–14.doi:10.1080/07266472.1998.10878528.
- ^Black Cod net
- ^Marine Surveys undertaken in the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve, December 2003Archived2008-08-02 at theWayback Machine
- ^Reefbase Online Library
- ^AIMS Reef Monitoring Elizabeth Reef
- ^Brown, Jamie (6 January 2015)."Salvation of the reef's castaways".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved14 April2023.
29°27′19″S159°07′07″E/ 29.455142°S 159.118539°E