Giant Australian cuttlefish: a globally unique species under threat?

Associate Professor Bronwyn Gillanders presents the seventh instalment of the Science Seminar Series.

Giant Australian cuttlefish populations occur along the southern Australian coastline from Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia to Moreton Bay in New South Wales; however, Point Lowly in the upper-Spencer Gulf of South Australia is the only known breeding aggregation of Giant Australian cuttlefish in the world!  A range of phenotypic and genetic approaches have been used to study population structure and breeding aggregation within cuttlefish populations, and this information is used to determine potential impacts of desalination brine from the proposed expansion of Olympic Dam.  Research results indicate that the Point Lowly population may actually be a different species to other southern Spencer Gulf populations.  There is potential for desalination brine to effect the early life history stage of Giant Australian cuttlefish and more research is needed to determine effects on adult behaviour and migration.