For this past several weeks we have been visiting areas around Jervis Bay because our little beach here has had a deposit of seaweed on it. It is actually a mixture of seaweed, micro-algae and detritus. The micro-algae is a strong red colour and when mixed with the seaweed creates a high nutrient load on the beach. The algae apparently is part of the natural ecology of the Bay and when washed onto the beach (where it gets buried over the following weeks) it provides the bulk of the nutrient imput into the beach system. It actually supports beach life such as pippies and beach worms. So what you may ask…well these beach dwellers are important links in the food chain that includes flathead and bream fish. So I guess you could say that our dirty looking beach is going to prop up the recreational fishing around here.
Now the problem here is that normally the mess is cleared in a few weeks by high tides washing in and clearing away the debre however, this time the tides have not done their job and washed it out to a small continental shelf where it decomposes. So I am not sure how long it is going to take to disappear. I am glad though, that it occurred otherwise Mr J and would never have found places such as Honeymoon Bay or Silcus Cove or Cabbage Tree Beach. So the glass is still half full.