Fancy a day in the water while helping a good cause?
Then join in San Remo’s annual sea slug census, on January 27 and 28.
Coastcare’s Summer by the Sea program will include guided tours of San Remo’s sea slug hot spot with marine scientists using a new guide, the Victorian Sea Slugs booklet.
Prizes will be on offer and all slugs found will be photographed and submitted to a state-wide census.
Please bring: sturdy shoes, hat, sunscreen, clothes that can get dirty, and a waterproof camera if you have one. Booties or even gumboots are recommended.
Bookings are essential. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Please register for tickets for both children and accompanying adults.
Details: bit.ly/sscsanremo
Nudi community
Last year’s census found 50 species of slugs in an area considered to be one of the most significant species-rich communities in Western Port, so precious it is protected by law.
Ventnor’s Kade Mills, from the Victorian National Parks Association, said the 1.5km stretch of intertidal foreshore at San Remo – that juts out north into the channel like a triangle – is protected by the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, with 93 species of one slug species found there.
Sea slug, he said, was a poor choice of words.
Nudibranchs – better known as nudis – are described by scientists as having some of the most fascinating shapes, colours and patterns of any animal.
“There is one species of nudi off San Remo that is a beautiful pink and is camouflaged because it is found on a pink sponge,” Kade said.
“There is one green that eats seaweed and stores it on its back like solar panels, to provide energy.
“The slug count is like a treasure hunt. They are hard to find but the more you look for them you get rewarded for your persistence.”
Kade explained that while all nudis were sea slugs not all sea slugs were nudis.
“We tell people if they think it’s a slug, take a picture just in case.”
Kade said nudis were like “canaries in the coal mine” in that they have a short one-year life span and had very specific food requirements.
“It’s like an orchid on land. Environmental conditions need to be met for them to exisgt. They’re only found in patches in defined climate and soil.”
“We don’t know if the San Remo nudi population is the biggest or the best. There’s so little we know about this species and that’s why the count is so important, because it forms a baseline.”
Kade, who is a professional diver, said he started the Victorian sea slug count in 2018, and the San Remo event was the first for this year, with further events planned in April, July and October.
“It helps collect information on the presence of slugs in different seasons.”