Marine wildlife reporting

Volunteers, commercial organisations and National Parks and Wildlife Service staff make valuable contributions to our knowledge about marine wildlife.

NSW marine wildlife dashboard

The interactive dashboard shows data from marine wildlife incidents in New South Wales.

It can be used to explore trends for selected species, including threatened species.

You can also filter records by:

  • type of event
  • local government area
  • year
  • animal status
  • response outcome.

You can use filters and 'drill' buttons (arrows) or click on elements you want to see the relevant data displayed across all dashboard elements. Use the 'Reset filters' button to start again.

For more information about using the dashboard, click on the 'Help' button within the dashboard.

Tips on how to use the dashboard's accessibility features, including keyboard navigation, are in the accessibility guide.

Go to Marine wildlife dashboard

Management of threatened and protected marine species

Initiative 5 of the Marine Estate Management Strategy is responsible for reducing the impact of anthropogenic threats to threatened and protected marine animals in New South Wales. Under Initiative 5, improving reporting and data sharing on threatened and protected marine species is one project stream to support evidence-based decisions on marine wildlife management.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service works closely with partners to assist in managing and researching threatened and protected marine life. We record and monitor marine wildlife incidents through an online reporting system called Elements.

Elements allows staff to keep an updated record of a range of things, including;

  • the type of incident
  • species
  • location of animal
  • condition of animal
  • which partners are assisting in the event.

All historical marine wildlife records have now been added to our Elements reporting system, creating an online repository for staff to study patterns in species health and distribution and to investigate spatial and temporal trends in the data over time.

Rescue and rehabilitation groups that have contributed to the Elements database include the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA), Australian Seabird and Turtle Rescue (ASTR), Dolphin Marine Conservation Park, SeaWorld, Sydney Sealife, Taronga Zoo and Wildlife in Need of Care (WINC).