A new collaborative citizen science project is giving a helping hand to Halophila, the main species of seagrass in the Leschenault Estuary.
The seagrass science team from the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (the department) have joined forces with the Leschenault Catchment Council, community volunteers, OzFish and The University of Western Australia (UWA) for the new project ‘Seagrass for Swimmers’. This project recognises the importance of seagrass as a habitat for blue swimmer crabs and other aquatic fauna.

At a recent event in January 2025, community volunteers gathered on the shores of the estuary to collect fragments of seagrass species Halophila ovalis seagrass. The team assessed them for their reproductive status, with some fragments being replanted in trial plots within the estuary.
Dr Kieryn Kilminster, who leads the estuary science team at the department, said that this was an exciting first for the species.
“While seagrass restoration has been successful for other species, this trial is the first step for Halophila ovalis, so we’re really looking forward to seeing how it goes.”
“Seagrass meadows are under pressure from competition with macroalgae (seaweed) as well as increasing summer temperatures and heatwaves. So knowing how we can restore meadows after they are affected by events like heat waves will help us protect this important estuarine species,” said Kieryn.
“Our initial plan was to collect fruit, but the plants had not yet reached maturity, likely due to the slightly cooler Christmas period. So we switched to assessing reproductive effort, and the next time the group comes together, we will hopefully capture the fruit in peak production and maturity.”

Seagrass scientist Jess Billinghurst said the support of the community was critical for these restoration efforts.
“It was so wonderful to see the enthusiastic community members come to help and learn all about their local seagrass species. With their help, we can maximise our efforts through the restoration project,” she said.
Seagrass for Swimmers is funded by Lotterywest through the Leschenault Catchment Council’s Leschenault Estuary Connect program. It is a collaborative project between Leschenault Catchment Council, OzFish Unlimited with support from Boating Camping, Fishing (BCF), the department’s Healthy Estuaries WA program and UWA.
