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Tung Ping Chau is a small island located in the northeastern part of Hong Kong. Covering a sea area of about 270 hectares around the island, the Tung Ping Chau Marine Park (TPCMP) was designated in 2001. TPCMP is rich in marine biodiversity where 65 hard coral species have been recorded. High abundance and species diversity of octocorals, black corals and macroalgae have also been recorded within TPCMP. Nevertheless, other important ecological information on the distribution and extent of various benthic habitat is still scarce as the earlier studies largely focused on species diversity or coverage by means of conventional methods, e.g. transect, photo-quadrate, within a small area. With the recent advancement of seabed mapping technology, it is considered timely to conduct a habitat mapping study to identify the extent, types and coverage of substrates and key benthic habitats within TPCMP by innovative methods, with a view to providing more comprehensive ecological information for enhancing long term monitoring.

The Study found that Sargassum is not only recorded in the shallow subtidal to intertidal areas in A Ye Wan and Lung Lok Shui, but also can be found in an extensive area along the shore from western to northern TPCMP spanning Lung Lok Shui through Cham Keng Chau to Chau Mei Kok.

An octocoral bed was discovered south of the island near the marine park boundary. During the acoustic survey, hard bottom area was found near the boundary buoy of the marine park. In the optical survey, we confirmed that the hard bottom area are occupied by octocoral communities, dominated by gorgonians. This patch of octocoral bed has never been described in any study in the past.

Located in the northeastern part of Hong Kong, Tung Ping Chau was designated as a marine park in 2001Surveyors deploying Side Scan Sonar off Tung Ping ChauBathymetry data from multi-beam surveyWater drone that was used in shallow waters during the optical surveyTeam conducting drop camera surveyAerial view of <em>Sargassum</em> patch on water surfacePhoto taken by water drone when surveying hard coral communityImage of <em>Sargassum</em> captured by water droneOctocoral bed found south of the island near the marine park boundaryA sea turtle was spotted during the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) survey in Tung Ping Chau Marine Park
Principal Investigator Dr. CHAN Lai, Leo
Affiliation City University of Hong Kong
Period 2018–2021
Website https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=91f2a57f61f34c15be61bf9a68d43044
Funding Source Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

Information Source: Dr. CHAN Lai, Leo

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