Biologist reveals hidden world in first-ever marine life guide for Magnetic Island
A Townsville marine biologist has released the world's first scientific field guide for Magnetic Island after community fundraising rescued his project from publisher bankruptcy.
A Townsville marine biologist has released the world’s first scientific field guide for Magnetic Island, revealing the biodiversity of a region experts say has been “vastly under researched”.
Lawrence Scheele has spent more than eight years cataloguing species which are included in his first book “A Field Guide To The Marine Life Of Magnetic Island Great Barrier Reef”, a project driven by a desire to protect the local ecosystem through education.
Mr Scheele, a James Cook University graduate who moved to the region in 2017, said the island was unique because of its accessibility.
“Magnetic Island is really unique because it’s one of the most accessible coral reefs on the Great Barrier Reef, but it is vastly under researched and understudied, so we don’t actually know too much about the inhabitants that live beneath our waters,” Mr Scheele said.
“My philosophy is always, if people don’t know what’s out there, they don’t know what to protect.
“For this region, the general consensus was there’s not much here … but I really hope this book can help open up people’s eyes to the biodiversity of marine life here.”
The guide covers habitats ranging from coral reefs to mangrove forests and seagrass beds and features 730 different species, 950 photographs, facts about the island’s ecosystem and an overview of the dive and snorkel sites on the island.
Unlike many underwater photographers, Mr Scheele captures his images while freediving rather than using scuba gear, a technique he said allowed him to get much closer to his subjects without disturbance.
He said his fieldwork often involved night dives to find elusive creatures, with a particular focus on cephalopods.
“I really love cephalopods. So octopus, cuttlefish, squid, so we do heaps of night dives around the island trying to look for those creatures,” he said.
“To this day, every time we go in the water, we see something we’ve never seen before.”
The project was peer-reviewed by scientific experts living on the island but faced a significant hurdle when the original publisher declared bankruptcy, leaving Mr Scheele and hundreds of other authors in the dark.
Mr Scheele said the book was saved by a community fundraising campaign.
“The local community set up a GoFundMe page to help gain funds to contribute to the first print run of this book,” he said.
“The community has been really instrumental for supporting this book. The book has almost sold out which is amazing.”
A book launch was held on the island, with more than 200 in attendance.
Mr Scheele has been selling his book in stores, as well as at the Horseshoe Bay Sunday Markets, with new mayor Nick Dametto even stopping to buy a copy.
The book is available on Magnetic Island at the post office, Pleasure Divers dive shop and Juniper & Co homewares, as well as Mary Who? bookshop in Townsville.
More Coverage
Originally published as Biologist reveals hidden world in first-ever marine life guide for Magnetic Island
Woman hurt in single-vehicle accident on Bruce Hwy
