Pollution in coastal marine ecosystems continues to be a major anthropogenic stressor, largely due to the eutrophication it entails. As a direct consequence, drift algae mats comprise a nitrogen reservoir and its harvesting would provide a means of offsetting those inputs. Knowing whether they may function as an important ephemeral habitat and for what types of species is thus important for determining if its harvesting will result in beneficial or deleterious environmental outcomes.

The aim of our study was therefore to evaluate what animals are associated with drift algae and whether community composition changes depending on season, location and algal species. We sampled 3 different depths at 3 sites relatively close to the major nutrient sources in Port Phillip Bay (VIC) at four times over the course of one year. The distribution and abundance of drift algae varied considerably seasonally and spatially but were typically most abundant in spring and autumn. Although the fish assemblages varied largely due changes in algal biomass and species composition, they were comprised largely of cosmopolitan species that are locally abundant. These findings support the idea that the harvesting is likely to have a net benefit by providing another pathway for the removal of nitrogen.