Cyclone Yasi is expected to have damaged some parts of the Great Barrier Reef, with severe damage likely to have occurred along the cyclone track as it crossed the reef and reached the coast near Mission Beach. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) Chairman Russell Reichelt said that because the cyclone tracked across rather than along the length of the reef, most other parts of the 340 000sq km World Heritage-listed marine park are expected to have escaped damage from the cyclone.

"Cyclones are regular events and do affect the coral reef ecosystem dramatically however, they tend to be localised to a specific area compared to other large scale effects such as mass coral bleaching caused by climate change," he said.

"With good water quality, the Great Barrier Reef can bounce back from severe storms such as Cyclone Yasi. We saw this with the impact of Cyclone Larry which hit the Reef in 2006," Dr Reichelt said.

The footprint left by Cyclone Yasi on the Reef is expected to be larger than that created by Cyclone Larry and include: smashed coral beds, movements of coral boulders, sand and rubble and major disturbance to seagrass beds.

The public should check with tourism operators' sites. It will be some days before the effects on fishing in the marine park are known. Ports and shipping operations are already returning to normal.

Dr Reichelt said the GBRMPA had detailed information about the condition of the reef before Cyclone Yasi, and with further assessments in the coming weeks, will be able to establish the difference between the reef's condition before and after Cyclone Yasi.

"The reef monitoring program will be invaluable for sourcing information that helps us to understand the extent and severity of damage," said Dr Reichelt.

(Media Release, GBRMPA.  For further information visit the GBRMPA website.)