Phylogeography, Conservation Genetics and Stocking Management of Perches and Basses. This project will use DNA data to address fundamental questions about the origin and maintenance of biodiversity in a popular and widely distributed fish group. From a conservation perspective, the project will produce a benchmark about management of fish resources. We will investigate questions related to important conservation issues (including the recovery plan of a nationally threatened species) and the mana ....Phylogeography, Conservation Genetics and Stocking Management of Perches and Basses. This project will use DNA data to address fundamental questions about the origin and maintenance of biodiversity in a popular and widely distributed fish group. From a conservation perspective, the project will produce a benchmark about management of fish resources. We will investigate questions related to important conservation issues (including the recovery plan of a nationally threatened species) and the management of stocking activities in recreational fisheries of coastal and inland waters. The latter is particularly relevant to rural communities since they provide both social and economic benefits to rural people.Read moreRead less
Trophic cascades in Australian seagrasses: linking nutrients to survival and growth of commercially-important fishes. Despite its high conservation status and importance to commercial and recreational fisheries, seagrass is still declining in Australian waters. By investigating a trophic cascade that links nutrient pollution to the growth and survivorship of seagrass and commercially-important juvenile fishes, our study fills knowledge gaps crucial for improved future management of seagrass hab ....Trophic cascades in Australian seagrasses: linking nutrients to survival and growth of commercially-important fishes. Despite its high conservation status and importance to commercial and recreational fisheries, seagrass is still declining in Australian waters. By investigating a trophic cascade that links nutrient pollution to the growth and survivorship of seagrass and commercially-important juvenile fishes, our study fills knowledge gaps crucial for improved future management of seagrass habitats. The primary outcome of this study will be a model that can predict how changes in nutrient pollution will influence population dynamics of commercially-important fish species supported by seagrass. This information has, therefore, direct relevance to managers of estuarine and coastal environments at all levels of government - local, state and federal.Read moreRead less
Linking fish recruitment and habitat use to ecosystem processes. Estuaries are transition zones between fresh and marine waters and form key nursery areas for fisheries. Understanding what makes an estuary a nursery area, and how dependent fish are on estuaries, is difficult because we lack vital information on fish recruitment and migrations. We will utilise chemical and genetic techniques to determine patterns of recruitment and migration of fish and link these patterns to biological character ....Linking fish recruitment and habitat use to ecosystem processes. Estuaries are transition zones between fresh and marine waters and form key nursery areas for fisheries. Understanding what makes an estuary a nursery area, and how dependent fish are on estuaries, is difficult because we lack vital information on fish recruitment and migrations. We will utilise chemical and genetic techniques to determine patterns of recruitment and migration of fish and link these patterns to biological characteristics of fish and physical variables of surrounding landscapes. Outcomes will provide managers with key landscape attributes than require conservation. Such information is vital for continued sustainability of fish and estuarine resources and will benefit rural coastal communities.Read moreRead less
Trophic associations involving fish and crustaceans in coastal saltmarsh. Coastal saltmarsh is an endangered ecological community utilised by a diverse assemblage of fish during spring tides. Little attempt has been made to determine why fish visit saltmarsh, or what contribution saltmarsh makes to the diet of fish. This study combines gut analysis with novel approaches involving stable isotopes and radioactive markers to determine trophic interactions between fish and permanent members of the s ....Trophic associations involving fish and crustaceans in coastal saltmarsh. Coastal saltmarsh is an endangered ecological community utilised by a diverse assemblage of fish during spring tides. Little attempt has been made to determine why fish visit saltmarsh, or what contribution saltmarsh makes to the diet of fish. This study combines gut analysis with novel approaches involving stable isotopes and radioactive markers to determine trophic interactions between fish and permanent members of the saltmarsh fauna and flora. The project will provide coastal resource managers with quantifiable indicators of the relative significance of different saltmarsh communities to estuarine fisheries.Read moreRead less