A Quantitative Analysis of Prawn Harvesting Strategies. Prawn fisheries in NSW are undergoing major changes in their management. This unusual PhD project will design and test new decision-rules and strategies for fishery managers that are based upon pragmatic quantities of catch-per-unit-effort, prawn size, and river temperature and discharge. The performance of rules and strategies will be measured to ensure that they generate satisfactory outcomes for the prawn resources and the people that de ....A Quantitative Analysis of Prawn Harvesting Strategies. Prawn fisheries in NSW are undergoing major changes in their management. This unusual PhD project will design and test new decision-rules and strategies for fishery managers that are based upon pragmatic quantities of catch-per-unit-effort, prawn size, and river temperature and discharge. The performance of rules and strategies will be measured to ensure that they generate satisfactory outcomes for the prawn resources and the people that depend upon them. A major outcome will be precautionary or risk-averse decision-rules and strategies that are robust to the uncertainties that exist in prawn fisheries.Read moreRead less
Establishing an ecological basis for stocking density of Australian bass in freshwaters: Experimental field tests of a general numerical model. Large numbers of the Australian public go fishing, particularly in rivers and impoundments. Angling in these waterways provides a strong source of income for rural and regional communities. The stocking of native fish to support inland angling also sustains much of the aquaculture industry in western NSW and Queensland. This study will develop an optimal ....Establishing an ecological basis for stocking density of Australian bass in freshwaters: Experimental field tests of a general numerical model. Large numbers of the Australian public go fishing, particularly in rivers and impoundments. Angling in these waterways provides a strong source of income for rural and regional communities. The stocking of native fish to support inland angling also sustains much of the aquaculture industry in western NSW and Queensland. This study will develop an optimal approach to stocking Australian bass which is relevant for other stocked freshwater species, and will allow stocking to be undertaken in an environmentally responsible manner. This will both enhance the outcome of investment of public funds in stocking, and enhance the recreational fishing experience that is so important to rural regional communities.Read moreRead less
A genetic and experimental assessment of the frequency and importance of hybridisation of Black and Yellow Fin Bream. Bream (Acanthopagrus spp.) species underpin several valuable and heavily exploited fisheries in eastern Australia, but the two principal species, yellowfin (A. australis) and black (A, butcheri), interbreed significantly. This hybridisation is poorly documented and, with increasing harvests, could lead to long-term economic impacts and severe repercussions on biodiversity. It cou ....A genetic and experimental assessment of the frequency and importance of hybridisation of Black and Yellow Fin Bream. Bream (Acanthopagrus spp.) species underpin several valuable and heavily exploited fisheries in eastern Australia, but the two principal species, yellowfin (A. australis) and black (A, butcheri), interbreed significantly. This hybridisation is poorly documented and, with increasing harvests, could lead to long-term economic impacts and severe repercussions on biodiversity. It could, for example, increase the risk of localised extinctions and impact on genetic diversity of both species. We will use an innovative combination of molecular genetics and breeding experiments to: (i) determine frequency and direction of hybridisation; (ii) infer strength of genetic connections among estuaries; and, (iii) explore implications for sustainable fisheries management.Read moreRead less
Stocking of fish and prawns at ecologically determined densities into Australian estuaries. Increasing numbers of people like to go fishing, and to catch a fish, which translates into tourism income and aquaculture business. Restocking is a fisheries management option when the natural supply or survival of larvae is limited. This study will determine for the first time the ecologically appropriate abundance of small mulloway and prawns that an estuary can sustain. We will assess the extra eff ....Stocking of fish and prawns at ecologically determined densities into Australian estuaries. Increasing numbers of people like to go fishing, and to catch a fish, which translates into tourism income and aquaculture business. Restocking is a fisheries management option when the natural supply or survival of larvae is limited. This study will determine for the first time the ecologically appropriate abundance of small mulloway and prawns that an estuary can sustain. We will assess the extra effort needed to release larvae into particular key habitats, and develop new technologies to identify our larvae from the wild. Our findings will be relevant to restocking of Australia's inland rivers, which at present has little ecological basis.Read moreRead less
Reducing the bycatch pf juvenille bream, luderick and mullet in the NSW ocean haul fishery. To ensure long-term sustainability of the targeted species, it is imperative that the ocean haul fishery implements conservation-orientated practices. Failure to reduce the mortality of bycaught bream, luderick and mullet in the ocean haul fishery is likely to impact on the quality of both commercial and recreational fishing for these important species. The aims of the project are to (i) determine selecti ....Reducing the bycatch pf juvenille bream, luderick and mullet in the NSW ocean haul fishery. To ensure long-term sustainability of the targeted species, it is imperative that the ocean haul fishery implements conservation-orientated practices. Failure to reduce the mortality of bycaught bream, luderick and mullet in the ocean haul fishery is likely to impact on the quality of both commercial and recreational fishing for these important species. The aims of the project are to (i) determine selectivity of the existing nets used and (ii) to develop and assess modifications to gears that reduce bycatch. More specifically the utility of simple changes to existing mesh sizes and shapes to improve selectivity and bycatch reduction devices will be investigated. The expected outcomes of this project will be the conservation of hundreds of thousands of juvenile fish ensuring a better fishery, whilst also securing the economic and social structure of coastal communities that support this fishery.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100040
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
Integrated Greenhouse Gas Measurement System (IGMS) for monitoring agricultural emissions at field to regional scales. Measurement of greenhouse gases is critical to Australia’s obligations to reduce carbon emissions. The measurement facility will provide urgently needed accurate emission data from Australian agriculture to establish emission baselines and develop methods to extend the point-scale measurements to whole farm, regional and national scales.
Risk assessment of climate change mitigation measures. This project will consider market based mechanisms for environmental protection policies and will have both a theoretical and a practical dimension. The main benefactors of the project will be environmental regulators and policy makers working in this area.
Methane and nitrous oxide in agro-ecological systems: novel technologies and understandings to improve ecosystem management. Methane and nitrous oxide are critical greenhouse gases but globally we lack ecosystem scale analyses of the balance of emissions, including animal emissions, and soil oxidation. This project will quantify this balance for a range of agro-ecosystems, and explore and develop opportunities for improving soil-based Greenhouse Gas (GHG) mitigation measures.
Natural flood management: Nature-based flood mitigation in the 21st Century. The 2021-22 floods in Eastern Australia revealed the vulnerability of rivers to climate extremes. To prepare for a future with more intense floods, we must integrate nature-based flood mitigation strategies into river management. This project aims to address the potential of using Natural Flood Management (NFM) as a 21st Century flood mitigation solution. NFM uses natural processes to slow floods, reduce erosion, and mi ....Natural flood management: Nature-based flood mitigation in the 21st Century. The 2021-22 floods in Eastern Australia revealed the vulnerability of rivers to climate extremes. To prepare for a future with more intense floods, we must integrate nature-based flood mitigation strategies into river management. This project aims to address the potential of using Natural Flood Management (NFM) as a 21st Century flood mitigation solution. NFM uses natural processes to slow floods, reduce erosion, and minimise flood risk. Collaborating with NSW government partners the project expects to deliver scientific evidence for NFM and solutions for implementation in river rehabilitation, planning and community capacity building. The results will impact society's ability to adapt, reduce economic costs, and benefit the environment.Read moreRead less
Bad tastes, odours and toxins in our drinking water reservoirs: are benthic cyanobacteria the culprits? Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) produce toxins and bad tastes that contaminate drinking water sources, cause public concern about water quality. This project will address a critical knowledge gap by investigating species that grow on the sediments of reservoirs, thus providing more comprehensive management solutions to the water industry.