Understanding the stock-recruitment relationship to reverse the decline in the southern rock lobster. Declines in southern rock lobster fisheries across three Australian states show that we need to understand the flow and survival of larvae. The project aims to identify the fundamental links between recruitment and spawning stock, to enable predictions of recruitment for the management of adult stocks, safeguarding the future of the fishery.
Striking Gold - Determining the genetics of gold skin colour in barramundi. Barramundi is one of Australia’s finest eating table fish and the species is gaining global prominence. However, fillet flesh colour of Australian farmed barramundi exhibit greyish tones which lowers consumer acceptance compared to other white flesh fish and imported product. Barramundi with rare golden skin tones do not exhibit this flesh "greyness" and are therefore a valuable niche product to farm if they can be produ ....Striking Gold - Determining the genetics of gold skin colour in barramundi. Barramundi is one of Australia’s finest eating table fish and the species is gaining global prominence. However, fillet flesh colour of Australian farmed barramundi exhibit greyish tones which lowers consumer acceptance compared to other white flesh fish and imported product. Barramundi with rare golden skin tones do not exhibit this flesh "greyness" and are therefore a valuable niche product to farm if they can be produced in larger numbers. This project will elucidate the genetic basis and mechanism of expression behind the golden barramundi phenotype. In doing so, it will enable barramundi farmers to produce them at commercially relevant scales, providing them with a substantial competitive advantage in both domestic and global markets.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH210100014
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,996,503.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub for Supercharging Tropical Aquaculture Through Genetic Solutions. This project will deliver the genetic knowledge to instigate world-leading and highly productive breeding programs for five tropical aquaculture species (barramundi, pearl oyster, prawn, grouper and marine algae) in northern Australia. It will integrate cutting edge genetic and genomic approaches into innovative aquaculture enterprises and will establish a novel understanding of the genetic basis of disease resist ....ARC Research Hub for Supercharging Tropical Aquaculture Through Genetic Solutions. This project will deliver the genetic knowledge to instigate world-leading and highly productive breeding programs for five tropical aquaculture species (barramundi, pearl oyster, prawn, grouper and marine algae) in northern Australia. It will integrate cutting edge genetic and genomic approaches into innovative aquaculture enterprises and will establish a novel understanding of the genetic basis of disease resistance and how the production environment interfaces with the bacterial microbiome, pathogens and water quality to cause disease. Outcomes will lead to increased productivity, international competitiveness, and lowered disease risk and significantly expand Australia's capacity in the aquaculture sector.Read moreRead less
Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100648
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$472,027.00
Summary
Novel reproductive approaches to de-risk and transform barramundi breeding. Demand for Australian seafood outstrips supply. Farming of the iconic Australian barramundi is poised to play a major role addressing this shortfall; but innovative methods are needed to de-risk breeding processes and to provide precise control of maturation, spawning and genetic contribution of broodstock. This project, in partnership with the world’s largest barramundi breeding company, will develop, test and apply nov ....Novel reproductive approaches to de-risk and transform barramundi breeding. Demand for Australian seafood outstrips supply. Farming of the iconic Australian barramundi is poised to play a major role addressing this shortfall; but innovative methods are needed to de-risk breeding processes and to provide precise control of maturation, spawning and genetic contribution of broodstock. This project, in partnership with the world’s largest barramundi breeding company, will develop, test and apply novel breeding methods to obtain tight control over barramundi reproductive development and spawning. By combining cutting-edge genetic and applied breeding techniques, selective breeding programs will be more efficient and the genetic gains from breeding programs will be maximised.Read moreRead less
Flavour enhancing functional feeds for farmed Barramundi. This project aims to improve the flavour quality of Australian farmed barramundi through developing novel functional feeds. The project expects to expand our fundamental knowledge of flavour enhancement, whilst providing practical benefits with respect to final product quality. The project will enable industry to achieve higher product quality benchmarks, towards the ultimate goal of improving the marketability of barramundi both locally ....Flavour enhancing functional feeds for farmed Barramundi. This project aims to improve the flavour quality of Australian farmed barramundi through developing novel functional feeds. The project expects to expand our fundamental knowledge of flavour enhancement, whilst providing practical benefits with respect to final product quality. The project will enable industry to achieve higher product quality benchmarks, towards the ultimate goal of improving the marketability of barramundi both locally and overseas. This project will provide significant benefits to the Australian barramundi industry by increasing product values, thereby facilitating an economically sustainable growth of this important regional industry.Read moreRead less
Lost at sea? Understanding adaptation and dispersal in spiny lobsters. Continual recruitment of young is fundamental to the replenishment of populations, especially when a stock is fished. Existing theory suggests that species with very long planktonic larval stages disperse widely, ensuring their genes are well mixed. However, recently identified genetic differences between populations of rock lobster challenge this paradigm and demonstrate that despite larvae mixing in the ocean for years, loc ....Lost at sea? Understanding adaptation and dispersal in spiny lobsters. Continual recruitment of young is fundamental to the replenishment of populations, especially when a stock is fished. Existing theory suggests that species with very long planktonic larval stages disperse widely, ensuring their genes are well mixed. However, recently identified genetic differences between populations of rock lobster challenge this paradigm and demonstrate that despite larvae mixing in the ocean for years, local recruitment and/or adaptation are at play. Recent developments in genomics and bioinformatics should allow this project to understand the ecological processes underpinning these genetic signatures and determine their evolutionary implications. Such findings could direct targeted rebuilding of depleted fisheries stocks.Read moreRead less
Investigation of endocrine disruption in Australian aquatic environments. Water is a vital resource. The disposal of wastes is often associated with the release of contaminants like endocrine disruptors into the environment. These contaminants can impact the health of our waterways and lead to potential risks to fish populations and ultimately public health. The hazards resulting from endocrine disruptors have been well defined globally and to a lesser extent in Australia in the last decade, how ....Investigation of endocrine disruption in Australian aquatic environments. Water is a vital resource. The disposal of wastes is often associated with the release of contaminants like endocrine disruptors into the environment. These contaminants can impact the health of our waterways and lead to potential risks to fish populations and ultimately public health. The hazards resulting from endocrine disruptors have been well defined globally and to a lesser extent in Australia in the last decade, however we have very limited information about possible effects in Australian waterways or reservoirs. This research project will investigate the state of endocrine disruption in our waters. The knowledge gained will address this gap and provide a benefit to the national community, risk managers and importantly our waterways.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
Elucidating structure and function of activation-associated secreted proteins (ASPs) in blood-feeding hookworms – toward new methods of control. The national/community benefits are: (1) to develop a long-term, high quality scientific and technological program contributing to national objectives, including the maintenance of a strong capability in basic research, the development of new scientific concepts and the enhancement of international collaborative links; (2) to strengthen the links betwee ....Elucidating structure and function of activation-associated secreted proteins (ASPs) in blood-feeding hookworms – toward new methods of control. The national/community benefits are: (1) to develop a long-term, high quality scientific and technological program contributing to national objectives, including the maintenance of a strong capability in basic research, the development of new scientific concepts and the enhancement of international collaborative links; (2) to strengthen the links between basic and applied research; (3) to develop excellence in research by promoting collaborative research, resulting in a more efficient use of resources in a national and international context; (4) to enhance the skills-base in biology and biotechnology; (5) to substantially increase global visibility through quality research, leading to an increased investment in Australian science.Read moreRead less
ARC Complex Open Systems Research Network. Complexity is the common frontier in the physical, biological and social sciences. This Network will link specialists in all three sciences through five generic conceptual and mathematical theme activities. It will promote research into how subsystems self-organise into new emergent structures when assembled into an open, non-equilibrium system. Outcomes will include new technologies and software tools and deeper understanding of fundamental questions i ....ARC Complex Open Systems Research Network. Complexity is the common frontier in the physical, biological and social sciences. This Network will link specialists in all three sciences through five generic conceptual and mathematical theme activities. It will promote research into how subsystems self-organise into new emergent structures when assembled into an open, non-equilibrium system. Outcomes will include new technologies and software tools and deeper understanding of fundamental questions in science. An essential function of the network will be introducing researchers end users to new tools and broadening the horizons of graduate students.Read moreRead less