Artificial Reefs: Suitability Of Recycled Materials For Integration Into Purpose Built Artificial Reefs For Enhancing Marine Productivity, Biodiversity And Social Outcomes
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$280,505.19
Summary
Traditionally, reef projects around Australia have been funded by public money through government agencies, in particular regional development, research or fisheries grants. More recently in WA, new reefs such as Exmouth’s King Reef, have been brought to life through funding partnerships between government, not for profit & other private/industry sectors. Creating new pathways & processes to unlock & utilise alternative materials to create habitat enhancement structures is critical in ensuring t ....Traditionally, reef projects around Australia have been funded by public money through government agencies, in particular regional development, research or fisheries grants. More recently in WA, new reefs such as Exmouth’s King Reef, have been brought to life through funding partnerships between government, not for profit & other private/industry sectors. Creating new pathways & processes to unlock & utilise alternative materials to create habitat enhancement structures is critical in ensuring the benefits artificial reefs create for our oceans & communities are maximised. Integrating appropriate recycled materials into reef developments provides opportunities from a scalability & financially sustainable perspective for all sectors of the Australian seafood industry, paving the way for more reefs to be deployed for social, economic and environmental benefit.
Playing a leading role in artificial reef development, Recfishwest often receives offers of materials for new reef projects. Examples include concrete in the form of railway sleepers, roadway culverts & bridge beams or steel in the form of storage tanks, structural frameworks & pipelines. Understanding what structures are suitable & acceptable for repurposing into reefs needs to be determined before these opportunities (current & future) are lost. This will unlock new reef options with alternative partners & funders to build more productive marine habitats for the benefit of local communities & the environment. This project is an extension to the previously FRDC funded habitat enhancement project: https://www.frdc.com.au/Archived-Reports/FRDC%20Projects/2014-005-DLD.pdf
Current Commonwealth & State legislation & policies limit the exploration of new reefing opportunities and there is a need to support change within these regulatory agencies.
We regularly consult with stakeholders who also have a need to understand the outcomes of this project including: DPIRD, NERA, WAFIC, NOPSEMA, DAWE, other Regulators, Resources Sector (including operators), Research agencies and the WA fishing community as end users. NERA and DAWE have also provided Letters of Support for this project as critical project partners to help achieve the outcomes and desired benefits. Objectives: 1. Explore existing literature on structures and materials that have been successfully repurposed into artificial reefs globally 2. Create a framework to assess the habitat and fishing suitability of structures for use in artificial reef projects 3. Create a guidelines and a substantial list of structures available for potential use in integrated artificial reefs from multiple industries 4. Develop a pathway with targeted regulators to assist in the development of a better regulatory environment that supports science-based habitat enhancement projects Read moreRead less
Snapper Science Program: Theme 1 - Biology And Ecology
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$1,982,523.00
Summary
A comprehensive understanding of the general biology and ecology of any fishery species is fundamental to determine its response to exploitation and inform appropriate fishery management. Despite the significant body of research into the biology of Snapper, there remain considerable knowledge gaps regarding the underlying factors that drive interannual variation in juvenile recruitment and the demographic processes that maintain populations. Furthermore, there is uncertainty in how these process ....A comprehensive understanding of the general biology and ecology of any fishery species is fundamental to determine its response to exploitation and inform appropriate fishery management. Despite the significant body of research into the biology of Snapper, there remain considerable knowledge gaps regarding the underlying factors that drive interannual variation in juvenile recruitment and the demographic processes that maintain populations. Furthermore, there is uncertainty in how these processes will be influenced by changing environmental conditions associated with climate change. As such, understanding drivers of recruitment variability was identified as one of the highest research priorities for Snapper at the most recent National Workshop (FRDC Project No. 2019-085; Cartwright et al. 2021). Given the strong relationship between episodic recruitment and fishery production described above for the SG/WCS and GSVS, this recommendation was also strongly endorsed by fishery researchers, managers, and industry stakeholders in SA (Drew et al. 2022).
This research proposal has been developed to address four research priorities: • To understand the biological and environmental factors that affect recruitment of Snapper in SA and evaluate the potential influence of climate change. • Provide a contemporary understanding of stock structure for Snapper on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula to inform the appropriate spatial scale for fishery management. • Develop a contemporary series of biological parameters for each stock of Snapper in SA to be used as inputs in the stock assessment model. • Evaluate changes in the physical environment that may affect Snapper recruitment.
Consequently, Research Theme 1 – Biology and Ecology involves four projects: 1.1 Investigating recruitment variability and evaluating the potential effects of climate change for Snapper in South Australia 1.2 Contemporary demographic processes and stock structure for Snapper on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula 1.3 Review of biological parameters for Snapper in South Australia 1.4 Benthic habitat survey for Gulf St Vincent.
1.1 Investigating recruitment variability and evaluating the potential effects of climate change for Snapper in South Australia The population dynamics and fishery productivity for Snapper in SA are fundamentally driven by highly variable interannual recruitment, i.e., the number of age 0+ juveniles that enter the population each year (Fowler et al. 2017, Fowler and Jennings 2003). As such, a relative index of annual age 0+ juvenile abundance would be a powerful, fishery-independent tool to predict future trends in fishable biomass. To address this need, a recent project was undertaken to identify the most appropriate sampling methodology for age 0+ Snapper in SA’s gulfs and to develop a pre-recruit index (FRDC Project No. 2019-046). The first component of the present study involves the continuation of annual surveys for age 0+ Snapper for each stock to monitor trends in juvenile recruitment. The surveys will be repeated annually at the recognised nursery areas for each stock, i.e., northern Spencer Gulf (NSG) for the SG/WCS and northern Gulf St Vincent (NGSV) for the GSVS (Fowler et al. 2017). In addition, age 1+ juvenile Snapper will be sampled from annual fishery-independent surveys for the Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent prawn fisheries, which will provide further information to determine relative year class strength.
The second component of the study involves investigating the relationships between environmental parameters and recruitment. The datasets for juvenile abundance will be considered with annual population age structures to develop a time series of recruitment for the two stocks (i.e., late 1960s to 2020s). Long-term time series of environmental parameters (e.g., temperature, salinity, productivity, wind stress) will be developed and compared to the time series of recruitment for each stock. In conjunction with the pre-recruit index, understanding the environmental influences that drive recruitment variability would provide even greater predictive capability to forecast trends in recruitment and fishable biomass, particularly under changing environmental conditions associated with climate change.
The third component of the study will investigate the potential effects of environmental change for Snapper in SA. Using the environmental datasets previously developed, a high-resolution oceanographic model for SA will be hindcast to determine the intensity of local environmental change and identify potential climate ‘hot spots’. The model will then be forecast with different climate change scenarios to predict changes in ocean conditions over the next 5, 10, and 50 years. Based on the physiological tolerance ranges for Snapper spawning and larval development, these predictions will be used to evaluate potential shifts in the availability of suitable environmental conditions for Snapper in SA. Such responses will be considered in terms of potential implications for future trends in recruitment and fishable biomass.
1.2 Contemporary demographic processes and stock structure for Snapper on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula There are three recognised stocks of Snapper in SA waters: the SG/WCS, the GSVS, and the Western Victoria Stock (WVS) (Fowler 2016, Fowler et al. 2017). The population of Snapper on the West Coast of Eyre Peninsula (WC) is a regional component of the SG/WCS. It is hypothesised that in most years, the WC population is replenished by local demographic processes that maintain the population at a relatively low level. However, episodically in years of exceptionally strong recruitment in northern Spencer Gulf (i.e., 1991, 1997, and 1999), the WC population is replenished through the density dependent emigration of fish of a few years of age that disperse from northern Spencer Gulf, through southern Spencer Gulf and to the WC. These fish then remain on the WC for the remainder of their lives.
As a consequence of the prolonged period of poor recruitment in northern Spencer Gulf since 1999 and the subsequent depletion of the population in Spencer Gulf, it is unlikely that this density dependent movement from Spencer Gulf to the WC has occurred to a major extent for a number of years or will occur until the Spencer Gulf population has recovered. Furthermore, age structures for the WC developed in 2020 and 2021 showed that only a very small number of fish from the strong 1997- and 1999-year classes in northern Spencer Gulf remained in the population, and there were several other year classes in the age structures for the WC that were not present in northern Spencer Gulf (Drew et al. 2022). Consequently, there is a need to understand the relative contributions of local population processes and emigration from northern Spencer Gulf to the WC population. This is particularly important following the regionalisation of the fishery through the Marine Scalefish Fishery (MSF) Reform (Smart et al. 2022).
This study will investigate the contemporary demographic processes that maintain the population of Snapper on the WC through the regional comparison of population age structures, elemental chemistry of otoliths, and population genomics. The findings will provide insight into the relative contributions of local recruitment and emigration to the WC population, that will be compared to the existing conceptual model of stock structure for Snapper in SA (Fowler 2016, Fowler et al. 2017). The proposed study will build on several previous projects that have investigated the stock structure of Snapper in SA (i.e., FRDC Project No. 2002-001, FRDC Project No. 2012-020, ARC Linkage Project No. LP180100756).
1.3 Review of biological parameters for Snapper in South Australia The biology of Snapper in SA has been studied over the past 40 years, with particular focus on northern Spencer Gulf (e.g., Jones 1981, 1987, McGlennon 2003). Since 2000, a weekly market sampling program has been undertaken by SARDI researchers that has provided biological data for Snapper caught by commercial fishers across SA. The sampling program has been augmented with periodic trips to regional areas, research cruises, and targeted research projects. Since the closure of the SG/WCS and GSVS in November 2019, biological samples from the two stocks have been accessed through a targeted sampling program which involved contracting commercial fishers. The data collected through these projects and programs is maintained in a MS Access database which currently contains biological information (i.e., capture date, location, length, weight, sex, reproductive stage, and age) for >27,000 Snapper and length information for >75,000 individuals.
This study will investigate potential changes in the biological characteristics of Snapper throughout SA over the past 40 years in response to temporal changes in environmental conditions and stock abundance. This will involve spatial and temporal comparisons of length, age, growth rate, and length at maturity for Snapper from each region of SA. The study will also consider various approaches to estimate natural mortality. A key output of the study is a summary of contemporary biological parameters for each stock of Snapper in SA that will be incorporated into the stock assessment model (‘SnapEst’).
1.4 Benthic habitat survey for Gulf St Vincent Snapper utilise a diversity of different benthic habitats throughout its life history, ranging from soft sediments that are favoured by recently settled juveniles to high relief structures that act as aggregation sites for spawning adults. As a result of the significant interannual variation in recruitment observed for Snapper in SA and the subsequent development of a pre-recruit index, there is particular interest in the spatial distribution and relative abundance of benthic habitats that act as nursery areas for age 0+ juvenile Snapper. In order for the pre-recruit index to provide reliable estimates of annual recruitment, it is essential that the key areas which support 0+ Snapper are sampled consistently each year.
In the recent project to develop a pre-recruit index (i.e., FRDC 2019-046), sampling for 0+ juvenile Snapper was targeted at the hypothesised nursery areas for each stock, i.e., northern Spencer Gulf (NSG) for the SG/WCS and northern Gulf St Vincent (NGSV) for the GSVS (Fowler et al. 2017). For NSG, the sampling design was informed by the results of annual surveys in the region from 2000 to 2010, which identified a strong relationship between the spatial distribution and abundance of 0+ Snapper and localised areas of soft, silty benthic substrate (Fowler and Jennings 2003, Fowler et al. 2010). There were no previous surveys for 0+ Snapper in NGSV, and therefore sampling locations were determined by the presence of suitable benthic substrate from existing habitat studies (Shepherd and Sprigg 1976, Tanner 2002). However, from 2021 to 2023, the catches of age 0+ Snapper in NGSV were very low in each annual survey and it cannot be determined if this reflected poor juvenile recruitment in these years, or if key nursery areas were not adequately sampled.
The aim of this study is to quantify the spatial distribution and relative abundance of benthic habitats in GSV, with particular emphasis on localised areas of soft substrate that may support age 0+ juvenile Snapper. The study will use towed underwater video and particle size analysis of sediment samples to quantify habitat types at ~150 sites throughout GSV following the methods recently applied in Spencer Gulf (FRDC 2020-002; Grammer et al. in prep.). The spatial distribution and relative abundance of benthic habitat types identified in this study will be compared to previous surveys in 1964-69 (Shepherd and Sprigg 1976) and 2000-01 (FRDC Project No. 1998-208; Tanner 2002) to assess changes in benthic habitats in GSV over the past 50 years, and how such changes may relate to trends in recruitment and stock abundance for Snapper over this time.
Objectives: 1. Quantify the abundance of age 0+ Snapper in northern Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent to provide relative estimates of recruitment for 2024, 2025, and 2026. Examine the otoliths of these fish to improve the understanding of early life history processes. 2. Evaluate the relationships between environmental parameters and recruitment variability for Snapper in South Australia and evaluate the potential effects of environmental change on spawning and recruitment. 3. Determine the contemporary demographic processes that maintain Snapper populations on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula, i.e., local recruitment vs. emigration from adjacent regional populations, and to use this information to assess stock structure. 4. Assess possible changes in key biological parameters of Snapper for each stock in South Australia in response to temporal changes in environmental conditions and stock abundance. 5. Quantify the spatial distribution and relative abundance of benthic habitats utilised by juvenile Snapper in Gulf St Vincent and assess potential changes over the past 50 years. Read moreRead less
Marine spatial planning (MSP) has emerged in recent years as a tool for sea use management. However, MSP requires adequate and accurate information on the biophysical state and usage of the marine environment. Such data often exists, but generally not in a format which allows several data layers to be overlaid in order to identify potential conflicts/trade-offs.
Marine information management and data science are developing areas of research addressing how to easily access, collate and u ....Marine spatial planning (MSP) has emerged in recent years as a tool for sea use management. However, MSP requires adequate and accurate information on the biophysical state and usage of the marine environment. Such data often exists, but generally not in a format which allows several data layers to be overlaid in order to identify potential conflicts/trade-offs.
Marine information management and data science are developing areas of research addressing how to easily access, collate and use multiple disparate sources of data to support marine ecosystem and resource management. Significant efforts are made to standardize the collection, reporting and open access to marine data in existing databases and platforms, but these platforms commonly use specific (and differing) sources and types of data. Challenges arise from disparities in spatiotemporal resolution, uncertainty in geographic positioning, diversity of data sources and types, lack of access, and often limited metadata standards within and across scientific disciplines. To address this problem, this project will identify, compile and standardize spatially-resolved datasets required for marine social-ecological system management for Tasmanian State waters. No new field-based data will be collected, although secondary analysis may create new datasets. Rather than duplicating effort, this project builds on accessible databases and platforms to provide recommendations on the availability and best practices of using marine data to support data-driven decision-making processes in Tasmanian waters.
Perhaps more importantly, this project will also compare various off-the-shelf tools to identify trade-offs at various scales and resolutions of interest. Currently, many off-the-shelf spatial multi-criteria decision-analysis tools and methods exist (e.g. Marxan, CommunityViz, SSANTO…). More have been developed for more specific uses (e.g. the Aquaspace tool - developed to plan trade-offs with aquaculture in Europe). Research is required to identify the most appropriate tools for use in identifying conflicts/trade-offs in Tasmanian waters, given the needs of decision-makers and the available data.
Finally, this project will provide planning for database longevity. Objectives: 1. Identify, collate and create database of available spatially-resolved environmental, resource use, and cultural heritage data for Tasmania’s state waters 2. Develop an interactive web-based mapping service to display and download Tasmania’s Marine Atlas data 3. Analyse and compare existing trade-off tool(s), to be used in conjunction with Tasmania’s Marine Atlas, for use in decision-making 4. Establish protocols for ongoing updates (automatic and manual) to, and management of, Tasmania’s Marine Atlas database Read moreRead less
National Fish Habitat And Climate Response Partnership
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
In Australia, up to 90% of critical fish habitat for coastal fisheries, including seagrass, giant kelp, saltmarsh, and shellfish reefs, has been lost or significantly degraded. Many research studies have linked habitat with fisheries productivity, with habitat loss particularly impacting juvenile nurseries. Yet despite this information fish habitat restoration is not a recognised management tool in fisheries/harvest management strategies. Given this situation there is a strong need for a cohesiv ....In Australia, up to 90% of critical fish habitat for coastal fisheries, including seagrass, giant kelp, saltmarsh, and shellfish reefs, has been lost or significantly degraded. Many research studies have linked habitat with fisheries productivity, with habitat loss particularly impacting juvenile nurseries. Yet despite this information fish habitat restoration is not a recognised management tool in fisheries/harvest management strategies. Given this situation there is a strong need for a cohesive partnership across all fisheries sectors to support repairing productivity through fish habitat restoration and to create a forum where key sectors concerned for or dependent on aquatic habitat condition, can discuss problems and opportunities. This project will address a number of barriers limiting the restoration of fish habitat around Australia; accessibility of data relating fisheries production to habitat condition, limited penetration of this information into management and building a forum for the key fishing sectors to consider this information and develop responses.
Objectives: 1. Create a collaborative space for key stakeholders in which to understand, interpret, compile and communicate knowledge resources required to support and inform the future habitat and climate resilience challenges facing fisheries and environment agencies and decision makers 2. Use the partnership to;a. Measure the status of waterways in relation to fisheries productivityb. Communicate within and between sectors the implications of the resulting status information.c. Develop waterway ecosystem protection and restoration targets.d. Contribute to environmental and fisheries policy development utilising the partnership to codesign policies to include principles and actions to address the need for waterway ecosystem protection and restoration as well as affect Future of the Industry report and various stock assessments. Read moreRead less
Storm Bay Observing System: Assessing The Performance Of Aquaculture Development
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$4,246,929.50
Summary
The expansion of the Tasmanian Salmonid Industry in new growing areas, such as Storm bay, is contingent on demonstrating that further development is done in a responsible and sustainable way. This is central to maintaining public confidence in the salmon industry. Demonstrating best practice in environmental sustainability requires that the environmental footprint of the industry is well understood and contained within acceptable levels. An environmental monitoring program that assesses the ....The expansion of the Tasmanian Salmonid Industry in new growing areas, such as Storm bay, is contingent on demonstrating that further development is done in a responsible and sustainable way. This is central to maintaining public confidence in the salmon industry. Demonstrating best practice in environmental sustainability requires that the environmental footprint of the industry is well understood and contained within acceptable levels. An environmental monitoring program that assesses the environmental performance of farming at both local and system wide scales will provide this understanding, enabling appropriate regulatory responses. The development and validation of a biogeochemical model that can estimate the natural systems capacity to assimilate salmonid derived nutrient inputs at both local and broader system scales provides the capacity to both understand current environmental conditions and forecast the environmental responses under alternate management responses. This combination of a reliable and “fit for purpose” environmental monitoring and modelling program will help meet the needs and expectations of a science based adaptive management framework necessary for the proposed development of salmonid farming in Storm Bay. Objectives: 1. Develop a robust monitoring program 2. Provide a comprehensive map of benthic habitats and bathymetry of the Storm Bay region and assessment of change at key focus areas 3. Develop and apply a lease scale model for assessing the environmental footprint of dissolved and particulate farm inputs 4. Assess the interactions between farming and the receiving environment 5. Evaluate and review the monitoring program Read moreRead less
Rebuilding Abalone Populations To Limit Impacts Of The Spread Of Urchins, Abalone Viral Ganglioneuritis And Other External Impacts
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$340,000.00
Summary
Local abalone populations can be severely depleted by a range of impacts, including loss of habitat from the spread of sea urchins, diseases such as AVG and Perkinsus, environmental change and theft. Many of these impacts have been increasing for over a decade, although impacts of sea urchins on abalone and reef habitats in the last 5 years have been spreading in eastern Victoria, and appear related to climate change. Similarly, impacts remain from the spread of AVG through western Victoria.Local abalone populations can be severely depleted by a range of impacts, including loss of habitat from the spread of sea urchins, diseases such as AVG and Perkinsus, environmental change and theft. Many of these impacts have been increasing for over a decade, although impacts of sea urchins on abalone and reef habitats in the last 5 years have been spreading in eastern Victoria, and appear related to climate change. Similarly, impacts remain from the spread of AVG through western Victoria.
There is evidence that production from commercial abalone fisheries continues to be reduced by the ongoing increase in external impacts to local abalone populations. While tools have been developed at a small-scale to help recover abalone populations, there is a strong need to investigate, implement and assess these at a larger scale to be able to minimise further impacts and recover productivity of abalone populations.
VicFRAB this year rated its highest priority to facilitate the investigation of translocating abalone to address declines caused by urchins and disease. Similarly, the NSW DPI strategic research plan identifies a priority to "determine methods to restore depleted reefs of abalone through techniques such as transplants, habitat rehabilitation and reseeding". The ACA Strategic Plan also details actions to plan and support remedial action to reduce the impact of pests, disease and theft on abalone.
The ongoing spread of impacts to local abalone populations is having a broad impact on shallow reef habitats. Small-scale research has demonstrated the potential of recovery techniques, but have not been implemented at a broad scale to actually attempt to recover lost productivity. This project will address the need to investigate the scaling up of recovery techniques, and their costs and long-term benefits, in an attempt to recovery lost productivity from abalone populations in south east Australia. Objectives: 1. Identify and prioritise sites and strategies for assessment to recover shallow reef habitat and productive abalone populations 2. Assess strategies for recovery of shallow reef habitats and productive abalone populations. 3. Develop a business plan to guide ongoing future actions and strategies to extend the project outputs and rebuild abalone populations. Read moreRead less
Assessing The Capacity For Sustainable Finfish Aquaculture In The Vicinity Of Seagrasses
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$478,825.00
Summary
Globally, aquaculture accounts for over 50% of fish production. However, if poorly planned, rapid expansion to meet the ever increasing demand for seafood brings with it an environmental risk associated with eutrophication and organic enrichment of the seabed, adversely affecting marine coastal ecosystems. Approximately 75-85% of the nitrogen discharged from finfish aquaculture is dissolved and dispersed to nearby habitats. A major spatial constraint on aquaculture in nearshore areas around much ....Globally, aquaculture accounts for over 50% of fish production. However, if poorly planned, rapid expansion to meet the ever increasing demand for seafood brings with it an environmental risk associated with eutrophication and organic enrichment of the seabed, adversely affecting marine coastal ecosystems. Approximately 75-85% of the nitrogen discharged from finfish aquaculture is dissolved and dispersed to nearby habitats. A major spatial constraint on aquaculture in nearshore areas around much of Australia is the potential for these dispersed nutrients to negatively affect seagrasses. Seagrasses can be sensitive to increases in nitrogen, which can lead to habitat loss. This loss can have significant environmental and economic impacts with potential losses of ecosystem services including decreases in commercial and recreational fisheries catches, increases in sand instability and erosion, reduced biodiversity, loss of nitrogen assimilation and cycling, and loss of carbon sequestration.
In other situations, small increases in nutrients may have a positive effect on seagrasses, and thus it is not clear what the consequences of aquaculture derived nutrients will be. Subsequently, we can’t robustly determine the level of finfish aquaculture that can be sustainably supported by seagrass ecosystems. There is therefore a need to develop a process to determine the likelihood of seagrass growth (or loss) due to aquaculture derived nutrient inputs. This work will develop metrics that can be used in other aquaculture developments and in long-term regional monitoring.
Clean Seas Seafood Pty Ltd are developing a new lease for the sea-cage aquaculture of 4500 tonnes of yellowtail kingfish (YTK) in the Fitzgerald Bay region. The nearshore habitats throughout the region are dominated by long-lived Posidonia seagrass. While Fitzgerald Bay was the original focus of YTK aquaculture in SA, it has not been utilised for ~10 years, essentially giving us the potential to study this system prior to the commencement of aquaculture (currently planned for ~ July 2019), as well as while production is increasing, and it thus provides an ideal case study for assessing how to sustainably farm finfish in a seagrass dominated ecosystem.
Objectives: 1. Determine cost-effective approaches to assessing the influence of finfish aquaculture derived nutrients on seagrasses, and using Fitzgerald Bay as a case study, what that influence is. 2. Develop a predictive modelling ability to estimate carrying capacity and allow scenario analysis of future aquaculture development and how it might affect seagrasses, to allow managers to make informed decisions about where to place future developments, and how much to allow existing developments to expand. 3. Use Fitzgerald Bay as a case study to document seagrass condition using a range of metrics both before the commencement of finfish aquaculture, and once production has reached a substantial level. 4. Develop a range of cost-effective indicators for monitoring the effects of aquaculture on adjacent seagrass beds. Read moreRead less
Examining The Relationship Between Fishery Recruitment, Essential Benthic Habitats And Environmental Drivers In Exmouth Gulf
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$514,056.00
Summary
Stock status in the EGPMF is assessed by monitoring fishery-independent and fishery-dependent catch rates (used as indices of recruitment and spawning stock levels) relative to specified reference points. However, in recent years factors other than the spawning stock index appear to be responsible for low levels of prawn recruitment. Given recent indications that the distribution and abundance of seagrass habitats may influence prawn recruitment there is a need to better understand the rela .... Stock status in the EGPMF is assessed by monitoring fishery-independent and fishery-dependent catch rates (used as indices of recruitment and spawning stock levels) relative to specified reference points. However, in recent years factors other than the spawning stock index appear to be responsible for low levels of prawn recruitment. Given recent indications that the distribution and abundance of seagrass habitats may influence prawn recruitment there is a need to better understand the relationship between prawn recruitment, environmental conditions and habitats. Understanding these relationships is required to clarify the uncertainty around stock fluctuations and improve stock assessments. The information is also required so that management can be more cognisant of the impacts of environmental conditions on annual recruitment variability and implement adaptive management strategies, such as altering seasonal arrangements, to prevent overfishing.
Similarly, the recent MSC assessment of the EGPMF fishery has highlighted the need to clarify the uncertainty in fishery independent surveys and stock assessments including the influence of environmental factors on indices, and collect environmental and habitat data to detect changes in risk to habitat due to fishing including ongoing monitoring of critical habitat types.
Therefore, the development of broad scale fishery specific, cost effective monitoring techniques is essential to assess and monitor the association between critical fish habitats, environmental drivers and prawn recruitment. These techniques need to be developed at appropriate temporal and spatial scales to allow for early intervention of appropriate management measures, such as adjusting spatial and temporal closures, to ensure the long term sustainability of stocks and maintain MSC certification. Given that recruitment in a number of the State’s other invertebrate fisheries appears to be influenced by environmental drivers developing techniques to understand these relationships is a critical component of ensuring the management of WA’s fisheries resources is based on robust science.
Objectives: 1. Collate and review historical, satellite, habitat and environmental data for the Exmouth Gulf and Shark Bay ecosystems to identify factors that may influence recruitment. 2. Assess the ability of different techniques, at various spatial and temporal scales, to identify, assess and monitor critical fish habitat and environmental conditions which may affect recruitment patterns of prawns into the Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery 3. Collect local environmental and productivity data to assess the feasibility of collecting broad scale data remotely. 4. Develop a cost effective monitoring program for critical fish habitat and environmental drivers which allows the development of mitigation measures to assist in alleviating poor recruitment events. Read moreRead less
Evaluation Of Cobia And Giant Groper Production And Health In Multiple Growout Systems, As An Alternative Species To Farm In WSSV Affected Areas Of South East Queensland
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
The production and health performance of emerging aquaculture species, cobia and giant grouper, in former prawn farm pond and tank infrastructure is not well documented. The development of these alternative species offers flexibility and new production opportunities to WSSV affected farms in SE Queensland, and elsewhere in Australia to expand aquaculture production more generally.
Fish health problems are a common cause of aquaculture business failure. In prior pilot trials, significant ....The production and health performance of emerging aquaculture species, cobia and giant grouper, in former prawn farm pond and tank infrastructure is not well documented. The development of these alternative species offers flexibility and new production opportunities to WSSV affected farms in SE Queensland, and elsewhere in Australia to expand aquaculture production more generally.
Fish health problems are a common cause of aquaculture business failure. In prior pilot trials, significant health challenges were encountered that require thorough veterinary investigation and intervention. The information learnt from investigations can then form components of a health management plan for the culture of these two species in SE Queensland, in various systems. The description of health challenges through veterinary outbreak investigation allows the development and costing of interventions to prevent or treat the issue. Over the 12 month time frame of this project, surveillance strategies can be developed for early detection of disease. Such health management strategies facilitate early response actions that can minimise losses associated with infectious disease.
One metric which influences the viability of aquaculture systems is the density at which a species can be farmed. This is particularly the case in RAS, where the infrastructure capital costs are high. This project will document the impacts of stocking density on health and production in RAS, cages and ponds.
Another element that strongly influences viability of aquaculture enterprises is the growth rates of stock that are able to be achieved. Generating data from systems farmed at commercial densities can assist in determining the suitability of various sites for expansion of farming these species in Australia.
Objectives: 1. Generate data on the production and health performance of Giant Grouper and Cobia in RAS, cages in a saline lake and in outdoor pond growout systems. 2. Field test production outcomes from an experimental recombinant autogenous vaccine for prevention of nodavirus in the Giant Grouper. 3. Assess market potential for various formats of cobia and grouper Read moreRead less
Developing An Independent Shallow-water Survey For The Western Rock Lobster Fishery: Tracking Pre-recruitment Abundance And Habitat Change
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$445,500.00
Summary
The current method of measuring undersize lobster abundance (PRA) is based on catch data adjusted for multiple biases inherent in commercial monitoring, namely: water depth, water temperature, swell, fisher experience, pot type, escape gaps, pot pulling time, month and location. Biases are exacerbated by recent poor sample sizes, as many fishers choose not to fish in shallow-water areas. Developing a standardized, repeatable survey in shallow areas will provide an improved index of PRA that ca ....The current method of measuring undersize lobster abundance (PRA) is based on catch data adjusted for multiple biases inherent in commercial monitoring, namely: water depth, water temperature, swell, fisher experience, pot type, escape gaps, pot pulling time, month and location. Biases are exacerbated by recent poor sample sizes, as many fishers choose not to fish in shallow-water areas. Developing a standardized, repeatable survey in shallow areas will provide an improved index of PRA that can be incorporated into the stock modelling: this would improve the overall assessment. Currently fishery-independent survey data collection requires a minimum of two staff to process the catch and record information. Data entry is conducted by a third staff member. To increase cost effectiveness (for this and other lobster surveys), a more efficient data collection system is needed. Initial scoping has identified a number of possible solutions (e.g. app-based entry). This project will expand on this original scoping work to develop a solution. This will also benefit commercial lobster monitoring work conducted by DPIRD as well as a range of other surveys in similar pot based fisheries. This survey will also provide a platform for monitoring inshore WRL habitats. This will establish a baseline against which further research into the relationships between WRL and their near shore habitats can be undertaken. This will assist with detecting and quantifying habitat shifts that may impact the fishery. For example, there is anecdotal evidence that the heatwave temporarily modified some of these near shore habitats, leading to the altered relationship between puerulus and lobster recruitment. Long-term monitoring of juvenile habitats will likely provide a useful indicator of one of the factors affecting recruitment to the fishery. Objectives: 1. Produce accurate measures of pre-recruit abundance throughout the West Coast Rock Lobster Managed Fishery. Compare with commercial monitoring undersize lobster abundance and puerulus settlement data. 2. Design and construct a more efficient data recording tool to increase the accuracy and speed of data collection. 3. Develop base-line habitat descriptions at all potting locations throughout the shallow water survey. 4. Determine the relationship between sampling rate required to detect different magnitudes of marine habitat change at these survey locations Read moreRead less