Towards A National Strategy For Mud Crab Research - Mud Crab Workshop
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
Objectives: 1. Provide a forum for researchers and managers to present the most up to date information on the fishery 2. Identify key management issues and identify possible research strategies to fill gaps 3. Develop FRAB proposals for consideration by individual State/Territory industries prior to the development of an FRDC proposal 4. Develop a five year research strategy for the fishery
An Assessment Of The Contribution Of FRDC Project Outputs To Fisheries Management Decision Making
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$16,020.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. Determine the extent to which FRDC funded R&D has contributed to natural resource management decisions. 2. Contribute to the development of improved quality procedures for ongoing program evaluation.
Informing Rick Assessment Through Estimating Interaction Rates Between Australia Sea Lions And Western Australia's Temperate Demersal Gillnet Fisheries
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$50,000.00
Summary
Australia’s only endemic pinniped, the Australian sea lion (ASL) Neophoca cinerea, is one of the rarest sea lions (~ 14,700) worldwide and listed as “threatened” under Australian Commonwealth legislation and as “Specially Protected Fauna” under the WA Wildlife Conservation Act.
There is considerable concern among some researchers and community sectors that incidental bycatch of ASLs by commercial gillnetting may be preventing the recovery of ASL populations from their current depleted ....Australia’s only endemic pinniped, the Australian sea lion (ASL) Neophoca cinerea, is one of the rarest sea lions (~ 14,700) worldwide and listed as “threatened” under Australian Commonwealth legislation and as “Specially Protected Fauna” under the WA Wildlife Conservation Act.
There is considerable concern among some researchers and community sectors that incidental bycatch of ASLs by commercial gillnetting may be preventing the recovery of ASL populations from their current depleted states. Goldsworthy et al (2010) recently estimated that several hundred ASLs die annually in SA due to gillnetting, indicating that there is an urgent need to explore the extent to which ASLs in WA are affected by commercial gillnetting.
WA temperate gillnet fisheries will soon commence Marine Stewardship pre-assessment and their members are acutely aware of the urgent need for research on ASL/gillnet interactions in WA, without which, they cannot achieve certification and are vulnerable to the Commonwealth’s Marine Park planning process (if that process is not based on sound information).
As the distribution of ASL colonies, foraging areas of ASL individuals, and of gillnet fishing in WA are very different from SA, the results of the SA study cannot be applied directly to the WA situation.
Goldsworthy et al. (2009) based their analyses on distance from colonies and depth, but possibly because of limited tagging and/or observer data, did not consider the direction of ASL foraging trips from breeding colonies and haul out points and may have thus overestimated ASL mortality rates due to commercial gillnetting. The accuracy of estimates of ASL/gillnet interactions has major implications for both the conservation of ASL populations and for the viability of important fisheries. Developing improved methods of analysis, e.g. the agent-based modelling approach proposed here, and comparison of results with those from existing approaches are key to facilitating sound risk assessments. Objectives: 1. Develop a tool to assist in determining the implications of the current distribution of commercial gillnet fishing for different colonies of Australian sea lions 2. Estimate the proportion of Australian sea lions, in different colonies, that encounter commercial gillnets in Western Australian waters each year Read moreRead less
Seafood CRC: Oyster Consortium - Communication, Extension And Management Of R&D Results
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$120,647.10
Summary
Value for money
The industry comprises around 970 small owner operator businesses throughout Australia. Each state has an industry council to coordinate a strategic approach to its R&D priorities. The Seafood CRC has provided a unique opportunity for the oyster industry by providing an opportunity for future growth but it is contingent upon coordinated investment in industry development at the whole of industry level.
The oyster consortium is a collegial group of Industry bod ....Value for money
The industry comprises around 970 small owner operator businesses throughout Australia. Each state has an industry council to coordinate a strategic approach to its R&D priorities. The Seafood CRC has provided a unique opportunity for the oyster industry by providing an opportunity for future growth but it is contingent upon coordinated investment in industry development at the whole of industry level.
The oyster consortium is a collegial group of Industry bodies and private companies and represents the cutting edge or Research and development in the oyster industry. By forming the consortium the oyster industry has become a core participant in the Seafood CRC and will deliver a strategic approach to R&D to maximize returns.
This proposal will provide the resources to ensure that the outcomes of the research and development undertaken through the CRC are adopted and commercialised quickly and extensively throughout the Australian Oyster industry. Without this coordination it will be very difficult to achieve the change at the extent and rate necessary to achieve the growth targets for the industry.
Level of Impact
The Oyster Consortium will be pivotal in achieving the CRC objective with respect to the Oyster industry and will be responsible for meeting two distinct needs involved in their national R&D strategy; 1. The strategic issues of R&D prioritization, funding and the linkages to (and support for) both industry development plans and Government objectives of industry development.
2. The operational issues of facilitating effective communication and coordination at all levels (industry/researchers, among researchers, among industry, FRDC/researchers etc).
Objectives: 1. Manage a national strategic approach to oyster research and development. 2. Manage project developemt on a state by state basis 3. Manage and implement a communications plan to keep end-users, researchers and funding agencies informed and ensure research results are rapidly and widely adopted. 4. To estabilish and maintain collaboration within projects for the oyster industry 5. Represent the Oyster consortium at Seafood CRC core participant meeting. Read moreRead less
New Technologies For Sustainable Commercial Finfish Culture
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$660,146.00
Summary
A viable inland saline aquaculture industry will only develop if existing constraints to production are overcome and if the environmental impacts from effluent, which are an inevitable consequence of increasing production, are managed appropriately. The innovative SIFTS technology offers an order of magnitude improvement in fish production by its ability to grow high densities of fish at low cost, by efficiently preventing solid waste products from entering the natural environment, and by mainta ....A viable inland saline aquaculture industry will only develop if existing constraints to production are overcome and if the environmental impacts from effluent, which are an inevitable consequence of increasing production, are managed appropriately. The innovative SIFTS technology offers an order of magnitude improvement in fish production by its ability to grow high densities of fish at low cost, by efficiently preventing solid waste products from entering the natural environment, and by maintaining optimal oxygen levels and therefore fish growth even during algal blooms. Linking SIFTS to the irrigation of crop plants provides a cost-effective option for managing effluent and the potential for additional returns. These systems work in the laboratory, but it is essential that they be rigorously tested on a commercial scale in the field. The proving of the SIFTS technology in the small water bodies of the WA Wheatbelt will make the technology immediately available to other environments such as in freshwater lakes, storage reservoirs and in coastal areas where its superior production and waste minimization capabilities will be highly regarded both by industry and the community. For inland saline areas, the innovative SIFTS technology offers to transform the existing low-intensity, cottage industry into a commercial industry.
The need for this research is reflected in both FRDC’s National R&D plan for Inland Saline Aquaculture and the RIRDC R&D plan for Integrated Agri-Aquaculture Systems (IAAS). Specifically, the former R&D plan calls for the ‘identification of constraints to commercial developments and methods of overcoming these’, whereas the latter highlights the need for ‘appropriate, in-situ industry trials to evaluate suitable system design requirements from IAAS operations’. Objectives: 1. Quantify the production capability of a commercial scale Semi-Intensive Floating Tank System (SIFTS). 2. Determine the effectiveness of the SIFTS waste removal system and in-pond bioremediation in preventing boom-bust microalgal cycles. 3. Determine the efficiency of irrigated crop plants in removing nutrients, salt and other pollutants from SIFTS aquaculture effluent. Read moreRead less
Towards The Sustainable Use Of NT Fishery Resources
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$4,475.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. Enhance stock assessment expertise and processes in the R&D Branch of the Fisheries Division 2. Introduce a fresh 'state of the art' outlook on stock assessment 3. Review and improve stock assessments and management strategies for all major NT fisheries 4. Enhance the sustainable use of NT fisheries resources including those shared with QLD, WA and Indonesia
Productivity and work-life balance in technology-enabled virtual work environments. This project examines the impact of technology-enabled virtual work environments on the productivity and work-life balance of professional knowledge workers. Guidelines will be developed that improve organisational and individual outcomes for professional knowledge workers who use technology extensively in their interactions with others.
Monitoring And Evaluation Of Management Measures In The WA Rock Lobster Fishery; Study Of Rock Lobster Predation By Octopus
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
Objectives: 1. Collect research data to determine the value & effectiveness of existing & proposed changes in regulatory measures in the WA rock lobster fishery. 2. Study population dynamics, biology & behaviour of O. flindersii & O. pallidus for control & to reduce predation