Movement, migration and social networks in wild shark populations. Sharks are vital components of marine ecosystems and contribute significantly to ecotourism and fisheries. Due to their slow rate of growth and reproduction, sharks are susceptible to over exploitation. A lack of knowledge regarding their behaviour and movement patterns is a key impediment to effective management. This project aims to examine social interactions and migration patterns of Port Jackson sharks using a unique combina ....Movement, migration and social networks in wild shark populations. Sharks are vital components of marine ecosystems and contribute significantly to ecotourism and fisheries. Due to their slow rate of growth and reproduction, sharks are susceptible to over exploitation. A lack of knowledge regarding their behaviour and movement patterns is a key impediment to effective management. This project aims to examine social interactions and migration patterns of Port Jackson sharks using a unique combination of genetic techniques, novel acoustic tag technology, behavioural manipulations and modern social network analysis. Once verified, the approach developed can be applied to other marine predators of particular management concern. The data generated will directly inform fisheries and conservation management policy.Read moreRead less
Why are fish shrinking as the climate warms? This project aims to uncover the mechanisms behind the temperature-size rule, a phenomenon causing fishes and other aquatic organisms to decline in size as the climate warms. Drawing on multidisciplinary expertise to test three competing theories, this project expects to identify the fundamental processes driving the temperature-size rule phenomenon. Expected outcomes include improved models to forecast the effects of global warming on fish and fisher ....Why are fish shrinking as the climate warms? This project aims to uncover the mechanisms behind the temperature-size rule, a phenomenon causing fishes and other aquatic organisms to decline in size as the climate warms. Drawing on multidisciplinary expertise to test three competing theories, this project expects to identify the fundamental processes driving the temperature-size rule phenomenon. Expected outcomes include improved models to forecast the effects of global warming on fish and fisheries. The new knowledge and predictive power should be of direct benefit to natural resource managers in the continuing effort to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. This will guide policy and management decisions by enabling more accurate forecasts of the impacts of climate change on wild and cultured fishes.Read moreRead less