Environmental Influences In The Establishment Of The Epigenetic Landscape In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$695,097.00
Summary
The DNA in each of our cells does not exist alone, it is packaged into complex structures called chromosomes, through association with many different proteins. The distribution of these proteins varies along the length of a chromosome depending on the type of cell and this phenomenon is called 'epigenetics', literally meaning 'above the DNA'. Epigenetic analysis is the study of how proteins and other molecules can change the activity of a gene without changing the DNA sequence. All of our cells ....The DNA in each of our cells does not exist alone, it is packaged into complex structures called chromosomes, through association with many different proteins. The distribution of these proteins varies along the length of a chromosome depending on the type of cell and this phenomenon is called 'epigenetics', literally meaning 'above the DNA'. Epigenetic analysis is the study of how proteins and other molecules can change the activity of a gene without changing the DNA sequence. All of our cells use epigenetic changes to help control how they grow and develop. Evidence suggests a direct link between diet and environmental influences on our epigenetic profile. Recent research has traced the origins of many of the health problems of adult life back to the earliest periods of development _ to the time spent in the womb and the first few years of life. If we are born with a low birth weight, we are more likely to get sick later in life. Overwhelming evidence exists that the environment in the womb is critical for a healthy birth weight (and health in later life) and it is thought that epigenetics may be the missing link between this environment, low birth weight, and therefore health in later life. In addition, mounting evidence supports a general link between epigenetic de-regulation and predisposition to disease. However, the timing and the overall contribution of environmental- genetic influences to the establishment of faulty epigenetic markings remain largely unknown. Twins are the best model to study this link as they share similar (but not identical environments) and some share identical genetic makeup. Using twins, Dr Jeffrey Craig and his team will investigate the factors in the prenatal environment that modify specific cells, leading to low birth weight and increase disease risk later in life. They predict that this occurs via specific changes in gene activity caused by epigenetic disruption.Read moreRead less
Defining Genetic And Epigenetic Variation During Early Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$996,075.00
Summary
We all began life with a set of genes inherited from our parents. However, it's now known that from the time we were in the womb onwards that genes can be turned off and on by the environment or even completely lost or gained. Even what your mother ate or how she behaved while she was pregnant could have influenced your future health. Because people are so different, we are studying the subtle differences between twins to tease out the factors that may influence our genes and our health.
Tactical Research Fund: Cost-benefit Analysis Of Mitigation Measures To Reduce Interactions Between Commercial Fishing Gear And Whales
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$26,000.00
Summary
Whale entanglements are a key performance indicator (KPI) for the WRL fishery in Commonwealth assessments. Entanglements in 2012 (13 in WRL gear) exceeded this KPI. The KPI breach resulted in the Commonwealth removing the WRL fishery from the List of Exempt Native Species which is a five year export approval without conditions and issuing a two year Wildlife Trade Order (WTO) with conditions and recommendations relating to whale entanglement. This included a condition: " .... Whale entanglements are a key performance indicator (KPI) for the WRL fishery in Commonwealth assessments. Entanglements in 2012 (13 in WRL gear) exceeded this KPI. The KPI breach resulted in the Commonwealth removing the WRL fishery from the List of Exempt Native Species which is a five year export approval without conditions and issuing a two year Wildlife Trade Order (WTO) with conditions and recommendations relating to whale entanglement. This included a condition: "by 31 March 2014, complete a robust evaluation of longer term operational management measures to reduce the risk of whale entanglements, which could include the removal of some restrictions on western rock lobsters, spatial and seasonal closures and potential gear modifications". If this condition isn't met, the WTO may be revoked and therefore the fishery will not be able to export. The WRL is almost exclusively an export fishery with an estimated annual GVP of $200 million. The reason for increased entanglements is a combination of whale population growth (10% p/a) and an increase in winter fishing resulting from a relaxation of input controls after a move to quota. A closed season, removing winter fishing would somewhat elevate this issue, although at an economic cost to the industry as it would no longer be able to attain the high beach prices paid in winter. This would result in a conservative loss of about $50 million p/a in GVP. Therefore to meet the SEWPaC conditions, and still allow winter fishing, entanglement mitigation measures are needed.
Objectives: 1. Examine the effectiveness of potential gear modifications to the float rigs of fishing pots/traps to reduce their likelihood of entangling whales. 2. Start to collect additional information required to determine the spatial and temporal extent of migrating whales and how this overlaps with commercial fishing gear. Read moreRead less
Development Of Resources And Equipment To Enable Best Practice In The Humane Dispatch Of Sharks Caught By Commercial Fishers In The NT
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$148,400.00
Summary
The so called pragmatic approach to the welfare of aquatic animals (Arlinghaus et al. 2007) measures welfare status using a variety of well-established, un-controversial physiological and functional parameters (Rose et al. 2014, Browman et al. 2019). For example, all finfish, crustaceans and cephalopods can experience stress, which can lead to poor welfare outcomes (Rose et al. 2014). From an animal welfare perspective, the overall aim to maximise fish welfare during capture is to minimise stres ....The so called pragmatic approach to the welfare of aquatic animals (Arlinghaus et al. 2007) measures welfare status using a variety of well-established, un-controversial physiological and functional parameters (Rose et al. 2014, Browman et al. 2019). For example, all finfish, crustaceans and cephalopods can experience stress, which can lead to poor welfare outcomes (Rose et al. 2014). From an animal welfare perspective, the overall aim to maximise fish welfare during capture is to minimise stress within the constraint of practices inherent to the relevant fishing sector (Mazur and Bodsworth 2022). Using this pragmatic approach, the Aquatic Animal Welfare Working Group (AAWWG) which was formed under the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy (AAWS, 2005-2014), developed a range of Overarching Welfare Principles which related to finfish harvested from the wild in commercial fishing industries. Out of the eight Overarching Principles developed by the AAWWG, as pointed out by Mazur and Bodsworth (2022) the three that are most relevant to the commercial wild harvest industry are: 1. Timely handling from capture to death is essential to minimise stress; 2. Capture methods should be designed to minimise the capture of unwanted species 3. Any fish selected for harvest should be killed as rapidly as possible, by humane means suitable for the species. To address the legislative issues under the new Act, meet current and future fish welfare challenges, and maintain their social license to fish, commercial fishers targeting sharks in the NT need to develop workable and effective standards for handling and dispatching sharks which can be recognised and prescribed under the new Regulations. Since shark fisheries are specialist fisheries which were not covered by the AAWWG during the AAWS, there is a need to develop specific resources to assist the industry with humane dispatch of sharks. Science shows that brain destruction by pithing or “iki-jime” is the fastest way to dispatch finfish, resulting in the lowest levels of stress and maximising the quality and shelf life of the resulting fish product (Poli et al. 2005, Diggles 2015). However, the brains of sharks are small and vary in location between species, which is why this project is being proposed and is necessary to determine the brain location of the sharks most commonly captured in the NT shark fishery, and then examine various methods of rapidly destroying the brain, in order to develop guidelines and best practice protocols for their humane dispatch. Importantly, it should be noted that this is an industry driven project.
References
Arlinghaus R, Cooke SJ, Schwab A, Cowx IG (2007). Fish welfare: A challenge to the feelings based approach, with implications for recreational fishing. Fish and Fisheries 8: 57-71.
Browman HI, Cooke SJ, Cowx IG, Derbyshire SWG, Kasumyan A, Key B, Rose JD, Schwab A, Skiftesvik AB, Stevens ED, Watson CA, Arlinghaus R (2019). Welfare of aquatic animals: where things are, where they are going, and what it means for research, aquaculture, recreational angling, and commercial fishing. ICES Journal of Marine Science 76: 82–92. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsy067
Diggles BK (2015). Development of resources to promote best practice in the humane dispatch of finfish caught by recreational fishers. Fisheries Management and Ecology DOI: 10.1111/fme.12127
Mazur N, Bodsworth A (2022). Practicing aquatic animal welfare: Identifying and mitigating obstacles to uptake and adoption by the Australian Seafood Industry. Final Report for FRDC Project No 2019-023, March 2022. 60 pgs.
Poli BM, Parisi G, Scappini F, Zampacavallo G (2005). Fish welfare and quality as affected by presaughter and slaughter management. Aquaculture International 13: 29-49.
Rose JD, Arlinghaus R, Cooke SJ, Diggles BK, Sawynok W, Stevens ED, Wynne CD (2014). Can fish really feel pain? Fish and Fisheries 15: 97–133.
Objectives: 1. Obtain all relevant permits. Review of literature (primary and grey) and current NT industry practice to inform Objective 2. 2. Collect at least 3 representative specimens (small, medium large) of each of the main shark species (up to 12) encountered by the commercial fishing industry in the Northern Territory (NT), and precisely identify their anatomical brain location. 3. Assess the effectiveness of various different tools and techniques for dispatch of small and large sharks (percussive stunning (blunt trauma inflicted using a baseball bat) vs spinal section vs shooting vs pneumatic captive bolt gun vs cartridge powered captive bolt gun vs spring loaded captive bolt gun vs (depending on OH&S requirements) electrical stunning. 4. Update the existing code(s) of practice adopted by the commercial fishing industry in the NT to include the best practice information on dispatch of sharks as prescribed under the new Regulations (Animal Protection Act 2018 (‘the new Act’) and the Animal Protection Regulations 2020 ‘the new Regulations’ in the NT. 5. Update existing electronic extension resources (www.ikijime.com, Ikijime Tool phone applications) to include the new information on location of shark brains. 6. Extend this information to the commercial fishing industries in the NT. Read moreRead less
Improving The Availability Of Safe And Effective Veterinary Medicines For Australia's Seafood Industry
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$322,764.00
Summary
Globally, disease is the major limiting factor restricting growth in aquaculture (Stentiford et al 2012; Jennings et al 2016), with impact of aquatic diseases exceeding $6 billion per annum. Aquaculture is the fastest growing livestock industry in Australia, and is expected to double in value to $2 billion by 2027 to meet global seafood demand (National Aquaculture Strategic Plan). Therefore access to safe and effective veterinary medicines is critically import to support the current industry an ....Globally, disease is the major limiting factor restricting growth in aquaculture (Stentiford et al 2012; Jennings et al 2016), with impact of aquatic diseases exceeding $6 billion per annum. Aquaculture is the fastest growing livestock industry in Australia, and is expected to double in value to $2 billion by 2027 to meet global seafood demand (National Aquaculture Strategic Plan). Therefore access to safe and effective veterinary medicines is critically import to support the current industry and its expansion.
Australia’s aquaculture industry must have access to safe and effective veterinary medicines for disease management, industry productivity and animal welfare. This need is highlighted in Australia’s national strategic plan (www.agriculture.gov.au/animal/aquatic/aquaplan) and FRDC’s strategic plan (2015-2020 and 2020-2025) including supporting the future sustainable expansion of aquaculture.
Veterinary medicines are required for prevention (for example, vaccines), therapeutic treatments (for example, antibiotics, anthelmintics and antimycotics) and husbandry (for example, hormones for reproduction and anaesthetics for animal handling). Currently there is a substantial lack of access to permitted or registered products.
There is a clear need for national coordination of applications for permits and registrations for aquatic veterinary medicines that replaces the duplication, disjointed efforts, poor permit applications and restrictive minor use permits and generally wasted resources occurring in the seafood industry.
There is a need to coordinate seafood industry prioritisation and application for access and use of agvet chemicals and to establish effective relationships between the seafood industry and APVMA to progress this important issue.
A model to support the resourcing of this service to industry and regulators needs to be devised to maintain this activity after completion of this project. Objectives: 1. Document a safe and effective process for the off-label use of veterinary medicines aimed at supporting fish health, welfare and production while managing environmental risks and enabling data generation. 2. Coordinate a national effort to facilitate the progress of priority aquatic veterinary medicines in the seafood industry through to permitting or registration with the APVMA 3. Determine options for a system, framework and / or business case to effectively coordinate national data generation and applications to the APVMA into the future, and maintain current permits and registrations in the seafood industry. 4. Develop and implement a communication and awareness strategy for industry on safe and effective veterinary medicine use Read moreRead less
Quantifying Post-release Survival Of Skate Bycatch In The Heard Island And McDonald Islands (HIMI) Patagonian Toothfish Longline Fishery
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$23,813.00
Summary
Skates (Rajidae) represent the greatest biomass of incidental bycatch caught in the Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) longline fishery operating within Australian EEZ waters around HIMI in the Southern Ocean. Due to their life history characteristics of slow growth and late maturation, their populations are particularly vulnerable to fishing mortality which can lead to overall and localised population declines. As bycatch managed species, sustainable bycatch limits are informed by ....Skates (Rajidae) represent the greatest biomass of incidental bycatch caught in the Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) longline fishery operating within Australian EEZ waters around HIMI in the Southern Ocean. Due to their life history characteristics of slow growth and late maturation, their populations are particularly vulnerable to fishing mortality which can lead to overall and localised population declines. As bycatch managed species, sustainable bycatch limits are informed by a stock assessment (using the Generalised Yield Model) which models long-term population viability. Such models can be sensitive to the input parameters of assumed total fishing mortality. Currently, in the HIMI fisheries, only retained skates are counted towards fishery removals, but the overall fisheries-induced mortality may be substantially higher due to the high number of skates released after capture and the unknown, but potentially low, post-release survival. Post-release survival becomes increasingly important as the scale of discarding increases; with ~90% of all skate bycatch in the HIMI longline fishery being released it is imperative that post-release survival is quantified to get an accurate estimate of total fishing mortality.
This project aims to quantify post-release survival of Bathyraja spp. skates caught in the deep waters of the Kerguelen Plateau using the latest in pop-up satellite tag technology. In doing so, this project will improve the estimation of total fishing mortality to inform the skate bycatch assessment model and the estimation sustainable yield. Thus, it supports the Commonwealth Research Advisory Committee 2018-2021 Research Development and Extension (RD&E) Plan by addressing the following priority area actions: Program 1. Environment • Better Assessment Approaches, and Harvest and Management Strategies o By quantifying post-release survival we provide a demonstrable improvement in fisheries removals data quality and decision-making by providing evidence-based recommendations for setting accurate bycatch limits. • Better Managed Fishing Impacts and Interactions o By underpinning accurate bycatch limits with accurate long-term population viability estimates we enable fisheries managers to demonstrate environmentally sustainable bycatch management practices.
In addition to the COMRAC RD&E Plan, this project addresses the following priority area outcomes within the Southern Ocean Industry Partner Agreement RD&E Plan: Program 1. Environment • TEP and bycatch management: o The need to monitor skate/ray bycatch by providing accurate estimates of total predicted fishing mortality based on past and current catches. o Develop stock assessment approaches for skate bycatch species (which are generally not retained for commercial use) by integrating quantified fishing mortality estimates into the stock assessment model. o Provide post-release survival estimates and insight into behavioural ecology of deep-water skates for development of a risk assessment for multiple incidental bycatch species. Program 2. Industry • Management efficiency o By resolving a key component of uncertainty in the stock assessment this project reduces risk in fisheries management decision-making processes by improving accuracy in bycatch limit recommendations.
Furthermore, this project meets the primary objectives of the AFMA Strategic Research Plan (2017-2022), namely to collect appropriate information to support stock assessments, support the management of Commonwealth fisheries, and inform policy development [Research Strategy 1a]. The results of this study will also inform fisheries managers on appropriate specifications for the release and retention of caught skates. Objectives: 1. Quantify immediate (2 days) and long-term (60 days) post-release survival rates for longline caught B. irrasa across shallow (~500m) and deep (~1500m) depth strata. 2. Characterize post-release activity patterns of B. irrasa during the descent and bottom periods to understand effects of capture related physiological stress. 3. Validate whether stress markers (e.g., magnesium, potassium, lactate) measured in the blood of B. irrasa at the time of capture may be indicative of whole-animal physiological condition and may be used as predictors of post-release survival. Read moreRead less
Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture Subprogram: Culture And Cryopreservation Of Neoparamoeba Perurans (AGD)
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$142,074.12
Summary
Amoebic Gill Disease (AGD) research requires access to N. perurans, which is the causative organism for this disease. The use of an infection tank it is still a reasonably expensive option for obtaining amoebae. If the culture and cryopreservation are successful AGD researchers, including industry, will have access to cheaper amoebae. Culture of clones will allow research which is currently impossible with wild isolates. Objectives: 1. To improve culture and preservation techni ....Amoebic Gill Disease (AGD) research requires access to N. perurans, which is the causative organism for this disease. The use of an infection tank it is still a reasonably expensive option for obtaining amoebae. If the culture and cryopreservation are successful AGD researchers, including industry, will have access to cheaper amoebae. Culture of clones will allow research which is currently impossible with wild isolates. Objectives: 1. To improve culture and preservation techniques of Neoparamoeba perurans 2. To determine the effect of time in culture on viability and virulence of clones of Neoparamoeba perurans Read moreRead less
FRDC has obtained Board approval FRDC Board Meeting # 194, 24 November 2022) to become a member of CRC SAAFE and investment up to $1.0 million. This project is needed to manage the FRDC investment that will be comprised of investments seafood related projects. Conducting projects within CRC SAAFE will provide linkages to additional resources, expertise and knowledge sharing that will improve project outputs and foster national collaboration in addition to that currently provided by the FRDC. Th ....FRDC has obtained Board approval FRDC Board Meeting # 194, 24 November 2022) to become a member of CRC SAAFE and investment up to $1.0 million. This project is needed to manage the FRDC investment that will be comprised of investments seafood related projects. Conducting projects within CRC SAAFE will provide linkages to additional resources, expertise and knowledge sharing that will improve project outputs and foster national collaboration in addition to that currently provided by the FRDC. This will include the research and industry participants that are partners of CRC SAAFE. Objectives: 1. Best practice AMR mitigation and management in the seafood industry and the aquatic environment. 2. Improved biosecurity and animal welfare through development of vaccines to minimise use of antibiotics. Read moreRead less