Determination Of Spawning Areas For King George Whiting In South-eastern Australia Using Hydrodynamic Modelling
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$152,830.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. To use spawning dates estimated from otoliths of post-larvae collected in bays and inlets of Victoria, and reverse modelling with the VIMS Bass Strait Model based on climatic conditions over the developmental period, to estimate spawning sites of King George whiting in Bass Strait or beyond.
RFIDS: National Recreational Fishing Education Program - “Establish Activities And Tools To Promote Recreational Fishing On A National Level”
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The need for RF promotion and education has been recognised in many sector strategies which is part of the need to:
•(A) Promote the key messages to existing Recreational fishers ;
"The National Code of Practice for Recreational and Sport Fishing" (Recfish Australia, 2010) identifies four main areas of fishing responsibility; - Treating fish humanely; - Looking after our fisheries; - Protecting the environment and - Respecting the rights of others. Th ....The need for RF promotion and education has been recognised in many sector strategies which is part of the need to:
•(A) Promote the key messages to existing Recreational fishers ;
"The National Code of Practice for Recreational and Sport Fishing" (Recfish Australia, 2010) identifies four main areas of fishing responsibility; - Treating fish humanely; - Looking after our fisheries; - Protecting the environment and - Respecting the rights of others. This also includes a communication strategy, noting its impact in angler education.
Past key national projects in RF education have sought to inform and change angler behaviour eg. Release Fish Survival Program, NSW Rock Fishing / Angel rings (Vict / NSW), and provision of Fishing line waste bins sites at the coast. These have been “from the ground up” RF initiatives.
Educational initiatives respond to requests from RF enthusiasts for fishing clinics and “learn to fish” classes". RF education has broadened to also include fishing safety issues and impacts on non-English speaking fishers (see"Recreational Fishing and Safety in Australia...", Pepperell, 2008). RF educational agencies need to position themselves in the merging realm of social media.
There has been less focus on:
• (B) promoting the benefits of RF to the general populace;(both encouraging people to go fishing and lessening criticisms of RF- often through ingorance)
In the Recfishing Research Business Plan 2010/11 one of five strategic priorities is educational - ”... social, health and economic benefits of recreational fishing are recognised and valued by communities and governments...”. How can this be achieved?
RF education has gained minimal entry into the formal schools education system, and into non-formal education (sports/ recreation). A fuller nationally coordinated promotion and education approach is needed in this non-government voluntary sport sector. This is why the project, and the approach we propose, is needed. Objectives: 1. Review and summarise education activities relating to recreational fishing occurring around Australia. Identify common themes, key messages, target audiences, success stories and gaps. 2. Develop a national network of all those involved in the education of recreational fishers nationally, to facilitate sharing of experiences, knowledge and resources and promote consistent delivery of messages at a national scale. 3. Develop strategies and tools to engage with audiences not currently reached through fisheries education activities, and to deliver key messages to target audiences not currently being communicated with (to be identified through objective 1). 4. Encourage recreational fishers to be involved in research, community monitoring and habitat enhancement programs. Read moreRead less
SCRC: PhD : The Effect Of Temperature On Reproductive Development In Maiden And Repeat Spawning Farmed Atlantic Salmon: Understanding The Molecular Basis For Improved Egg Quality And Survival
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
The economic viability of sea cage farming of Atlantic salmon is strongly influenced by the cost of production of smolts. Understanding the mechanisms that contribute to, or cause reproductive failure in spawning fish is an essential component of reducing those industry production costs, and at a broader level, ensuring that there are sufficient smolts produced each year to maintain industry production. The issue has been identified as an industry priority with the stated SALTAS ....The economic viability of sea cage farming of Atlantic salmon is strongly influenced by the cost of production of smolts. Understanding the mechanisms that contribute to, or cause reproductive failure in spawning fish is an essential component of reducing those industry production costs, and at a broader level, ensuring that there are sufficient smolts produced each year to maintain industry production. The issue has been identified as an industry priority with the stated SALTAS aim of reducing the reliance on repeat spawning fish for egg production. The potential cost of failing to solve the problem is high. The survival of eggs to the eyed embryo stage can be as low as 30-50%, compared with 80% for eggs from best performing fish (SALTAS data). Modelling of this cost gives direct increases in smolt production costs of $225,000 per annum, but a potential industry shortfall in production terms of $15-20 million per annum.
The knowledge gained through this research will be applied in a real life context to the Atlantic salmon industry in Australia to overcome a real and immediate industry bottleneck, and provide information to assist in large scale production procedures. It will provide important new information regarding the endocrine regulation of egg quality, information that could be highly relevant to other finfish industries, such as tuna and kingfish.
In addition to the direct benefit of this research to the Salmon industry, the investigation of the impact of temperature on reproductive process in fish is relevant to environmental studies concerning the impact of global warming on biological processes, with the Atlantic salmon being an example of a fish that has been translocated from a colder environment (Europe) to the warmer Tasmania.Read moreRead less
Effects Of Seasonal And Interannual Variability Of The Ocean Environment On Recruitment To The Fisheries Of Western Australia
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$233,603.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. Establish a monthly climatology of sea-surface temperatures around WA from 1982 to 1997 using NOAA-AVHRR satellite data 2. Develop appropriate monthly indicies of ocean variability and create a historical database of oceanic variables at selected sites, including coastal sea-level, seasurface temperature, salinity and wind 3. Study relationships between oceanic processes and seasonal/interannual fluctuations in recruitment to the rock lobster, scallop, Australian s ....Objectives: 1. Establish a monthly climatology of sea-surface temperatures around WA from 1982 to 1997 using NOAA-AVHRR satellite data 2. Develop appropriate monthly indicies of ocean variability and create a historical database of oceanic variables at selected sites, including coastal sea-level, seasurface temperature, salinity and wind 3. Study relationships between oceanic processes and seasonal/interannual fluctuations in recruitment to the rock lobster, scallop, Australian salmon, pilchard and shark fisheries of WA Read moreRead less
Energy Use And Carbon Emissions Assessments In The Australian Fishing And Aquaculture Sectors: Audit, Self-assessment And Guidance Tools For Footprint Reduction
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$98,500.00
Summary
As identified in the EOI scope and from previous FRDC and other research, there are multiple needs for further information on energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Australian fisheries and aquaculture sectors (F&A). Firstly, at the top-level, a national account of these sector’s performance is necessary to provide a clear determination of the overall F&A contribution within the Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing Industry classification (AFF Industry) classification within Nationa ....As identified in the EOI scope and from previous FRDC and other research, there are multiple needs for further information on energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Australian fisheries and aquaculture sectors (F&A). Firstly, at the top-level, a national account of these sector’s performance is necessary to provide a clear determination of the overall F&A contribution within the Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing Industry classification (AFF Industry) classification within National Inventory Data. The AFF Industry is second largest emissions sector and there is a need to disaggregate the F&A sector from the broader agricultural data, and to also develop industry baselines against which further performance can be measured (and potentially benchmarked against other sectors). Second, there is a need for sub-sectors (specific managed fisheries or industry groups) as well as individual companies to be able measure, assess and then potentially manage their own energy use and emissions. Finally, once companies, subsectors and the F&A sectors have data, there is a need for education and tools to assist them to improve energy efficiency and profitability, lower emissions and related risks but also importantly how to create positive engagement with stakeholders, particularly customers becoming more discerning in product selection based on carbon footprint, to maintain competitiveness in consumer protein selection decision-making. Objectives: 1. Program 1: Establish energy use and GHG profile of Australian F&A sectors 2. Program 2: Develop and self-assessment tool for Australian F&A sectors energy efficiency and GHG 3. Program 3: Develop a toolbox and examples for emissions reduction opportunities in the fisheries & aquaculture sectors Read moreRead less
El-Nemo SE: Adaptation Of Fishing And Aquaculture Sectors And Fisheries Management To Climate Change In South Eastern Australia Work Area 4, Project 1 Development And Testing Of A National Integrated Climate Change Adaptation Assessment Framework
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$390,752.09
Summary
The eastern and south eastern Australian marine waters have been identified as being the most vulnerable geographic area to both climate change impacts and overall exposure in Australia. These changes are expected to have significant implications in the region. Information on physical changes expected in south-eastern Australia are currently available only through Global Climate Models that provide coarse spatial scales of 1-2 degrees (latitude & longitude). They currently provide almost no ....The eastern and south eastern Australian marine waters have been identified as being the most vulnerable geographic area to both climate change impacts and overall exposure in Australia. These changes are expected to have significant implications in the region. Information on physical changes expected in south-eastern Australia are currently available only through Global Climate Models that provide coarse spatial scales of 1-2 degrees (latitude & longitude). They currently provide almost no information at the scale of coastal upwelling, eddies and fronts which are important factors driving oceanic productivity. These models currently predict global changes in a range of physical variables both in the atmosphere and in the ocean for the 20th (hindcast mode) and 21st (forecast mode) centuries and are currently used in IPCC projections. Further refined modelling of physical drivers in this region is required to understand drivers at scales relevant to fisheries and aquaculture for driving productivity, distribution and abundance of species. While a number of national (Bluelink) and regional finer-resolution ocean models exist for the SE region (Baird et al model, NSW; Huon Estuary model, Tas; SAROM, SA), in this project outputs from two (Bluelink and SAROM) will be used to inform predictions on biomass, productivity and distributions of key fishery species. Objectives: 1. To develop a integrating climate change adaptation assessment framework for fisheries and aquaculture, suitable for use regionally and at a national level. 2. To test and apply this framework in the south eastern region to evaulate adaptation response options for stakeholders (managers, fishers, aquaculturalists) 3. To assess the application of the framework to apply to other regions around Australia. Read moreRead less
Use Of The Bomb Radiocarbon Chronometer To Validate Fish Age
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$254,208.17
Summary
Objectives: 1. Validate ages of SBT(Thunnus maccoyii), redfish(Centroberyx affinis), blue grenadier(Macruronus novaezelandiae), and school shark(Galeorhinus australis) 2. Determine the suitability of the radio carbon chronometer for age validation of oreo species 3. Determine other species suitable for age validation via the bomb radiocarbon chronometer
Disease, particularly Perkinsus disease, is seen as the fourth major risk to the sustainability of the abalone fishery in SA (SA Fisheries & Aquaculture Five Year Research and Development Strategy). Perkinsus disease causes ongoing losses to the industry, losses that are expected to increase with global warming unless some action is taken to curb the disease. This project will explore one approach that may be feasible to control Perkinsus and thus reduce its impact on the industry.
A ....Disease, particularly Perkinsus disease, is seen as the fourth major risk to the sustainability of the abalone fishery in SA (SA Fisheries & Aquaculture Five Year Research and Development Strategy). Perkinsus disease causes ongoing losses to the industry, losses that are expected to increase with global warming unless some action is taken to curb the disease. This project will explore one approach that may be feasible to control Perkinsus and thus reduce its impact on the industry.
A recent project in California (Culver and Kuris, in press) successfully eradicated a species of mudworm from abalone by removal of the most susceptible shell (N. Bax, CSIRO, pers. com.) Objectives: 1. To determine the extent and nature of Perkinsus infection around Taylor Island, identification of possible reservoir hosts, the production of an epidemiological model, and recommendations on appropriate management methods. Read moreRead less
FRDC-DCCEE: Ensuring That The Australian Oyster Industry Adapts To A Changing Climate: A Natural Resource And Industry Spatial Information Portal For Knowledge Action And Informed Adaptation Frameworks
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$232,500.00
Summary
The overarching perception across scientists, coastal industries and natural resource managers is that the coastal zone is at high risk for the full range of climate change impacts from land and sea (Simms Woodroffe 2008). There is an overwhelming consensus from industry and managers that a most urgent need in achieving practical adaptive solutions to shifting and variable environmental resources is a consolidated information base of natural resources and industry resources (Simms Woodroffe 2008 ....The overarching perception across scientists, coastal industries and natural resource managers is that the coastal zone is at high risk for the full range of climate change impacts from land and sea (Simms Woodroffe 2008). There is an overwhelming consensus from industry and managers that a most urgent need in achieving practical adaptive solutions to shifting and variable environmental resources is a consolidated information base of natural resources and industry resources (Simms Woodroffe 2008; Leith Haward 2010; SRCMA 2010, I&INSW comment, Colin Creighton (FRDC) comment, industry feedback). Identification of spatial information about climate change threats, industry location and production and essential environmental resources (water quality, primary production and physical locations) needs to be synthesized and cross referenced to provide for the most informed adaptation strategies.
Of the 5 specific recommendations or needs for adaptation to climate change in the oyster industry, as reviewed by the National Climate Change Adaptation Research facility (Leith and Haward 2010), the following three will be adressed here:
1) a program of coastal and estuarine monitoring in which oyster growers, regional universities and regional NRM authorities are partners 4) continued development of knowledge-action networks that include growers, industry bodies, scientists, regional NRM agencies and representatives of state and local government; 5) provision of clear and concise information that allows reciprocal understanding of the process of oyster farming and the needs of growers… and of government regulatory and approvals processes.
This proposal addresses the identified needs, or recommendations 1, 2 and 4, by developing a monitoring synthesis portal, providing knowledge action networks for industry advocacy and information for regulatory frameworks. Objectives: 1. To source and review spatially referenced data for relevance to the oyster industry and it’s response to natural resource management and climate change, and align primary and meta-data standards. 2. To engage the oyster industry in developing the content style and delivery of natural resource and industry information in an online portal, including industry sourced data from Quality Assurance Programs and Environmental Management Strategies. 3. To deliver a pilot, online, spatially-referenced, natural resource and industry information portal, making use of extensive primary data sources, meta-data standards and national spatial data delivery initiatives. 4. Identify pathways for the spatial information portal to inform governance and statutory authorities (e.g. NRM, State and LGA), monitoring programs, strategies (e.g. oyster industry and NRM strategies), planning policies (e.g. development application processes). Read moreRead less