Improving the growth rate and flesh quality of cultured Barramundi: Investigating the effects of temperature, diet, and population. Barramundi fillet is one of the premier seafoods available in Australia and the decline of wild fisheries has increased the demand for the cultured product. Accordingly, there has been a rapid growth of the barramundi farming industry, but competition from cheaper overseas imports has cut the sale price and profit margins of local growers. By developing methods to i ....Improving the growth rate and flesh quality of cultured Barramundi: Investigating the effects of temperature, diet, and population. Barramundi fillet is one of the premier seafoods available in Australia and the decline of wild fisheries has increased the demand for the cultured product. Accordingly, there has been a rapid growth of the barramundi farming industry, but competition from cheaper overseas imports has cut the sale price and profit margins of local growers. By developing methods to increase growth rates, this research has the potential to substantially increase profit margins by reducing production costs and increasing turnover. Improvement of flesh quality will also increase the attractiveness of barramundi fillet. Increasing the viability of barramundi culture in Australia will attract more growers and increase employment opportunities.Read moreRead less
The evolution of dim light vision in vertebrates. High sensitivity (rod-based) vision has been extremely important for the survival and adaptive radiation of many vertebrates, including humans over evolutionary time. This multidisciplinary project will reveal the evolutionary and physiological constraints on early photoreception and the difficulties in operating over an enormous range of lighting conditions. Not only will the findings be crucial for our understanding of basic mechanisms of dim l ....The evolution of dim light vision in vertebrates. High sensitivity (rod-based) vision has been extremely important for the survival and adaptive radiation of many vertebrates, including humans over evolutionary time. This multidisciplinary project will reveal the evolutionary and physiological constraints on early photoreception and the difficulties in operating over an enormous range of lighting conditions. Not only will the findings be crucial for our understanding of basic mechanisms of dim light vision, but also provide potential insights into the physiological bases of various rod dystrophies affecting humans and the improved design of more sensitive cameras and safe light environments for rearing animals in captivity e.g. for aquaculture.Read moreRead less