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Understanding the stock-recruitment relationship to reverse the decline in the southern rock lobster. Declines in southern rock lobster fisheries across three Australian states show that we need to understand the flow and survival of larvae. The project aims to identify the fundamental links between recruitment and spawning stock, to enable predictions of recruitment for the management of adult stocks, safeguarding the future of the fishery.
Lost at sea? Understanding adaptation and dispersal in spiny lobsters. Continual recruitment of young is fundamental to the replenishment of populations, especially when a stock is fished. Existing theory suggests that species with very long planktonic larval stages disperse widely, ensuring their genes are well mixed. However, recently identified genetic differences between populations of rock lobster challenge this paradigm and demonstrate that despite larvae mixing in the ocean for years, loc ....Lost at sea? Understanding adaptation and dispersal in spiny lobsters. Continual recruitment of young is fundamental to the replenishment of populations, especially when a stock is fished. Existing theory suggests that species with very long planktonic larval stages disperse widely, ensuring their genes are well mixed. However, recently identified genetic differences between populations of rock lobster challenge this paradigm and demonstrate that despite larvae mixing in the ocean for years, local recruitment and/or adaptation are at play. Recent developments in genomics and bioinformatics should allow this project to understand the ecological processes underpinning these genetic signatures and determine their evolutionary implications. Such findings could direct targeted rebuilding of depleted fisheries stocks.Read moreRead less
Surplus baitfish? The consumption and bioenergetics of a predatory fish. This project aims to improve fisheries management of economically important baitfish by increasing our understanding of the ecosystem demand of predatory fish. The ecosystem demand of predatory fish is currently not understood, because it fails to include the considerable impact of juvenile fish, especially when they reside in an estuary. The project intends to implant acoustic transmitters, calibrated in a flume, to discov ....Surplus baitfish? The consumption and bioenergetics of a predatory fish. This project aims to improve fisheries management of economically important baitfish by increasing our understanding of the ecosystem demand of predatory fish. The ecosystem demand of predatory fish is currently not understood, because it fails to include the considerable impact of juvenile fish, especially when they reside in an estuary. The project intends to implant acoustic transmitters, calibrated in a flume, to discover bioenergetic rates in the field by determining the diet and the size- and temperature-dependent growth and biogenetics of a predatory fish species, from juvenile to adult, from estuary to the open sea. The outcomes include an ecosystem synthesis of related pelagic fish predators from catchment to coast.Read moreRead less
Fishing for change: enhancing Australia’s seafood futures. Seafood production is an important part of Australia’s economy and future food security. In a dual relationship, fisheries are both vulnerable to and a cause of changes in the marine environment. This project will identify the maximum limits to Australian seafood production and will determine the impacts of future perturbations. To achieve this, the project will: combine existing rich historical data sources with state-of-the art ecosyst ....Fishing for change: enhancing Australia’s seafood futures. Seafood production is an important part of Australia’s economy and future food security. In a dual relationship, fisheries are both vulnerable to and a cause of changes in the marine environment. This project will identify the maximum limits to Australian seafood production and will determine the impacts of future perturbations. To achieve this, the project will: combine existing rich historical data sources with state-of-the art ecosystem and fisheries models; analyse environmental impacts that will complement national fisheries stock assessments that are essential for future competitive exports; and determine our growing seafood imports and their role in Australia’s and the world’s food security.Read moreRead less
Linking fish recruitment and habitat use to ecosystem processes. Estuaries are transition zones between fresh and marine waters and form key nursery areas for fisheries. Understanding what makes an estuary a nursery area, and how dependent fish are on estuaries, is difficult because we lack vital information on fish recruitment and migrations. We will utilise chemical and genetic techniques to determine patterns of recruitment and migration of fish and link these patterns to biological character ....Linking fish recruitment and habitat use to ecosystem processes. Estuaries are transition zones between fresh and marine waters and form key nursery areas for fisheries. Understanding what makes an estuary a nursery area, and how dependent fish are on estuaries, is difficult because we lack vital information on fish recruitment and migrations. We will utilise chemical and genetic techniques to determine patterns of recruitment and migration of fish and link these patterns to biological characteristics of fish and physical variables of surrounding landscapes. Outcomes will provide managers with key landscape attributes than require conservation. Such information is vital for continued sustainability of fish and estuarine resources and will benefit rural coastal communities.Read moreRead less
Testing the Flood Pulse Concept for rivers with variable flow regimes. For floodplain rivers the major unifying conceptual model linking hydrology, biogeochemistry and ecology is the Flood Pulse Concept (FPC). The model is based on rivers that have a seasonally predictable and long duration inundation of floodplain habitats. Recent reviews of the FPC indicate that the model needs to be broadened to describe the function of rivers with more variable flow regimes. This project will test some of th ....Testing the Flood Pulse Concept for rivers with variable flow regimes. For floodplain rivers the major unifying conceptual model linking hydrology, biogeochemistry and ecology is the Flood Pulse Concept (FPC). The model is based on rivers that have a seasonally predictable and long duration inundation of floodplain habitats. Recent reviews of the FPC indicate that the model needs to be broadened to describe the function of rivers with more variable flow regimes. This project will test some of the predictions of the FPC for variable dryland rivers by investigating how food webs in the channels of a floodplain reach respond to flows of different magnitude, seasonal timing and duration.Read moreRead less
Automation of species recognition and size measurement of fish from underwater stereo-video imagery. The project aims to develop algorithms to automate the processing of stereo-video images recorded to count and measure the size of fish. This will improve husbandry and monitoring for finfish aquaculture at reduced costs, create technology export for industry partners, and develop cost effective, non-destructive finfish sampling tools for marine agencies.
MICROSCALE PLANKTON AND PARTICLE DYNAMICS: COMPARING AND CONTRASTING AUSTRALIAN AND INTERNATIONAL SEAS. Microscopic phytoplankton are the basis of ocean ecosystems, but most predictions and measurements focus on processes that occur over kilometres. Our recent work shows that definite and regular submetre seascape topography exists. This grant will test the extent to which this seascape topography is the fundamental organisational unit of marine ecosystems and the extent to which it characteris ....MICROSCALE PLANKTON AND PARTICLE DYNAMICS: COMPARING AND CONTRASTING AUSTRALIAN AND INTERNATIONAL SEAS. Microscopic phytoplankton are the basis of ocean ecosystems, but most predictions and measurements focus on processes that occur over kilometres. Our recent work shows that definite and regular submetre seascape topography exists. This grant will test the extent to which this seascape topography is the fundamental organisational unit of marine ecosystems and the extent to which it characterises Australian coastal waters and open ocean water masses. This research takes a leadership role in defining and advancing our understanding of how marine ecosystems function. The project will bring over $200 million of Japanese infrastructure to Australia for 3 years.Read moreRead less
A Quantitative Analysis of Prawn Harvesting Strategies. Prawn fisheries in NSW are undergoing major changes in their management. This unusual PhD project will design and test new decision-rules and strategies for fishery managers that are based upon pragmatic quantities of catch-per-unit-effort, prawn size, and river temperature and discharge. The performance of rules and strategies will be measured to ensure that they generate satisfactory outcomes for the prawn resources and the people that de ....A Quantitative Analysis of Prawn Harvesting Strategies. Prawn fisheries in NSW are undergoing major changes in their management. This unusual PhD project will design and test new decision-rules and strategies for fishery managers that are based upon pragmatic quantities of catch-per-unit-effort, prawn size, and river temperature and discharge. The performance of rules and strategies will be measured to ensure that they generate satisfactory outcomes for the prawn resources and the people that depend upon them. A major outcome will be precautionary or risk-averse decision-rules and strategies that are robust to the uncertainties that exist in prawn fisheries.Read moreRead less
Utilising innovative fishing technology to address key questions on the biology of Antarctic krill. Antarctic krill are an important species in the Southern Ocean supporting most of the Antarctic birds and mammals. A sustainable krill fishery is developing with krill products used in aquaculture and increasingly for human consumption. A new omega 3 krill oil industry has emerged and is rapidly expanding. The aim of the project is to predict the factors governing oil levels and the biochemical co ....Utilising innovative fishing technology to address key questions on the biology of Antarctic krill. Antarctic krill are an important species in the Southern Ocean supporting most of the Antarctic birds and mammals. A sustainable krill fishery is developing with krill products used in aquaculture and increasingly for human consumption. A new omega 3 krill oil industry has emerged and is rapidly expanding. The aim of the project is to predict the factors governing oil levels and the biochemical composition in krill which will help us understand growth, reproduction and recruitment. The research aims to also assess the possible effects of climate change on krill. Outcomes of this research aim to be used to manage the expanding krill fishery.Read moreRead less