Aquaculture Diet Development Subprogram: Ingredient Evaluation
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$503,574.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. Determine nutrient digestibility of major terrestrial protein and energy feed ingredients for which information is not currently available. 2. Determine contribution to fish and prawn growth of the most promising new ingredients and identify the maximum amounts which can be included in practical diets. 3. Evaluate carbohydrate utilisation and determine effects of carbohydrate type, content and processing on digestibility. 4. Use results to determine first lim ....Objectives: 1. Determine nutrient digestibility of major terrestrial protein and energy feed ingredients for which information is not currently available. 2. Determine contribution to fish and prawn growth of the most promising new ingredients and identify the maximum amounts which can be included in practical diets. 3. Evaluate carbohydrate utilisation and determine effects of carbohydrate type, content and processing on digestibility. 4. Use results to determine first limiting nutrients for fish and prawn diets based on Australian ingredients, and to formulate practical diets for evaluation in commercially relevant facilities. 5. Communicate results to producers of feed ingredients, feed manufacturers, aquaculturists and the scientific community. Read moreRead less
Investigation Of The Impact Of The Seastar Coscinasterias Calamaria On Commercial Mollusc Fisheries
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
Objectives: 1. Evaluate how much of a threat Coscinasterias calamaria poses to demersal mollusc fisheries 2. Estimate feed rate on important molluscs, by examining density & feeding strategy of adult starfish; time to digest before searching further; how prey avoid capture.
Cephalopod Beak Identification And Biomass Estimation Techniques: Tools For Dietary Studies Of Southern Australian Finfishes
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$56,636.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. To produce a diagnostic illustrated key for identification of cephalopod beaks in the diets of marine vertebrates from southern Australian waters. 2. To analyse relationships between beak morphometrics and whole animal attributes, in order to develop back-calculation formulae for estimation of prey size and biomass.
SCRC: RTG: Hands-on Operational Experience And Training At The Port Stephens Research Institute (PSRI) Marine Finfish Hatchery, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, Taylors Beach, NSW (Fisheries Technician: Trevor Borchert, DEEDI)
Effects Of Trawling Subprogram: Prawn Fishery Bycatch And Discards - Fates And Consequences For A Marine Ecosystem
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$419,638.25
Summary
*Public perceptions Commercial fisheries, in particular prawn fisheries, conjour negative perceptions of environmental impact by the general community. This stems as much from the negative imagery of capture of species of intrinsic public e.g. dolphins, as it does from notions that commercial fisheries irreversibly deplete stocks.
*Adverse consumer response Public perceptions have been shown to translate into adverse consumer response. In addition, domestic perception and politi ....*Public perceptions Commercial fisheries, in particular prawn fisheries, conjour negative perceptions of environmental impact by the general community. This stems as much from the negative imagery of capture of species of intrinsic public e.g. dolphins, as it does from notions that commercial fisheries irreversibly deplete stocks.
*Adverse consumer response Public perceptions have been shown to translate into adverse consumer response. In addition, domestic perception and political pressure threatens the actual conduct of fisheries rather than the market for the product. There is a clear need to better inform the Australian public on the environmental performance of commercial fisheries by identifying environmental impacts and promoting responsible work practices.
*Improved promotion of commercial fishing The proposal addresses a major need for more effective promotion of commercial fisheries linked to domestic perceptions and market opportunities.
*The ecosytem effects of fishing need to be understood. Most of Australia's major fisheries are undertaken in nearshore habitats yet relatively little is known of the effects of fishing on coastal ecosystems. This project seeks to address this question for a major coastal fishery. The objectives of the project are consistent with the aims of modern fisheries management and have been identified as an information need by FRDC. Objectives: 1. To determine which scavengers exploit material from prawn trawlers. 2. To determine the relative contribution this material makes to their diet and the population level consequences of prawn by-catch discarding for scavenger species. 3. To determine the population level consequences of prawn by-catch for the by-catch species themselves. 4. To quantify the rates and relative importance of nutrient regeneration by natural processes (winds and currents) and by prawn trawling activities in Spencer Gulf. 5. To integrate the information that has been collected from both this study and previous work to develop a trophodynamic model that quantitatively describes the influence of prawn trawling in a coastal ecosystem. 6. To complete a comprehensive written assessment of the ecological impact of prawn trawling in Spencer Gulf, consistent with the need to adopt principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development. 7. To identify and promote environmentally favourable work practices. Read moreRead less
The Biology And Ecology Of Blue Grenadier With Particular Reference To Stock Recruitment, Stock Identity And Its Role In A Multispecies Fishery
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
Objectives: 1. Investigating recruitment patterns to stocks using larval & adult fish; no of separate stocks in Tas waters using biochemical genetic techniques 2. relationship between adult blue grenadier & other species, especially mortality from predation & 3. ; influence of food supply on the populations
The Biological Oceanography Of Western Rock Lobster Larvae
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$614,243.88
Summary
Lack of knowledge of Western Australia’s fisheries oceanography fundamentally limits understanding of the recruitment of Western Rock Lobster, Panulirus cygnus, in a fishery worth $200-300 million/year to Australia. The life cycle of P. cygnus includes a planktonic “phyllosoma” larval stage that can be transported ~1500 km offshore, via ocean currents. Development then continues at sea for up to 11 months, before juveniles (“puerulus”) cross the shelf to recruit to coastal reef areas. Critical t ....Lack of knowledge of Western Australia’s fisheries oceanography fundamentally limits understanding of the recruitment of Western Rock Lobster, Panulirus cygnus, in a fishery worth $200-300 million/year to Australia. The life cycle of P. cygnus includes a planktonic “phyllosoma” larval stage that can be transported ~1500 km offshore, via ocean currents. Development then continues at sea for up to 11 months, before juveniles (“puerulus”) cross the shelf to recruit to coastal reef areas. Critical to improving management of this fishery is an understanding of oceanographic mechanisms driving coastal recruitment. The last three years of puerulus settlement have been low, with the latest (2008/09) the lowest in 40 years. This recent low settlement remains unexplained by environmental drivers previously identified as important, so its cause represents a key unknown for managers assessing the fishery’s sustainability. We will test the hypothesis that variation in settlement is driven by variation in food availability during the open-ocean stage of the phyllosoma larvae. We suggest that ocean productivity, particularly the nitrate-driven classic food chain supporting diatoms, and copepods, (as the ultimate prey of phyllosoma), limits phyllosoma growth and survival in their oceanic phase. Our work targets the peak autumn/winter plankton bloom in the Leeuwin Current, quantifying oceanographic parameters crucial to modelling rock lobster larval dynamics and attempting to link these directly to the food chain on which the phyllosoma as active predators, rely very heavily upon for survival. Objectives: 1. Analyze phyllosoma densities, sizes, genetics at four latitudes (Rottnest-Shark Bay, WA) 2. Analyze offshore food web structures supporting phyllosoma growth at sea 3. Assess potential for Leeuwin Current autumn/winter bloom to support phyllosoma growth Read moreRead less
Using Scat DNA To Inform Sustainable Fisheries Management And Ecological Risk Assessments: A Shy Albatross Case Study
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$96,500.00
Summary
Due to the biases and unethical sampling methods conventionally used to collect dietary data, the most recent data for shy albatross is over 20 years old (Hedd et al 2001). A recent international review of albatross diets highlighted the need to 1) incorporate appropriate dietary studies as an integral component of species recovery and management plans, and 2) elevate the importance of dietary studies in long term monitoring plans to link observed demographic parameters to ecological drivers (Mc ....Due to the biases and unethical sampling methods conventionally used to collect dietary data, the most recent data for shy albatross is over 20 years old (Hedd et al 2001). A recent international review of albatross diets highlighted the need to 1) incorporate appropriate dietary studies as an integral component of species recovery and management plans, and 2) elevate the importance of dietary studies in long term monitoring plans to link observed demographic parameters to ecological drivers (McInnes et al 2016a). With changing environmental conditions and improvements to mitigation measures used by fisheries, it is important to monitor how TEP species may adapt to these changes. Current, reliable diet information will allow risk assessment tools such as trophic models to be developed and provide a baseline of diet information in which we can test what drives any dietary shifts in TEPs. There is also paucity in information about if and when seabird-fishery engagements occur. This was raised at the AFMA Seabird Workshop in late 2016. Quantification of albatross engagements with vessels would assist with the development of the Seabird Strategy for Commonwealth fisheries to ensure fisheries are managed sustainably.
This project seeks to apply new high-resolution DNA-based diet-analysis (DNA metabarcoding) to characterise the diet of shy albatross, including intra- and inter-annual variability. This trophic information, in combination with existing fine-scale tracking data, will contribute valuable information to assist in fisheries management and ecological risk assessment processes. Specifically, this information will enable us to: i) estimate the range of prey species consumed by shy albatross, (ii) develop trophic models to estimate the relative resource requirements of shy albatross, (iii) evaluate intra-and inter-annual level of engagement of shy albatross with fisheries, (iv) provide baseline data for evaluating efficacy of fisheries management changes, (v) provide a demonstration of the applicability of this technique to other TEP species and regions.
Objectives: 1. Develop a South East Australian marine prey DNA database 2. Characterise of the range of prey species consumed by shy albatrosses to high taxonomic resolution (species or genus where possible) and the relative frequency of occurrence of each taxa within the diet. 3. Assess the extent to which the shy albatross engage with fisheries by quantifying the frequency of target, secondary and bycaught species in the diet 4. Assess the spatial and temporal variability of both objectives 2 and 3 Read moreRead less
Objectives: 1. Collect & analyse data on occurrence, population, biology & feeding behaviour of octopus in 3 areas. 2. Evaluate predation of pot-caught rock lobster, behaviour of octopus with respect to lobster & pots. Biology of octopus.
Assessment Of The Importance Of Different Near-shore Marine Habitats To Important Fishery Species In Victoria Using Standardised Survey Methods, And In Temperate And Sub-tropical Australia Using Stable Isotope Analysis
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$553,689.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. To increase our understanding of fisheries/habitat links using a combination of standardised survey methods in Victoria and Queensland, and isotope analyses across southern Australia and Queensland. 2. To identify the importance of different near shore habitats for important fish species from recruitment to older-life stages, for individual habitats at broad scales and habitat mosaics at finer scales. 3. To improve the quality of data derived from isotope analyses ....Objectives: 1. To increase our understanding of fisheries/habitat links using a combination of standardised survey methods in Victoria and Queensland, and isotope analyses across southern Australia and Queensland. 2. To identify the importance of different near shore habitats for important fish species from recruitment to older-life stages, for individual habitats at broad scales and habitat mosaics at finer scales. 3. To improve the quality of data derived from isotope analyses by including a greater range of potential sources of primary production. 4. To understand the transfer of primary production from important habitats to food chains of fish that occur outside that habitat, and also the sources of primary production for fish inhabiting habitat mosaics. 5. To integrate existing near shore habitat data-sets with detailed descriptions of fish/habitat associations in a spatial information system (GIS) that can be accessed by a variety of user groups. Read moreRead less