Global trends in oceanic wind speed and wave height. This project will determine whether winds and waves over the world's oceans have changed over the past 30 years. Such information is critically important in understanding global climate change, evaporation, air-sea interaction and to safely design and operate coastal and offshore facilities.
Passive and active swimmers in complex flows. Strong interest in the motion of active swimmers in turbulent flows is triggered by problems such as sea search and rescue algorithms or diffusion of microorganisms in aquatic environments. For example, the patchiness in the distribution of phytoplankton can be related to the exposure of the microorganisms to turbulent flows. Recent progress in laboratory modelling of turbulence and the fabrication of artificial swimmers using Janus particles makes i ....Passive and active swimmers in complex flows. Strong interest in the motion of active swimmers in turbulent flows is triggered by problems such as sea search and rescue algorithms or diffusion of microorganisms in aquatic environments. For example, the patchiness in the distribution of phytoplankton can be related to the exposure of the microorganisms to turbulent flows. Recent progress in laboratory modelling of turbulence and the fabrication of artificial swimmers using Janus particles makes it possible to study these processes in the laboratory. This project is intended to undertake the first such study. The project is expected to help understand the impact of particle motility on turbulent dispersion.Read moreRead less
Circular Economy Opportunities For Fisheries And Aquaculture In Australia
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$158,000.00
Summary
Current resource use challenges sustainability and resilience of industries. Circular value chains allow management of waste losses and maximise resource recovery. A circular economy (CE) mimics the cycles in nature in which there is no waste. Maximum value and utility of products and materials is maintained in CE through a combination of extending product lifetimes, increasing resource use intensity, and end-of-life material recycling. CE includes the idea of regenerative development, i.e. as ....Current resource use challenges sustainability and resilience of industries. Circular value chains allow management of waste losses and maximise resource recovery. A circular economy (CE) mimics the cycles in nature in which there is no waste. Maximum value and utility of products and materials is maintained in CE through a combination of extending product lifetimes, increasing resource use intensity, and end-of-life material recycling. CE includes the idea of regenerative development, i.e. as the earth’s resources cycle as materials through the economy they restore and enhance, rather than deplete, natural capital.
Economic opportunities of circularity are well identified, the World Economic Forum estimates global adoption of CE principles would deliver cost savings of US$1trillion dollars per annum by 2025. A recent UTS:ISF study estimated an Australian CE could be worth AU$2 billion by 2025. However, current knowledge gaps constrain how CE may develop, at what scale it makes sense to close loops, and the strategies, policy mix and incentives needed to promote circularity.
For fisheries and aquaculture, CE adoption addresses waste challenges through the creation of new value chains for fish/shell waste and substitution or recycling plastics and provides co-benefits of resource efficiency, contributions to healthy aquatic eco-systems and creation of added value and new employment. Frameworks to guide ‘CE thinking’ exist e.g. Ellen Macarthur Foundation’s 10R’s and ReSOLVE (see Supplementary Material), but have not been explored, are often omitted in food innovation debates (Pagotto and Halog 2015), and opportunities for implementation within the sector are still emerging (e.g., replacement of fish-feed for abalone with wine production waste or repurposing mussel shells as high-nutrient fertiliser). The need to understand the context, opportunity and benefit of CE innovations and to identify strategic approaches to sectoral circularity at scale are apparent.
Objectives: 1. 1. Develop increased knowledge of how the concept of circular economy relates to fishing and aquaculture, including downstream activities such as post-harvest processing and packaging. 2. 2. Develop increased knowledge of how circular practices being applied in other sectors and industries relate to the fishing and aquaculture sectors and could be adopted by fishing and aquaculture businesses. This includes opportunities for fisheries/aquaculture industries to develop circular linkages with other marine and land based sectors. 3. 3. Identify opportunities that are available and areas for exploration in the short, medium and longer term to progress a circular economy for fisheries and aquaculture. 4. 4. Identify barriers to adopting circularity within the fisheries/aquaculture sector, and known strategies for addressing those barriers. Read moreRead less
The changing marketplace and production profile of rock lobster internationally dictates that the Australian rock lobster industry applies state of the art technology in management, research and development, if we are to maintain a competitive position and grow the value of the limited resource.
At present no vehicle exists to allow industry an effective interchange of ideas or to consider leading edge research and development from around the globe. Essentially the Australian lobster i ....The changing marketplace and production profile of rock lobster internationally dictates that the Australian rock lobster industry applies state of the art technology in management, research and development, if we are to maintain a competitive position and grow the value of the limited resource.
At present no vehicle exists to allow industry an effective interchange of ideas or to consider leading edge research and development from around the globe. Essentially the Australian lobster industries operate in isolation, disjointed by State borders.
The Tri-State Southern Rock Lobster Conference has historically seen ad hoc attempts made to bring industry together. The conference has evolved into a quasi national event with representatives from most States and New Zealand in attendance, although the primary focus on the jasus edwardsii lobster remains a deficiency.
An outcome of the most recent Tri-State Conference, was a call for a National Lobster Conference including all States and species not covered, to establish a forum for industry Australia wide to make a start at building a national focus on management, marketing, development and problem solving.
At present information flow in these areas are localised trickles at best and the industry has a responsibility to upgrade its role in information exchange. Objectives: 1. Provide an International Class Lobster Industry Congress 2. To Ensure a Financially Viable Event Read moreRead less
Marine urban development: how can ecology inform the design of multifunctional artificial structures? This project aims to experimentally manipulate the design of artificial structures to achieve multipurpose ecological objectives. Artificial structures such as buildings and roads have featured in terrestrial urban landscapes for many years, but have only more recently begun encroaching on aquatic environments. Most marine artificial structures lack the innovative design solutions required to mi ....Marine urban development: how can ecology inform the design of multifunctional artificial structures? This project aims to experimentally manipulate the design of artificial structures to achieve multipurpose ecological objectives. Artificial structures such as buildings and roads have featured in terrestrial urban landscapes for many years, but have only more recently begun encroaching on aquatic environments. Most marine artificial structures lack the innovative design solutions required to mitigate their ecological impacts and provide essential ecosystem services such as pollution abatement. This project will investigate the efficacy of these designs with both classical measures of diversity and structure and novel measures of ecosystem function. The project aims to provide essential information to inform the design of future marine urban developments.Read moreRead less
Bursary To Attend The 2022 Microplastics And Seafood: Human Health Symposium In The United Kingdom - Nina Wootton
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$9,400.00
Summary
[Produce a ‘Critical Review Paper’ to provide a potential roadmap for additional research, as well as help identify communication strategies for the seafood industry. This is a development and networking opportunity to create future relationships and collaborations]
This bursary will allow Nina Wootton to attend the microplastics and seafood symposium in Edinburgh, Scotland. The focus of the symposium will be human health aspects of microplastics in seafood. The aim is to produce a cri ....[Produce a ‘Critical Review Paper’ to provide a potential roadmap for additional research, as well as help identify communication strategies for the seafood industry. This is a development and networking opportunity to create future relationships and collaborations]
This bursary will allow Nina Wootton to attend the microplastics and seafood symposium in Edinburgh, Scotland. The focus of the symposium will be human health aspects of microplastics in seafood. The aim is to produce a critical review paper to provide a potential roadmap for additional research, as well as help identify communication strategies for the seafood industry. This is part of an international partnership between FRDC, Seafish (UK) and Seafood Industry Research Fund (USA) that will have 11 scientific experts attending along with industry. The symposium provides Australians with a unique opportunity to engage with experts and industry from around the world.
We will also visit several UK based research groups as part of our travel - we have already engaged with researchers from Plymouth Marine Laboratories, University of Plymouth and Exeter University including Professor Richard Thompson, the first researcher to identify microplastics as an issue. Objectives: 1. Attend the 'Microplastics and Seafood; Human Health Symposium' in the United Kingdom 2. To produce a ‘Critical Review Paper’ addressing microplastics in seafood and impact on human health to provide a potential roadmap for additional research and identify communication strategies for the seafood industry Read moreRead less
Bursary To Attend The 2022 Microplastics And Seafood: Human Health Symposium In The United Kingdom - Bronwyn Gillanders
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$8,885.00
Summary
[Produce a ‘Critical Review Paper’ to provide a potential roadmap for additional research, as well as help identify communication strategies for the seafood industry. This is a development and networking opportunity to create future relationships and collaborations]
This bursary will allow Professor Gillanders to attend the microplastics and seafood symposium in Edinburgh, Scotland. The focus of the symposium will be human health aspects of microplastics in seafood. The aim is to produ ....[Produce a ‘Critical Review Paper’ to provide a potential roadmap for additional research, as well as help identify communication strategies for the seafood industry. This is a development and networking opportunity to create future relationships and collaborations]
This bursary will allow Professor Gillanders to attend the microplastics and seafood symposium in Edinburgh, Scotland. The focus of the symposium will be human health aspects of microplastics in seafood. The aim is to produce a critical review paper to provide a potential roadmap for additional research, as well as help identify communication strategies for the seafood industry. This is part of an international partnership between FRDC, Seafish (UK) and Seafood Industry Research Fund (USA) that will have 11 scientific experts attending along with industry. The symposium provides Australians with a unique opportunity to engage with experts and industry from around the world.
We will also visit several UK based research groups as part of our travel - we have already engaged with researchers from Plymouth Marine Laboratories, University of Plymouth and Exeter University including Professor Richard Thompson, the first researcher to identify microplastics as an issue. Objectives: 1. Attend the 'Microplastics and Seafood; Human Health Symposium' in the United Kingdom 2. To produce a ‘Critical Review Paper’ addressing microplastics in seafood and impact on human health to provide a potential roadmap for additional research and identify communication strategies for the seafood industry Read moreRead less
Australia's ocean microbiome: how the diversity and functionality of microbes influence key oceanographic provinces. Every millilitre of seawater contains millions of microbes that maintain the health of our planet, but their identity and function in Australian waters is undefined. This project will identify the microbes inhabiting Australian marine systems, elucidate the services they provide, and predict how they will be affected by future environmental changes
Immediate and delayed changes to survival, physiology, reproduction and movement of chondrichthyans following capture stress. Many sharks and rays are negatively affected by the impact of fisheries capture, with unknown consequences. The project will measure changes to survival, physiology, reproduction and behaviour following capture to better understand and manage the impact of fisheries on these animals. This information is vital for their effective conservation.