Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100232
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$431,704.00
Summary
Demographic and life course drivers of social cohesion. The project aims to understand the individual and community-level drivers and pressures on social cohesion in Australia. It is expected to generate new knowledge on how and why individuals become more or less engaged in their communities and society over time by combining information from multiple existing data sources. Expected outcomes of the project include the creation of analytical tools for measuring the dynamics of social cohesion, h ....Demographic and life course drivers of social cohesion. The project aims to understand the individual and community-level drivers and pressures on social cohesion in Australia. It is expected to generate new knowledge on how and why individuals become more or less engaged in their communities and society over time by combining information from multiple existing data sources. Expected outcomes of the project include the creation of analytical tools for measuring the dynamics of social cohesion, helping to bridge the gap between current theories and data. This should provide significant benefits in identifying threats and opportunities, and informing community and government initiatives, to strengthen and maintain social cohesion and the collective well-being of communities and Australia.Read moreRead less
The fitness consequences of age-dependent changes in cognitive abilities. This project aims to investigate health-related topics in invasive fish. The evolution of large brains suggests that smarter individuals have more offspring due to natural and sexual selection. This project aims to test if the ability to perform cognitively challenging tasks predicts reproductive success. In addition, many life history traits show a trade-off between early and late life performance. This project will test ....The fitness consequences of age-dependent changes in cognitive abilities. This project aims to investigate health-related topics in invasive fish. The evolution of large brains suggests that smarter individuals have more offspring due to natural and sexual selection. This project aims to test if the ability to perform cognitively challenging tasks predicts reproductive success. In addition, many life history traits show a trade-off between early and late life performance. This project will test this prediction to see if individuals with above average cognitive performance when young are below average when old, that is faster 'cognitive senescence', or whether some individuals stay relatively smarter than others throughout their lives.Read moreRead less
Transgenerational Consequences of Different Environmental Experiences. The project aims to deliver an integrative overview of behavioural, evolutionary and environmental epigenetics. In particular, by studying why stress-related experiences of organisms (e.g. exposure to toxins) can be passed onto the future generations regardless of its seemingly fitness-reducing impacts. It also aims to test if the seemingly beneficial effect of non-stress related experiences (e.g. environmental enrichment) ca ....Transgenerational Consequences of Different Environmental Experiences. The project aims to deliver an integrative overview of behavioural, evolutionary and environmental epigenetics. In particular, by studying why stress-related experiences of organisms (e.g. exposure to toxins) can be passed onto the future generations regardless of its seemingly fitness-reducing impacts. It also aims to test if the seemingly beneficial effect of non-stress related experiences (e.g. environmental enrichment) can be inherited transgenerationally. This project involves both research synthesis (e.g. meta-analysis) and experiments on zebrafish employing cutting-edge statistical, computational and molecular methods along with behavioural assays. Also, the outcomes of the synthesis are expected to guide future work in the field. Read moreRead less
Hybridisation leading to lost sex: genomic and experimental insights. The project intends to apply advanced genomics to two classic Australian systems and quantitative genetics to one to address long-standing questions about why asexual reproduction is rare. It aims to test for rapid changes in genomes accompanying hybrid-origins of asexuals and whether this new diversity enables their ongoing evolution. The significance is that support for this hypothesis would challenge current theory for why ....Hybridisation leading to lost sex: genomic and experimental insights. The project intends to apply advanced genomics to two classic Australian systems and quantitative genetics to one to address long-standing questions about why asexual reproduction is rare. It aims to test for rapid changes in genomes accompanying hybrid-origins of asexuals and whether this new diversity enables their ongoing evolution. The significance is that support for this hypothesis would challenge current theory for why sex is so common. The expected outcome is to understand how variation is generated in natural populations with different ways of reproducing. Benefits would include significant contributions to global science, evolutionary training and potential applications in using hybridisation to manage threatened species or pests.Read moreRead less
Developing An Independent Shallow-water Survey For The Western Rock Lobster Fishery: Tracking Pre-recruitment Abundance And Habitat Change
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$445,500.00
Summary
The current method of measuring undersize lobster abundance (PRA) is based on catch data adjusted for multiple biases inherent in commercial monitoring, namely: water depth, water temperature, swell, fisher experience, pot type, escape gaps, pot pulling time, month and location. Biases are exacerbated by recent poor sample sizes, as many fishers choose not to fish in shallow-water areas. Developing a standardized, repeatable survey in shallow areas will provide an improved index of PRA that ca ....The current method of measuring undersize lobster abundance (PRA) is based on catch data adjusted for multiple biases inherent in commercial monitoring, namely: water depth, water temperature, swell, fisher experience, pot type, escape gaps, pot pulling time, month and location. Biases are exacerbated by recent poor sample sizes, as many fishers choose not to fish in shallow-water areas. Developing a standardized, repeatable survey in shallow areas will provide an improved index of PRA that can be incorporated into the stock modelling: this would improve the overall assessment. Currently fishery-independent survey data collection requires a minimum of two staff to process the catch and record information. Data entry is conducted by a third staff member. To increase cost effectiveness (for this and other lobster surveys), a more efficient data collection system is needed. Initial scoping has identified a number of possible solutions (e.g. app-based entry). This project will expand on this original scoping work to develop a solution. This will also benefit commercial lobster monitoring work conducted by DPIRD as well as a range of other surveys in similar pot based fisheries. This survey will also provide a platform for monitoring inshore WRL habitats. This will establish a baseline against which further research into the relationships between WRL and their near shore habitats can be undertaken. This will assist with detecting and quantifying habitat shifts that may impact the fishery. For example, there is anecdotal evidence that the heatwave temporarily modified some of these near shore habitats, leading to the altered relationship between puerulus and lobster recruitment. Long-term monitoring of juvenile habitats will likely provide a useful indicator of one of the factors affecting recruitment to the fishery. Objectives: 1. Produce accurate measures of pre-recruit abundance throughout the West Coast Rock Lobster Managed Fishery. Compare with commercial monitoring undersize lobster abundance and puerulus settlement data. 2. Design and construct a more efficient data recording tool to increase the accuracy and speed of data collection. 3. Develop base-line habitat descriptions at all potting locations throughout the shallow water survey. 4. Determine the relationship between sampling rate required to detect different magnitudes of marine habitat change at these survey locations Read moreRead less
Climate Driven Shifts In Benthic Habitat Composition As A Potential Demographic Bottleneck For Western Rocklobster: Understanding The Role Of Recruitment Habitats To Better Predict The Under-size Lobster Population For Fishery Sustainability
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$433,791.00
Summary
The marine heat waves (MHW) of 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13 provide a benchmark with which to investigate changes in habitat composition and potential flow on effects to the fishery.
A 2018 independent review of the science used for stock assessment of the fishery recommended that studies should be undertaken to
a) investigate the impacts of the previous MHW on juvenile recruitment to the fishery and,
b) to better understand the role of habitat composition in recruitme ....The marine heat waves (MHW) of 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13 provide a benchmark with which to investigate changes in habitat composition and potential flow on effects to the fishery.
A 2018 independent review of the science used for stock assessment of the fishery recommended that studies should be undertaken to
a) investigate the impacts of the previous MHW on juvenile recruitment to the fishery and,
b) to better understand the role of habitat composition in recruitment
To understand the impact of habitat change on the fishery, either through warming events or changes in coastal processes, we need an increased understanding of the role of habitat on the survivorship and growth of puerulus, post-puerulus, juvenile and adult life stages of lobster.
In the 40 year time-series of puerulus settlement index a very strong relationship has persisted between puerulus abundance and commercial lobster catches 3 - 4 years larter (de lestang et al., 2010). An undersize catch rate index, based on historical (1985 - present) catch-rate records, evidenced the existence of a strong correlation between puerulus and undersize catch rate (de Lestang pers. com.). However, two-four years after the MHW of 2010/11, this relationship degraded, with the observed catch rate of lobsters being far less than expected at northern locations of the fishery. Although the relationship has now started to return to its historical form, the severity and longevity of its departure are cause for concern and highlight the marked impact future MHW or changes in coastal processes could have on the fishery.
Change in the extent and configurations of coastal habitats is already occurring in response to natural physical forcing (coastal processes) and accelerated by climate change related stressors. It is crucial to have a detailed knowledge of how habitat change affects survival and recruitment key life-stages of the western rock lobster, so these can be taken into consideration for management practices that ensure the sustainability of the fishery. Such information is currently lacking. Objectives: 1. The overall objective is to evaluate the implications of habitat change for the western rock lobster fishery, by determining the relative importance of habitat for the survivorship and growth of critical western rock lobster life stages, to inform the interpretation of existing settlement and recruitment metrics where and when habitat change also occurs. This will be examined via four linked objectives: 2. Synthesise evidence of habitat change: use novel and historical habitat imagery and other remote sensing datasets to determine the spatial extent of habitat loss and recovery, either attributed to 2011/2012 marine heat wave or changes in coastal processes. 3. Investigate fine-scale correlations in anomalies between predicted and observed undersize catch rate index and areas of habitat loss and recovery, either attributed to 2011/2012 marine heat waves or changes in coastal processes. 4. Evaluate evidence of essential benthic habitat for juvenile lobster, by measuring how habitat quality (cover and composition) influences lobster survival. 5. Create a spatial index of essential habitats to inform the interpretation of existing settlement and recruitment metrics. Read moreRead less
Assessing The Biology And Connectivity Of Deep-water Finfish On Australia’s East Coast And The Impact Of Fleet Dynamics
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$433,228.00
Summary
Deep-water finfish are an increasingly important fisheries resource on Australia's east coast that has been subjected to recent and rapid growth in fishing pressure across commercial, recreational, and charter sectors. Drivers of increased targeting of deep-water species likely include depletion of inshore stocks leading to effort shifts to deeper areas, advances in technology facilitating more effective targeting of deep-water species and changing market dynamics leading to increased profitabil ....Deep-water finfish are an increasingly important fisheries resource on Australia's east coast that has been subjected to recent and rapid growth in fishing pressure across commercial, recreational, and charter sectors. Drivers of increased targeting of deep-water species likely include depletion of inshore stocks leading to effort shifts to deeper areas, advances in technology facilitating more effective targeting of deep-water species and changing market dynamics leading to increased profitability. However, sustainable management of deep-water finfish stocks requires species-specific information on fundamental life history characteristics and stock structure to inform evidence-based management that is currently lacking.
Deep-water species are often characterised by slow growth, late maturity, and clustered distributions around pockets of suitable habitat that leave them vulnerable to overfishing. It is necessary to determine how such traits and connectivity among populations affect the sustainability of fisheries for key deep-water species on Australia's east coast. Management of deep-water species is also complicated by cross-jurisdictional distributions including Queensland, New South Wales, and Commonwealth managed fisheries.
Currently, due to the lack of fundamental biological information, key deep-water species are managed using basic harvest strategies set to trigger enhanced management and scientific focus when such need arises, which is now occurring. For example, the 2021 commercial harvest of Bar Cod (Epinephelus ergastularius) in Queensland exceeded double the mean harvest from 2011-2015, triggering a requirement for the first stock assessment of this species. Anecdotally, recreational catches in Queensland of other key species including Flametail Snapper (Etelis coruscans) and Goldband Snapper (Pristipomoides multidens) have substantially increased in recent years, with the latter given priority status for future stock assessment. New South Wales DPI has indicated a particular need for research focus on Bass groper (Polyprion americanus) and Hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios) due to the complete lack of biological information required for fisheries management of these species, both of which are now quota managed. Recreational fishing effort is important to quantify because this sector has come to dominate the deep-water fishery in some areas where commercial fishing effort is sparse. Changing fleet dynamics and the uptake of technological advances in fishing gear have also increased fishing power for deep-water species in ways that are poorly understood.
This project aims to address these issues with a cross-jurisdictional collaboration between Qld DAF, NSW DPI, and AFMA supported by the University of Queensland providing fundamental information on the biology and population connectivity of key deep-water species. Project staff are well placed to leverage their existing networks and will also build new relationships with stakeholders throughout the deep-water fishery to pursue sample collection from all available sources including commercial fishers, processors, and recreational and charter fishers. Archived samples and targeted fishery-independent sampling will also be employed to secure sufficient samples to provide confident estimates on life history parameters and population connectivity to inform stock assessment. Additionally, we aim to develop novel methods to improve recreational reporting of deep-water catches and improve estimates of fishing power effects on catches of deep-water finfish.
Objectives: 1. Describe the life history characteristics of key deep-water species, e.g., Bar Cod, Flametail Snapper, and Goldband Snapper 2. Understand the stock structure and connectivity of deep-water species in Queensland and New South Wales 3. Investigate and implement novel methods for improving recreational catch reporting of deep-water species 4. Improve estimates of fishing power in the deep-water line fishery by reviewing (as opposed to trialling) historic and current fishing technologies Read moreRead less
Maternal contributions to offspring development in a changing climate. This project aims to investigate how maternal contributions to offspring developmental environments affect metabolism, learning, growth, and survival of offspring. This project expects to provide mechanistic and evolutionary insights into how changes in metabolic function, brought about by changes in the developmental environment, contribute to variation in learning and life-history. Expected outcomes include an in-depth unde ....Maternal contributions to offspring development in a changing climate. This project aims to investigate how maternal contributions to offspring developmental environments affect metabolism, learning, growth, and survival of offspring. This project expects to provide mechanistic and evolutionary insights into how changes in metabolic function, brought about by changes in the developmental environment, contribute to variation in learning and life-history. Expected outcomes include an in-depth understanding of how changes in maternal investment and hormones impact offspring developing in different thermal environments and how such changes are mediated by compromised physiological function – providing significant benefits in understanding population persistence in Australia's rapidly changing climate.Read moreRead less
Developing A Cost-effective Monitoring Regime And Stock Assessment For Sand Flathead In Tasmania
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$703,700.00
Summary
Sand Flathead account for well over half of the total catch (by numbers) taken by marine recreational fishers in Tasmania and represent the mainstay of Tasmania's recreational fishery. Furthermore, since the recreational catch of sand flathead is more than 20 times the commercial catch, trends in commercial catch and catch rates are of little value in inferring changes in stock status. This has meant that fishery independent or novel assessment methods are required. To date, IMAS has implemente ....Sand Flathead account for well over half of the total catch (by numbers) taken by marine recreational fishers in Tasmania and represent the mainstay of Tasmania's recreational fishery. Furthermore, since the recreational catch of sand flathead is more than 20 times the commercial catch, trends in commercial catch and catch rates are of little value in inferring changes in stock status. This has meant that fishery independent or novel assessment methods are required. To date, IMAS has implemented a research program focused on sand flathead in the south-east of the state that provides a spatially restricted, perspective and semi-quantitative evaluation of stock condition. Given the significance of the species and a status of 'depleting' in the latest stock assessment report, there is a need to implement a more comprehensive stock monitoring approach throughout the state that can support the development of a spatially explicit quantitative stock assessment model. There is also a need to determine the appropriate spatial resolution to apply to the stock assessment model. As such, there is a need to understand the extent of adult movement and ontogenetic connectivity of regional sub-populations of sand flathead throughout Tasmania. In addition, by collation of biological data sets from historical studies and surveys conducted around Tasmania the extent and direction of potential changes in population size structures, and life history characteristics will be investigated. Where possible collated biological data will be used to assess spatial and temporal changes in life history characteristics to assess the implications of selective excessive fishing pressure and/or past and future climate change effects for this species. Objectives: 1. Review and collate available biological and fishery data collected on sand flathead within Tasmanian waters 2. Design, implement and assess the effectiveness of fishery dependent and fishery independent biological sample collection techniques for sand flathead 3. Determine the spatial and temporal variability of key life history characteristics and population structures of sand flathead 4. Investigate movement and connectivity of sand flathead within Tasmania 5. Develop a quantitative region-age-sex structured fishery assessment model for sand flathead 6. Identify management scenarios for consideration Read moreRead less
Understanding climate and harvest induced changes in fish life histories. This project aims to quantify the cumulative impacts of harvest and climate change across marine fishes and ecosystems. The project expects to generate new knowledge in this area by coupling the rich biological information archived in fish ear bones, with targeted multi-generation experiments and predictive modelling. Expected outcomes include fundamental insights into how human-induced environmental change affects fish gr ....Understanding climate and harvest induced changes in fish life histories. This project aims to quantify the cumulative impacts of harvest and climate change across marine fishes and ecosystems. The project expects to generate new knowledge in this area by coupling the rich biological information archived in fish ear bones, with targeted multi-generation experiments and predictive modelling. Expected outcomes include fundamental insights into how human-induced environmental change affects fish growth and maturation, and a subsequent critical evaluation of the sensitivity of fisheries models to trends in these life-history traits. This should provide significant benefits to fisheries and ecosystem management, ensuring they remain productive and resilient in a time of rapid environmental change.Read moreRead less