Escape with ET
FRDC has joined forces with footy and fishing legend Andrew "ET" Ettingshausen, and his Escape with ET TV fishing show to showcase some of the research and development projects that are making Australian Fisheries some of the most sustainable in the world.
Over the past three years FRDC has worked with ET on Series 9, 10, 11 and 12 to produce more than 40 stories on research and development projects. The stories cover the full range of fishing activities – commercial, indigenous and recreational. The episodes from the first two seasons have been seen by a cumulative audience of more than 18 million viewers.
In 2011 FRDC will continue its partnership working on new stories for the show – keep an eye out for the new series and FRDC Research Segments. In the meantime please enjoy ET and his crews stories from Series 12.
Series 12
Artemia – Episode 1
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Remember sea-monkeys when you were a kid? Add this special powder to a glass of water and – shazam! – an instant family of tiny creatures. Well, growing sea-monkeys, or artemia, on a large scale is a lot trickier. But in a world first, scientists here in WA have cracked the code..
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| Barramundi – Episode 2 |
One of the holy grails for fish-os and fisheries researchers is to know where the barramundi are running hot and which years produce better barramundi stocks. Well, science has unlocked the secret. Basically, barramundi stocks go with the flow – the higher the annual river flow, the bigger the catch. So how did scientists work that out? Well, the answer lay hidden within the barra itself.
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| Recfishing Research – Episode 3 |
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| Octopus farms – Episode 4 |
Take a quick glance at restaurant tables and you’ll soon see more Aussies are becoming suckers for octopus. Demand for octopus has sky-rocketed in the last decade and the commercial fishermen just can’t keep up supply. But one company here in Perth has come up with a solution. They’re setting up the world’s first octopus farm.
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| Fisheries management – Episode 5 |
We all know that recreational and commercial fishing injects millions of dollars into the economy but a new report shows we could be doing things a whole lot better by changing the way we manage our fisheries.
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| Carp: trapping and selling – Episode 6 |
On a muddy river near Sale in Victoria, I’ve joined the hunt for one of Australia’s big pests. This net sends electrical pulses into the water, momentarily stunning any fish within five metres. Soon a target pops to the surface. A carp. Why go to all this trouble for an ordinary carp? Well, it’s time to forget everything you think you know about these fish. Most think of carp as a useless pest, a destructive, introduced species that needs to be eradicated from Aussie waters. Well, that’s true, but one company here in Victoria has managed to turn this pest into a prized resource.
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Reducing by-catch with improved nets –
Episode 7
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This is Trial Bay Beach in South West Rocks. And believe it or not, this humble looking shack is headquarters for a quiet revolution. Oceanwatch scientist Michael Wooden has been working with the local beach fishermen to help them change the way they harvest their fish. Along with all the legal fish, their nets were snagging unwanted species and under-sized fish. Michael and Oceanwatch came on board to help the boys create a better net.
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Ballina Marine Discovery Centre/NSW marine science teachers – Episode 8
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These go-anywhere, amphibious crafts are part of the Ballina Marine Discovery Centre, based at the Ballina high school. Students of all ages, from pre-schoolers through to seniors are studying marine science here as part of the official school curriculum. Best of all, they’re doing it from the ocean floor – up. |
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| What oysters really taste like – Episode 9 |
How would you describe the taste of an oyster? Salty? Maybe a bit chewy? I think it’s a little bit of both but that’s not a great way to describe the delicate flavours of an oyster, so Aussie oyster farmer Lester Marshall has come to our rescue.
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| BLUElink ocean forecast system – Episode 10 |
We all know how important it is to check the weather forecast before heading out but what about ocean forecasts? Well, the Bureau of Meteorology has an amazing system called BLUElink that not only warns you if there are any dangerous sea conditions but can actually help you find fish. |
Watch the segment |
Want to see our stories from previous Series? Click here
