PROJECT NUMBER
•
2020-052
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
ORGANISATION:
CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory
63,148 results
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2020-049
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
Monitoring and mitigating interactions between small pelagic fisheries and dolphins: literature review and analysis of fishery data
This review compares approaches taken to monitor and mitigate common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) interactions with the South Australian Sardine Fishery (SASF) with those taken for protected species interactions with other fisheries for small pelagic species, including Australia’s Commonwealth...
ORGANISATION:
University of Adelaide
SPECIES
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2020-043
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
Toxigenic vibrio baselines and optimum storage, transport and shelf-life conditions to inform cold supply chains in the north Australian Tropical Rock Oyster industry
Toxigenic Vibrio baselines and optimum storage, transport and shelf-life conditions to inform cold supply chains in the north Australian Tropical Rock Oyster...
ORGANISATION:
Charles Darwin University (CDU)
TAGS
SPECIES
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2020-041
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
ORGANISATION:
Tuna Australia Ltd
Aquatic animal welfare – a review of guidance documents and legislation
Project number:
2020-040
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$209,420.00
Principal Investigator:
Paul Hardy-Smith
Organisation:
Panaquatic Health Solutions Pty Ltd
Project start/end date:
14 Jan 2021
-
29 Nov 2023
Contact:
FRDC
The aquaculture, commercial and recreational fisheries sectors along with the FRDC have recognised the need to continue the work of the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy (AAWS) Aquatic Animal Working Group (AAWG) (2005-2013). In September 2018, the FRDC funded a workshop to review the activities of the AAWS-AAWG and for the industry peak bodies to prioritize knowledge gaps for future R&D. One of the recommendations from the workshop funded by FRDC 2017-221 was to conduct a stocktake of the current industry processes and legislation that relate to aquatic animal welfare.
The initial stocktake was completed in 2006 by Dr Paul Hardy-Smith and colleagues. The aquatic animal welfare landscape has significantly changed since 2006. States and Territories are developing animal welfare legislation and guidelines that either specifically addresses aquatic animal welfare considerations and/or includes aquatic animals (e.g. fish, crustaceans) under the definition of “animal” in the legislation. This changing landscape has implications for “in-field” practices (e.g. methods used to kill aquatic animals) and other practices (e.g. transportation of live aquatic animals).
It is critically important that the commercial wild capture, aquaculture and recreational fishing sectors understand the implications of this changing landscape. These sectors need to ensure their own guidelines or codes of conduct are addressing the regional requirements and if they are not, then it is important that they are assisted in addressing changes to protect themselves. It is important that aquatic animal welfare requirements in no way place human welfare at risk. There is a need to promote the changes to industry practice that have positive outcomes for aquatic animal welfare and to ensure industry practices are keeping within the welfare requirements of that State or Territory.
Our project will comprehensively document and analyse the legislative framework as it applies to aquatic animal welfare in each State and Territory. The project will identify key areas of concern for commercial wild capture, aquaculture and recreational sectors which will be used to assist in developing priority case studies.
1. To conduct a contemporary stocktake of Australia's current aquatic animal welfare policies, programs, and procedures as expressed in legislation, Codes of Practice, Standards or other relevant guidance documents as applicable to the commercial wild capture, aquaculture and recreational fishery sectors.
2. To develop case studies to assess the suitability and practicality of the all Codes of Practice, Standards or other relevant guidance documents to align with industry practice and the legislative animal welfare requirements in the commercial wild capture, aquaculture and recreational fishery sectors.
3. Make recommendations to improve the alignment of industry practice with legislation for improved outcomes for aquatic animal welfare in the commercial wild capture, aquaculture and recreational fishery sectors.
Report
ISBN:
978-0-9756047-6-2
Authors:
Dr Paul Hardy-Smith
Dr Joy A. Becker and Dr Robert Jones
Report
•
2023-03-01
•
3.07 MB
2020-040-DLD.pdf
This report provides a contemporary review of aquatic animal welfare in Australia, focussing on fish, crustaceans and cephalopods that are captured or farmed in the commercial wild capture, aquaculture and recreational fishing sectors in Australia. It also reviews the welfare of aquatic animals used in teaching or research.
Aquatic animals, like all animals, play an important role in maintaining a healthy environment. Many aquatic animals are valuable sources of nutrition for humans and other animals and contribute significantly to Australia’s primary industry in both domestic and international trade. Other aquatic animals have cultural and economic importance to our tourism and recreational industries. For aquatic animals, as with other animals, better health through improved welfare can increase productivity and can have beneficial impacts on sustainability.
The last review of aquatic animal welfare arrangements in Australia was conducted in 2006. Community understanding of animal welfare, including aquatic animal welfare, has increased since then. Having a sound understanding of animal welfare laws and any changes that may be happening to those laws is important to industries that work with aquatic animals.
Aquatic animals, like all animals, play an important role in maintaining a healthy environment. Many aquatic animals are valuable sources of nutrition for humans and other animals and contribute significantly to Australia’s primary industry in both domestic and international trade. Other aquatic animals have cultural and economic importance to our tourism and recreational industries. For aquatic animals, as with other animals, better health through improved welfare can increase productivity and can have beneficial impacts on sustainability.
The last review of aquatic animal welfare arrangements in Australia was conducted in 2006. Community understanding of animal welfare, including aquatic animal welfare, has increased since then. Having a sound understanding of animal welfare laws and any changes that may be happening to those laws is important to industries that work with aquatic animals.
Identifying population connectivity of shark bycatch species in NT waters
Project number:
2020-036
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$66,430.00
Principal Investigator:
Sam Banks
Organisation:
Charles Darwin University (CDU)
Project start/end date:
3 Dec 2020
-
9 Dec 2021
Contact:
FRDC
This project is needed for three main reasons:
1. It directly addresses a NT RAC priority in the 2019 call for funding applications relating to improving sustainable yield estimates to inform stock assessment programs for undefined target species and protected species in the Offshore Net and Line Fishery. The project will support sustainable fishing practices for important commercial fisheries in the NT and the development of new commercial opportunities within these fisheries: The impacts of fishery activities on these species, either through bycatch or targeted harvest, are difficult to assess in the absence of information on population connectivity and stock structure.
2. The project will develop capacity for fisheries research and monitoring in NT waters. Genetics methods are widely applied to fisheries research and monitoring and training of an early career fisheries scientist in the application and interpretation of genetic data will be a key outcome of this project.
3. The project will provide key information to support the transition of these species from bycatch to a harvested byproduct species, including an evaluation of leading-edge genetic techniques in fisheries assessment and monitoring.
1. To develop population connectivity model for Whitecheek and Milk Shark
2. To develop capacity for research and monitoring of shark species within the Northern Territory
3. To evaluate the utility of genetic techniques in fisheries monitoring
Final report
ISBN:
978-1-922684-78-3 (Print), 978-1-922684-79-0 (Web)
Authors:
Sam Banks
Amy Kirke
Fernanda Alves
Grant Johnson and David Crook
Final Report
•
2024-10-01
•
1.08 MB
2020-036-DLD.pdf
Charles Darwin University and the Northern Territory (NT) Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (DITT) Fisheries Division used genetic data to investigate the population structure of two small tropical shark species (Milk Shark [Rhizoprionodon acutus] and Australian Blackspot Shark [Carcharhinus coatesi]), which are caught as bycatch from commercial fisheries in the NT.
The aim of this study was to gain information on the genetic stock structure to inform the future management of these two species in the NT. This project was conducted in parallel with a PhD project investigating the biology and ecology of both species for applications to fisheries management. There is motivation by the NT Government to develop these two shark species into a commercial product. This project used genetic analysis to understand the patterns of connectivity of populations of these two shark species in NT waters and adjacent regions, including northern Western Australia and Papua New Guinea.
These two shark species that are captured as bycatch in the NT Demersal Fishery have the potential to be developed into a byproduct to add value to that fishery. A sustainable commercial harvest of these two species could greatly reduce the waste from fisheries, where they are currently abundant and caught in relatively large numbers. We address current knowledge gaps in biological information about populations of R. acutus and C. coatesi to inform the potential development of a byproduct fishery for these two species in the NT.
Genetic data from R. acutus and C. coatesi strongly suggest that each species exists as a single, highly connected population in the NT. Genetic differentiation among the sampling locations for each species was low, and genetic clustering analyses provided strong support for a single population of each species in the region. Sharks of both species captured within a single location (within 50 km of one another) were more genetically related than those further apart; however, this does not constitute evidence for multiple, spatially discrete populations of either species in NT waters. Preliminary applications of effective population size estimators were used, but further work is needed to determine if these can be used to indicate trends in abundance.
The immediate implications of our research are for fisheries scientists and managers. Our results indicate that these two shark species can be monitored and managed in the NT under the assumption that each species occurs as a single population in this region. Parasite and vertebral chemistry data collected as part of a PhD project conducted in parallel with this project suggest that, for C. coatesi, individuals may be resident within certain regions (eastern versus western NT waters) but the genetic data collected here suggest that, on a generational timescale, both species occur as highly-connected populations across in the NT region.
Our research has potential implications for commercial fishers, particularly from the NT Demersal Fishery. The information from our research will flow through to the industry by contributing to the information required to develop a byproduct fishery for the two species, by utilising bycatch and increasing economic return.
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2020-029
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
Improving performance of ITQ fisheries - Project activity paused
Following the Improving performance of ITQ fisheries Forum on September 28, 2023, decisions were made regarding the project's direction. Instead of proceeding to case studies, stakeholders acknowledged the importance of focusing on future research priorities for rights-based fisheries approaches....
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania
Habitat ecological risk assessment for eco-regions with high trawl footprints, in southern Queensland and northern NSW
Project number:
2020-026
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure:
$2,306,521.00
Principal Investigator:
Rodrigo H. Bustamante
Organisation:
CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Hobart
Project start/end date:
30 Jun 2022
-
29 Nov 2025
Contact:
FRDC
Australian fisheries, including trawl fisheries, need to ensure they met legislative requirements to ensure they have no unacceptable impacts on ecosystems. Similarly, the marine ecosystems and its biodiversity need to be conserved and protected. This project links across sustainability and conservation management objectives by building and extending previous works such as FRDC 2003-021 and FRDC 2016-039, works that provide/establish regional and national regionally relevant clarification of the seabed mapping and landscape-scale fishing footprints, and exposure and protection of demersal assemblages with respect to trawling.
Although significant bycatch data are available (mostly for fishes) for some trawl grounds in the region, such data are needed broadly across the study area (including for invertebrates) and there is almost no information on the distribution and abundance of habitats and sensitive habitat-forming benthos. Currently, this lack of adequate biological data is an impediment to completing bycatch and habitat ERAs for these priority areas. Thus, a pre-requisite need is to survey these areas for distribution and abundance of sensitive habitats and bycatch species.
This project will then fill the existing gaps and needs in the southern portion of QLD and north-eastern of NSW with new data & methods and new risk-based management assessments to implement a consistent spatial approach for the conservation management of demersal assemblages applying to all continental shelf trawl fisheries. This will be done in collaboration with researchers in each State, industry and commonwealth managers.
This project proposes to conduct the required distribution and abundance surveys, and then assess whether sensitive habitats and bycatch species are at substantive risk from trawling. If necessary, the project would also evaluate risk-management options that may be proposed, using an objective MSE-type approach. Methods and outputs proposed herein would be comparable with those from the previous GBR Seabed Project (FRDC 2003-021). Previous sampling in the GBR, southern Queensland and northern NSW, would be taken into account.
1. Map the distribution and abundance of habitats and bycatch species in southern Queensland and northern NSW, with focus on trawl-exposed eco-regions,
2. Complete quantitative risk assessments for seabed habitats and bycatch species,
3. Use an objective MSE-type approach, if required, to evaluate any risk-management options proposed for sensitive habitats and bycatch species.
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2020-021
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania
SPECIES
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2020-020
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
Determining the spatial distribution and abundance indices for Moreton Bay Bugs, Thenus parindicus and Thenus australiensis in Queensland to improve stock assessment and management
We report on the first comprehensive investigation into the spatial distribution of Moreton Bay Bugs within the Queensland East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery. This research was a collaboration between the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and James Cook University, applying...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
SPECIES
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