172 results
Blank
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-103
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Strategic Planning Workshop for Yellowtail Kingfish Stock Assessment in South-Eastern Australia

The project facilitated cross-jurisdictional and cross-sectoral discussions on aspects of the Eastern Australia biological stock of Yellowtail Kingfish. Several knowledge gaps relating to biological and life-history parameters, as well as reliable data on the recreational fishery across all...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW)
Communities

Multi-fishery collaboration to assess population abundances and post release survival of threatened Sawfish captured in commercial fishing operations in Northern Australia

Project number: 2022-068
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $528,552.00
Principal Investigator: Richard Pillans
Organisation: Reef and Rainforest Research Centre Ltd
Project start/end date: 31 Dec 2022 - 29 Jun 2026
:

Need

Commercial in confidence. To know more about this project please contact FRDC.

Objectives

Commercial in confidence
Blank
PROJECT NUMBER • 2022-075
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

National Workshop to develop a regional collaborative plan to control the invasive Longspined Sea Urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii)

The 2023 National Centrostephanus Workshop was convened by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania. The workshop brought together 130 representatives from industry, government, research, Aboriginal communities, recreational fishing groups, and the community to: • Identify...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE TAS)
Environment
Blank
Industry

Evaluating the Effects of Seismic Energy on Pinctada maxima Pearl Oysters

Project number: 2019-170
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $12,103.20
Principal Investigator: Mark Meekan
Organisation: Australian Institute Of Marine Science (AIMS)
Project start/end date: 19 Mar 2020 - 30 Dec 2021
:

Need

Recent studies into the effects of seismic energy on molluscs have demonstrated a number of cumulative and sub-lethal impacts that indicated impairment of immune systems, cellular damage and adverse changes in behaviour. In scallops, cumulative exposure to seismic energy resulted in increased rates of mortality after 120 days (R Day et al. (2017)). These findings are of critical importance to the pearling industry, which relies on the harvest and husbandry of pearl oysters in coastal shelf water . Pearl oyster crops are typically 2 years duration, so long term effects will have a chronic sub-lethal effect on pearl production. In addition, as the oysters were still not fully recovered at the day 180 sampling, there is concern that the long recovery time may result in a reduction of the reproductive output for up to one year. Energetically compromised oysters will have a reduced reproductive output, and a higher proportion of male oysters, as egg production is more energy intensive.

This would have major ramifications for recruitment into the wildstock pearl oyster fishery and the pearling industry it underpins.

To these ends it became apparent that a 4th sampling round was critical in order to provide a condition data from the oyster sample set after 360 days; so that the responses of the oysters to seismic treatment may be better understood after the completion of one year – bearing in mind that at different times of the year oysters do different things.

The overarching objective of this experiment is to measure the impact of seismic surveys on wild harvested pearl oysters in a way that provides information that is useful to stakeholders in the pearl production and oil and gas industries and to the managers of these resources. The uncertainty surrounding the long-term impacts of seismic surveys on the health of pearl oysters and their pearl production capacity is the key driver of this study.

Objectives

1. Assess the impact seismic operations have on mortality of P. maxima: (a) The ranges at which these impacts occur and (b) the time period these impacts occur.
2. Assess the impact seismic operations have the on growth and health of P. maxima with increasing range and time from exposure to a seismic source (with respect to a. Immunology
b. Physiology
c. Morphology
d. Gene expression
e. Growth and f. Mortality
3. Whether there are long-term health impacts that could reduce the reproductive capacity of the oysters, potentially affecting recruitment. This will be achieved by visual observation and categorisation according to photographic standards of: (a) Gonad index & (b) Sex
Industry
View Filter

Species

Organisation