116 results
Environment
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 1993-096
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Effects of Trawling Subprogram: the environmental effects of prawn trawling in the far Northern Section of the Great Barrier Reef

This report covers a five year study into the effects of trawling on seabed communities in the inter-shoal and inter-reef areas in the Far Northern Section of the Great Barrier Reef. The study arose from a GBRMPA convened scientific Workshop in 1989 to address the effects of fishing in the Great...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
TAGS
Population Dynamics
Environment
Environment

Development of Field Implemented Fillet Identification (FIFI) for coral reef fin fish

Project number: 2005-011
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $200,598.50
Principal Investigator: Jane Oakey
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 29 Jun 2005 - 30 Sep 2008
:

Need

1. The need to manage the growth of the coral reef fishery to prevent depletion of this natural resource, and its associated ecosystems, has been clearly identified and legislation has been put in place under the Fisheries (Coral Reef Fin Fish) Management Plan 2003. To ensure compliance, Officers must be able to identify the fish they are inspecting, and currently there is no suitable test to identify fish fillets in the field and to confirm that commercial and recreational fishers comply with quota and possession limits, thus assuring sustainability of the resource.

2. Recent research by the PI has shown that DNA sequencing can identify coral reef finfish to a species level even when visible markers have been removed (such as through filleting). However, DNA sequencing is complex and expensive making it unsuitable for screening large numbers of fillets. Thus, there is a need for a tool that can identify fish species, be rapidly and easily used at sea, and is sufficiently discriminatory to differentiate between closely related coral reef fin fish. Public awareness of such a tool will deter non-compliance.

3. Development of this test is supported by several State and Commonwealth R&D plans and priorities that result from identified needs. The following plans identify sustainability of natural resources:
a. Queensland Fishing Industry Research Advisory Committee priorities include identification of performance indicators and development of tools (priority 1.7), which is the aim of the project. This proposal is supported by QFIRAC.
b. FRDC: legislative, institutional, compliance and policy arrangements; and fisheries and ecosystem management methods (Strategies 7 and 10, Natural Resources Sustainability) identifies the need for compliance tools such as that proposed.
c. Queensland State: Development of Enabling Technologies (Priority 1) includes biotechnology as used in this project proposal. Sustainable Queensland Coastlines and Great Barrier Reef (Priority 2) has been discussed above; and Tropical Futures (Priority 5) addresses issues, problems and opportunities in tropical regions, and this proposal promotes regional science to answer a regional need.
d. Fisheries research priorities for all Australian States include sustainability of natural resources and a rapid field-test for specific DNA sequences could apply to particular species of interest from any location.

Objectives

1. To develop a rapid, simple and inexpensive method to indicate the presence of target mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from restricted and protected coral reef fin fish species.
2. To optimise and validate this method as a field test to detect the presence of, and to identify, restricted species of coral reef fin fish species from samples that have had phenotypic markers removed (such as fillets), and to confirm that cross-reactivity with unrestricted species will not occur. This will form the basis of FIFI (Field Implemented Fillet Identification), and subsequently be used by fisheries officers as a compliance tool for the Fisheries (Coral Reef Fin Fish) Management Plan.
3. To workshop and demonstrate FIFI in order to train and familiarise fisheries officers and any other interested parties in its use (extension).
4. To use media coverage to create public awareness of FIFI and deter non-compliance with fishing regulations.
5. To investigate the most appropriate scientific communication of FIFI technology based upon the optimum procedures used (from objectives 1 and 2) and any current patents held on those procedures. This may include either publication or commercialisation.

Final report

Author: Dr Jane Oakey
Final Report • 2009-11-30 • 714.58 KB
2005-011-DLD.pdf
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