18 results
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2003-019
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

National Strategy for the Survival of Released Line Caught Fish: investigating survival of fish released in Australia’s tropical and subtropical line fisheries

Experiments were conducted in northern, central and southern Queensland to investigate the effects of hook design and size on the incidence of hooking injury, and the effects of a number of factors, including barotrauma-treatment method, on post-release survival rates of a suite of key...
ORGANISATION:
James Cook University (JCU)
Environment
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-034
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Effects of climate change and habitat degradation on Coral Trout

Fishes are at considerable risk from changing environmental conditions because they are, for most part, unable to regulate their body temperature. Exposure to high temperatures may therefore compromise critical biological functions, resulting in reduced performance, fitness and ultimately survival....
ORGANISATION:
James Cook University (JCU)
Adoption
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-049
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

A Better Way to Fish: testing the feasibility of tunnel net ‘fish trap’ gear in North Queensland

This study found that tunnel nets are technically feasible in this location. In spite of the weather conditions, the fishing gear remained intact and successfully captured significant numbers of marketable fishes. Importantly, SOCI species were released alive and in excellent condition, as were...
ORGANISATION:
James Cook University (JCU)

Enhancement of ship-board survivorship of coral trout destined for the live fish market

Project number: 1997-341
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $280,904.51
Principal Investigator: Trevor Andersen
Organisation: James Cook University (JCU)
Project start/end date: 21 Jun 1997 - 14 Jan 2004
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The live Coral Trout fishery is currently conservatively valued at $3.5 million. Demand for live Coral Trout is not being met and it is clear that the market could accept additional product. Anecdotal information also indicates that competing countries supplying the 14000T live tropical fish market in Hong Kong are suffering from over-fishing and demand is expected to further increase as a result.

A major limitation preventing the live Coral Trout industry expanding to fill the available market is the mortality due to injury and disease. Although developments in technology and skill level have occurred in the last 12 months, these developments are not industry wide and are generally specific to particular (eg very large) vessels. Most boats are presently restricted to a maximum of 5 to 6 days at sea as they are unable to hold the fish live for longer. In addition, although mortality of live fish may be as low as 2% from processor to market, mortality between capture and transfer to processors may reach 50% at some times of the year. Whilst current practice means that fish showing imminent sign of death are sacrificed to obtain fillet, this results in significant devaluing of the product. This leakage of product from the high value live market (@ $35+/kg) to the fillet market (+ $14+/kg) results in significant loss of value in this fishery with loss of income to all sectors of the industry.

The adoption of strategies to target the live trout, rather than the fresh frozen fillet, market also results in reduced total catch per boat due to the significant price advantage and larger on-board facilities required to hold the product. By providing information that will allow a code of practice to achieve World Best Practice, information that is not currently available for coral trout, this project that will facilitate the movement of boats into the live fishery. It is likely that the total catch will be reduced and the long-term sustainability of the fishery will be enhanced.

Objectives

1. To increase fish survival in the live coral trout fishery.
2. To identify practices in the harvest, ship-board transport and holding of live coral trout that are the major stressors.
3. To identify the impact of these stressors on survival and disease resistance.
4. To develop benchmark practices for the harvesting, ship-board transport and holding of live coral trout that alleviate the stressors and improve survival.
5. To inform the industry and management of the benchmark practices.
6. To assist with the implementation and to evaluate the implementation of benchmark practices in the live trout industry

Final report

ISBN: 0-86443-702-1
Author: Trevor Anderson
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2017-220
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Testing established methods of early prediction of genetic merit in abalone broodstock

This report provides an assessment of the utility of RNA/DNA ratio as a method for early prediction of high performing abalone broodstock. The study was carried out on farmed Greenlip Abalone (Haliotis laevigata) whereby families were produced and resulting progeny were reared using commercial...
ORGANISATION:
James Cook University (JCU)
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