23 results
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 1992-118
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Chemical tagging of shells of commercial stock of hatchery clams

Commercial clam hatcheries require a method of labeling or "tagging" clams so that they can be identified as hatchery reared. This is a requirement of the Queensland Department of Primary Industry, aimed at the prevention of the sale of clams collected illegally from the Great Barrier Reef Marine...
ORGANISATION:
James Cook University (JCU)
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 1998-131
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Stock structure and regional variation in population dynamics of the red throat emperor and other target species of the Queensland Tropical Reef Line Fishery

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) is the largest and, arguably, most pristine marine park in the world. Commercial, charter and recreational fishing have occurred on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) for many decades. Since the late 1980’s, there has been growing concern about the...
ORGANISATION:
James Cook University (JCU)
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-151
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Application of a machine learning approach for effective stock management of farmed abalone

This report provides detail on the development of a machine learning tool as a method for counting and measuring abalone at various stages of production. The study was carried out on hybrid abalone with ~2000 images (nursery, weaner and growout stage) collected from Southern Ocean Mariculture and...
ORGANISATION:
James Cook University (JCU)

Assessment of novel gear designs to reduce interactions between species of conservation interest and commercial fishing nets

Project number: 2011-009
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $142,499.66
Principal Investigator: David Welch
Organisation: James Cook University (JCU)
Project start/end date: 4 Sep 2011 - 3 Sep 2013
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The inshore gillnet fishery of Queensland operates in nearshore shallow, turbid waters of our coastline also shared with species of conservation interest (SOCI; eg. dugong, turtle, dolphin and large sharks. Interactions between nets and SOCI are inevitable and in the interest of conservation, safety and fishing efficiency there is a need to minimise these interactions.

Current construction of gillnets mean that very large animals often become entangled in the nets and are unable to break free. Where the animal breaks free or is cut free by the fisher, significant damage is caused to the fishing gear reducing fishery efficiency, productivity and profitability. More importantly, these interactions pose an unnecessary risk to the fisher and the vessel, often resulting in injury or mortality to the animal.

There is significant concern for the conservation of SOCI in northern Australia, particularly in the GBRMP; a World Heritage Area. Fishing, particularly the use of gillnets, is regarded as a major threat to SOCI. Assessing strategies for net fisheries that may minimise these interactions is seen as high priorities for research by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Queensland Fisheries and conservation groups such as the World Wildlife Fund. This project addresses these high priorities and also addresses one of the high priority research areas specified for inshore fisheries by the Queensland Fisheries Research Advisory Board for 2010. Effective mitigation using modified gear will minimise the need for urgent government intervention as seen in the Boyne River recently (http://www.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=74570).

In Australia, the dugong is protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 as a listed 'migratory species' and a listed 'marine species' and ‘vulnerable’ under Queensland’s Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 2006. The dugong is also listed as a 'protected species' under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983.

Objectives

1. Identify alternate net designs and fisheries to which they may apply through an expert panel/workshop.
2. Assess the effectiveness of alternate net designs to minimise interactions with Species of Conservation Interest.
3. Determine the impact of alternate net designs on "normal" fishery operation metrics for the Queensland east coast (eg. target species catch rates, net maintenance)
4. Develop an extension program to promote the project outcomes and ensure the uptake of project results through the increased use of alternate net designs.

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-9808178-3-6
Author: David Welch
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