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Industry
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
Adoption
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-078
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Fishing for change: A social marketing approach to reduce the recreational harvest of Snapper and Pearl Perch in Queensland

The ‘Fishing for Change’ project used a social marketing approach that engaged stakeholders to codesign, implement and evaluate solutions to voluntarily change people’s recreational fishing behaviour.
ORGANISATION:
Currie Communications

Developing jungle perch fingerling production to improve fishing opportunities

Project number: 2012-213
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $482,907.00
Principal Investigator: Michael Hutchison
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 14 Jun 2012 - 29 Jun 2015
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Jungle perch once occurred widely in coastal Queensland rivers, from Cape York to Northern NSW. Central and southern populations have declined or become locally extinct due to dams and weirs blocking migration pathways between saltwater (where they spawn) and freshwater habitats (where they reside as juveniles and adults). Unlike barramundi, mullet and bass; jungle perch cannot persist long-term in saltwater habitats. Barriers lead to rapid local extinction. Construction of fishways on barriers in the past 10 years has created suitable conditions for the reintroduction of jungle perch. There are limited opportunities for natural recolonisation, and remnant adult populations of local strains are too few for translocation to be a practical solution. Restocking from captive bred individuals is the only option to bring back jungle perch fisheries.

Restoring wild jungle perch fisheries is a high priority for recreational fishers in Queensland. Reintroduction of self sustaining populations in rivers in south-eastern Queensland and the Mackay-Whitsunday Region will provide angling opportunities to large populations of anglers. Development of jungle perch fingerling production will also create future opportunities to further enhance Queensland's stocked impoundments and make jungle perch accessible to even more anglers.

Recent research by DEEDI has solved much of the reproductive biology of jungle perch, which can now be spawned regularly in captivity. Jungle perch larvae are much smaller (2.3 mm) than bass and barramundi larvae and establishment of first feeding has been problematic. Strategies to promote larval feeding need to be developed. The transition from larvae to fingerlings is critical for future development of jungle perch fisheries.

Objectives

1. Develop hatchery production techniques for jungle perch fingerlings
2. Successfully release jungle perch fingerlings into suitable south-eastern Queensland and Mackay-Whitsunday regional waterways
3. Communicate with anglers on the restoration of jungle perch fisheries
4. Understand environmental factors influencing post-release survival of jungle perch in rivers.
5. Develop a jungle perch production manual for fish hatcheries

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-7345-0453-1
Author: Michael Hutchison
Final Report • 2016-03-17 • 5.18 MB
2012-213-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project has for the first time demonstrated the feasibility of hatchery production of jungle perch fingerlings. The research on jungle perch production has enabled a hatchery production manual with accompanying videos to be produced. This has given private commercial hatcheries the information needed to produce jungle perch fingerlings. Several hatcheries have already indicated an interest in producing jungle perch and will be assisted to do so in 2016. Currently jungle perch are not a permitted stocking species, so cannot be sold to fish stocking groups. However, hatcheries will be able to sell fingerlings to the aquarium trade or supply grow out facilities that could produce jungle perch for human consumption. Should jungle perch become a permitted species for stocking, this will provide hatcheries with a major new product option to sell to fish stocking groups. It would also benefit anglers by providing another iconic species for impoundment stocking programs. This could have flow-on benefits to regional economies through angler tourism.

Should the pilot reintroductions of jungle perch into streams result in self-sustaining jungle perch populations, then there will be three restored jungle perch populations close to major population centres. This will create a new opportunity for anglers not normally able to target jungle perch. Since the majority of anglers who target jungle perch are catch and release fishers, angling is expected to have minimal impact on recovery of the populations.

This project led to the development of a hatchery manual for jungle perch production and to a summary brochure. In late 2014 and in 2015 researchers were able to make the first ever releases of jungle perch fingerlings back into rivers and streams within their historical range.

Keywords: Jungle perch, Kuhlia rupestris, hatchery production, restoration, fish stocking, captive breeding, larval culture, recreational fishing.

Project products

Manual • 2.19 MB
2012-213 Jungle fingerling production manual.pdf

Summary

This manual is based on the knowledge gained by researchers at the Bribie Island Research Centre (BIRC), working on developing jungle perch Kuhlia rupestris captive breeding as part of the FRDC funded project 2012/213 “Developing jungle perch fingerling production to improve fishing opportunities”. Further refinements can certainly be made to improve larval rearing and fingerling production. This manual reports on methods that have worked at BIRC to date, and perhaps more importantly, on what didn’t work. Knowledge of what has failed will help private hatchery operators avoid mistakes as they try to further refine the jungle perch production process in their own facilities.

The manual describes each of the key parts of jungle perch production, including broodstock management, spawning induction, spawning, egg and larvae management, live feed production, pond management, pond harvesting and fingerling management. The manual also includes links to video segments to demonstrate how things were done at BIRC. Videos are integral for the use of this manual. Click on the video link at the end of each production step described in this manual. It is intended that the video segments will enhance understanding of the jungle perch production process. The videos in this document are also available in the attached video folder that accompanies DVD and USB drive versions of this document and can be viewed as stand-alone files. The written document contains the majority of the technical information required, such as stocking densities, fertilising rates, feeding rates etc. The videos demonstrate the processes, which words are not always adequate to describe.

Brochure • 453.38 KB
2012-213 Jungle perch project summary brochure.pdf

Summary

This brochure outlines the achievement of the project. It is intended to provide general information on project outcomes to recreational anglers.

It summarises the results of the project.

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)
Blank
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-013
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Modelling environmental changes and effects on wild-caught species in Queensland

This project studied environmental factors which may be influencing the recruitment, catchability or productivity of Snapper, Pearl Perch, and Spanner Crab stocks in Queensland. Two environmental variables: GSLA and Chl-a were found to have strong associations with either abundance or catchability...
ORGANISATION:
University of Queensland (UQ)

SafeFish 2018-2021

Project number: 2018-004
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $812,452.02
Principal Investigator: Natalie R. Dowsett
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 30 Jun 2018 - 29 Jun 2021
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Maintaining and enhancing market access for Australian seafood is critical for future industry growth. SafeFish makes a significant contribution to this by carrying out three types of projects:
1. Food safety incident responses. The SafeFish partners come together during each incident to provide industry and government with immediate technical information required to respond to the incident. Subsequently, technical input is provided to update policies for prevention of similar incidents and respond to them should they recur. Appropriate technical responses reduce the impact of food safety incidents and ensure better outcomes for future management.
2. Technical input to inter-government consultations on food regulations and market access. It is essential for the Australian seafood industry to participate in consultations such as Codex to ensure that proposed new, or modified, regulations are pragmatic and cost-effective for the Australian seafood industry. It is far easier to influence standards under development than after they have been finalised. Similarly, it is essential for the seafood industry to stay in close contact with Food Safety Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) when domestic food safety regulations are reviewed.
3. Proactive research, risk analyses and training. The safety of Australian seafood is not negotiable in domestic and international markets. Over recent years SafeFish has conducted many activities to assist the industry anticipate and minimize food safety risks. The objective of the activities has always been to identify and mitigate risks before they cause a problem, or to grow knowledge to enable us to improve our risk management in a cost effective manner.

Objectives

1. To deliver robust food safety research and advice to industry and regulators that underpins Australia's reputation as a producer of safe seafood.
2. To maintain and enhance the capabilities in Australia to provide that research and advice in a cost effective, efficient and timely manner.

Report

ISBN: 978-1-876007-37-9
Authors: Natalie Dowsett Stephen Pahl Navreet Malhi Andreas Seger and Alison Turnbull
Report • 2021-06-30 • 828.13 KB
2018-004-DLD.pdf

Summary

SafeFish is an initiative that was developed by the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) in 2010 (Project 2010-752-10: SafeFish - Seafood Trade Expert Panel funded by the Australian Seafood CRC until 2015). Following this, the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) and several industry bodies provided funding under two separate grants: Project 2015-212 which ran from 2015-2018 and the current grant Project 2018-004 which ran from 2018-2021. Since its inception, SafeFish has successfully enabled seafood industry sectors to respond in a coordinated and professional manner to technical trade and market access impediments that arise, especially in relation to food safety and hygiene. It provides industry and government departments with access to technical and scientific capability to manage known risks and assists to identify and address new risks and market access barriers that emerge. 
 
Over the past three years (2018-2021) SafeFish has delivered robust food safety research and advice to industry and regulators to underpin Australia’s reputation as a producer of safe seafood, and by maintaining and enhancing the capabilities of SafeFish to provide that research and advice in a cost effective, efficient and timely manner. The increased support from the seafood industry to continue to fund SafeFish for a further three years is testament to the success of this project, and the need for such work in Australia. 
 
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2003-033
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Enhancement of saucer scallops (Amusium balloti) in Queensland and Western Australia - genetic considerations

The saucer scallop, Amusium balloti, is distributed along the Western and Eastern coast of Australia and supports a fishery in both Queensland and Western Australia. Two commercial companies are investing in sea-ranching operations in an attempt to stabilise and increase annual catches. These...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
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