391 results

Age structure growth reproduction and aspects of test marketing stout whiting Sillago robusta in Japan

Project number: 1992-101
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $146,621.85
Principal Investigator: Ian Brown
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 11 Oct 1992 - 25 Mar 1996
Contact:
FRDC

Objectives

1. To describe basic biological parameters necessary for effective management of a trawl fishery for stout whiting
2. To examine alternative strategies to market stout whiting in Japanese supermarkets

FRDC-DCCEE: effects of climate change on reproduction, larval development, and population growth of coral trout (Plectropomus spp.)

Project number: 2010-554
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $400,000.00
Principal Investigator: Morgan S. Pratchett
Organisation: James Cook University (JCU)
Project start/end date: 23 Dec 2010 - 29 Jun 2013
Contact:
FRDC

Need

This research is critical to the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Plan, and addresses several of the information needs and research gaps identified under sectoral sub-themes of i) Aquaculture, ii) Commercial and recreational fishing, iii) Conservation management, and iv) Tourism and recreational uses.

Specifically this study:
i) addresses the severity of likely impacts of climate change on coral trout, which are the No. 1
commercial and recreational fisheries species caught within coral reef waters, and account for 41% of
wild-caught fish in Queensland waters;

ii) will predict spatial and temporal changes in the fisheries production of coral trout populations across the Great Barrier Reef, which is critical for spatial zoning of fisheries closures and assessing the immediacy of required intervention;

iii) identifies environmental tolerances of coral trout, especially during highly sensitive larval stages,
which impacts natural recruitment of wild populations, and grow-out of juveniles in open aquaculture
systems, which is necessary for further development of coral trout production;

iv) explores ontogenetic changes in the habitat requirements of newly-settled, juvenile and sub-adult
coral trout, thought to rely on habitat structure provided by good coral growth. If so, this will help to
establish coral reef habitats of high conservation priority, and

v) significantly advances understanding of climate impacts on coral reef fishes, which are critical for both fisheries and tourism industries on the Great Barrier Reef, currently worth in excess of $6 billion to the Australian economy.

Objectives

1. To assess sensitivities of coral trout to climate-related changes in temperature and seawater chemistry, during fertilisation and early larval development
2. To test the effects of increasing temperature and ocean acidification on growth, condition, behaviour and survivorship of early post-settlment coral trout
3. To test for spatial variation in sensitivities to increasing temperatures for coral trout in three distinct sectors along the Great Barrier Reef
4. To measure coral-dependence at different ontogenetic stages, to test whether coral trout will be adversely affected by climate-induced bleaching and coral loss
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PROJECT NUMBER • 2010-735
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

SCRC: SCRC RTG : 8th Annual Workshop on Physiology and Aquaculture of Pelagics with Emphasis on Reproduction and Early Developmental Stages of Yellowfin Tuna, Achotines Laboratory, Panama (Pollyamna Hilder)

Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT) is a major contributor to the Australian aquaculture industry, however at the moment it is reliant on the on-growing of wild-caught juveniles to market size. The recent captive-spawning of SBT by Clean Seas Tuna Ltd. (CST) has opened up the potential for the aquaculture...
ORGANISATION:
NSW Department Of Primary Industries Port Stephens

Biology, management and genetic stock structure of mangrove jack (Lutjanus argentimaculus) in Australia

Project number: 1999-122
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $418,751.00
Principal Investigator: John Russell
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 6 Sep 1999 - 28 May 2004
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Mangrove jack are an essential component of Queensland recreational and commercial fisheries, and one of the icon species for recreational fishers in tropical rivers and estuaries. Community stocking groups are keen to stock mangrove jack to create recreational fisheries in impoundments and to address perceived declines in natural riverine stocks. Despite this, knowledge of the biology of the species is incomplete and a genetic assessment of population structure has never been attempted. The efficacious management of natural populations of mangrove jack and the future development of effective stocking programs requires information on all aspects of their life cycle, instream habitat requirements, reproduction and maturation, mortality, recruitment into and emigration from river systems.
Managers of wild fish species accept that genetically distinct sub-populations of fish may possess novel genetic, physiological, behavioural and other characters that lead to distinct differences in life-history traits including growth rates, fecundity, disease resistance and abundance (Gold and Richardson, 1998). These differences theoretically contribute to the long-term adaptability, survival and resistance to human-induced or other environmental perturbations and can be jeopardised by inappropriate management. It would be imprudent to proceed with the expansion of stocking and aquaculture programs for this species without a comprehensive knowledge of the genetics of the populations. The genetic study will pre-empt potential conflict between management agencies and commercial and recreational interests. Information from the genetic analysis of the species will provide geographic detail for the sustainable use of the resource across State boundaries.

Objectives

1. Investigate the biology of mangrove jack in coastal rivers including habitat preferences, reproduction, recruitment, and movements
2. Determine the genetic stock structure of mangrove jack in Queensland and other parts of their range

Final report

Investigation of the commercial scallop (Pecten fumata) in Bass Strait

Project number: 1985-083
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $0.00
Organisation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Cleveland
Project start/end date: 28 Dec 1988 - 31 Dec 1988
Contact:
FRDC

Objectives

1. Status of scallop in Bass St: no of spp exploited, reproduction isolation in major regions. Assess standing stock avail for annual allocation. Determine cause of small meat weights. Stock structure from single or multi recruitment? Refine estimates of rep

Final report

Final Report • 2017-09-29 • 4.61 MB
1985-083-DLD.pdf

Summary

In 1985, CSIRO applied for funding from the Fishing Industry Research Trust Account to undertake a research program to investigate the commercial scallop (Pecten fumatus) in Bass Strait with the aim of providing resource assessments to guide and assist in the management of the scallop fishery.

It was proposed that in the three year period from 1 August 1985 to 30 July 1988, the program would, (1) examine and analyse all biological and commercial data currently available for the fishery, and (2) initiate a research program to provide the biological data required for the efficient management of the fishery.

The fisheries biology of scampi (Metanephrops spp)

Project number: 1985-082
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $0.00
Organisation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Cleveland
Project start/end date: 27 Jun 1988 - 30 Jun 1988
Contact:
FRDC

Objectives

1. Obtain information on size, fishing & natural mortality, growth, reproduction & migration of the 3 scampi species - Metanethrops australiensis, andamanicus & boschmai - from existing NW slope fisheries. Document fishing withdrawals & fishing effort by typ

Final report

Author: B Wallner Dr B F Phillips L J Hobbs
Final Report • 2017-09-29 • 2.09 MB
1985-082-DLD.pdf

Summary

Scampi, or species of clawed lobsters of the genus Metanephrops, occur on the continental slopes of many countries in the world, however, prior to 1985 were commercially fished only in deep water off south east Africa, Metanephrops andamanicus and experimentally in the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, Metanephrops binghami.

The presence of scampi on the north west slope of Australia was first reported by the survey steamer Investigator in 1891, but it was not until 1985 that a commercial fishery based on three species of scampi (Metanephrops andamanicus, M. australiensis and M. boschmai) was developed.

Thee scant scientific knowledge of these species used to establish initial management plans for the fishery prompted the initiation of a CSIRO research program. This three year research program, which commenced in January 1986, aimed to collect fundamental information on the fisheries biology of these animals in order that a rational long term management strategy for the fishery could be designed.

Development and fisheries biology of a trap fishery for Chinaman leatherjackets (Monacanthidae: Nelusetta ayraudi) in South Australian waters

Project number: 1987-062
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $122,671.00
Principal Investigator: Rodney Grove-Jones
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 28 Jun 1990 - 30 Jun 1992
Contact:
FRDC

Objectives

1. Determine life history parameters of Chinaman leatherjacket (reproduction biology, mortality & growth rates, population structure)
catch composition (length, age, reproductive status)
2. Analyse differences in catch rates ..
3. Development suitable fishing log books
help industry with develop of trap designs
Industry

Biological parameters required for managing Western Blue Groper, Blue Morwong and Yellowtail Flathead

Project number: 2004-057
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $233,684.00
Principal Investigator: Ian Potter
Organisation: Murdoch University
Project start/end date: 29 Jun 2004 - 1 Mar 2008
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Successful management of a fishery for any species requires a thorough understanding of how that species will respond to different levels of exploitation. Such an understanding depends on managers possessing certain crucial biological data that have been acquired using an appropriate sampling regime, laboratory techniques and analysis of the results. The key biological data that are required for a species are as follows: (a) age and size compositions, growth curves and age and length at maturity for both sexes, (b) length and age at sex change in the case of hermaphroditic species, (c) location and duration of spawning, (d) fecundity and (e) estimates of mortality. These data enable scientists to assess the status of the stock(s) and thereby provide advice to managers, who are then in a strong position to formulate appropriate management strategies.

The following three species have been identified as “indicator” species for management purposes: western blue groper Achoerodus gouldii, queen snapper Nemadactylus valenciennesi and bar-tailed flathead Platycephalus endrachtensis (Fisheries Management Paper 153; Report of 2003 RFAC/RecFishWest research planning meeting). However, there are no reliable data on the crucial biological characteristics listed above for any of these species in Western Australian waters (e.g. FishBase). Managers thus require these data for management purposes.

Since the results of many of the age and growth studies of fish species in various regions are not of the standard required to produce reliable data for management purposes, there is a need to produce guidelines on the extent and quality that are required of such studies for management purposes.

Objectives

1. Determine the size and age compositions, growth, reproduction and mortality of western blue groper Achoerodus gouldii, queen snapper Nemadactylus valenciennesi and the bar-tailed flathead Platycephalus endrachtensis.
2. Supply the above data to the Department of Fisheries, Western Australia, in a format that can readily be used for management purposes.
3. Use the results of the above studies to highlight the essential elements of age and growth studies that will produce data of the required quality for management.

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-86905-932-6
Author: Ian Potter

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

Project number: 1998-131
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $393,847.60
Principal Investigator: Campbell Davies
Organisation: James Cook University (JCU)
Project start/end date: 28 Jun 1998 - 25 Jul 2005
Contact:
FRDC

Need

QFMA Research Priorities:
This project will address the following QFMA research priorities (relevant objective in parentheses):

Stock Assessment:
Determine the size and distribution of the stock of red throat emperor Lethrinus miniatus ** (I).
Assess regional catch rates of red throat emperor Lethrinus miniatus ** (I).
Determine the habitat preferences of juvenile red throat emperor Lethrinus miniatus ** (IV).

Biology:
Basic biology of red throat emperor Lethrinus miniatus and maori wrasse Chelinus undulatus** (I, II & III).

Management:
Identify appropriate units or indices on which to measure performance of stocks and the fisheries based on these stocks. *** (IV).
Determine the spawning period for major species other than coral trout Plectropomus leopardus and the red throat emperor Lethrinus miniatus **(III, this objective includes research on the reproduction of red throat emperor and coral trout also).

GBRMPA information requirements:
This project will address both immediate and strategic research priorities of the GBRMPA.

There is very limited information available on the effects of fishing on target species of the reef line fishery, other than P.leopardus, even though some may be more susceptible to overfishing. This project will provide information on population dynamics of the four reef fish species (L.miniatus, C.undulatus, C.altivelis and P.laevis) most likely to be impacted by reef line fishing. The need for this information has become more urgent given the recent and rapid development of the "live food fish trade" in the GBRR, and the high value placed on the maori wrasse and barramundi cod. There is considerable public and international concern to ensure that the capture of these species does not compromise the conservation and World Heritage Values of the GBR.

The GBRMPA is presently developing a system of " representative areas". The primary objective of these areas will be to protect a broad range of habitat types and reef communities from extractive use, including fishing, and conserve regional marine biodiversity within the GBRMP. Knowledge of the connectivity (larval and adult dispersal) among populations will be fundamental to the design of an effective system of representative areas. The extent of dispersal among regions will influence the number, size and location of representative areas required to ensure regional variation in reef communities are effectively conserved in the long-term. This project, if successful, will provide this information for L.miniatus, and the technical basis to extend the approach to other species of reef fish.

This project will provide priority information for red throat emperor, maori wrasse, barramundi cod and the common and blue-spot coral trout which will directly address immediate and long-term information requirements for the management of fishing on the GBR.
In doing so it will:
i) Through the application of genetic and otolith microchemistry techniques, provide information on the stock structure of L.miniatus within the GBRR and the technical basis to extend these approaches to other species. Evidence of the existence of regional structure (multiple stocks) in GBR will have direct and substantial implications for future management of fishing in the GBRR (ie Should a particular management tool be applied uniformly over the entire GBRR, or to separate management units?).
ii)By focussing on species from three important families of reef fish (serranids (barramundi cod and coral trout), lethrinids (red throat emperor) and labrids (maori wrasse)) it will provide the empirical and conceptual basis required to develop age-based multi-species population dynamics models for tropical fish stocks.
iii) Maximise the R&D benefits obtained from the substantial logistic support and expertise currently available through the ELF Project, and the ELF Experiment in particular. The coordinated logistics and focussed collaboration provide a rare opportunity to obtain a cohesive set of information for a complex multi-species system at a scale appropriate to its management. This project will add a substantial dimension to the outcomes of the ELF Project by providing data on population dynamics of several high priority target species and essential information on the stock structure of L.miniatus.

Objectives

1. i. Establish regional variation in stock abundance, age, growth and mortality of the red throat emperor (L.miniatus).
2. ii. Establish stock abundance, age, growth and mortality for maori wrasse (C.undulatus) and barrumandi cod (C.altivelis).
3. iii. Establish regional and seasonal variation in reproduction of L.miniatus, C.undulatus, C.altivelis, P.leopardus and P.laevis, including size and age at first maturity, age at sex transition and sex-specifc growth characteristics.
4. iv. Develop stock discrimination techniques, based on genetic and otolith microchemistry approaches, for L.miniatus and use them to determine the stock structure of L.miniatus in the Great Barrier Reef Region.

Final report

ISBN: 1876054786
Author: Campbell Davies
Final Report • 2005-05-25 • 3.67 MB
1998-131-DLD.pdf

Summary

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 sustainability of fishing on the GBR and the potential for it to have impacts on the broader ecosystem.

The Queensland Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery (CRFFF) is one of the larger fisheries operating within the GBRMP and includes significant commercial, charter and recreational sectors. The need to better understand the impacts of line fishing on the GBR and sustainable levels of fishing was identified during the early 1990’s and was followed by a series of pilot and methodological studies. The outcomes of these studies and continuing concern lead to the establishment of the Effects of Line Fishing (ELF) Project in 1994 within the CRC Reef Research Centre. The centrepiece of the ELF Project is the Effects of Line Fishing Experiment and Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) project (FRDC 97-124). The ELF Experiment involves monitoring the response of target and non-target species to changes in fishing pressure on six reefs in each of four regions of the GBR by manipulating the amount of fishing pressure on individual reefs within each region. The outcomes of the first two phases of the ELF Experiment (1995-2000) and the first round of management strategy evaluations are reported in Mapstone et al. (2004).

Outputs from this project have been used directly in the development of new management arrangements and regulatory measures for the Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery and planning for activities within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

In the case of the red throat emperor, the project has also provided validated age and length based estimates of key population parameters, and the regional variation in them, as a basis for developing quantitative stock assessment models for quota setting. The significant regional variation in some parameters identified through this project may require these models to be spatially structured. 

This project, in conjunction with other elements of the ELF project, provided support for six PhD projects, and thereby made a contribution to increasing the number of well trained fisheries professionals available.

Keywords: red throat emperor, coral trout, blue-spot trout, barramundi cod, maori wrasse, Great Barrier Reef, fisheries management, population biology, reproductive biology, stock structure, genetics, otolith microchemistry, regional variation, age, growth, mortality, abundance

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