Project number: 2022-010
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $75,000.00
Principal Investigator: Kirsten Benkendorff
Organisation: Southern Cross University (SCU) National Marine Science Centre
Project start/end date: 31 May 2022 - 31 Mar 2026
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Environmental conditions and chemical contaminants present in natural environments influence the physiology and body condition of marine species (Lloret, Shulman et al. 2014, Champion, Hobday et al. 2020, Bolin, Schoeman et al. 2021, Butcherine, Kelaher et al. 2021). Understanding these relationships may enable fishers to avoid fishing at times or in locations when survival or resource quality are compromised. Assessing how extreme levels of environmental variation that prevail in estuarine systems, in conjunction with associated inputs of key agricultural chemicals affect the survival, physiology and flesh quality of the commercially valuable giant mud and blue swimmer crabs is required to develop this capacity. Further, netted gears (including gillnets, trawls and traps) are used to target (or incidentally catch) giant mud and blue swimmer crabs in NSW estuaries, but these are poorly selective for minimum legal sizes (Leland, Butcher et al. 2013), resulting in massive proportions of individuals (e.g. up to > 50 %) being discarded with at least some physical damage (typically missing appendages; Leland, Butcher et al. 2013). This project will integrate the effects of major rain fall events with associated inputs from agricultural run-off and simulated discarding to gain an in-depth understanding of how environmental change, land-use and discarding impacts the study species.

Objectives

1. Provide the opportunity for a post-graduate research student to work with industry and managers, gain exposure to stakeholder’s perspectives on the issue and undertake high-quality research that results in the production of scientific outputs.
2. To correlate physiological indicators in giant mud and blue swimmer crabs with water quality parameters in different catchments during run-off events
3. To assess the synergistic effects of low salinity, pesticides simulated discarding on biochemical stress biomarkers in giant mud and blue swimmer crabs
4. To assess the effects of agricultural run-off and reduced salinity during flooding on the condition, texture and appearance of flesh from harvested giant mud and blue swimmer crabs.

Related research

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PROJECT NUMBER • 2022-138
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT

Developing a Kimberley Aboriginal Mud Crab Fishery

1. Determine the biology and distribution of mud crab species (Scylla serrata and S. olivacea) in King Sound and Cambridge Gulf areas of the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) WA
Environment
Industry