Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons^™

Assessing The Activity Of Antimicrobial Peptides Against Common Marine Bacteria Located In Rotifer (Brachionus Plicatilis) Cultures, Chelsea Woods, Lindsey Woolley, Gavin Partridge, Mengqi Chen, Evan F. Haney, Robert E.W. Hancock, Nicky Buller, Andrew Currie

Fisheries Research Articles

Rotifers are used as the first feed for marine fish larvae and are grown in large cultures that have high loads of organic matter and heterotrophic bacteria; these bacteria are passed on to the developing fish larvae and can potentially lead to bacterial infections. A modified minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) protocol for antimicrobial peptides was used to determine the potency of ten antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in artificial seawater relevant to a rotifer culture (salinity of 25‰) against common marine pathogens. All of the AMPs had antimicrobial activity against the bacterial isolates when the salt concentration was approximately zero. However, in …

Development Of Monoclonal Antibodies Against Perkinsus Olseni Using Whole Cells, Eliot Hanrio, Jacqueline Batley, Kathleen Davern, Cecile Dang

Fisheries Research Articles

The genus Perkinsus is comprised of multiple species, notably P. olseni and P. marinus that are on the list of notifiable pathogens of the World Organisation for Animal Health. These protozoans are responsible for mass mortalities in mollusc populations worldwide. Current diagnostic tests for these parasites include incubation in Ray’s fluid thioglycollate medium associated with microscopy, and molecular assays such as PCR or qPCR using species-specific primers, which can be time and labour consuming. To simplify the detection of Perkinsus spp. infections, the current study developed monoclonal antibodies with strong potential for diagnostic use in immunoassays. Mice were immunised with …

Maximization Of Fitness By Phenological And Phenotypic Plasticity In Range Expanding Rabbitfishes (Siganidae), Salvador Zarco-Perello, David Fairclough, Chris Dowling, Joey Dibattista, Rachel Austin, Thomas Wernberg, Brett Taylor

Fisheries Research Articles

1. Global warming is modifying the phenology, life-history traits and biogeography of species around the world. Evidence of these effects have increased over recent decades; however, we still have a poor understanding of the possible outcomes of their interplay across global climatic gradients, hindering our ability to accurately predict the consequences of climate change in populations and ecosystems.
2. We examined the effect that changes in biogeography can have on the life-history traits of two of the most successful range-extending fish species in the world: the tropical rabbitfishes Siganus fuscescens and Siganus rivulatus. Both species have established abundant populations at higher …

Ecological Risk Assessment For The Marine Aquarium Fish Resource, Kimberley Smith, Amelia Bissell, Carly Bruce

Fisheries Research Reports

In November 2021, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development convened an Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) of the Western Australian fisheries that access the Marine Aquarium Fish Resource. ERAs are conducted by the Department as part of its Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management framework. Outputs of this ERA will inform future versions of the Harvest Strategy for the Resource. Additionally, this ERA is a requirement of the Wildlife Trade Operation approval for the Marine Aquarium Fish Managed Fishery (MAFMF).

Ecological impacts of the MAFMF, which is the only commercial fishery that targets the Resource, and other extractive sectors that access the …

South-West Estuarine And Nearshore Finfish Resource Part 1: Sea Mullet And Yellowfin Whiting, Rodney Duffy Dr., David Harris, Emily Fisher, Kim Smith, Danielle Johnston, Ainslie Denham, Alex Hesp, Blaine Hodgson, Amber Quinn, Marcus Newman

Fisheries Research Reports

This report focuses on one of the primary target species for which biomass-based stock assessments are periodically undertaken - sea mullet (Mugil cephalus). The report also includes a recent stock assessment for yellowfin whiting (Sillago schomburgkii) due to concerns regarding substantial increases in catch relative to historic levels.

Status of stock(s)

Sea mullet

The current stock level is considered to be acceptable, and the current level of fishing mortality is unlikely to deplete the stock to a level at which recruitment could be impaired. On the basis of the evidence provided, the sea mullet stock in …

Fisheries Science Update - Temperate Shark Fisheries - April 2022, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries Science Updates

Two fisheries make up Western Australia’s Temperate Shark Fisheries: the West Coast Demersal Gillnet and Demersal Longline Fishery; and the Southern Demersal Gillnet and Demersal Longline Fishery. They are some of the longest standing sustainable target shark fisheries in Australia.

These fisheries contribute to the WA economy by supplying sustainable locally sourced seafood; employing up to 150 people per year; and have an estimated overall annual market value up to $20 million.

774 tonnes of sharks were landed in 2019-20, which is approximately 2.27 million meals. The majority of which goes straight to the WA community, and is commonly found …

Fisheries Science Update - Shark Depredation - April 2022, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries Science Updates

Recreational, charter and commercial fishers in Western Australia (WA) are reporting significant increases in shark depredation (bite-offs), particularly in the Gascoyne and Pilbara regions.

Shark depredation is an issue across Northern Australia, with similar reports in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Managing shark depredation is complex, and WA is leading the country in research to better inform our management decisions.

Recent research by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) has found that:

• a range of shark species are responsible for bite-offs, including blacktip, dusky, milk, pigeye, sandbar and tiger sharks;
• the probability of sharks taking fish is …

Houtman Abrolhos Islands Fish Habitat Protection Area: A Summary Of Marine Resource Use And Ecological Attributes, Scott N. Evans, Nick Konzewitsch, Lynda M. Bellchambers

Fisheries Research Reports

The Houtman Abrolhos Islands (Abrolhos) is an archipelago of up to 210 small islands and associated reefs located approximately 65-90 km offshore from Geraldton, Western Australia (WA). The islands and waters of the Abrolhos are of significance for both land-based and marine based values. The marine state territorial waters of the Abrolhos are managed by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) as the Houtman Abrolhos Islands Fish Habitat Protection Area (Abrolhos FHPA). This report aims to provide a summary of the DPIRD data on aquatic resource use (e.g., aquaculture, commercial, recreational and charter fishing) and ecological attributes …

Western Australian Sea Cucumber Resource Assessment Report, A.M. Hart, D.M. Murphy, F.F. Fabris

Fisheries Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Ecological Risk Assessment For The Western Rock Lobster Resource : Workshop Procedure And Outcomes, R Stoklosa

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Final Report Floating Upwelling System Harvest Road Oceans, Robert Michael, Scott Bennett

Fisheries Occasional Publications

A Floating Upwelling System or FLUPSY is a mechanical system for the culture of seed stock during the nursery stage of commercial bivalve production.

Ecological Risk Assessment For The State-Wide Small Pelagic Scalefish Resource, S. Blazeski, J. Norriss, K. A. Smith, M. Hourston

Fisheries Research Reports

In July 2021, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development convened an ecological risk assessment (ERA) of the fisheries that access the State-wide Small Pelagic Scalefish Resource. The ERA considered the potential ecological impacts of the West Coast Purse Seine Fishery, South Coast Purse Seine Fishery, Purse Seine Development Zones and the recreational fishers who catch small pelagic scalefish. The assessment evaluated the impact of each fishing sector/method on all relevant retained and bycatch species, endangered, threatened and protected species, habitats and the broader environment.

Recreational Fishing For Western Rock Lobster: Estimates Of Participation, Effort And Catch From 1986/87 – 2017/18. Fisheries Research Report 299, Fabian I. Trinnie, Cameron J. Desfosses, Brent S. Wise, Karina L. Ryan

Fisheries Research Reports

The Western Rock Lobster (WRL) fishery is one of Australia’s largest single-species recreational and commercial fisheries. The recreational sector has a long history of harvesting this resource, and there is an ongoing need to provide annual estimates of the recreational catch due to the formal resource sharing policy adopted in 2004. Mailrecall surveys, supplemented with occasional phone-recall surveys, provide costeffective monitoring, since WRL is a single-species, licensed recreational fishery operating across large spatial and temporal scales. This report presents estimates of participation, fishing effort and retained catch from annual mail-recall surveys of randomly selected licensed Rock Lobster (RL) recreational fishers …

Fisheries Research Report 319: Resource Assessment Report For Australian Herring In Western Australia, R E. Duffy, A M. Hart, N Caputi, S A. Hesp, A Quinn, A M. Denham, K Smith

Fisheries Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Recreational Fishing For Western Rock Lobster: Estimates Of Participation, Effort And Catch From 2018/19–2020/21. Fisheries Research Report 313, Claire B. Smallwood, Karina L. Ryan, Alissa Tate, Cameron J. Desfosses

Fisheries Research Reports

The Western Rock Lobster (WRL) (Panulirus cygnus) is one of the four Rock Lobster (RL) species found in Western Australia. It was the first fishery in the world to obtain Marine Stewardship Council Certification and the first in Western Australia to be managed under a resource allocation process. Catches from the commercial and recreational sectors are required to determine and monitor Total Allowable Catch (TAC), Total Allowable Recreational Catch (TARC) and proportion of Allowable Harvest Level (AHL) achieved. The TARC is set at 5% of the AHL and evaluated in the harvest strategy based on a 5-year average. Since 2018/19, …

Shore-Based Recreational Fishing In The Perth Metropolitan Area: 2014 – 2021. Fisheries Research Report 315, Alissa Tate, Claire B. Smallwood

Fisheries Research Reports

Recreational fishing is a popular activity in Western Australia, occurring throughout the state from private and charter boats, and from a variety of natural and man-made structures along the shore. Ongoing monitoring of the shore-based recreational fishery is essential to assist with monitoring, management evaluation and stock assessments for nearshore species. Especially for species such as Australian Herring and Southern Garfish who were the focus of recent management changes in 2015 (reduction of bag limit from 30 to 12) and 2017 (closure of Perth Metropolitan waters), respectively. An on-site roving creel survey to collect effort and catch data from shore …

Climate-Assisted Persistence Of Tropical Fish Vagrants In Temperate Marine Ecosystems, Laura Gajdzik, Thomas M. Decarlo, Adam Koziol, Mahsa Mousavi-Derazmahalleh, Megan Coghlan, Matthew W. Power, Michael Bunce, David Fairclough, Michael J. Travers, Glenn I. Moore, Joseph D. Dibattista

Fisheries Research Articles

Rising temperatures and extreme climate events are propelling tropical species into temperate marine ecosystems, but not all species can persist. Here, we used the heatwave-driven expatriation of tropical Black Rabbitfish (Siganus fuscescens) to the temperate environments of Western Australia to assess the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that may entail their persistence. Population genomic assays for this rabbitfish indicated little genetic differentiation between tropical residents and vagrants to temperate environments due to high migration rates, which were likely enhanced by the marine heatwave. DNA metabarcoding revealed a diverse diet for this species based on phytoplankton and algae, as well …

Fisheries Science Update - West Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource - October 2021, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries Science Updates

The West Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource (WCDSR) is halfway into a 20-year recovery plan following a period of overfishing in the 1990s and 2000s.

This latest assessment provides an important “health check” on the recovery status.

The recovery plan is based on maintaining recreational (including charter) and commercial sector’s total fishing mortality below catch limits and protecting key spawning aggregations to recover the WCDSR by 2030.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) tracks recovery progress by undertaking weight of evidence stock assessments of WCDSR indicator species dhufish and pink snapper every 3-5 years.

The latest science shows …

Ecological Risk Assessment For The Temperate Demersal Elasmobranch Resource, Maddison Watt, Matias Braccini, Kimberley A. Smith, Matthew Hourston

Fisheries Research Reports

In March 2021, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (Department) convened an ecological risk assessment (ERA) of the fisheries that access the Temperate Demersal Elasmobranch Resource (Resource). ERAs are conducted by the Department as part of its Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management framework.

2021 Assessment Of The Status Of The West Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource, David Fairclough, S. A. Hesp, Ainslie Denham, Emily A. Fisher, Rachel Marks, Karina L. Ryan, Elaine Lek, Rhys Allen, Brett Crisafulli

Fisheries Research Reports

A recovery program for the West Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource was introduced between late 2007 and early 2010, based on the maintenance of retained catches of demersal species (overall suite and each indicator species) by both the commercial and recreational sectors below 50% of the catches reported in 2005/06 (original catch recovery benchmarks).

Squid And Cuttlefish Resources Of Western Australia, Daniel Yeoh, Danielle Johnston, David C. Harris

Fisheries Research Reports

This report provides a description and assessment of the squid and cuttlefish resources of Western Australia, and all of the fishing activities (i.e. fisheries / fishing sectors) affecting these resources. Encompassed are multiple species in the orders Oegopsida and Myopsida (squid or ‘calamari’) and Sepiida (cuttlefish), including; southern calamari (Sepioteuthis australis), northern calamari (Sepioteuthis lessoniana), Gould’s squid (Nototodarus gouldi), loligo squids Uroteuthis (Photololigo) spp.,giant cuttlefish (Sepia apama), broadclub cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus) and pharaoh cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis).

Fisheries Science Update – October 2021: West Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

Key points: 2021 stock assessment outcomes • The West Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource (WCDSR) is halfway into a 20-year recovery plan following a period of overfishing in the 1990s and 2000s. • This latest assessment provides an important “health check” on the recovery status. • The recovery plan is based on maintaining recreational (including charter) and commercial sector’s total fishing mortality below catch limits and protecting key spawning aggregations to recover the WCDSR by 2030. • The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) tracks recovery progress by undertaking weight of evidence stock assessments of WCDSR indicator species dhufish …

Integrated Analyses Of Snp-Genotype And Environmental Data In A Continuously Distributed Snapper Species (Lutjanus Johnii, Bloch, 1792) Reveals A Mosaic Of Populations And A Challenge For Sustainable Management, Laura Taillebois, Danielle Davenport, Diane P. Barton, David Alexander Cook, Thor Saunders, Mark Hearnden, Richard J. Saunders, Stephen J. Newman, Michael J. Travers

Fisheries Research Articles

Understanding population structure is important for predicting the outcomes of anthropogenic development, harvest, and environmental change on the abundance of fisheries species. Logically, the use of several data sources is best for delineating population structure, but combining across data types adds extra challenges as results can be incongruent. Here, genetic and environmental markers were used to test hypotheses about population structure in a collection of 523 tropical inshore finfish (Lutjanus johnii) across northern Australia from 20 locations. Redundancy analyses (RDA) were used to statistically test for correlations among data sources providing a basis for reconciliation and insights into ecological and …

Otoliths Of South-Western Australian Fish: A Photographic Catalogue, Chris Dowling, Kim Smith, Elaine Lek, Joshua Brown

Fisheries Research Reports

Due to the species-specific nature of otoliths and given they are often the only part of the fish preserved when fish die, otolith catalogues can be used in numerous applications, such as diet studies in fish eating animals, including pinnipeds, fish and sea birds; archaeological purposes such as reconstructing indigenous people’s diets from otoliths found in middens or evolutionary history of fish species by comparing fossilized otoliths. Given the unique mixture of subtropical and temperate fish, including many endemic species that occur off the southwest corner of WA having a catalogue for this area is extremely important for people working …

Continental-Scale Network Reveals Cross-Jurisdictional Movements Of Sympatric Sharks With Implications For Assessment And Management, Charlie Huveneers, Yuri Niella, Michael Drew, Rory Mcauley, Paul A. Butcher, Victor Peddemors, Daniela Waltrick, Chris Dowling, Silas Mountford, Ian S. Keay, Matias Braccini

Fisheries Research Articles

Understanding the movement ecology of marine species and connectivity of populations is required for effective fisheries management. This is especially the case for species with wide-ranging distributions for which movement can span across several jurisdictions with different management regulations. We used the Australian national network of acoustic receivers facilitated by the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) to describe the extent and frequency of movements for two large epipelagic shark species, the bronze whaler (Carcharhinus brachyurus) and dusky shark (Carcharhinus obscurus). A total of 210 sharks (117 bronze whalers and 93 dusky sharks) were tracked for a …

Primary Industries Development Research Highlights 2021, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Tim Scanlon

Books & book chapters

The Primary Industries Development Research Highlights 2021 showcases the breadth and depth of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s research and development activities over the past several years.

Stories featured in Research Highlights 2021 stem from about 60 (of 140) current and recently-completed projects undertaken by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) 1100 scientists, technical experts and economists throughout the State.

Explore our Research Highlights 2021.

The publication demonstrates the innovative and applicable research that DPIRD and its collaborators and investment partners deliver to Western Australia.

Download the Research Highlights 2021 here. Alternatively, …

Imputation Of Missing Count Data Of Recreational Boat Retrievals From Remote Camera Surveys In The Perth Metropolitan Region, Western Australia, E. Afrifa-Yamoah, S.M Taylor, Cameron J. Desfosses, U. A. Mueller

Fisheries Research Reports

In Western Australia (WA), remote cameras have been used to monitor boating activity at boat ramps since 2006 to assist in ongoing recreational fishing surveys. These monitoring schemes are useful tools to validate boating activity (defined here as the number of retrievals) and to corroborate estimates of recreational fishing effort obtained from other surveys. This is because remote cameras (also referred to as digital cameras) can provide complete coverage (i.e. 24 hours, 365 days) of boating activities.

Administrative Guideline No.3: The Management Of Errors In Reported Entitlement Taken In The West Coast Rock Lobster Managed Fishery, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development

Fisheries Administrative Guidelines

These Administrative Guidelines address how errors in the submission of reported net weights in the West Coast Rock Lobster Managed Fishery (the Fishery) are to be managed. There is an onus on the Master and the Registered Receiver to provide accurate information when submitting the weight (in kilograms) of rock lobster taken for each consignment, under the West Coast Rock Lobster Managed Fishery Management Plan 2012 (the Plan).

Effects Of Human Footprint And Biophysical Factors On The Body-Size Structure Of Fished Marine Species, Nestor E. Bosch, Jacquomo Monk, Jordan Goetze, Shaun K. Wilson, Russell C. Babcock, Neville Barrett, Jock Clough, Leanne M. Currey-Randall, David Fairclough, Rebecca Fisher, Brooke A. Gibbons, David Harasti, Euan S. Harvey, Michelle R. Heupel, Jamie Hicks, Thomas H. Holmes, Charlie Huveneers, Daniel Ierodiaconou, Alan Jordan, Nathan A. Knott, Hamish A. Malcolm, Dianne L. Mclean, Mark G. Meekan, Stephen J. Newman, Ben Radford, Matthew J. Rees, Benjamin J. Saunders, Conrad W. Speed, Michael J. Travers, Corey Wakefield, Thomas Wernberg, Tim Langlois

Fisheries Research Articles

Marine fisheries in coastal ecosystems in many areas of the world have historically removed large-bodied individuals, potentially impairing ecosystem functioning and the long-term sustainability of fish populations. Reporting on size-based indicators that link to food-web structure can contribute to ecosystem-based management, but the application of these indicators over large (cross-ecosystem) geographical scales has been limited to either fisheries-dependent catch data or diver-based methods restricted to shallow waters (<20 m) that can misrepresent the abundance of large-bodied fished species. We obtained data on the body-size structure of 82 recreationally or commercially targeted marine demersal teleosts from 2904 deployments of baited remote underwater stereo-video (stereo-BRUV). Sampling was at up to 50 m depth and covered approximately 10,000 km of the continental shelf of Australia. Seascape relief, water depth, and human gravity (i.e., a proxy of human impacts) were the strongest predictors of the probability of occurrence of large fishes and the abundance of fishes above the minimum legal size of capture. No-take marine reserves had a positive effect on the abundance of fishes above legal size, although the effect varied across species groups. In contrast, sublegal fishes were best predicted by gradients in sea surface temperature (mean and variance). In areas of low human impact, large fishes were about three times more likely to be encountered and fishes of legal size were approximately five times more abundant. For conspicuous species groups with contrasting habitat, environmental, and biogeographic affinities, abundance of legal-size fishes typically declined as human impact increased. Our large-scale quantitative analyses highlight the combined importance of seascape complexity, regions with low human footprint, and no-take marine reserves in protecting large-bodied fishes across a broad range of species and ecosystem configurations.

Testing A Global Standard For Quantifying Species Recovery And Assessing Conservation Impact, Molly K. Grace, H Resit Akcakaya, Elizabeth L. Bennett, Thomas M. Brooks, Anna Heath, Simon Hedges, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Michael Hoffmann, Axel Hochkirch, Richard Jenkins, David A. Keith, Barney Long, David P. Mallon, Erik Meijaard, E J. Milner-Gulland, Jon Paul Rodriguez, P J. Stephenson, Simon N. Stuart, Richard P. Young, David Fairclough

Fisheries Research Articles

Recognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a “Green List of Species” (now the IUCN Green Status of Species). A draft Green Status framework for assessing species’ progress toward recovery, published in 2018, proposed 2 separate but interlinked components: a standardized method (i.e., measurement against benchmarks of species’ viability, functionality, and preimpact distribution) to determine current species recovery status (herein species recovery score) and application of that method to estimate past and potential future impacts of conservation based on 4 metrics ( …