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Western Australia’S Marine Heatwave Update - 9th May 2025, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Marine Heatwave Notification Reports

Category 1 – Moderate marine heatwave (MHW) conditions continue for the Gascoyne and South Coast Bioregions. Marine heatwave conditions in the North Coast Bioregion have abated and the West Coast Bioregion remains warm but neither are categorised as experiencing MHW conditions.

Marine Heatwave Conditions In Western Australia Marine Waters - 26th March 2025, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Marine Heatwave Notification Reports

Marine heatwave (MHW) conditions across the state have persisted. Category 1 – Moderate conditions continue for the Gascoyne and South Coast Bioregions. The North Coast Bioregion has returned to Category 1 – Moderate conditions. The West Coast Bioregion remains warm but is not categorised as experiencing MHW conditions.

Transcriptional Profiles Reveal Physiological Mechanisms For Compensation During A Simulated Marine Heatwave In Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola Lalandi), Sharon E. Hook, Ryan J. Farr, Jenny Su, Alistair J. Hobday, Catherine Wingate, Lindsey Woolley, Luke Pilmer

Fisheries Research Articles

Background

Changing ocean temperatures are already causing declines in populations of marine organisms. Predicting the capacity of organisms to adjust to the pressures posed by climate change is a topic of much current research effort, particularly for species we farm or harvest. To explore one measure of phenotypic plasticity, the physiological compensations in response to heat stress as might be experienced in a marine heatwave, we exposed Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi) to sublethal heat stress, and used the transcriptome in gill and muscle, benchmarked against heat shock proteins and oxidative stress indicators, to characterise the acute heat stress …

Exploring Single Cell Microbial Protein As A Sustainable Fishmeal Alternative In Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola Lalandi) Diets: Impacts On Health And Gut Microbiome, Luke Pilmer, Lindsey Woolley, Alan Lymbery, Chinh Dam, Abigail Elizur, Md Javed Foysal, Gavin Partridge

Fisheries Research Articles

Background

With the global expansion of aquaculture and the increasing demand for fish meal, identifying appropriate and sustainable alternative protein sources for aquafeeds has become essential. Single-cell protein (SCP), derived from methanotrophic bacteria, presents a promising alternative by converting methane into protein, potentially addressing both the need for alternative protein sources and reducing industrial greenhouse gas emissions. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different levels of SCP inclusion (0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% fish meal replacement) on the health, gene expression, and gut microbiome of yellowtail kingfish (YTK, Seriola lalandi) following a 35-day growth trial.

Results

The …

Density-Dependence Inside A Marine Protected Area Increases Natural Mortality And Stunts The Growth Of A Spiny Lobster, Emma-Jade Tuffley, Simon De Lestang

Fisheries Research Articles

Sustainable fisheries management often requires the modelling of stocks under unfished conditions, when the influence of population densities on animal growth and mortality can be substantial. This can be especially true for species such as spiny rock lobster, which are very habitat specific. Using western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus) tag-recapture data from adjacent and similar fished and unfished areas, the key life history parameters of natural mortality and growth were examined and compared under different population density scenarios. In an area representative of virgin biomass levels, lobsters exhibited reduced growth rates and a substantially higher rate of natural mortality …

State Of The Fisheries: Status Reports And Aquatic Resources Of Western Australia 2022/23, S.J. Newman, K.G. Santoro, D.J. Gaughan

Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources

Aquatic resources within Western Australia (WA) are in good condition, and this has positioned WA as a global leader in sustainable fisheries management. The sustainable fisheries of WA continue to support our strong economy and regional communities. Nonetheless, the lack of a consistent approach to build in the knowledge of Traditional Owners remains a gap in our longer term fisheries science in Western Australia.

Climate change and climate variability continues to impact fish stocks, challenging our ability to effectively monitor, assess, and manage fish stocks. We are continually working with our stakeholders, and the broader community to be adaptive, responsive, …

State Of The Fisheries: Status Reports And Aquatic Resources Of Western Australia 2021/22, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia, S J. Newman, B S. Wise, K G. Santaro, D J. Gaughan

Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources

Aquatic resources within Western Australia (WA) are in good condition, and this has positioned WA as a global leader in sustainable fisheries management. The sustainable fisheries of WA continue to support our strong economy and regional communities. Nonetheless, the lack of a consistent approach to build in the knowledge of Traditional Owners remains a gap in our longer-term fisheries science in Western Australia.

Climate change and climate variability continues to impact fish stocks, challenging our ability to effectively monitor, assess, and manage fish stocks. We are continually working with our stakeholders, and the broader community to be adaptive, responsive, and …

Contrasting Environmental Drivers Of Adult And Juvenile Growth In A Marine Fish: Implications For The Effects Of Climate Change, Joyce Jia Lin Ong, Adam Nicholas Rountrey, Jessica Jane Meeuwig, Stephen J. Newman, Jens Zinke, Mark Gregory Meekan

Fisheries Research Articles

Many marine fishes have life history strategies that involve ontogenetic changes in the use of coastal habitats. Such ontogenetic shifts may place these species at particular risk from climate change, because the successive environments they inhabit can differ in the type, frequency and severity of changes related to global warming. We used a dendrochronology approach to examine the physical and biological drivers of growth of adult and juvenile mangrove jack (Lutjanus argentimaculatus) from tropical north-western Australia. Juveniles of this species inhabit estuarine environments and adults reside on coastal reefs. The Niño-4 index, a measure of the status of …

Bait Effects In Sampling Coral Reef Fish Assemblages With Stereo-Bruvs, Stacey R. Dorman, Euan S. Harvey, Stephen J. Newman

Fisheries Research Articles

Baited underwater video techniques are increasingly being utilised for assessing and monitoring demersal fishes because they are: 1) non extractive, 2) can be used to sample across multiple habitats and depths, 3) are cost effective, 4) sample a broader range of species than many other techniques, 5) and with greater statistical power. However, an examination of the literature demonstrates that a range of different bait types are being used. The use of different types of bait can create an additional source of variability in sampling programs. Coral reef fish assemblages at the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia, were sampled using …

Fisheries Research Report No. 197 - Coastal And Marine Resource Condition Monitoring - Scoping Project, Brett A. Human, Justin I. Mcdonald

Fisheries Research Reports

Final NRM Report – Project 073007

Part 1– Knowledge review and gap analysis: Resource condition monitoring in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia

This report details extensive literature searches for both research and monitoring programs that have been undertaken in the marine and coastal environments of the Pilbara and Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. The Pilbara and Kimberley region is remote and difficult to access, resulting in very little monitoring effort of the marine and coastal environments in that region.

We currently know very little of the condition of marine and coastal natural resources in the Pilbara …

Fisheries Research Report No. 134, Vol 1 - Towards An Assessment Of The Natural And Human Use Impacts On The Marine Environment Of The Abrolhos Islands, F J. Webster, C J. Dibden, C F. Chubb

Fisheries Research Reports

The State Territorial Waters surrounding the Abrolhos Islands are gazetted as a Fish Habitat Protection Area and vested with the Minister for Fisheries under the Fish Resources Management Act 1994. Three Fisheries Management Papers have identified management priorities for the marine environment at the Abrolhos Islands:

• Management of the Houtman Abrolhos System
• Aquaculture Plan for the Houtman Abrolhos Islands
• Sustainable Tourism Plan for the Houtman Abrolhos Islands.

These plans and other national and international obligations to examine the effect of extractive and non-extractive anthropogenic activities on marine habitats (eg. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) led to …

Department Of Fisheries Annual Report To Parliament 2000 - 2001, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Department of Fisheries Annual Reports

In accordance with Section 62 of the Financial Administration and audit Act 1985 and Section 263 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994, I submit for your information the Annual report to Parliament of Fisheries WA for the financial year ending 30 June 2001.

The annual report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Administration and audit Act 1985 and Section 263 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994.

2000/2001 was a year for Fisheries WA marked by the challenges of managing change. The year saw a change of government and, as with all new governments, …

Fisheries Research Report No. 119 - Final Report, Frdc Project 95/037: The Biology And Stock Assessment Of The Tropical Sardine, Sardinella Lemuru, Off The Mid-West Coast Of Western Australia, Daniel J. Gaughan, Ronald W. Mitchell

Fisheries Research Reports

Exploratory fishing for the tropical sardine, Sardinella lemuru, offshore of Geraldton on the midwest coast of Western Australia in the early 1990s, led to the establishment of a developmental purse seine fishery in this region. This fishery showed potential for substantial expansion, but as there was no information on S. lemuru in WA there was a need to undertake research during the developmental period. The biology and fishery for S. lemuru in WA were therefore investigated over a three year period between July 1995 and June 1998 with the aim of providing stock assessment advice.

The biology of S. lemuru …

Department Of Fisheries Annual Report Highlights 1999 - 2000, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Department of Fisheries Annual Reports

1999/2000 has marked a 'sea change' in fisheries management throughout Australia towards the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD). This is a dynamic concept with an evolving framework that requires a balancing of social, economic and environmental considerations.

The principles of ESD - of using, conserving and enhancing the community's resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained, and the total quality of fisheries, now and in the future, can be increased - are vital in a state, national and international context for Fisheries WA and its clients. Having fisheries that are governed under ESD principles is …

Fisheries Research Report No. 111 - Sea Temperature Variability Off Western Australia 1990 To 1994, Alan Pearce, Mark Rossbach, Marion Tait, Rhys Brown

Fisheries Research Reports

Analysis of temperature data from coastal waters between Shark Bay and Cape Mentelle has shown the main features of temporal and spatial variability in temperature along the Western Australian coastline. Three distinct periods of variability emerge: the annual cycle (peak temperatures generally in January-February and troughs in July-August), a few-day (weatherrelated) cycle, and the diurnal pattern.

Summer temperatures range from 24° C (South Passage) to 19° C (Cape Mentelle), and winter temperatures from 21° C (South Passage) to 16° C (Marmion). Mean annual temperature ranges (winter minimum to summer maximum) are between 3° C (South Passage) and 7° C (Alkimos), …

Fisheries Research Report No. 84 - The Marine Open Shelf Environment: Review Of Human Influences, D. A. Hancock

Fisheries Research Reports

For the purpose of this review, the marine environment has been classified into three physical zones - the littoral zone, the open-shelf environment and the coral reef. Since the boundaries are arbitrary, there will inevitably be some overlap, but for this review the subject matter will be related to the area between low water of ordinary spring tides and the edge of the continental shelf; i.e., to a depth varying to 200 metres.

Human influences may have a dual role in affecting the marine environment, firstly in a causative manner and secondly in providing a remedy, in which case the …

Algal Problems Of The Estuary, E. P. Hodgkin, P. B. Birch

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The Peel-Harvey esturine system study began in 1976 because people living near Peel Inlet complained about the accumulation of water weeds and algae on the shores and the smell of hydrogen sulphide (rotton egg gas) that resulted from their decomposition. From 1974 efforts had been made to control this 'algal problem' by raking up the weed with tractors and carting it away. This 'cosmetic activity had little impact on the problem.

The immediate cause was obvious: a carpet of green algae covering about 20square kilometres of the bottom of Peel Inlet. From time to time this 'goat weed' floated to …