Aquaculture & fishing

Australia’s volunteer tagging database Infofish recently became the first citizen science tagging program in the world to tag 1 million fish since its inception in 1986 ... “Community-based fish tagging has made a significant contribution to our understanding of the movement patterns and growth rates of many fish species, and the Infofish program is recognised as a world leader in this space": Mark Furner, Qld Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries.

Members of the Project Kingfish research team visited Lord Howe Island (LHI) in December. Project Kingfish is a research program funded by the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust that aims to enable collaboration between scientists and expert anglers to improve understanding of the East Australia yellowtail kingfish stock.

The 24th International Seaweed Symposium will be held for the first time in Australia. It will take place in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia’s most southern state, from Sunday 19th to Friday 24th February 2023.

With widespread La Niña flooding in the Murray-Darling Basin, common carp (Cyprinus carpio) populations are having a boom year.  Videos  of writhing masses of both adult and young fish illustrate that all is not well in our rivers.

A magistrate has suspended the rock lobster fishing licence of a Yanchep man and prohibited him from being on any vessel used for rock lobster fishing for six months. In Joondalup Court on January 6 the 33-year-old man was also issued with fines, penalties and court costs totalling $11,014.30 for unlawfully interfering with fishing gear and selling recreationally caught lobster.

The NSW Government’s Fish Stocking Program continues to play a vital role in enhancing recreational fishing opportunities and strengthening fish populations across the state. Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the Fish Stocking Program saw a record number of native fish, salmonoid (trout and salmon) and marine species bred and stocked in 2021-22, with the NSW Government releasing more than 5.3 million fish into waterways throughout NSW.

Aquaculture has continued its steady growth within the Australian seafood industry, according to the latest edition of ABARES Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics. ABARES Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville said the aquaculture sector has continued its recent growth, accounting for 56 per cent of the total gross value of fisheries production (GVP).

As the weather warms up and dissolved oxygen in the local rivers and creeks remain dangerously low, the community is leading the fish protection response. From old bedframes with dripper lines supplied with air compressors, to garden hoses circulating water, and even a paddleboat churning through $700 in fuel per week in an effort to provide an oxygenated refuge for native fish. The Murray Downs Marina dissolved oxygen went up above 5mg/L after four days with the Iron Dry paddle boat running.

The whites run when juvenile western rock lobsters undergo a synchronised moult in late spring actually starts in the Two Rocks to Cervantes region before getting underway later in northern areas such as Kalbarri. During the whites run recreational fishers, who need a licence, flock to the Two Rocks marina and other areas so they can head out to check their pots.

Technology that will save time and money, provide more accurate data more often, and reduce stress on farmed abalone, is continuing to prove its worth in trials. A multi-disciplinary team at James Cook University (JCU) is testing tools and methodology to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the critical task of counting and measuring abalone in grow-out tanks in aquaculture farms, under an FRDC-funded project.  

A rescue and relocation operation is currently underway by NSW DPI Fisheries to save Murray Crayfish impacted by poor water quality following flooding along the Murray River. The rescued crayfish will be transported to Narrandera Fisheries Centre for safekeeping until conditions improve and they can be returned to the river safely.

It’s been over 10 years since a 5-year moratorium was placed on Murray crayfishing by NSW authorities for our stretch of the Murray River. Sadly, now it seems that Murray cray populations are at risk, not from fishing, but from poor water quality. Dissolved oxygen has fallen to 0.2 in the Murray at Barham and thousands of Murray cray have walked to the edges of the river from Echuca through to Swan Hill.

Ahead of National Barramundi Day, Queensland fishers, restaurateurs and pro-Aussie politicians are imploring the Palaszczuk Labor Government to lead the way on Country-of-Original-Labelling (CoOL) labelling laws. A bill currently before the Queensland Parliament, known as the Food (Labelling of Seafood) Amendment Bill 2021, will go to a vote next Tuesday 25 October.

The future of the Weipa Billfish Club appears to be bright if the results from the club’s annual major tournament are any indication ... The 2022 Hastings Deering Weipa Billfish Tournament attracted 54 anglers in 16 boats, comprising five juniors, 10 women and 39 men.

Tweed Shire Council is urging Tweed River floodplain landowners to seek Council assistance in projects that can improve water quality, after recent testing detected acid-affected water in the river and red spot disease in local fish ... Recent testing has indicated acid sulfate soil (ASS)-related runoff from floodplain drains is affecting water quality in the Tweed River, with indications this is severely impacting fish health.

Log cabins and synthetic trees are part of a successful trial of fish-attracting structures in Queensland which could be just the boon freshwater fishers have been angling for ... the dam stretches over 500 hectares and the hunting ground was too spread out, the fish too hard to find.

A mural depicting the history of fishing on the Fraser Coast has been painted on the side wall of the Urangan Fisheries cold store which faces Fishermans Park ... “It links the Butchulla and European history of fishing in the region,” Councillor Zane O’Keefe said ... Watch the video.

New fishery management arrangements for Spanish mackerel will be introduced from October this year, helping to restore depleted stocks and protect good jobs in the fishing industry for generations to come. The changes will mean two three-week closed seasons in waters off the state’s north starting in October 2022, and two three-week closed seasons in southern waters starting in February 2023.

The presence of White Spot has been confirmed in an enclosed prawn facility in the north of NSW by NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness. White Spot is a highly contagious viral infection that affects crustaceans and can cause major mortalities in farmed prawns ... “The detection is within an enclosed prawn facility and was identified during routine testing carried out by our DPI Biosecurity Team.: Minister for Agriculture Dugald Saunders

Narrandera is playing a huge part in the fresh water fish stocking season. NSW Department of Primary Industries is in the final stages of the 2021/2022 fish stocking season, which has so far seen more than 4.8 million fish, produced at NSW DPI hatcheries, released throughout the state.

It’s that time of year when irrigation channels are drawn down for maintenance works. Native fish such as Murray cod and yellas often find themselves stranded.