Aquaculture & fishing

A large number of Murray Cod have been relocated from irrigation channels in the Wakool area, thanks to collaboration between numerous individuals and organisations ... At the end of the irrigation season, it is common for native fish to be left stranded in pools of water behind channel gates and irrigation syphons, and unfortunately, they perish.

The fee reduction is a practical and fast way for the State government to assist the South Australian Rock Lobster fishery, who were impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic and the disruption to the Chinese market.

Citizen science has made an important contribution to an FRDC-funded project to predict the impact of climate change on three fish species of increasing recreational and commercial importance in Tasmania ... Data from the project was gathered from several sources, including fish frames (skeletons) donated by recreational fishers at 16 drop off points around Tasmania, which yielded 801 frames in the 24 months to July 2021. Frames were also donated by commercial fishers and fish processors.

A trial using oyster spats from an Albany Hatchery is assessing if the water conditions of Wilson Inlet will support the growth of native flat oysters. Aquaculturist Zak Launay said conditions created with the 'exceptional opening' of Wilson Inlet last year had created a level of salinity suited to the growing of oysters.

Rodney Stevens. As the son of a professional fisherman growing up during the 1970s in Maclean, Peter Pryor never dreamed of seeing tropical species including Barramundi and Red Emperor caught in the Clarence River. The president of the Clarence River chapter of Oz Fish said until the early 2000s, local waters were never warm enough to accommodate  fish previously only caught in tropical Northern Australia.

Today, on World Oceans Day, the Minister for Fisheries joined representatives from the Western Australia Fishing Industries Council and the Marine Stewardship Council to award Rare Foods Australia (RFA) internationally recognised status as a Wild Sustainable Fishery. This achievement by RFA, which operates the world's first abalone ranch near Augusta, becomes another of WA's sustainable fisheries success stories.

Loved for both their great taste and awesome sport fishing, the yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) is one of Australia’s most economically important fish species. Despite their importance, little is known about the species’ large-scale movements, fine-scale population structure or behaviours ... Project Kingfish aims to deploy satellite transmitters on mature-sized kingfish across the NSW east coast and key offshore habitats such as the Lord Howe Island Marine Park to gain further insights ...

Two new studies led by Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS, UTAS) scientists provide an approach for accurately assessing the carbon storage capability of seaweed before it is factored into carbon offset initiatives, and highlight the need for further research into the impact of extending seaweed forests offshore into oceanic ecosystems.

The Northern Territory Space Strategy 2022-2026 builds on the success of Territory Space industry 2020 and establishes a vision for the Northern Territory to be recognised as the home of high altitude pseudo-satellites in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia’s premier space launch location and a leading regional centre for ground station facilities.

Dave Donald. While anti-fishing groups have long been opposed to recreational fishing, to claim they have colluded in a major way to “slash Spanish mackerel quotas” is a fabrication. Seeking to lay the blame for the depletion of Spanish mackerel stocks solely on Labor is another furphy as exceptionally poor fisheries management under BOTH major parties essentially created the current situation.

Katter's Australian Party Leader Robbie Katter has backed a Cairns game fishing leader’s condemnation of the state government for siding with anti-fishing groups to slash Spanish mackerel quotas ... Cairns Professional Game Fishing Association spokesman Dan McCarthy said the survey on the management measures for the east coast Spanish mackerel fishery released by DAF was skewed towards severe restrictions and used a very different stock assessment model and method to any ever used before.

Researchers, Investors, Project Developers and industry participants all play an important role to scale up ocean carbon project development that will bring new innovation to enable large scale emissions reduction, plus many co-benefits such as biodiversity and jobs.

The start of the popular salmon run along the State's west and south coasts this month is hotly anticipated by Western Australian fishers but carries with it an increased risk of shark encounter, with ocean users reminded to put safety first.

A proposal to expand the Marmion marine park will if adopted result in the marine park’s boundary starting north of Two Rocks, according to information released by the Parks and Wildlife Service. At present the Marmion marine park, which occupies about 9500ha, is situated between Trigg Island and Burns Rocks.

The state’s peak agricultural body has partnered with the NSW Police Force to tackle a major problem for oyster growers. Black market oysters – stolen from farmers and sold without food safety controls – are the target of the NSW Police Force, Rural Crime Prevention Team.

Abalone fishers took advantage of the third fishing hour of the West Coast Zone abalone fishing season, including at Yanchep Lagoon. Yanchep Surf Life Saving Club and Marine Rescue Two Rocks volunteers were at the lagoon this morning keeping a watch on fishers searching for the reef-dwelling mollusc.

The countdown to the 2022 barramundi season is well and truly on with keen anglers across the Rockhampton region and country ready to wet a line and chase their New Year barra personal bests (PB’s) from the 1st of February. Rockhampton Region Mayor Tony Williams said the number of trophy Barra over the magic metre in length continues to grow each season.

Hundreds of fish died including Murray Cod, Golden Perch, Bony Herring and Australian Smelt as well as Murray Crayfish in a disastrous black water event in Bundidgerry Creek near Narrandera late last week.

Consumers are increasingly demanding proof of their seafood’s sustainability and they are turning to a range of seafood certifications, rating programs and indexes to inform their purchases. Globally, there is a growing number of initiatives to guide consumers. But they are not all created equal, nor do they measure and report on the same parameters.

A giant of the Cape York fishing industry has pulled anchor on his long-standing career. Alan “Fish” Philliskirk was a pioneer of the fishing guide business in Cape York – along with a couple of others – and is one of the reasons why Weipa is now one of the most desirable fishing destinations in Australia, if not the world.

Strong retail demand and the reopening of foodservice set the aquaculture industry up for another strong year in 2022, especially for salmon and shrimp. Sustainability-related investments are expected to ramp up this year, as major producers and retailers have set ambitious targets to reduce carbon footprints. Rabobank just published a report summarizing the main takeaways from the Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) GOAL Conference, one of the seafood industry’s most anticipated events.