Published Friday, 11 May, 2007 at 01:06 PM
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries
The Honourable Tim Mulherin
FISH SURVIVAL SCHOOL TRAINS THREATENED SPECIES
AMENDED VERSION
Teaching survival skills to threatened species of fish is a new and unusual project being undertaken by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries at the Southern Fisheries Centre, Deception Bay.
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin said the $400,000 study being funded by the Murray-Darling Basin Commission’s Native Fish Strategy is looking to develop techniques to boost the chances of survival of threatened species when they are released into the wild.
“The project will train species such as Murray cod, silver perch and the eel tailed catfish reared in hatcheries for restocking programs to seek shelter and avoid predators in natural freshwaters,” Mr Mulherin said.
“This is the first project of its kind in Australia that will release trained fish in large numbers to the wild and is an extremely important one in the fight to conserve these fish for the future.”
DPI&F fisheries biologist Dr Michael Hutchison explains that hatchery-reared fish are generally protected from attack by predators as part of the rearing process in ponds and tanks. Fish reared to large sizes may also become used to a diet of pellets.
“Fish don’t have to fight that hard to survive in hatcheries which provide ideal growing environments, however this dramatically changes once they are released back into the wild and have to fend for themselves,” he said.
“Our studies and other research indicate that if hatchery-reared fish escape predation in the first 24 hours, their survival rates go up tremendously.
“We are looking to reduce hatchery domestication effects by training threatened species such as Murray cod, silver perch and the eel tailed catfish to recognise predators and to react to them. The training of larger fish will also teach them how to recognise wild and live foods.”
Mr Hutchison said the project is unique in that the majority of similar studies known worldwide were entirely tank-based or focused on fish being released into ponds and not natural waterways.
He said fisheries scientists will be looking to install mesh barriers in tanks with the juvenile fish able to see predators moving about.
“We will be looking to develop a series of techniques where we can successfully train pond-reared juvenile fish to seek shelter to hide themselves from predators,” Dr Hutchison said.
“In effect we want to set up a successful school with verifiable and repeatable processes so that hatchery-bred fish can learn, adapt and survive changes to their environments when they are stocked into the wild.”
Previous DPI&F research programs looked into the optimum fish size for restocking. Fisheries biologists found that hatchery-reared fish 50 mm or larger had what were the best survival chances and now this program will seek to take the next step in efforts to improve survival in restocking programs for threatened species.
Mr Mulherin said the project may have application to other threatened fish species such as trout cod and Macquarie perch which are found in the Murray-Darling Basin and the Mary River cod found in south east Queensland as well as benefits for local stocking groups.
“If the Department can adapt newly developed strategies Queensland’s restocking groups will be able to gain the best possible results from their environmentally friendly programs which are of real benefit to rural and remote communities.”
Photos available on request: 32393000
Media:
Minister’s office: 323 96530
Department: Mark Dawson 0407 756 859
Teaching survival skills to threatened species of fish is a new and unusual project being undertaken by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries at the Southern Fisheries Centre, Deception Bay.
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin said the $400,000 study being funded by the Murray-Darling Basin Commission’s Native Fish Strategy is looking to develop techniques to boost the chances of survival of threatened species when they are released into the wild.
“The project will train species such as Murray cod, silver perch and the eel tailed catfish reared in hatcheries for restocking programs to seek shelter and avoid predators in natural freshwaters,” Mr Mulherin said.
“This is the first project of its kind in Australia that will release trained fish in large numbers to the wild and is an extremely important one in the fight to conserve these fish for the future.”
DPI&F fisheries biologist Dr Michael Hutchison explains that hatchery-reared fish are generally protected from attack by predators as part of the rearing process in ponds and tanks. Fish reared to large sizes may also become used to a diet of pellets.
“Fish don’t have to fight that hard to survive in hatcheries which provide ideal growing environments, however this dramatically changes once they are released back into the wild and have to fend for themselves,” he said.
“Our studies and other research indicate that if hatchery-reared fish escape predation in the first 24 hours, their survival rates go up tremendously.
“We are looking to reduce hatchery domestication effects by training threatened species such as Murray cod, silver perch and the eel tailed catfish to recognise predators and to react to them. The training of larger fish will also teach them how to recognise wild and live foods.”
Mr Hutchison said the project is unique in that the majority of similar studies known worldwide were entirely tank-based or focused on fish being released into ponds and not natural waterways.
He said fisheries scientists will be looking to install mesh barriers in tanks with the juvenile fish able to see predators moving about.
“We will be looking to develop a series of techniques where we can successfully train pond-reared juvenile fish to seek shelter to hide themselves from predators,” Dr Hutchison said.
“In effect we want to set up a successful school with verifiable and repeatable processes so that hatchery-bred fish can learn, adapt and survive changes to their environments when they are stocked into the wild.”
Previous DPI&F research programs looked into the optimum fish size for restocking. Fisheries biologists found that hatchery-reared fish 50 mm or larger had what were the best survival chances and now this program will seek to take the next step in efforts to improve survival in restocking programs for threatened species.
Mr Mulherin said the project may have application to other threatened fish species such as trout cod and Macquarie perch which are found in the Murray-Darling Basin and the Mary River cod found in south east Queensland as well as benefits for local stocking groups.
“If the Department can adapt newly developed strategies Queensland’s restocking groups will be able to gain the best possible results from their environmentally friendly programs which are of real benefit to rural and remote communities.”
Photos available on request: 32393000
Media:
Minister’s office: 323 96530
Department: Mark Dawson 0407 756 859