- Fisheries NSW @ Sydney Institute of Marine Science
Building 19, Chowder Bay Road, Mosman, NSW, 2088, Australia - +61 2 94354670
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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... more
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 10-year period during which 21% and 9% of detected bronze whalers and dusky sharks, respectively, moved between Australian states. Bronze whalers showed more variable inter-state movements, mostly between Western Australia and South Australia but also eastwards to New South Wales (NSW). Although no dusky sharks tag...
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Between 1963 and 1998, 55 mortalities of southern right whales and a further three ‘possible right whale’ mortalities were recorded on theSouth African coastline. Of the known right whale mortalities, 31 could be classified as ‘calves of... more
Between 1963 and 1998, 55 mortalities of southern right whales and a further three ‘possible right whale’ mortalities were recorded on theSouth African coastline. Of the known right whale mortalities, 31 could be classified as ‘calves of the year’, 8 as juveniles and 14 as adults.Relatively few (6.5-16.1%) of the calf mortalities could be attributed to anthropogenic factors, compared to juveniles (25-50%) and adults(35.7-57.1%). Apparent causes of death included ship strikes (4 definite, 7 possible) and entanglement (4 definite, 1 possible), with oneharpooning incident. Five non-fatal ship strikes and 16 instances of non-fatal entanglement were also recorded. Whilst the gear mostcommonly involved in non-fatal entanglement was crayfish trap lines, three of the four entanglement fatalities involved longline gear. Theincidence of scars attributable to previous entanglement remained constant amongst mature females from 1979-1997, at 3-4%. Recordedmortalities increased over the period 19...
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The development of shark vertebrae and the possible drivers of inter- and intra-specific differences in vertebral structure are poorly understood. Shark vertebrae are used to examine life-history traits related to trophic ecology,... more
The development of shark vertebrae and the possible drivers of inter- and intra-specific differences in vertebral structure are poorly understood. Shark vertebrae are used to examine life-history traits related to trophic ecology, movement patterns, and the management of fisheries; a better understanding of their development would be beneficial to many fields of research that rely on these calcified structures. This study used Scanning X-ray Fluorescence Microscopy to observe zinc distribution within vertebrae of ten shark species from five different orders. Zinc was mostly localised within the intermedialis and was generally detected at levels an order of magnitude lower in the corpus calcareum. In most species, zinc concentrations were higher pre-birth mark, indicating a high rate of pre-natal zinc deposition. These results suggest there are inter-specific differences in elemental deposition within vertebrae. Since the deposition of zinc is physiologically-driven, these difference...
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Broad-scale acoustic telemetry networks are being established worldwide. The 10-year anniversary of the Integrated Marine Observing System’s Animal Tracking Facility provided the opportunity to assess the efficiency of one of the first... more
Broad-scale acoustic telemetry networks are being established worldwide. The 10-year anniversary of the Integrated Marine Observing System’s Animal Tracking Facility provided the opportunity to assess the efficiency of one of the first national-scale acoustic telemetry networks. Acoustic networks are comprised of acoustic receiver arrays that detect high-frequency transmitters attached to animals that pass within detection range. Herein we assessed the efficiency of eight curtains to detect passing animals by calculating the standardised mean number of detections and transmitters detected at each station. The aim was to determine how many receivers could be decommissioned from each curtain while maintaining its integrity (i.e. detection of all species passing the array). Pivotal locations were defined as the furthest station at which all species would still be detected and where at least 75% of the detections and transmitters would still be detected. By applying these criteria, we w...
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Determining the age of sharks using vertebral banding is a vital component of management, but the causes of banding are not fully understood. Traditional shark ageing is based on fish otolith ageing methods where growth bands are assumed... more
Determining the age of sharks using vertebral banding is a vital component of management, but the causes of banding are not fully understood. Traditional shark ageing is based on fish otolith ageing methods where growth bands are assumed to result from varied seasonal calcification rates. Here we investigate these assumptions by mapping elemental distribution within the growth bands of vertebrae from six species of sharks representing four different taxonomic orders using scanning x-ray fluorescence microscopy. Traditional visual growth bands, determined with light microscopy, were more closely correlated to strontium than calcium in all species tested. Elemental distributions suggest that vertebral strontium bands may be related to environmental variations in salinity. These results highlight the requirement for a better understanding of shark movements, and their influence on vertebral development, if confidence in age estimates is to be improved. Analysis of shark vertebrae using...
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The recovering population of Group V (stock E1) humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) is exposed to a growing number of anthropogenic activities as they migrate along the east coast of Australia. This study investigated the effects of... more
The recovering population of Group V (stock E1) humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) is exposed to a growing number of anthropogenic activities as they migrate along the east coast of Australia. This study investigated the effects of three types of activities within the whale migratory corridor off Sydney, Australia; (1) vessels, (2) underwater construction and (3) fisheries mitigation. Observational and spatial data were collected during the 2006-2008 and 2012 northern migration from Cape Solander, Sydney, Australia. Whale surface behavior and directionality was monitored and compared between presence and absence of: vessels, underwater construction, and/or an active whale alarm (3 kHz Future Oceans F3™ whale alarm). A total of 421 tracks were collected using a theodolite. Generalised linear mixed models were applied to compute the odds of changing from the previous to the current behaviour state (vessels), show the effects of distance to construction activities and determine t...
Migratory Group V (stock E1) humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) annually risk entanglement with fishing gear along the east coast of Australia. Around Australia, types of fishing gear that cause whale entanglements include... more
Migratory Group V (stock E1) humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) annually risk entanglement with fishing gear along the east coast of Australia. Around Australia, types of fishing gear that cause whale entanglements include longlines, gillnets, lobster pots, crab pots and shark nets. Whale entanglement mitigation measures can have two approaches; (1) Disentanglement of the entangled whale or (2) entanglement prevention by alerting whales of fishing gear presence. The latter option has focused on the use of active acoustic alarms also known as a whale alarm or ‘pinger’, which are designed to be acoustically detectable by cetaceans. This study investigated the effects of a commercially available 3 kHz whale alarm, the Fumunda F3™, on humpback whale movements. Observational and spatial data were collected during the 2012 northern migration off Cape Solander, New South Wales, Australia. A total of 137 tracks were collected by a single observer using a Sokkia DT510A theodolite. 82 t...
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Research Interests: Arsenic, Australia, Marine Science, Multidisciplinary, Humans, and 8 moreSharks, Liver, Mercury, Animals, Muscles, Metals, Fish Products, and Food Contamination
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Research Interests: Microbiology, Epidemiology, Conservation, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and 15 moreDolphins, Atlantic Ocean, Female, Animals, Male, Bottlenose dolphin, Antibody, Countries, Pacific ocean, Animal Diseases, Harbour Porpoise, Common Dolphin, Morbillivirus, Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay, and Humoral Immunity
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The New South Wales (NSW) government has operated a program of netting beaches for the protection of swimmers and surfers against shark attack since 1937 in Sydney, and since 1949 in Newcastle and Wollongong. The scope and directives of... more
The New South Wales (NSW) government has operated a program of netting beaches for the protection of swimmers and surfers against shark attack since 1937 in Sydney, and since 1949 in Newcastle and Wollongong. The scope and directives of the Shark Meshing Program have remained constant since its inception, with operational modifications in net specifications in 1972, changes in spatial deployment in 1972, 1987 and 1992, and the elimination of winter netting since 1989. This markedly increased meshing effort in 1972, and again in 1987. In the present study, we examine the trends in catch and effort for the period from 1950–1951 to 2009–2010 over this 200-km section of the NSW coast. Significant temporal trends in species, size and sex composition are described herein. Catches were consistently dominated by three shark taxa, hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna spp.), whaler sharks (Carcharhinus spp.) and Australian angel sharks (Squatina australis), although their relative contributions to catc...
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Migratory Group V (stock E1) humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) annually risk entanglement with fishing gear along the east coast of Australia. Around Australia, types of fishing gear that cause whale entanglements include... more
Migratory Group V (stock E1) humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) annually risk entanglement with fishing gear along the east coast of Australia. Around Australia, types of fishing gear that cause whale entanglements include longlines, gillnets, lobster pots, crab pots and shark nets. Whale entanglement mitigation measures can have two approaches; (1) Disentanglement of the entangled whale or (2) entanglement prevention by alerting whales of fishing gear presence. The latter option has focused on the use of active acoustic alarms also known as a whale alarm or ‘pinger’, which are designed to be acoustically detectable by cetaceans. This study investigated the effects of a commercially available 3 kHz whale alarm, the Fumunda F3™, on humpback whale movements. Observational and spatial data were collected during the 2012 northern migration off Cape Solander, New South Wales, Australia. A total of 137 tracks were collected by a single observer using a Sokkia DT510A theodolite. 82 t...
