Neil Loneragan

Quantifying Diets of Wildlife and Fish presents different techniques available to study animal diets. Ecologists determine animal diets to build natural history knowledge, test hypotheses in ecological theory and make informed management decisions for important ecosystems. Many researchers use techniques traditionally applied to the animals they study, rather than techniques with the greatest potential for the aims of each project. In an effort to encourage researchers to consider new approaches, this book focuses on the techniques, rather than on particular groups of organisms or specific environments.

With contributions from leading ecologists, chapters explore experimental design, observational techniques (including new technologies), stomach contents and faecal analysis, eDNA, tracers and stable isotopes. They also cover the latest multivariate methods of analyses suitable for describing animal diets and feeding relationships, as well as testing hypotheses relevant to ecological theory, environmental management and biological conservation. The expert knowledge provided will encourage readers to look beyond the boundaries of their specialties, assist in testing important hypotheses and provide insights into management problems. The examples in this book cover a range of vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as different environments, to open these methods up for novice ecologists and stimulate lateral thinking in more experienced researchers.

The proceedings present the findings from two workshops in Bogor Indonesia in 2019 to provide participants with training in management strategy evaluation for fisheries and apply the MERA framework to evaluate seven data-limited fisheries in Indonesia. These fisheries were chosen because of their fisheries or conservation significance and covered a diversity of species with very different life-history strategies - blue swimmer crabs, scalloped spiny lobster, hammerhead sharks, red-bellied yellowtail fusilier, skipjack tuna, leopard coral grouper and humpback red snapper. The Proceedings summarise the current information on biology, fisheries and management measures for each fished species. They then apply the Method Evaluation and Risk Assessment Tool to consider different management options including those based on catch, effort, size and area closures. These findings were used to inform discussions on identifying potential future management options for the fisheries.

Coastal development, marine park reservation and population growth, coupled with use of remote sensing technologies, require a range of complex analyses, covering stock assessments and evaluation of ecosystem-wide impacts on fish communities and fisheries. Independent advice relating to compensation and marine park planning and reservation, with triple bottom line reporting needs, is also required. The demand for fisheries scientists with strong quantitative ability has been driven even further by the increasing use of detailed spatial data relating to fish, fisheries and the environment.

Currently, the PhD program in Quantitative Marine Science offered by CSIRO Marine and the University of Tasmania appears to be the only facility established specifically to produce fisheries scientists with the necessary quantitative skills. However, the demand cannot be met by this program alone. There is an urgent need for another university facility within Australia, particularly on the western side of the continent, to complement the training offered by the University of Tasmania in developing the skills in fisheries and ecosystem modelling, stock assessment, multivariate analysis and data management that are now required.

Short courses need to be delivered, on an ongoing basis, to upgrade the skills of existing fisheries scientists, empowering them to deliver answers to the range of policy questions now posed.

Postgraduate and in-service training need to be adaptive, but capable in the short term of delivery on-line throughout Australia, targeted to the specific needs of fisheries scientists, marine ecologists and the fishing industry. With the emergence of new technologies, ongoing course development, the application and use of very large databases using super computers, and implementation of new modelling tools, are essential requirements of this proposed facility.

Seed funding will be required to attract an appropriately qualified scientist to lead the development and ensure the establishment of such an ongoing training facility for Australia.

Objectives
1. The appointment of a suitable highly-qualified fisheries scientist to lead the training facility and develop courses.
2. The development and delivery of courses and training in fisheries and ecosystem modelling, multivariate analysis and management of very large databases.
3. Implementation of a business strategy to achieve self-sufficiency as an ongoing evolving training facility from short course training within Australia and on-line within three years.

Objectives
This aim of this project was to coordinate research in the Ningaloo Cluster and to integrate and coordinate research across the Cluster and the WA Marine Science Institution on Marine Biodiversity and Conservation Planning (Node 3).

Outcomes
Work in this project focused initially on providing oversight of the research in the Ningaloo Cluster, and coordinating and enhancing activities with other research activities at Ningaloo, particularly those in the WA Marine Science Institution on Marine Biodiversity and Conservation Planning. In the last 18 months of the project, the focus shifted to developing ways of best communicating the results of the project to government agencies and the community in Exmouth. The Ningaloo Cluster Collaboration project provided opportunities for training and building research capacity. A total of nine PhD students completed research as part of the Ningaloo Collaboration Cluster. Three of these students have completed their studies, one has submitted her Thesis and the research of the remaining five students is in progress. Five projects by Masters students, one by an Honours student and one by a third year Bachelor of Science student were completed as part of the Ningaloo Cluster.

Non-technical summary
This project was responsible for coordinating research in the Ningaloo Cluster and integrating and coordinating research across the Cluster and the WA Marine Science Institution Node on Marine Biodiversity and Conservation Planning (Node 3). A Cluster Management Committee (CMC), with representatives from the research organisations and CSIRO, was established as part of the contractual agreement with CSIRO and Murdoch University. This committee reviewed progress on the Cluster research and provided guidance and advice on research directions, communication of the research findings and the implications of the research to researchers within the Cluster and different groups external to the Cluster e.g. managers, industry and the community in both Perth and the region. In collaboration with the WAMSI Node 3 leadership team, a Ningaloo Research Coordinating Committee was established to ensure good coordination, communication, collaboration, and data sharing was achieved across both major programs of research on Ningaloo. The activities of both committees have been successful in jointly funding, planning and running: three Symposia on the findings of the research, three student symposia, a number of joint workshops as well as establishing a web site for information on the research (http://www.ningaloo.org.au/).

The establishment of the Cluster was instrumental in attracting additional funding from BHP Billiton, coordinated through the Australian Institute of Marine Science, to obtain and analyse remotely sensed data to map the depth, habitats and access points for the whole of the Ningaloo lagoon to a depth of 20 m, at very high spatial resolution (3.5 m). Additional funding and collaborations were also made with the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism for developing models to evaluate future development scenarios for tourism in the region. These models for tourism, and those developed for the marine ecosystem and resource use, provided a mechanism for integrating and coordinating research activities and for discussing research, and the implications of the research, with researchers, managers, industry and the community in the region and Perth.

Description Many of the world’s fisheries are in trouble - they no longer yield the catches, and potential profits, they once did. The habitats that support fisheries have been damaged by pollution and other irresponsible use of coastal land. Destructive fishing methods like trawling and blast fishing have also changed fish habitats resulting in support of fewer fish. The authors draw on more than 1000 scientific papers covering 11 groups/species of marine invertebrates. From this large literature, they distill 20 lessons for assessing and guiding the use of restocking and stock enhancement in the management of invertebrate fisheries.