A NEW research project could help unlock the secrets of kingfish populations and their movements at Montague Island.
The study into yellowtail kingfish and dolphinfish in NSW waters is being conducted in conjunction with NSW DPI by PhD candidate Steph Brodie from Fisheries and Marine Environment Research (FAMER) department at the University of NSW.
❏ Click here to check out a gallery of pics related to the research
Ms Brodie said the project aimed to track the movements of dolphinfish and kingfish and to determine the influence of currents and water types on populations.
“I am hoping to get down to the South Coast in the next few weeks to tag some kingfish, as well as a few dolphinfish off the Eden FAD,” Ms Brodie said.
“To date there has been limited information on the kingfish at Montague Island, Bermagui and Eden. But I am hoping to change that.”
Previous tag and recapture data had found that three kingfish have done the big trip over to New Zealand.
“But no need to worry that all our fish are leaving, as three fish have also done the trip from New Zealand to Australia!”
Throughout the course of her PhD, Ms Brodie will be investigating how oceanic variability along the east coast of Australia influences the movements and distributions of pelagic fish.
Using dolphinfish and yellowtail kingfish as study species, she will use acoustic telemetry, within the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) to determine their seasonal and inter-annual oceanic habitats.
She will also determine the metapopulation structure of these two species from otolith (ear bone) microchemistry.
This project is closely linked with the Offshore Artificial Reef and the Fish Aggregation Device (FADs) programs of NSW Department of Primary Industries.
“I will model the distribution of both species on and off the NSW shelf and around FADS, as a means to assess fisheries adaptation strategies to a strengthening East Australia Current,” she said.
“The outcomes of this project will allow managers and policy makers to make informed decisions about Australia’s fisheries based on oceanic habitats rather than static latitudinal boundaries.
“The project will also allow predictions to be made about how fish will respond to a changing oceanic climate, ensuring the future of these important recreational and commercial fisheries.”
How to participate
Both species will be tagged with an internal acoustic transmitter and a modified external standard yellow gamefish tag tipped with red shrink tube.
“If a specially tagged fish is caught, it is requested the fish be returned to the water, however, if the fish is kept then the black internal tag can be returned to fisheries for a T-shirt reward,” she said.
“In all cases, an accurate record of where the fish was caught as well as its length, weight and suspected sex is needed.”
In addition to fish tagging, dolphinfish and kingfish frames are needed to examine the chemical structure of otoliths, or ear bones.
If anyone is interested in providing fish frames to the project, frozen frames can be picked up at their convenience.
Information required:
• Fish head and frame including gut contents (preferred); OR
• Fish head with total length recorded;
• Location of capture (approximate GPS coordinates)
• Note: undamaged heads are best
If anyone is interested in helping this project or would like to know more, contact Steph Brodie on stephbrodie1@gmail.com or 0421 245 749.
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