Assessment of stocking effectiveness for Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii) and golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) in rivers and impoundments of south-eastern Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 1410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamin Forbes ◽  
Robyn J. Watts ◽  
Wayne A. Robinson ◽  
Lee J. Baumgartner ◽  
Prue McGuffie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stock Enhancement ◽  
Wild Fish ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Critical Information ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Murray Cod ◽  
Batch Marking ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Stock enhancement is a management tool used for fishery recovery worldwide, yet the success of many stocking programs remains unquantified. Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii) and golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) are important Australian recreational target species that have experienced widespread decline. Stocking of these species has been undertaken for decades, with limited assessment of effectiveness. A batch marking and recapture approach was applied to assess stocked Murray cod and golden perch survival, contributions to wild fisheries, and condition in rivers and impoundments. Stocked fish were marked with calcein. Marked fish were detected during surveys undertaken 3 years and 10 months from initial marking, and it is probable that marks will persist beyond this time. The proportion of calcein marked fish in the population sub-sample whose age was equal to, or less than, the number of years since release, varied by 7–94% for Murray cod, and 9–98% for golden perch. Higher proportions of marked fish were found in impoundments than rivers. Marked Murray cod had significantly steeper length–weight relationships (i.e. higher weight at a given length) to unmarked fish. Our results show that application of methods for discriminating stocked and wild fish provides critical information for the development of adaptive, location-specific stocking strategies.

Trapping efficiency of Ugglan traps and Longworth traps for house mice in south-eastern Australia

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Jacob ◽  
H. Ylönen ◽  
C. G. Hodkinson
Keyword(s):  
Field Studies ◽  
Trapping Efficiency ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Trapping Mechanism ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Single Capture ◽  
Open Mesh ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Small mammal studies require traps that efficiently capture the target species, are cheap, and preferably have no adverse effects on the animals. We compared the trapping efficiency of Ugglan multiple-capture live-traps with Longworth single-capture live-traps in field studies of house mice (Mus domesticus) in the Victorian Mallee of south-eastern Australia. More captures and recaptures were made with Longworth traps and fewer mice died while in these traps. There was no difference in mean body mass of captured mice between Ugglan and Longworth traps but relatively more males were trapped with Ugglan traps. The trapping mechanism that requires the mouse to activate a trap door, and open mesh wire along the sides of the Ugglan trap may be the main reasons for low trappability. In addition, the open sides could have contributed to the lower survival observed for mice in Ugglan traps. Although Ugglan traps have the potential for multiple captures, are cheaper, and their trapping mechanism is less prone to failure than Longworth traps, they were not as efficient in trapping house mice at low and medium densities.

Fire exclusion and soil texture interact to influence temperate grassland flora in south-eastern Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Moxham ◽  
Josh Dorrough ◽  
Mick Bramwell ◽  
Brad J. Farmilo
Keyword(s):  
Soil Texture ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Temperate Grassland ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Temperate Grasslands ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Fire Exclusion ◽  
South Eastern Australia

Fire has a major influence on the structure and composition of temperate grasslands and woodlands. We investigated whether the impacts of fire exclusion on a temperate grassland plant community varied according to the scale of investigation and soil texture. Ten sites with known fire histories were selected along a soil texture gradient in south-eastern Australia. Floristics and ground layer attributes were investigated at small (0.25 m2) and large (100 m2) spatial scales in regularly burnt and unburnt grasslands. Fire exclusion over a 10 year period led to declines in native species diversity, richness and cover at both spatial scales and in most cases effects were consistent regardless of soil texture. However, the richness of native plant species at small scales and the cover of native plants at large scales were most negatively influenced by fire exclusion on fine textured soils. Conversely, at large scales, exotic plant richness and cover were only weakly increased by fire exclusion. Responses of eight common species were modelled and in seven of these, fire exclusion was a strong predictor of occurrence, although both positive and negative responses were observed. These results reiterate the importance of frequent fire as a management tool in temperate grasslands, but also shed light on how sites may require specific fire management regimes depending on the underlying soil texture.

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