scholarly journals Demography of a large grouper, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef: implications for fishery management

2006 ◽  
Vol 307 ◽  
pp. 259-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ Pears ◽  
JH Choat ◽  
BD Mapstone ◽  
GA Begg
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Fishery Management ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Epinephelus Fuscoguttatus

Phylogenetic studies explain the discrepant host distribution of Allopodocotyle heronensis sp. nov. (Digenea, Opecoelidae) in Great Barrier Reef serranids

2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail Downie ◽  
Thomas Cribb
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Host Specificity ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Host Distribution ◽  
Phylogenetic Studies ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic ◽  
Epinephelus Fuscoguttatus ◽  
A New Species

AbstractWe report a new species of Allopodocotyle Pritchard, 1966 from the intestine of two species of Serranidae, Cromileptes altivelis and Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, from the southern Great Barrier Reef. Despite the examination of eight other species of Epinephelus from the same region this species appears anomalous in its distribution in one species of Epinephelus and the single species of Cromileptes. Molecular phylogenetic studies of the Epinephelinae suggest, however, that these two species are closely related so that the host specificity demonstrated by this species is actually stenoxenic (phylogenetically related hosts) rather than euryxenic.

Demography, fishery yield and potential management strategies of painted spiny lobster (Panulirus versicolor) at Northwest Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 387
Author(s):  
Ashley J. Frisch ◽  
Jean-Paul A. Hobbs
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Fishery Management ◽  
Spiny Lobster ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Demographic Parameters ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Demographic Processes ◽  
Yield Per Recruit

Quantification of demographic parameters is important for understanding how populations interact with their environment and for developing sustainable harvest strategies. Our aims were to quantify demographic parameters and yield of painted spiny lobster (Panulirus versicolor) at Northwest Island, Great Barrier Reef and review fishery management regulations in view of the findings. Using catch-curve analysis and an intensive mark–recapture program, the local lobster population was found to be sparsely distributed (~1.3 ha–1), with low rates of natural mortality (0.25–0.28 year–1) and immigration (0.05 ha–1 year–1). Under current management regulations (no minimum size limit; MSL), yield-per-recruit peaked at 0.38 kg when fishing mortality was 0.4 year–1. Implementation of a 100-mm (carapace length) MSL is recommended because it provides the best compromise between yield and stock size and has minimal impact on existing fishing practices. Revocation of the prohibition on possessing egg-bearing females is also recommended because it would reduce wastage of lobsters that are inadvertently killed by spear-fishers and because there appears to be little chance of localised recruitment overfishing. This study provides the first estimate of mortality rate for P. versicolor and highlights the importance of this parameter for understanding demographic processes and optimising management regulations.

scholarly journals Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef Are Understudied and Underexplored

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gal Eyal ◽  
Jack H. Laverick ◽  
Pim Bongaerts ◽  
Oren Levy ◽  
John M. Pandolfi
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Fishery Management ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems ◽  
Deep Reef ◽  
The World ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystems

Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) are characterized by the presence of photosynthetically active organisms such as corals and algae, and associated communities at depths ranging from 30 to 150 m in tropical and subtropical regions. Due to the increased awareness of the potential importance of these reefs as an integral part of coral reef ecosystems (i.e., deep reef refuge, specialized biodiversity, transition zone between shallow and deep-sea environments, and recreational and intrinsic values), interest from the scientific community has grown around the world over the last two decades. Several nations have already made management declarations and started to extend marine protected areas and fishery management to MCEs. The estimated area of Australian MCEs is likely equivalent to that of shallow reef ecosystems down to 30 m; however, Australian MCEs attract limited research effort compared to other major coral reef regions around the world. In this perspective, we briefly explore the reasons for this scarcity of research on mesophotic ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) of Australia (e.g., strict diving regulations, new researchers’ involvement, and logistics and cost). At present, research efforts on the mesophotic ecosystems of the GBR are in decline and if this trajectory is maintained, the global disparity in knowledge between MCEs near Australia and those from the other main coral reef regions worldwide will sharpen deeply. We call for action from the research community, grant agencies, and decision-makers toward a wider understanding of these important ecosystems in Australia.

Management of Water Quality in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

1989 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Woodley
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Management Issue ◽  
Reef System ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
World Heritage List ◽  
The World ◽  
Coral Reef System

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world. It is recognised and appreciated worldwide as a unique environment and for this reason has been inscribed on the World Heritage List. The Reef is economically-important to Queensland and Australia, supporting substantial tourism and fishing industries. Management of the Great Barrier Reef to ensure conservation of its natural qualities in perpetuity is achieved through the establishment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The maintenance of water quality to protect the reef and the industries which depend on it is becoming an increasingly important management issue requiring better knowledge and possibly new standards of treatment and discharge.

Circulation and water mass characteristics of the southern Great Barrier Reef

1994 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
JH Middleton ◽  
P Coutis ◽  
DA Griffin ◽  
A Macks ◽  
A McTaggart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Geostrophic Balance ◽  
Shelf Slope ◽  
High Nutrient ◽  
Slope Currents ◽  
North And South ◽  
Upper Slope

Data acquired during a winter (May) cruise of the RV Franklin to the southern Great Barrier Reef indicate that the dynamics of the shelf/slope region are governed by the tides, the poleward-flowing East Australian Current (EAC), and the complex topography. Over the Marion Plateau in water deeper than - 100 m, the EAC appears to drive a slow clockwise circulation. Tides appear to be primarily responsible for shelf/slope currents in the upper layers, with evidence of nutrient uplift from the upper slope to the outer shelf proper in the Capricorn Channel. Elsewhere, the bottom Ekrnan flux of the strongly poleward-flowing EAC enhances the sloping isotherms associated with the longshore geostrophic balance, pumping nutrient-rich waters from depth to the upper continental slope. Generally, shelf waters are cooler than oceanic waters as a consequence of surface heat loss by radiation. A combination of heat loss and evaporation from waters flowing in the shallows of the Great Sandy Strait appears to result in denser 'winter mangrove waters' exporting low-oxygen, high-nutrient waters onto the shelf both north and south of Fraser Island; these subsequently mix with shelf waters and finally flow offshore at - 100 m depth, just above the salinity-maximum layer, causing anomalous nutrient values in the region of Fraser Island.

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