Moreton Bay is one of the most intensely used coastal systems in Australia and supports some of Queensland’s most productive fisheries, including Indigenous, commercial, recreational and charter sectors. This paper explores the economic and cultural value of these fisheries to the Moreton Bay region and the challenges they face. Fishing is recognised as one of Queensland’s oldest industries. Marine resources were https://moretonbayfoundation.org/ 2 Moreton Bay Quandamooka & Catchment: Past, present, and future Chapter 8 Industry harvested by Indigenous peoples long before European settlement and continue to form an important part of Indigenous culture today. Commercial fisheries operating within Moreton Bay are valued at $24m per annum, and target a variety of species groups including prawns, crabs, squid and finfish such as mullet, bream and whiting. Direct expenditure by the recreational sector in Moreton Bay is estimated to be ~$194m per annum, with fishers harvesting mud crabs, sand whiting, snapper, tailor and bream, among others. Despite the longevity of these sectors, a number of challenges exist. These include managing risks related to climate change, a growing urban population, and the need to mitigate environmental impacts from fishing and other marine activities. Interactions with other management sectors, including marine park planning and native title rights, will also need to evolve if we are to ensure a sustainable future for the fisheries of Moreton Bay.

The use of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) has resulted in fewer elasmobranchs (i.e. sharks and rays) caught in tropical penaeid-trawl fisheries. However, very few studies in the primary literature have quantified the effects of various TED design aspects affecting the escape of elasmobranchs. Data collected by observers on board commercial trawlers operating in Australia's northern prawn fishery (NPF) during 2001 were re-examined to quantify the effect of TEDs on catches of various elasmobranchs. During this sampling, a total of 6204 elasmobranchs were caught from 1440 net trawls. The 34 species identified, from 15 families and four taxonomic orders, were dominated by small carcharhinids (n = 2160, median total length = 75 cm) and dasyatids (n = 2030, median disc width = 24 cm). The TEDs assessed significantly reduced the numbers of large elasmobranchs caught: increasing fish size was found to result in higher escape for all taxonomic orders. Further, top-shooter TEDs increased the escape of Carcharhiniformes, while bottom-shooter TEDs facilitated greater escape of Myliobatiformes. Grid orientation had no effect on the escape of Orectolobiformes or Rhinopristiformes. Decreasing bar space was found to increase the escape of only one species, the Australian blacktip shark (Carcharhinus tilstoni). The TEDs facilitated the escape of several species of conservation interest including the globally endangered scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) and zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum). However, the rostrum of the narrow sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidata) inhibited the escape of this globally important species. Fishery-specific research is required to determine the appropriate TED bar spaces that reduce catches of elasmobranchs while minimising the loss of commercially important species.

Most of the 2500 industrial-size mines operating around the world dispose of their tailings on land. For technical, spatial, and chemical reasons this is not always feasible, and attention has shifted to submarine tailings placement (STP) and deep-sea tailings placement (DSTP). Marine disposal presents numerous challenges that can have significant environmental impacts across a range of ecosystems. This review describes the processes at the basis of the disposal rationale and how these can affect its outcome, and outlines the ecological impacts that are associated with or interact with these processes. Mine waste disposal on to the seafloor appears to be poorly understood given the extent of its implementation. The uncertainty surrounding this method extends to our understanding of both biophysical processes and ecological impacts. For example, the potential role of vertically migrating species in transporting mine-disposed trace elements from deeper environments into the shallower surface layers has been largely overlooked, and, similarly, the nature, extent, and impact of secondary plumes that develop off the main tailings current are poorly described and quantified, as is their interaction with migrating biota. Furthermore, the vulnerability of deep-sea environments to human impacts and their potential for recovery remains largely unknown. Given the large degree of uncertainty around the impacts of this practice on a wide range of ecological communities, coupled with the high connectivity of both deep-water and pelagic environments, it is imperative that participating countries, the global scientific community, and managing entities act urgently to bridge these knowledge gaps, improve management practices, and take a more precautionary approach to the implementation of STP and DSTP.

Irukandji stings are a leading occupational health and safety issue for marine industries in tropical Australia and an emerging problem elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean. Their mild initial sting frequently results in debilitating illness, involving signs of sympathetic excess including excruciating pain, sweating, nausea and vomiting, hypertension and a feeling of impending doom; some cases also experience acute heart failure and pulmonary oedema. These jellyfish are typically small and nearly invisible, and their infestations are generally mysterious, making them scary to the general public, irresistible to the media, and disastrous for tourism. Research into these fascinating species has been largely driven by the medical profession and focused on treatment. Biological and ecological information is surprisingly sparse, and is scattered through grey literature or buried in dispersed publications, hampering understanding. Given that long-term climate forecasts tend toward conditions favourable to jellyfish ecology, that long-term legal forecasts tend toward increasing duty-of-care obligations, and that bioprospecting opportunities exist in the powerful Irukandji toxins, there is a clear need for information to help inform global research and robust management solutions. We synthesise and contextualise available information on Irukandji taxonomy, phylogeny, reproduction, vision, behaviour, feeding, distribution, seasonality, toxins, and safety. Despite Australia dominating the research in this area, there are probably well over 25 species worldwide that cause the syndrome and it is an understudied problem in the developing world. Major gaps in knowledge are identified for future research: our lack of clarity on the socio-economic impacts, and our need for time series and spatial surveys of the species, make this field particularly enticing.

Managing the sustainability of bycatch species is important for many fisheries worldwide. However, high survey costs, rarity of vulnerable bycatch species, and widespread use of bycatch reduction devices, increase the difficulty of assessing sustainability. We developed a sample size estimation framework using zero-inflated count models that incorporated the mean catch, catch variability, and the impact of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) and Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs) on bycatch sampling for a subset of bycatch species in Australia's Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF). Minimum sample sizes required to detect small to moderate declines (10–25%) in the mean catch were too high for many species in the short term (5y) and above the capacity of the fishery (28,080 trawls per year), because of the high exclusion rates from TEDs and BRDs. For sampling periods beyond 5y, detection of either a 25% or a 50% decline was possible for some more common species of elasmobranchs, sea snakes and all species of fish. In conclusion, sampling on commercial trawl vessels cannot evaluate changes in sea turtle abundance and some of the larger elasmobranchs. However, the monitoring of sea snakes and fishes is viable using these methods if catch rates are well correlated with effort and the target species.

Objective Clinicians interpret the stroboscopic examination by systematically rating several parameters or “signs.” This can be time consuming and experience dependent. The significance of each of these signs is unknown. Some signs may be redundant, whereas others may be more independent, thus reflecting a unique aspect of the exam assessment. We wanted to determine which stroboscopic signs are more independent and clinically relevant. This may lead to a more efficient and reliable method of stroboscopic exam evaluation. Study Design Retrospective. Method One hundred and eighty one consecutive adult patients with dysphonia of various pathologies were studied. Severity of dysphonia was judged, and a set of seven stroboscopic signs for each stroboscopic exam was rated by our voice team. A principal component factor analysis was performed, and the two factors that accounted for the most variance in the original rating data were determined. These two independent factors were then investigated for clinical usefulness. Results Several individual stroboscopic signs of vocal fold vibration correlated with the “Vibration Factor” (VF) (mucosal wave, amplitude, vibratory behavior, and periodicity) and the vocal fold edge correlated with the “Edge Factor” (EF). Scores for VF and EF were used to differentiate between general categories of vocal fold pathology and related to the severity of dysphonia. Severity of dysphonia correlated with the VF to a greater degree than the EF. Furthermore, these two factor scores could be accurately estimated using only three stroboscopic signs (amplitude, vibratory behavior, and edge). Conclusion The results of the study support the concept that a small set of stroboscopic ratings is an adequate representation of the information derived from the original, more comprehensive sign rating protocol. A focused rating system may provide an efficient method for stroboscopic evaluation, contributing to the differentiation of various vocal fold pathologies and correlating to clinician ratings of severity of dysphonia.

Fishing practices in many countries have changed recently to reduce Impacts and demonstrate sustainability for nontarget species and communities. This is a difficult, but critical challenge for Australia's northern prawn fishery (NPF), which catches an extremely high diversity of unwanted species. To its credit, this fishery has recently received a positive assessment under Australian legislation (Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act) that requires demonstration of stistainable practices. This assessment is partly due to the NPF's past and present actions that have led to reductions of its impacts on bycatch populations. These include Major effort reductions in the fleet in the past 20 years (e.g., from 34,000 to 12,500 boat days); The successful introduction of turtle excluder devices and bycatch reduction devices in 2000, leading to large reductions in catches of turtles, many species of elasmobranches, and invertebrate megabenthos; A ban on firming and taking of elasmobranchs in 2001; The development of risk assessment techniques to identify species most vulnerable to trawling; and The development of a cost-effective bycatch monitoring program to demonstrate the industrys impact on nontarget species and communities. The NPF has been one of the world's most progressive prawn (shrimp) trawl fisheries in dealing with environmental issues in recent times, largely due to the collaboration between industry, research and management. Although there are challenges remaining for this fishery in managing its impacts, the steps taken by the NPF provide the basis for a more sustainable fishery, and more widely acceptable harvesting practices.

Inhabitants of Lihir Island, Papua New Guinea, have traditionally relied on reef fishing and rotational farming of slash-burn forest plots for a subsistence diet. However, a new gold mine has introduced a cash economy to the island's socioeconomic system and impacted the fringing coral reef through sedimentation from the near-shore dumping of mine wastes. Studies of the Lihirian people have documented changes in population size, local customs, health, education, and land use; studies of the reef have documented impacts to fish populations in mine affected sites. Indirect effects from these impacts are complex and indecipherable when viewed only from isolated studies. Here, we use qualitative modelling to synthesize the social and biological research programs in order to understand the interaction of the human and ecological systems. Initial modelling results appear to be consistent with differences in fish and macroalgae populations in sites with and without coral degradation due to sedimentation. A greater cash flow from mine expansion is predicted to increase the human population, the intensity of the artisanal fishery, and the rate of sewage production and land clearing. Modelling results are being used to guide ongoing research projects, such as monitoring fish populations and artisanal catch and patterns and intensity of land clearing.

In 2001, paired-trawl comparisons were made during prawn trawl operations to assess the effect of turtle excluder devices and bycatch reduction devices on a range of species groups caught in tropical Australia. This study is one of the first to evaluate the commercial use of these devices in a tropical fishery. Nets with a combination of a turtle excluder device and bycatch reduction device reduced the catches of turtles by 99%, seasnakes by 5%, sharks by 17.7%, rays by 36.3%, large sponges by 85.3%, and small bycatch by 8%, however, these results were largely attributable to the influence of the turtle excluder devices. Nets with both devices also reduced the catch of commercially important prawns by 6%, but the proportion of soft and damaged prawns was reduced by 41%. The combination of these devices had no measurable impact on catches of any of the three byproduct species groups: Thenus spp. (Moreton Bay bugs), Teuthoidea spp. (squid) and Amusium pleuronectes (scallops). Turtles excluder devices reduced the numbers of larger sharks and rays (>1m) by 86% and 94%, respectively. They did not reduce the total number of sawfish caught, but did reduce the number of the most commonly caught species – the narrow sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidata) – by 73.3%. Upward- and downward-excluding turtle excluder devices performed about equally for most species groups, although upward excluders were more effective for sharks and less effective for large sponges. The performance of BRDs was poor for most groups and could be improved by using them in more effective positions such as closer to the codend catch. The use of these devices is a major step towards ensuring the long-term conservation of many species, especially endangered sea turtles and vulnerable elasmobranchs. As fishers become more experienced in their use, we are optimistic that the fishery's impact on bycatch will reduce even further.

It is axiomatic that things will go wrong people do not always perform as expected, great new products do not sell as well as expected, criminals attack the organisation, acts of God occur, etc. This has always been the case. The conundrum facing management is to decide how much resource to deploy to create just sufficient controls to limit the possibility of bad events occurring and to limit the damage when they do occur.

In conclusion, Snakes of the United States and Canada is an impressive compilation of natural history and captive care data for our native North American species. For those readers interested in supplementing their collection of field guides or species care handbooks, this book is a worthwhile acquisition. Furthermore, anyone considering snake ownership would be well advised to at least borrow a copy.

In tropical prawn (shrimp) trawl fisheries it is daunting to assess the sustainability of bycatch species because they are diverse and there is little historical and biological information for quantitative stock assessments. We developed a process to examine the likely impact of prawn trawling on the sustainability of bycatch species and applied this to fish bycatch in the Australian Northern Prawn Fishery. The 411 fish bycatch species were ranked with respect to biological and ecological criteria that contributed to two overriding characteristics, namely first, their susceptibility to capture and mortality due to prawn trawling, and second the population's capacity to recover after depletion. The rank of each species on these two characteristics determined its relative capacity to sustain trawling, and therefore its priority for research and management. Species that were the least likely to be sustainable came from the families Apogonidae, Ariidae, Bathysauridae, Callionymidae, Congridae, Diodontidae, Labridae, Opisthognathidae, Plotosidae, Synodontidae and Tetraodontidae. These species are highly susceptible to capture by trawls, they are benthic or demersal, their primary habitat is soft sediments, and their diet may include prawns. The recovery capacity of these species is also low, with the estimated removal rate by trawling high. The species that were the most likely to be sustainable came from the families Carangidae, Clupeidae, Ephippidae, Scombridae, Sphyraenidae and Terapontidae. They are less susceptible to capture by trawls, they are generally pelagic, their primary habitat is not in trawl grounds, and they have a broad depth distribution and range in the fishery. These species also have a greater capacity to recover, as most individuals have bred before capture, and a low estimated removal rate by trawling. The final ranking of the species must be used with caution because of the assumptions made in the process. However, the process is a valuable first step towards ensuring the sustainability of the bycatch species. Because of the simplicity of the process, it can be readily used in fisheries, particularly those with diverse bycatch, to manage the sustainability of their bycatch.

. By-catch and target species taken in 25 consecutive nights of research trawling off Duyfken Point (Weipa) in the north-eastern Gulf of Carpentaria during October–November 1995 were counted and weighed. The 24 most abundant species (by numbers per hour) caught in at least 34 of the 36 trawls, plus 2 less abundant penaeids that occurred in all trawls, were used in the analyses. To extrapolate trends in catch over the whole Gulf fishery over the same time, the prawn catch rates of the research trawls and of the commercial fishery in the same and other areas around the Gulf were compared. Catch rates for all species combined were dominated by the high abundance of Leiognathus splendens over the 25 nights. Plots of catch rates for individual species indicated some lunar periodicity in the patterns of abundance for many species. Ten species, Gerres filamentosus ( P =0.012), Johnius amblycephalus ( P =0.012), Leiognathus moretoniensis ( P <0.001), L. splendens ( P =0.007), Metapenaeus ensis ( P <0.001), Penaeus esculentus ( P =0.007), Sardinella albella ( P <0.001), Sillago sihama ( P =0.005), Torquigener whitleyi ( P <0.001), Trachypenaeus spp. ( P <0.001) had strong significant differences in mean catch rates between lunar phases, but the patterns differed among groups of species. The most common pattern was a distinct peak during the first-quarter moon ( Sardinella albella , G. filamentosus , J. amblycephalus and L. splendens ); next most common pattern was a distinct last-quarter peak ( Torquigener whitleyi , L. moretoniensis and P. esculentus ). The commercial penaeid Metapenaeus ensis had first-quarter and full-moon peaks, while Trachypenaeus spp. showed new- and full-moon peaks. Data obtained from the commercial fleet for endeavour prawns ( Metapenaeus endeavouri and M. ensis ) and tiger prawns ( P. esculentus and P. semisulcatus ) at the same time and area clearly showed the same patterns as in the research sampling. Endeavour prawns had a significant full-moon peak ( P <0.001), and tiger prawns had a last-quarter peak ( P <0.001), although the latter was not significant in the research sampling. The prawn catch rates from different areas of the Gulf showed significant differences with moon phase: P <0.001 for endeavour and tiger prawns at North Groote; P <0.001 for endeavour prawns and P =0.028 for tiger prawns at East Vanderlins; P <0.015 for endeavour prawns at West Mornington, although the peak catch rates did not occur at the same moon phase as in Weipa. The results of this study suggest that some by-catch species may need to be excluded from monitoring programmes where no account of moon phase is possible. The corollary is that the majority of by-catch species studied showed no significant changes in catch rates with moon phase and would therefore be ideal species for any sampling programme that cannot exclude the effect of moon phase.

The use of bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) and turtle exclusion devices (TEDs) will be compulsory in the Northern Prawn Fishery of Australia by the year 2000. These devices may also benefit fishers by excluding large animals that can damage prawns in the trawl and thereby improve catch quality, and hence value. This study measures the reduction in physical damage to prawns caught with BRD-fitted nets compared to a standard codend. The measure of damage was that a prawn had one or more of the types of damage that, in commercial fishers, would condemn it to a less valuable “soft and broken” category. The change in prawn damage ratio was between 6.1% and 34.7% depending on the BRD being used. The total catch weight and weight of large animals (>5kg) were significantly reduced with a grid (excluder device) in the net. The best BRD for retention of prawns and damage reduction was the Super Shooter+Fisheye. The economic value of reducing prawn damage was calculated from a combination of the percentage reduction in damage and the price difference between 10kg “soft and broken” prawns and higher-priced, finger-laid prawns in 1.5, 3.0 or 5.0kg packs. The increased value of catches from reduced prawn damage in two BRDs that did not significantly affect prawn catches was conservatively estimated to be $735 per week, which is more than the cost of the BRD.

Significant progress has been made developing a SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite material for aeronautic combustor liner applications. Improvements in material processing technology have resulted in improved thermal conductivity and fatigue durability. A material characterization effort is underway to assess material behavior and direct material development efforts. The effects of the aggressive combustion environment continue to be a material system development challenge.