Your fish. Your future. Queensland Fisheries Strategy 2009-2014

The Queensland Fisheries Strategy 2009-2014 sets the direction for the future of fisheries and aims to address some of the challenges impacting Queensland's fisheries both from within Australia and abroad. Every year in Queensland almost a million people fish for a living, for recreation, or for traditional and customary purposes. Countless others rely on sustainable fisheries as the focus of tourism and other businesses - but there are major challenges for the fishing sector. Fisheries resources are finite and under significant stress. Fisheries face challenges including the potential for over-exploitation by all fishing sectors, increasing consumer demand, a rising population, coastal development, the effects of climate change, biosecurity risks, import competition and rising production costs.

Stock structure of exploited shark species in north-eastern Australia

The project has provided management and other stakeholders with information necessary to make informed decisions about the management of four of the key exploited shark species caught in the Queensland inshore net fishery and northern New South Wales line fishery. The project has determined that spatial management of milk sharks within Queensland, and scalloped hammerhead, common black tip and Australian black tip sharks within Queensland and New South Wales is appropriate. The project has determined that both black tip shark species are likely to require co-operative management arrangements between Queensland and New South Wales. For scalloped hammerheads separate stocks between the two jurisdictions were identified from the fisheriesdependent samples, however genetic exchange across borders is likely to be facilitated by movement of adult females and perhaps larger males to a lesser extent. This information will greatly assist compliance with the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) for shark fisheries in north-eastern Australia by providing the necessary basis for robust assessment of the status of stocks of the study species, thereby helping to deliver their sustainable harvest. It also helps to achieve objectives of the Australian National Shark Plan. The project provides the appropriate spatial framework for future monitoring and assessment of the study species. This is at a time when shark fisheries are receiving close attention from all sectors and when monitoring programs are being implemented, aimed at better assessment of stock status. This project has provided the crucial information for developing an appropriate monitoring design as well as the necessary basis for making statements about stock status. The project has addressed research priorities identified by the Queensland Fisheries Research Advisory Board, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Queensland Fisheries. Previously management has assumed a single stock for each species on the east coast of Queensland, and management of shark fisheries in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland has been independent of one another. The project has been able to enhance and develop links between research, management and industry. Strong positive relationships with commercial fishers were crucial in the collection of samples throughout the study area and fisheries managers were part of the project team throughout the study period. During the project the study area was extended to include both Queensland and NSW waters, creating mutualistic and positive links between the States’ research and management agencies. Extension of project results included management representatives from NSW and Queensland, as well as the Northern Territory where similar shark fisheries operate and similar species are targeted. The project was able to provide significant human capital development opportunities providing considerable value to the project outcomes. Use of vertebral microchemistry and life history characteristics as stock determination methods provided material for two PhD students based at James Cook University: Ron Schroeder, vertebral chemistry; and Alastair Harry, life history characteristic. The project has developed novel research methods that have great capacity for future application, including: • Development of a simple and rapid genetic diagnostic tool (RT-HRM-PCR assay) for differentiating among the black tip shark species, for which no simple morphological identifier exists; and • Development of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) methods for analysing and interpreting microchemical composition of shark vertebrae. The study has provided further confirmation of the effectiveness of using a holistic approach in stock structure studies and justifies investment into such studies.

Fish stocking programs - assessing the benefits against long term impacts

This project addresses the R&D priority for an Environmentally Sustainable Queensland through the strategy of developing and implementing ecologically sustainable fishing practices. The principal findings of this research project will be discussed at a national workshop with the twin goals of promoting an understanding of the major elements of sustainable fish stocking practices and discussing and planning the way forward for the implementation of change. The workshop participants will include fisheries managers, representatives from interested community groups and other stakeholders.

Characterising population structure and diversity of Australian Eimeria

Develop microsatellite markers to distinguish strains of Eimeria acervulina, E. brunetti and E. maxima. Conduct nationwide sampling of chicken faeces to build baseline of Eimeria population genetic diversity for 5 economically important speces (3 species above plus E. tenella and E. necatrix). Conduct focused local screening to assess temporal changes in populations historically sampled.

Meso-scale movement patterns of native fish

The Murray Darling Basin Commison sought information on the movement patterns of native fish in the Murray Darling River system in Queensland. Information is needed to determine daily movement patterns, movement direction and results of flow event analysis.

Improved methodology for introducing threatened hatchery reared fish

Eel tailed catfish, silver perch and Murray cod are three key recreational fishing species that have declined in the Murray-Darling Basin region. This research project will be an important step towards developing methods to restore and enhance stocks of these fish.

Towards responsible native fish stocking: identifying management concerns and appropriate research methodologies

A major outcome of this project has been the identification and prioritisation of the major management issues related to the ecological impacts of fish stocking and the elucidation of appropriate research methodologies that can be used to investigate these issues. This information is paramount to development of the relevant research projects that will lead to stocking activities aligned with world’s best practice, a requisite for ecologically sustainable recreational freshwater fisheries. In order to quantify the major management issues allied to the sustainability of freshwater fish stocking, stakeholders from around Australia were identified and sent a questionnaire to determine which particular issues they regarded as important. These stakeholders included fisheries managers or researchers from Federal, Territory and State jurisdictions although others, including representatives from environment and conservation agencies and peak recreational fishing and stocking groups were also invited to give their opinions. The survey was completed in late 2007 and the results analysed to give a prioritized list of key management issues relating to the impacts of native fish stocking activities. In the analysis, issues which received high priority rankings were flagged as potential topics for discussion at a future expert workshop. Identified high priority issues fell into the following core areas: marking techniques, genetics, population dynamics, introduction of pathogens and exotic biological material and ecological, biological and conservation issues. The next planned outcome, determination of the most appropriate methodologies to address these core issues in research projects, was addressed through the outputs of an expert workshop held in early 2008. Participants at this workshop agreed on a range of methodologies for addressing priority sustainability issues and decided under what circumstances that these methodologies should be employed.

Nuclear Magnetic-Resonance Spectra Of Oriented Biologically Important Molecules - The Structure Of And The Internal-Rotation In N,N-Dimethyluracil

From the proton NMR spectra of Nfl-dimethyluracil oriented in two different nematic solvents, the internal rotation of the methyl groups about the N-C bonds is studied. It has been observed that the preferred conformation of the methyl group having one carbonyl in the vicinity is the one where a C-H bond is in the ring plane pointing toward the carbonyl group. The results are not sensitive to the mode of rotation of the other methyl group. These data are interpreted in terms of the bond polarizations.

Structure Of A Thionucleoside - 5'-Deoxy-5',6-Epithio-5,6-Dihydro-2',3'-Ortho-Isopropylidene-3-Methyluridine

C13HlsN205 S, M r = 314.35, orthorhombic, P212121 with a = 39.526 (4), b = 6.607 (2), c = 5.661 (2) A, Z = 4, V = 1478.36 A 3, D c = 1.412 Mg m -3, Cu Ka radiation. Final R = 0.073 for 1154 observed counter reflections. The sulphur atom is in a pseudo-equatorial position with respect to the dihydrouracil ring. The sugar pucker is predominantly O(l')-exo unlike the C(3')-exo,C(4')-endo observed for 2',3' O-isopropylideneuridine (ISPU). The fivemembered dioxolane ring has C(7) displaced by 0.497 (7)A from the best plane through atoms 0(2'), C(2'), C(3'), 0(3'), in contrast to ISPU where 0(3') shows the maximum deviation.

Molecular vibrations, electronic structure and conformation of diprotonated thiocarbohydrazide

The infrared spectra of diprotonated species of thiocarbohydrazide and its perdeuterated derivative have been examined in the crystalline state. A complete vibrational assignment with a full normal coordinate treatment based on a Urey—Bradley type intramolecular potential Function supplemented with a valence force function for the out of plane and torsional modes is proposed and the origin of the amide II band splittings is explained. A CNDO/2 study of diprotonated thiocarbohydrazide and its neutral molecule is undertaken and the changes in the molecular electronic structures and conformations consequent to protonation are determined and briefly discussed. The magnitude of the N—N+H3 torsional barrier is estimated to be 21 kJ mol− (5.0 kcal mol−1) whereas the barrier for the C—N group is found to be 92 kJ mol−1 (22.0 kcal mol−1).

CSSI-PRO: a method for secondary structure type editing, assignment and estimation in proteins using linear combination of backbone chemical shifts

Estimation of secondary structure in polypeptides is important for studying their structure, folding and dynamics. In NMR spectroscopy, such information is generally obtained after sequence specific resonance assignments are completed. We present here a new methodology for assignment of secondary structure type to spin systems in proteins directly from NMR spectra, without prior knowledge of resonance assignments. The methodology, named Combination of Shifts for Secondary Structure Identification in Proteins (CSSI-PRO), involves detection of specific linear combination of backbone H-1(alpha) and C-13' chemical shifts in a two-dimensional (2D) NMR experiment based on G-matrix Fourier transform (GFT) NMR spectroscopy. Such linear combinations of shifts facilitate editing of residues belonging to alpha-helical/beta-strand regions into distinct spectral regions nearly independent of the amino acid type, thereby allowing the estimation of overall secondary structure content of the protein. Comparison of the predicted secondary structure content with those estimated based on their respective 3D structures and/or the method of Chemical Shift Index for 237 proteins gives a correlation of more than 90% and an overall rmsd of 7.0%, which is comparable to other biophysical techniques used for structural characterization of proteins. Taken together, this methodology has a wide range of applications in NMR spectroscopy such as rapid protein structure determination, monitoring conformational changes in protein-folding/ligand-binding studies and automated resonance assignment.

The Structure Of 2',3'-O-Isopropylideneuridine

C12HI6N206 is orthorhombic, P2x2121, with a = 19.890 (5), b = 12.789 (2), c = 5.236 (1) A, Z = 4, U = 1331.9/~ 3, F(000) = 600. Mo Ka (/~ = 0.123 mm -1) intensities for 940 unique reflections up to sin 0/2 = 0.538/k -1 were collected on a CAD-4 diffractometer. Final R = 0.034. The glycosidic torsion angle 2~CN is 3"4 °, significantly smaller than that (56.5 °) in 2',3'- -methoxymethyleneuridine (MMU). The ribose moiety has a C(3')-exo-C(4')-endo twist conformation, in contrast to the C(2')-endo conformation in MMU. However, the maximum amplitudes of pucker for the ribose and dioxolane rings are very nearly the same for the two structures. The conformation about C(4')-C(5') is gauche-gauche (~0oo = -68-4, Ooc = 51.3°).