East coast deep-water fisheries project
Across sectors, fishing interest in deep-water finfish has rapidly grown.
East coast deep-water fishers are invited to partner with us to aid in research of these understudied species. By donating fish frames you will help to improve our understanding of their biology.
How can you help?
If you catch any of the following priority species:
- Banded Rockcod (or Bar Cod) Hyporthodus ergastularius
- Flame Snapper (or Flametail) Etelis coruscans
- Goldband Snapper Pristipomoides multidens
Follow these simple steps:
- Take photos of the whole fish.
- Keep your fish frames (with head, gut, gonads, tail).
- Contact us to organise collection.
We also accept these species:
- Eightbar Grouper Hyporthodus octofasciatus
- Bass Grouper Polyprion americanus
- Hapuku Polyprion oxygeneios
- Speckled Erouper Epinephelus magniscuttis
- Comet Grouper Epinephelus morrhua
- Radiant Rockcod (or Oblique-banded Grouper) Epinephelus radiatus
- Rosy snapper Pristipomoides filamentosus
- Ruby Snapper Etelis carbunculus
- Sharptooth Snapper Pristipomoides typus
Images © Bernard Yau, efishalbum.com
About the research
What do we need to know to protect the fishery?
- Life history characteristics (e.g. age, growth, reproduction) of key deep-water species
- Stock structure and connectivity for these fish in Qld and NSW waters
- Effective catch reporting of deep-water species
- An understanding of changes in fishing power.
What information do we collect from your fish frame donations?
- When the fish was caught
- Where the fish was caught (approximate location)
- Length
- Sex
- Gonad macroscopic stage (i.e. how mature the fish is)
- Gonad weight
- Tissue sample for genetic analysis
- Otoliths to determine the age of the fish.
How to participate:
Register to donate your fish frames and to receive project updates.
The research team will contact you shortly after you have registered to provide you with further instructions, including a sampling kit and answer any questions.
The research team will keep a running tally of donations throughout the project and award prizes to the most significant donors at the end of the project.
We can provide you the age of your fish, if you are interested in knowing that information.
The collective contribution from participants in our project will be recognised in our research outputs.
Meet the researchers
Naomi Brunjes
Emily Purton
Associate Professor Ian Tibbetts
Dr Matthew McMillan
This project is a cross-jurisdictional collaboration between the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, supported by The University of Queensland.
