Region: Australia Bob Ward: CSIRO Marine Research CMR

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Region AustraliaBob Ward CSIRO Marine Research
(CMR)
Area covered The EEZ 200 nautical mile limit
8 x 106 km2 excluding EEZ off Antarctica. Thi
rd largest EEZ in the world (but 50th in terms of
fisheries production). Australian EEZ land ar
ea. Tropical through temperate to subAntarcti
c and Antarctic.
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CSIRO Marine Research Facilities

• Research vessel (Southern Surveyor) and expertise
  in fisheries and marine ecosystem research
  
• Houses the Australian National Fish Collection
  (formerly the ISR Munro Fish Collection), of c.
  135,000 specimens and the Photographic Index of
  Australian Fishes (c. 2,500 fish species). About
  5 staff
• (see www.marine.csiro.au/LeafletsFolder/43fish/43
  .html)
  
• Al Graham
• collections manager
• Genetics experience and facilities (two automated
  sequencers (ABI377, ABI3100), many PCR machines,
  -80C ultrafreezers, freezer rooms etc.)
  
• Database managers used to handling large volumes
  of oceanographic and fisheries data
  

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The 66m Southern Surveyor
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Numbers of Australian fish species

• About 4500 in total (including undescribed)
• About 3800 described
• c. 200 species of freshwater species (few are
  primary freshwater, most evolved from marine
  ancestors)
  
• c. 3600 described and 700 undescribed marine fish
  species in Australian waters (c. 300
  elasmobranchs 4000 teleosts, nearly 25 of all
  marine fish species)

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Numbers of Australian fish species

• About 4500 in total (including undescribed)
• About 3800 described
• c. 200 species of freshwater species (few are
  primary freshwater, most evolved from marine
  ancestors)
  
• c. 3600 described and 700 undescribed marine fish
  species in Australian waters (c. 300
  elasmobranchs 4000 teleosts, nearly 25 of all
  marine fish species)
• 25 of described Australian species endemic
• c. 2400 tropical (c. 15 endemic)
• c. 1200 temperate (c. 85 of the 600 species
• in southern temperate region are endemic)
• GBR has c. 1500 marine fish species
• 70 of the EEZ has a depth 1500 m

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Plans for facilitating area coverage

• Already have samples from the 450 or so domestic
  commercial fish species and another 100 or so
  imported fish species.

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Plans for facilitating area coverage

• Already have samples from the 450 or so domestic
  commercial fish species and another 100 or so
  imported fish species.
  
• We have good coverage of chimaerids, sharks and
  rays given local expertise and recent interest in
  illegal fishing.

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Plans for facilitating area coverage

• Already have samples from the 450 or so domestic
  commercial fish species and another 100 or so
  imported fish species.
  
• We have good coverage of chimaerids, sharks and
  rays given local expertise and recent interest in
  illegal fishing.
  
• We are collecting from a Great Barrier Reef
  survey at present.

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Plans for facilitating area coverage

• Already have samples from the 450 or so domestic
  commercial fish species and another 100 or so
  imported fish species.
  
• We have good coverage of chimaerids, sharks and
  rays given local expertise and recent interest in
  illegal fishing.
  
• We are collecting from a Great Barrier Reef
  survey at present.
  
• We have good contacts with museums in Perth,
  Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane,and with key
  research groups and institutes in Australia
  including Australian Institute of Marine Science,
  the Australian Antarctic Division, and the
  Australian Fisheries Management Agency.

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Plans for facilitating area coverage

• Already have samples from the 450 or so domestic
  commercial fish species and another 100 or so
  imported fish species.
  
• We have good coverage of chimaerids, sharks and
  rays given local expertise and recent interest in
  illegal fishing.
  
• We are collecting from a Great Barrier Reef
  survey at present.
  
• We have good contacts with museums in Perth,
  Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane,and with key
  research groups and institutes in Australia
  including Australian Institute of Marine Science,
  the Australian Antarctic Division, and the
  Australian Fisheries Management Agency.
• The recently established National Ocean Office is
  formulating Regional Marine Plans for
  ecologically sustainable oceans management. These
  include research cruises.

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Plans for facilitating area coverage

• Already have samples from the 450 or so domestic
  commercial fish species and another 100 or so
  imported fish species.
  
• We have good coverage of chimaerids, sharks and
  rays given local expertise and recent interest in
  illegal fishing.
  
• We are collecting from a Great Barrier Reef
  survey at present.
  
• We have good contacts with museums in Perth,
  Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane,and with key
  research groups and institutes in Australia
  including Australian Institute of Marine Science,
  the Australian Antarctic Division, and the
  Australian Fisheries Management Agency.
• The recently established National Ocean Office is
  formulating Regional Marine Plans for
  ecologically sustainable oceans management. These
  include research cruises.
• Industry vessels.

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Plans for facilitating area coverage

• Already have samples from the 450 or so domestic
  commercial fish species and another 100 or so
  imported fish species.
  
• We have good coverage of chimaerids, sharks and
  rays given local expertise and recent interest in
  illegal fishing.
  
• We are collecting from a Great Barrier Reef
  survey at present.
  
• We have good contacts with museums in Perth,
  Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane,and with key
  research groups and institutes in Australia
  including Australian Institute of Marine Science,
  the Australian Antarctic Division, and the
  Australian Fisheries Management Agency.
• The recently established National Ocean Office is
  formulating Regional Marine Plans for
  ecologically sustainable oceans management. These
  include research cruises.
• Industry vessels.
• Collecting from deep water will be more
  difficult
  

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National Oceans Office base map
Regional plans established
Torres Strait
North
South East
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Other Points

• Has barcoding started Yes - about 300 species.
• Fish collectors Museums, AIMS, AAD, AFMA,
  universities etc
  
• Taxonomists Peter Last (CMR), Barry Hutchins
  (Perth), Martin Goman (Melbourne), Jeff Johnson
  (Brisbane), Helen Larson (Darwin), Jeff Leis
  (Sydney)
• Voucher specimens the bulk to be retained in
  CMRs fish collection.
  
• COI analysis CMR to do the bulk of the work
• Funding sources currently CMR appropriation
  (Wealth from Oceans Flagship), potentially AFMA,
  FRDC.