Dr Madeline Green1, Dr Denise Hardesty1,2, Dr Pascal Craw1, Dr Bruce Deagle1, Dr Chris Wilcox1,2
1CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere, Hobart, Australia, 2Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia, 3Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
Fisheries are an important source of food, income and cultural connection for millions worldwide. The pressure from fishing activity can have detrimental impacts on marine ecosystems and coastal liveihoods if not managed. Establishing appropriate management measures relies on understanding specific aspects of the fishery, for example what species were caught and recorded in logbooks. There are a number of reasons for wanting to reconstruct logbook data from fishery independent sources. Logbook records may be unavailable or inaccurately report species and biomass. Vessel operators or crew may take unregulated or prohibited species, either for sale or for personal consumption. Policy makers during international conventions may make significant binding decisions and treaties with incomplete data. Trained observers who collect independent data onboard vessels cover only a small percentage of total fishing activity. This leaves a significant opportunity for Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing practises, the likes of which pose a risk for the management and protection of vulnerable species.
This presentation will introduce a novel eDNA method for forensically reconstructing catch stored in the brine tanks of commercial fishing vessels. Our method allows for a small volume of water to be collected, sequenced and analysed to identify species. The eDNA collected on-board fishing vessels represents animals that have been in the hold since it was last emptied, providing a time-integrated record of species catch. We propose the application of our eDNA sampling protocol is a cost-effective tool for monitoring and surveillance, particularly for protected or quota species and in under-resourced regions.
Biography:
Madi is a post-doctoral research fellow with CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere. Madi’s research involves developing forensic tools for estimating fisheries landings and monitoring IUU activities. Madi’s current project is developing a method using environmental DNA to reconstruct target and by-catch for fisheries vessels operating in Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Madi has worked in the field of molecular ecology for over 7 years and received her PhD from the University of Tasmania in 2019. Her previous research has involved estimating stock structure, population size and breeding behaviours for a number of shark, ray and fish species. Madi cares deeply for marine ecosystems and is driven to use her training and experience to find a balance between protecting livelihoods of coastal communities and ensuring healthy oceans into the future.