RIEL seminar series
Black jewfish: drivers of productivity in a changing environment
| Presenter | Dr Joanne Randall | |
|---|---|---|
| Date/Time |
to
|
|
| Contact person |
RIEL outreach
|
|
| Location | CDU Casuarina campus, Yellow 1.1.39 and Zoom | |
| Open to | Public | |
The Black jewfish is a large-bodied Sciaenid that is a key focus of commercial, recreational and Indigenous fishing effort in the Northern Territory. The species has been heavily overfished across its tropical Indo-West Pacific distribution with northern Australia remaining one of the last strongholds. Despite a range of regulatory controls, the species was listed as “Overfished” in the Northern Territory in 2016. Increases in catches in 2017/18 after several poor years were inconsistent with the forecasts based on stock reduction analyses, demonstrating a need for a better understanding of the drivers of fishery productivity. Freshwater outflow in the NT is characterised by high seasonal and interannual variation. As such, understanding the effect of outflows on the condition and physiology of coastal fish species is important for predicting how the fishery will respond to harvest pressure and climatic change. Here I present results of a two-year study which addressed critical knowledge gaps regarding Black jewfish populations and how the physiology of fish changes in response to environmental variability.
This FRDC-funded project is a collaboration among the Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods (Charles Darwin University), Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Resources, working with commercial fishers and the recreational sector.
Dr Jo Randall is a post-doctoral researcher in the Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods currently investigating population dynamics and community structure in Black jewfish. Jo has a research background in coastal ecology, macroalgal physiology, underwater acoustics and fisheries and aquaculture both within Australia and overseas.
Related Events
Applying a Gene Knockout Approach to Cane Toad Management and Research
Alex Funk, a PhD candidate at Macquarie University, is developing a CRISPR-based gene knockout method to control invasive cane toads in Australia by exploiting their cannibalistic tadpole behavior. His research combines herpetology, invasion biology, and conservation, building on his previous work studying feral pig impacts on salamanders.
Read more about Applying a Gene Knockout Approach to Cane Toad Management and Research
STATE OF THE DIS-UNION: Media Literacy in the age of AI
The CDU Library is hosting a free panel discussion featuring Northern Territory journalists who will discuss media literacy, truth, and storytelling in the AI era. Attendees can learn how AI is transforming media, ask questions, and improve their understanding of navigating information in today's landscape.
Read more about STATE OF THE DIS-UNION: Media Literacy in the age of AI
Trophic dynamics of free-flowing tropical rivers
Colton Perna's PhD research explores how river flows and flooding shape freshwater fish communities in tropical rivers, using fatty acids to track how hydrology influences food webs and nutritional pathways. His findings highlight the critical importance of river flow and floodplain connectivity in sustaining productive aquatic ecosystems.
Read more about Trophic dynamics of free-flowing tropical rivers
