As our climate changes, marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent and longer lasting, with potentially severe impacts on marine ecosystems and the fisheries they support. This could include changes to the survival, behaviour and distribution of marine species targeted by commercial fishing, along with the food sources they rely on. South-eastern Australia is recognised as […]
Want to know more about the oxygenation trials in Macquarie Harbour? Listen to our team leader, IMAS Associate Professor Jeff Ross, on ABC Radio as he explains what the project is about, how it all works and what it might look like in the future. How Macquarie Harbour's oxygenation trial is helping the Maugean skate […]
A new pilot project our team has been involved with to stimulate dissolved oxygen levels in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour has successfully passed another milestone – and it could improve this last known habitat of the unique and endangered Maugean skate. The Macquarie Harbour Oxygenation Project (MHOP) is designed to trial technology aimed at increasing oxygen […]
A new environmental monitoring program in Storm Bay is revealing exactly how the local marine environment is responding to salmon aquaculture – and it’s serving as an early warning system to detect any signs of enrichment from excess nutrients and organic matter. “Salmon aquaculture is relatively new to Storm Bay so it’s vital to have […]
On the 10th of June 2023, scientists from the Salmon Interactions Team hosted a second Salmon Science Open House event at the Hobart waterfront alongside representatives from CSIRO and the FRDC. Following on from a similar event hosted in June 2022 this public “drop-in” event provided an opportunity for other scientists, industry stakeholders and interested […]
Our seaweed scientists are mapping the distribution, abundance and chemical variation of Asparagopsis armata around Tasmania to support a budding aquaculture industry that’s helping reduce livestock methane emissions, as IMAS Ecology and Biodiversity Deputy Centre Head and project lead, Associate Professor Jeff Wright explains. Asparagopsis is a small red seaweed that’s native to Tasmania. Sea Forest is the only Tasmanian […]
On 25th June 2022, our scientists were part of a joint FRDC, IMAS and CSIRO Salmon Science Open House held on the Hobart waterfront. This public ‘drop-in’ event was all about showcasing the science we do, and chatting with curious and passionate visitors about the science of monitoring, observing and modelling the effects of salmon […]
Researchers at IMAS and the School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences have recently completed a research project developing a decision-support tool to aid spatial planning for finfish aquaculture in Tasmania. This project was a collaboration with the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (now Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania) under […]
New research from Sharon Hook (CSIRO), Camille White and Jeff Ross (Salmon Interactions Team, IMAS) has highlighted the potential of using microbial gene expression as a tool for understanding more about how microscopic plants and animals which float in the water column (planktonic communities) are affected by finfish aquaculture. Finfish aquaculture releases nutrients, including nitrogen, into the surrounding water […]
Our team at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) has recently published a new report looking at the health of rocky reefs in the Derwent estuary. We used our new Rapid Visual Assessment methodology that has been developed to identify the early signs of organic enrichment on reef ecosystems. This project was initiated in 2019 when the Derwent Estuary Program (DEP) engaged our team to undertake a rocky […]
