The effect of recreational fishing on targeted fishes and trophic structure, in a coral reef marine park

Recreational line fishing is highly targeted at predatory fishes, making them vulnerable to overfishing. These same fishes play a role in trophic structure by regulating prey species. Despite increasing numbers of fishers, few studies have investigated the potential effects of recreational fishing on fish populations and subsequent trophic effects. This project investigated whether there were differences in fishes and benthos between unfished and recreationally fished areas, and whether the removal of targeted fishes influenced trophic structure. The study was conducted at the Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia, which had Sanctuary (no-take) and Recreation {recreationally fished) Zones. Data were collected from three regions (Mandu, Osprey and Maud) and replicated over time. Fish assemblages, benthos and trophic interactions were compared between zones at each region. At Ningaloo the lethrinids (emperors) are a top-order predatory fish and the preferred target of recreational anglers. The algal-grazing urchin Echinometra mathaei comprised 51% of macro invertebrate abundances and was heavily preyed upon by lethrinids, being recorded in 50% of the guts of sampled fish. In nil regions, Sanctuary Zones had a greater biomass of lethrinids than Recreation Zones, but there were no differences in non-targeted fishes between zones. Despite the consistent effect on lethrinids, there were inconsistencies among regions in the predator-prey relationships. At Mandu, Echinometra mathaei abundances were inversely related to lethrinid biomass, suggesting a strong predator-prey interaction. In the Recreation Zone, the abundances of E. mathaei were four times greater, and macro-algal cover was half, that of the Sanctuary Zone. Furthermore, algal composition differed between zones, and this was driven by fucoid brown algae, which dominated the diets of E. mathaei. This was interpreted as evidence of a trophic cascade resulting from the removal of lethrinids at the Recreation Zone. At Maud, different results were recorded. Abundances of Echinometro mathaei and lethrinids were both higher in the Sanctuary Zone, than the adjacent Recreation Zone. E. mathaei reside in the crevices of rock, dead coral or Echinapora coral, which provided refuge from predation and this habitat was more available in the Sanctuary Zone. It is suggested that the availability of this habitat confounded the effects of predation. Macro- algal cover was lower in the Sanctuary Zone indicating a grazing effect from E. mathaei. At Osprey there was higher cover of E. mathaei habitat in the Sanctuary than the Recreation Zone. However, there were no differences in macro-algal cover, which was consistent with a lack of difference in E. mathaei abundances. The effect of E. mathaei grazing was unlikely to have been confounded by fishes that graze macro-algae, as they did not differ between zones at any region. These results indicate that recreational fishing reduced fish populations below that of adjacent protected areas at Ningaloo Marine Park, and in one region this resulted in a trophic cascade. This may be the first study that has recorded evidence of a trophic cascade where recreational line fishing is the only means of extraction. However, the results also show that this is not a consistent response to reduced fishing pressure; in other regions, changes in predatory fish abundance did not result in differences in the abundances of their prey, suggesting no trophic cascade. The studies have contributed towards an understanding of fish-habitat interactions and provide a baseline for future monitoring of the Ningaloo Marine Park. They also have important implications for marine park managers in terms of defining their expectations when implementing Sanctuary Zones. The results also show that Sanctuary Zones have the potential to be effective tools for fisheries management

Chapter 5 Impacts and Environmental Risks of Oil Spills on Marine Invertebrates, Algae and Seagrass

Marine invertebrates and macrophytes are sensitive to the toxic effects of oil. Depending on the intensity, duration and circumstances of the exposure, they can suffer high levels of initial mortality together with prolonged sublethal effects that can act at individual, population and community levels. Under some circumstances, recovery from these impacts can take years to decades. However, effects are variable because some taxa are less sensitive than others, and many factors can mitigate the degree of exposure, meaning that impacts are moderate in many cases, and recovery occurs within a few years. Exposure is affected by a myriad of factors including: type and amount of oil, extent of weathering, persistence of exposure, application of dispersants or other clean-up measures, habitat type, temperature and depth, species present and their stage of development or maturity, and processes of recolonisation, particularly recruitment. Almost every oil spill is unique in terms of its impact because of differing levels of exposure and the type of habitats, communities and species assemblages in the receiving environment. Between 1970 and February 2017, there were 51 significant oil spills in Australia. Five occurred offshore with negligible likely or expected impacts. Of the others, only 24 of the spills were studied in detail, while 19 had only cursory or no assessment despite the potential for oil spills to impact the marine environment. The majority were limited to temperate waters, although 10 of the 14 spills since 2000 were in tropical coastal or offshore areas, seven were in north Queensland in areas close to the Great Barrier Reef. All four spills that have occurred from offshore petroleum industry infrastructure have occurred since 2009. In Australia, as elsewhere, a prespill need exists to assess the risk of a spill, establish environmental baselines, determine the likely exposure of the receiving environment, and test the toxicity of the oil against key animal and plant species in the area of potential impact. Subsequent to any spill, the baseline provides a reference for targeted impact monitoring

Quantifying Patterns in Fish Assemblages and Habitat Use Along a Deep Submarine Canyon-Valley Feature Using a Remotely Operated Vehicle

The aim of this study was to document the composition and distribution of deep-water fishes associated with a submarine canyon-valley feature. A work-class Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) fitted with stereo-video cameras was used to record fish abundance and assemblage composition along transects at water depths between 300 and 900 metres. Three areas (A, B, C) were sampled along a submarine canyon-valley feature on the continental slope of tropical north-western Australia. Water conductivity/salinity, temperature, and depth were also collected using an ROV mounted Conductivity Temperature and Depth (CTD) instrument. Multivariate analyses were used to investigate fish assemblage composition, and species distribution models were fitted using boosted regression trees. These models were used to generate predictive maps of the occurrence of four abundant taxa over the survey areas. CTD data identified three water masses, tropical surface water, South Indian Central Water (centred ∼200 m depth), and a lower salinity Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) ∼550 m depth. Distinct fish assemblages were found among areas and between canyon-valley and non-canyon habitats. The canyon-valley habitats supported more fish and taxa than non-canyon habitats. The fish assemblages of the deeper location (∼700–900 m, Area A) were different to that of the shallower locations (∼400–700 m, Areas B and C). Deep-water habitats were characterised by a Paraliparis (snail fish) species, while shallower habitats were characterised by the family Macrouridae (rat tails). Species distribution models highlighted the fine-scale environmental niche associations of the four most abundant taxa. The survey area had a high diversity of fish taxa and was dominated by the family Macrouridae. The deepest habitat had a different fish fauna to the shallower areas. This faunal break can be attributed to the influence of AAIW. ROVs provide a platform on which multiple instruments can be mounted and complementary streams of data collected simultaneously. By surveying fish in situ along transects of defined dimensions it is possible to produce species distribution models that will facilitate a greater insight into the ecology of deep-water marine systems

Recognizing Affiliation: Using Behavioural Traces to Predict the Quality of Social Interactions in Online Games

Online social interactions in multiplayer games can be supportive and positive or toxic and harmful; however, few methods can easily assess interpersonal interaction quality in games. We use behavioural traces to predict affiliation between dyadic strangers, facilitated through their social interactions in an online gaming setting. We collected audio, video, in-game, and self-report data from 23 dyads, extracted 75 features, trained Random Forest and Support Vector Machine models, and evaluated their performance predicting binary (high/low) as well as continuous affiliation toward a partner. The models can predict both binary and continuous affiliation with up to 79.1% accuracy (F1) and 20.1% explained variance (R2) on unseen data, with features based on verbal communication demonstrating the highest potential. Our findings can inform the design of multiplayer games and game communities, and guide the development of systems for matchmaking and mitigating toxic behaviour in online games.Comment: CHI '2

Using video recorded police interviews to get the full story from complainants in rape trials

This paper focuses on the importance of complainant testimony in achieving just outcomes in rape trials. The authors undertake a comparative analysis of rape trials, and the types of information elicited during police interviews with complainants, to that provided during evidence-in-chief at trial. The study’s findings indicate that current approaches during trials may lead to potentially important information being excluded. The authors highlight the need for further research into whether pre-recorded interviews with complainants may assist in jury deliberations

Where is the body? Investigative interviewing strategies in missing body homicide cases

In some murder cases the location of the victim’s body is unknown. In these circumstances, the information provided by the murderer can be the key to locating the victim’s body. In this paper we report the findings of 11 semi-structured interviews with homicide investigators who have worked on missing body homicide cases. Investigators were asked about their critical decision points, and how interviews in these cases should be conducted. Four main themes were identified from the interviews. These were; (a) establishing rapport; (b) strategies for gaining information about the site location; (c) strategies for checking suspect veracity; and, (d) impediments to the interview process. This study provides a research base to inform how homicide interviews are conducted in these cases and suggests a lack of a direct evidence-base for interviewing in these cases