ASFB Home > 2003 > Biological Invasions: Consequences for Parasites, Pathogens, Emerging Diseases, and Fisheries in the Marine Environment.

Can variation in otolith chemistry provide information on migration behaviour of snapper, Pagrus auratus, in Victorian waters?

Paul Hamer, Greg Jenkins and Patrick Coutin

Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute, Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia.
University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Email: Paul.Hamer@nre.vic.gov.au

For most species of marine fish migration behaviour over the entire life of individuals remains a mystery. While new tagging technology offers potential to provide information on life history migration behaviour, this technology is currently very expensive and still relies on manual tagging and recapture. The study of otolith chemistry may provide another method for tracking fish migration, particularly for species that migrate between estuaries or sheltered bays and the open ocean. Rates of incorporation of certain elements into otoliths can reflect variation in factors such as salinity, temperature and ambient concentration. Defined water bodies such as sheltered bays and estuaries will in many cases differ from the ocean in their temperature, salinity and trace element concentrations. It may, therefore, be possible to interpret variation in otolith chemistry in terms of migration between such water bodies and the open ocean. This presentation will discuss recent work that is investigating the use of variation in otolith microchemistry as a tool for tracking the life-history movement behaviour of snapper between the major Victorian fishery, Port Phillip Bay, and the open ocean.

Room 3 Thursday 11.10 am