Tag: snapper guardians

Behind the scenes: Snapper Guardians egg collection

Recfishwest recently joined the team from the Australian Centre for Applied Aquaculture and Research (ACAAR) on their mission to collect fertilised snapper eggs for this summer’s Snapper Guardian’s project.

Recfishwest habitat officer Michael Tropiano joined ACAAR where they successfully collected enough fertilised eggs to once again stock Cockburn Sound with one of WA’s most important recreational fishing species.

WATCH: Check out the video below to see some of the action as it happened:

Pink snapper are found throughout the world, however, in the West Coast Bioregion of Western Australia, there are a few particularly special locations that we rely on every year to ensure the future of the wild stock for this species.

A spawning school of pinkies in the Sound!

Cockburn and Warnbro sounds are the largest and most important spawning grounds for pink snapper in the entire West Coast Bioregion and the health of these systems has a close linkage to the ongoing health of the wild stock of this species.

While all spawning in the same location makes for simple protection of spawning snapper (the closure in the sounds protects spawning snapper from 1 October – 31 January), for these fish, releasing all their eggs in one location does have the potential to be a risky strategy.

For any fish egg to hatch, and survive all the way to adulthood is a struggle against the forces of nature. For pink snapper, in particular, it’s the first few months when the eggs are most vulnerable.

Whether a snapper egg hatches and survives these first few perilous months is almost completely dependent upon the environmental conditions. Most years, unfortunately, the environmental conditions aren’t quite right and only a small number of snapper actually hatch and survive. Luckily there are a few times every decade when the perfect conditions line up with spawning time and there is a boom year with a huge number of snapper hatching and surviving.

Image: Bongo nets skimming the surface collecting snapper eggs.

The strategy to spawn all in the one location and the huge natural variations in their spawning success, coupled with the fact that the pink snapper stock is still in a recovery phase, means these snapper are literally putting all their eggs in the one basket…

Given the importance of pink snapper to Western Australian fishers and knowing the risks associated with their spawning strategy, there was an investment in 2015 into a trial project to see if it was possible to create a pink snapper insurance policy.

The idea behind the trial was to test if it was possible to collect a very small number of eggs from the wild (the amount spawned by only two or three snapper) and grow them large enough to potentially release, plus test the genetics to ensure they would reflect that of the natural population.

If this trial was successful (as it was), then it would provide an insurance policy in case something happened or the conditions turned out to be unfavourable for their survival in the sound year after year. The idea was that once these insurance snapper were to reach a size where they were no longer dependent on favourable environmental conditions to survive, they could then be released back into the wild to support the natural recovery of this species.  As with all insurance policies, you hope you never have to use them, however in 2015 there was a large fish kill in Cockburn Sound and the insurance policy was called upon in its first year.

Image: School of spawning Pink Snapper spotted on the sounder.

The trial project proved to be a success and is now known as Snapper Guardians and has been running for three years. Over the last few weeks, the staff from ACAAR have been out working into the late hours of the night to try and to collect just enough eggs to create this year’s supply of insurance snapper. The good news is, it looks like they have been able to collect enough eggs to again begin running Snapper Guardians. The latest news is that snapper eggs have just hatched and are being carefully reared at their hatchery in Fremantle.

The plan this year is to again release the snapper back into the wild once they are big enough to survive on their own. Stay tuned for more details on how you can lend a hand in the community release day early next year.

Read WA Today’s coverage of our story, here.

Fact file:
• The Snapper Guardians program has already released 100,000 baby pink snapper back into the wild.
• The original trial project was funded through the Recreational Fishing Initiatives fund and was run by ACAAR with support from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Recfishwest.
• In 2016 the WA State Government committed funds to continue the program running for two years.

Fisheries Fact Sheet: Pink Snapper Government of Western Australia, Department of Fisheries. 2011.

WA Needs More Fishing Heroes!

Our Purpose is to ensure Great Fishing Experiences for all in the WA community forever.
Our Commitment is to Protect, Promote and Develop Sustainable, Accessible, Enjoyable and Safe fishing for the benefit of the community.

Thanks to our current supporters, Recfishwest can continue the fight to keep fishing great in WA.

Our role is to: 
– Be your voice that would not otherwise be heard
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To give you an idea of where your support helps us make fishing better:
• Stocking of important recreational fish species around WA, including Pink Snapper, Barramundi, Prawns, Mulloway and Freshwater Trout
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Snapper Guardians: Egg Collection Success for 2017 Restocking Program

Following the success of last year’s Snapper Guardians program, Recfishwest and the Australian Centre for Applied Aquaculture Research (ACAAR) team are at it again having just collected a new batch of Pink Snapper eggs from spawning aggregations in Cockburn Sound. This year’s program looks to raise and release 100, 000 juvenile snapper by the end of summer.
After monitoring the snapper over the past few weeks, the moon phase, weather and spawning aggregations were ideal for attempting an egg collection. With astounding success, the eggs were collected in one night, achieving the desired amount for the project in one attempt. Not only is this great news that the program can be underway early, but also a good suggestion that large numbers of healthy breeding Pink Snapper are abundant.

In the wild, the number of snapper eggs that reach maturity is very low, especially during early egg, larval and juvenile stages when they are particularly vulnerable to predators. By collecting wild eggs and assisting them through these early life stages, the Snapper Guardians program greatly increases the likelihood of these eggs surviving to adulthood. This means more Pink Snapper in our waters and better fishing experiences for Western Australians.

The next stage in the project is growing out the juvenile fish. ACAAR staff will then mark the juvenile snappers’ otoliths (fish ear bones) with a dye so that the stocked fish will be identifiable when caught in the wild. Once the fish have been marked and grown out to a certain size they will be released early next year.

Earlier this year 50,000 juvenile Pink Snapper were released into Cockburn Sound and Warnbro Sound after being nurtured through their most vulnerable larvae and early juvenile stages. ACAAR were responsible for conducting the egg collections and guiding them through their growth stages with their world class aquaculture facilities.

The project is funded by the West Australian Government, who recently committed $300, 000 to fund Snapper Guardians over the next two years.

These are exciting times for West Australian fishers and Recfishwest with ACAAR, is proud to lead this world first program. Snapper Guardians proves that investing in effective fisheries science can have an astounding effect on improving the quality of sustainable fishing for all in the community.

Snapper Guardians see fish released back into Cockburn Sound

The immensely popular Snapper Guardians project has drawn to a close, culminating in the release of the remaining 5000 juvenile pink snapper at Woodman Point in February, 2016.

WATCH: Pinkies released into the Sound

About 400 people came to down to be a part of this historic event with everyone given the opportunity to release baby snapper back into the waters of Cockburn Sound.

The release was a buzz of excitement which also included the unveiling of Recfishwest’s new fish stocking and transport trailer.

The trailer was paid for out of the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund and will be used to transport both broodstock (adult) and juvenile fish around the state to improve stock enhancement activities.

The trailer was used at the event to siphon about 3000 fish through a clear tube and down the rocks, until the fish were safely released under the water. They showed great signs that they will grow to be a valuable addition to the Cockburn Sound Pink Snapper stock.

There was a fantastic turnout at the Snapper Guardians event.

The $25,000 required to successfully complete the Snapper Guardian project was achieved within hours of the campaign going live back in December 2015 and with the total of $36,000 being pledged by the WA community, we now see surplus funds available for a similar project later this year.

The proactive work of the community who saw great value in making this project a reality, along with some great corporate sponsors and the innovation of the Fremantle Hatchery, the Snapper Guardians project made headlines around the state and the nation with media outlets giving the project the attention it deserved.

To put the release into perspective, in the wild only about 50 fish from the eggs collected would have survived.

The amount of fish being released in this project would normally come from about 1.5 billion eggs. So as you can see, survival in the wild is extremely low and the innovation at the Fremantle Hatchery to achieve WA’s first ever Pink Snapper release from the egg stage is outstanding and should be commended.

The Snapper Guardian merchandise was a huge hit with the community with hundreds of T-shirts, beanies and stickers being paraded around at the release which gave the people a real sense of ownership of these new Pink Snapper and what it meant for the sustainability of Cockburn Sound.

Recfishwest, who represent the community’s interest on issues like these, will be seeking an ongoing contribution from the state government toward an egg collection program, as an insurance policy until we are confident that the right steps are taken to future proof fish stocks in Cockburn Sound.

The remainder of the snapper grown out in the Fremantle Hatchery were released into Warnbro Sound two weeks prior which and saw over 45,000 fish find new homes in the sea grasses in well known nursery grounds for juvenile fish.

Some of the frequently asked questions we received on the day were:

Would all the eggs that hatched survived in the wild?

No, in the wild survival is extremely low, only approximately 50 fish from the eggs collected would have survived. The amount of fish being released in this project would normally come from about 1.5 billion eggs.

Why were eggs taken from Cockburn Sound only to be put back?

An RFIF project to test egg sampling methods was carried out before the Cockburn Sound fish kills. Coincidently, these eggs hatched and we had the opportunity to grow them to optimize their survival. This project protected the eggs through the most vulnerable stage of their lifecycle.

How will we know if these fish will survive?

They have been stained with a non-toxic coloured dye (you can’t see it). When a fish is captured in years to come and the otolith (ear bone) is removed, we’ll be able to identify these fish and know how successful this project has been.

Juvenile pink snapper ahead of being released into the Sound!

Cockburn Sound Fish Kill Update

Recfishwest Update
Please find below the Department of Fisheries Media Release regarding the latest on the Cockburn Sound fish kill.

Department of Fisheries Media Release 8 December, 2015 – Breakthrough in cause of Cockburn Sound fish deaths

The Department of Fisheries investigations have confirmed that November’s Cockburn Sound fish deaths were likely caused by a bloom of microscopic algae.  Supervising Scientist Dr Michael Snow said exhaustive testing had isolated a spike of a group of algal diatom species called Chaetoceros spp. which have spines made of silica and are known to causes gill irritation in fish that can lead to mucous accumulation and respiratory failure.

“Similar diatoms have been implicated in fish death events in other parts of Australia and also internationally,” Dr Snow said.

“This bloom may also have been associated with low dissolved oxygen conditions which are known to periodically occur in southern section of Cockburn Sound placing extra stress on the fish. We know from experience that fish death events often involve multiple contributory factors that make cases difficult to solve.

“We appreciate the patience of the WA community as the multidisciplinary investigative team have methodically eliminated many other causes. We cannot afford to jump to conclusions in these cases which must be based on solid scientific evidence. Investigations have included screening for a wide range of over 120 algal toxins and industrial contaminants including heavy metals, fertilisers, pesticides and hydrocarbons.

“Other Government agencies have also pursued and eliminated a number of other possibilities.

Dr Snow said results received late yesterday – and confirmed earlier today – indicate that the algal diatom is the most likely cause. He said satellite data also showed an increase in surface water temperature at the same time, which may have contributed to the bloom event

“The diatom is 10-50 microns in size, which is similar to the diameter of a human hair,” he said. “Diatoms naturally occur in all marine and estuarine environments. They are not harmful to humans. The Department of Health has confirmed the Sound is safe for fishing and swimming.”

Dr Snow said the Department of Fisheries would continue to monitor fish stocks to assess the long term implications of the fish deaths event.

“Seasonal restrictions on pink snapper fishing remain in place (due to spawning), as does a ban on crab fishing due to stock declines in recent years and Cockburn Sound is also subject to the annual West Coast demersal finfish closure,” he said.

Dr Snow said the Department of Fisheries would release a public report on its findings and provide it to other departments with a management role in Cockburn Sound, as well as the Cockburn Sound Management Council.