IN THE NEWS: Masses of scalloped hammerheads have returned to one of Australia’s busiest beaches

For the 2nd year in a row, >100 young hammerheads have gathered at Burleigh, seeking warm and sheltered waters rich in small prey, form groups or 'shivers.'

theconversation.com/masses-of-scal…

IN THE NEWS: Scientists are grasping at straws while trying to protect infant corals from fish

South Florida researchers have turned to innovative solutions to combat predation of lab-grown coral by fish, which can reduce the survival rate to less <40%.

phys.org/news/2024-04-s…

NEW STUDY: Comparative assessment of eDNA metabarcoding & longline deployments for elasmobranch

West et al. documented 49 unique taxa, 36 by eDNA and 32 by longline, finding that a combined approach yielded >34% more taxa than either method alone.

doi.org/10.1002/aqc.41…

NEW STUDY: Effects of coastal development on sawfish movements - Need for marine animal crossing solutions

Lear et al. compared catch rates & movement behaviour (via acoustic telemetry) of juvenile sawfish before/after construction in a nursery habitat.

doi.org/10.1111/cobi.1…

IN THE NEWS: Impact of climate change on marine life shown to be much bigger than previously known

A new study published in Nature Communications has calculated that current trends could affect up to 100% of biological processes in marine species.

phys.org/news/2024-04-i…

NEW STUDY: The Effect of Location, Time, and Environmental Conditions on Fish Use of Southern Temperate Saltmarshes

Harrison-Day et al. investigated the affect on fish assemblages in saltmarshes within 3 estuaries of SE Tas: Marion, Barilla & Ralphs Bay.

doi.org/10.1007/s12237…

NEW STUDY: Dichichthyidae, a New Family of Deepwater Sharks (Carcharhiniformes) from the Indo–West Pacific, with Description of a New Species

White et al. announce the formal recognition of a new shark family, Dichichthyidae, or 'bristle sharks.'

doi.org/10.3390/fishes…

NEW STUDY: Population genetic structure of bottlenose & whitespotted wedgefishes from the Southwest Indian Ocean using a dual marker approach

Groeneveld et al. combined analyses of mitochondrial DNA regions (COI and CR) & nuclear microsatellite markers.

doi.org/10.3354/esr013…

NEW STUDY: Residence & site fidelity by golden perch (M. ambigua) in habitats affected by methane seeps & chronic hypoxia

Crook et al. explored the movement behaviour & survival of native golden perch in affected environments in the Condamine River (MDB).
doi.org/10.1111/fwb.14…

IN THE NEWS: Marine protected areas aren't helping fish populations recover

A comprehensive 12-yr study in the Caribbean's Mesoamerican Reef, covering over 1000 Kms, reveals a concerning trend about MPAs attributed to poor management & climate change.

newscientist.com/article/242546…

NEW STUDY: Post-release mortality of line-caught snapper, Chrysophrys auratus, depends on hook site and capture depth

Maggs et al. investigated the factors influencing post-release mortality (PRM) in snapper resulting from recreational fishing practices.

doi.org/10.1111/fme.12…

NEW STUDY: Strong philopatry in an estuarine‐dependent fish

Sarakinis et al. investigated the genetic structure of black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri) across its distribution in Aus, focusing on gene flow & population connectivity at broad/local scales.

doi.org/10.1002%2Fece3…

NEW STUDY: Can denticle morphology help identify SE Aus elasmobranchs?

Appleby et al. collected from known shark species, both directly & from sediments in controlled environments, to characterise their morphology & assess the potential for species ID.

doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15…

NEW STUDY: Migration of short-finned eels (Anguilla australis) over 3 years from a wetland system, Lake Condah, to the sea

Koster et al. investigated the factors influencing the downstream migration of the short-finned eel using acoustic telemetry.

doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15…

NEW STUDY: Health prediction for king salmon via evolutionary machine learning with genetic programming

Zhang et al. report on the development of a machine learning model to predict the health of king salmon (Chinook salmon).

doi.org/10.1080/030367…

NEW STUDY: Evidence of marine predation on silver New Zealand longfin eels, Anguilla dieffenbachii

Jellyman et al. investigated the predation risks faced by migrating New Zealand longfin eels using Pop-up Satellite Archival Tags (PSATs).

doi.org/10.1111/fme.12…

NEW STUDY: The context dependant fish–mangrove link: Tidal regime & reef proximity determine the ecological role

Bradley et al. analysed 494 fish assemblages across 5 Indo-Pacific regions using RUV surveys & machine learning to understand mangrove use.

doi.org/10.1111/faf.12…

JOB OPPORTUNITIES (X2): Research Scientist SC1 & SC2 DPIRD - Fisheries WA 📍Perth, WA

Exciting opportunities to collaborate for the sustainable management of a Kimberley Aboriginal Mud Crab Fishery (SC1) and WA molluscan fisheries (SC2).

Apply by April 2nd!

wa.gov.au/organisation/d…

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Scholar/Staff Scientist OIST Okinawa, Japan

Seeking a highly motivated, expert researcher with a deep knowledge of fish biodiversity, including but not limited to systematics, taxonomy, ecology, & the fossil record!

oist.jp/careers/postdo…

NEW STUDY: Preliminary life history of the Critically Endangered bottlenose wedgefish, Rhynchobatus australiae

D'Alberto et al. present the first life history parameters for the bottlenose wedgefish, aiming to inform conservation and management.

doi.org/10.3354/esr012…