Fishwise Community Grants - 2007 Funding Round

• Undertake a detailed review of existing Derwent seafood monitoring program data on heavy metals in sand flathead.
• Examine heavy metal levels in a range of recreationally significant species collected from different areas within the Derwent.
• Examine relationships between heavy metal concentrations and life history characteristics (age and diet) in a range of recreationally significant species.
• Provide advice in relation to the health risks posed by consumption of the species taken from the Derwent (by reference to Australian food standards guidelines).

• Determine seasonal movement patterns in selected recreationally significant species.
• Determine habitat usage, including residence times in different habitat types.
• Determine movement patterns in relation to life history stages.

• The purchase of a laptop and monitor to assist in the education of the Tasmanian community on good fishing practices and environmental practices.

• To reduce maintenance and downtime on current equipment.
• To ensure the Fishcare Volunteers are able to present as a body of professional and credible educators.

• To promote greater community awareness and enhance public education: by encouraging greater individual responsibility for looking after our fisheries, the environment and respecting the rights of others.

• To promote recreational fishing as a highly beneficial, healthy outdoor activity while highlighting the responsibilities of fishers: responsible and sustainable fishing, ‘fish for the future’ ethic, policy on ‘catch and release’, disposal of rubbish, the establishment and role of the Marine Protected Areas.

• To raise community awareness of recreational fishing issues, good fishing practices and the role of TARFish, and encourage participation in recreational fishing as a healthy and socially beneficial leisure activity.

• To show fishing is fun and accessible for people of all ages and most areas. Explain the basic rules such as bag limits, size limits and season. Show them how to catch a fish, release it unharmed if appropriate, or dispatch it ethically. Explain the Fishcare Volunteer program, how you can become a member, and how to contact them for help and advice. Also other places to go for advice including AFTA tackle stores.

• Expand the current knowledge of scallop distribution and abundance in the south east of Tasmania. Expand the knowledge of beds beyond the main recreational scallop fishery in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel through exploratory surveys. The data collected will provide valuable information for TAFI and DPIW on areas heavily and lightly fished, plus provide a better understanding of the distribution and size frequency of scallop beds in south east Tasmania.

• Monitor the effect of invasive marine species, such as the long-spined sea urchin Centrostephanus Rogersii on representative sites.
• Identify major shifts in biodiversity at representative sites and provide an ‘early warning system’ for threats to that biodiversity.
• Educate divers and the general community about the marine environment.
• Provide information, such as seaweed samples and photographs of unique animals to scientific bodies for further research.
• Provide data that will complement any studies planned to be undertaken by scientific bodies
• Analyse and refine methods for volunteer participation in volunteer research projects.
• Build up a volunteer skills base for further community research projects.

Fishwise Grants

Fishwise Community Grants - 2006 Funding Round

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