FAST FISH STORY WINS RACE TO $1000 PRIZE

EMBARGO 1pm 21 SEPTEMBER 2001

A story about fish that swim faster than Ian Thorpe by Ms Bridget Green, a PhD student at James Cook University has won the $1000 Marine Science Journalism Prize for 2001.

According to Green's story, Ian Thorpe swims at a modest two body lengths per second while the clown fish, just 24 hours after hatching, can swim at an astonishing 9.5 body lengths per second.

The clown fish are also fast developers and are the only marine fish that are known to feed when they first hatch.

"In comparison, coral trout and barramundi do not open their mouths until they are a couple of days old and the cold water halibut doesn't feed until is it 30 days old," says Green in her story.

Green's story won the $1000 Marine Science Journalism Prize which is awarded each year to James Cook University students. The competition encourages professional communication of marine science issues in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

Ms Brenda McDonald, a PhD student at James Cook University, will be awarded the $250 Dorothy Paramore Highly Commended Award for her story about dugongs.

Her story is about using molecular techniques to learn about dugong populations in Australia. There are two separate populations of dugong in Australia that overlap in the Torres Strait region - one stretches from Shark Bay in Western Australia to Townsville, and the other group stretches from Moreton bay in Queensland to Torres Strait.

Genetic techniques are being used to check whether dugong are interbreeding in the Torres Strait. The techniques may also show dugong social structures and behaviours that have not been recognised in the past. The information is invaluable for managers.

The 2001 Marine Science Journalism Prize is sponsored by CRC Reef Research Centre Ltd, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Australian Institute of Marine Science, James Cook University and Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.

The prizes will be awarded at 1pm on Friday 21 September at Reef HQ by Professor Janet Greeley, the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Education and Social Sciences from James Cook University and Sir Sydney Schubert, Chairman of CRC Reef.

For more information contact:
Jill Shields, Media liaison officer, James Cook University on 4781 4586 or 0417 602359.
Louise Goggin, Communication Coordinator, CRC Reef, on 4729 8404 or 0402 243116.