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REEF FISH FUTURES4 March 2003 Researchers at CRC Reef have developed a computer modelling system to help predict the travel patterns of millions of tiny fish larvae on the Great Barrier Reef. The computer modelling system could help identify key areas of the Great Barrier Reef that will require careful consideration by management and users, to ensure the long-term sustainability of reef fish populations. CRC Reef Scientist, Dr Lance Bode of James Cook University and his team used their computer modelling system to create virtual ocean and fish lifecycle environments to simulate fish larval movements around the Great Barrier Reef. "Understanding whether reef fish populations depend on larvae that stay in the areas where they were spawned, or rely on larval recruits from elsewhere, is an important step towards reef fish conservation and successful fisheries management," said Dr Bode Dr Bode and his team used oceanographic computer models to simulate actual water motions of the Great Barrier Reef such as tides and wind-induced currents. In addition, they incorporated outer ocean conditions in the Coral Sea, as these also influence the computed currents and larval movements. "Fish larvae in our model are represented by particles that move with the water currents. Based on information from fish experts, they are programmed to have larval behaviours such as the ability to swim and detect reefs," he said. "The simulated larvae are given the ability to move to a reef, provided they are close enough and at the right stage of their development. In another part of the computer model, once the larvae settle on a particular reef, they can breed when they become adults, and release their own larvae in subsequent seasons," he said. Dr Bode said the computer modelling system should give reef managers a better understanding of where fish travel during their larval stage, which is essential if reef resources are going to be managed effectively. "For example, so far we have found that reefs that rely on their own original larvae, rather than larvae from other reefs, appear to play an important role in maintaining the reef system. However, more work is needed to fully understand these processes," he said. Dr Bode and his team have simulated the transport of reef fish larvae among 321 reefs in and around the Cairns Section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, and are in the process of extending their model to cover the entire Great Barrier Reef.
Media Liaison at CRC Reef on 07 4729 8400 or 0408884521 |
