The yellowfin bream is an important commercial and recreational species in Queensland, with over 400t landed annually. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the incidence of Saddleback Syndrome (SBS), a skeletal deformity primarily affecting the development of the dorsal fin spines, is increasing. This increase in the prevalence of SBS may result in recreational fishers and the public losing confidence in catching and consuming fish afflicted with the syndrome. It is, therefore, important that objective information is available to counter these concerns.

This project addresses one of the Queensland Fisheries Research Advisory Board's Research & Development priorities for 2010. Specifically, it addresses the "urgent need for research into the cause of a particular deformity of bream that is occurring in the important Moreton Bay fishery". The Queensland Fisheries Research Advisory Board (QFRAB) recently advised that a desktop study should be undertaken to determine potential causes of SBS in the international literature. Additonally, QFRAB advised that data from DEEDI's Long Term Monitoring Program should be analysed to determine the extent of SBS in Queensland.

Mr. Tony Ham, Fisheries Queensland Manager of Recreational Fisheries, has advised that SBS is an important issue, requiring attention in order to determine the incidence and cause of the syndrome in key recreational fish species.

Further, the need to investigate the cause of saddle-back deformities in yellowfin bream in SE Qld is of major importance and concern to the recreational fishing sector according to Sunfish Queensland, the recreational fishing representative group on the inshore finfish Scientific Advisory Group (SAG).

This project also addresses the concerns of commercial net fishers in Moreton Bay, specifically through the Moreton Bay Seafood Industry Association. These concerns relate to the potential difficulties in marketing bream and other species suffering from Saddleback Syndrome considering the perceived increase in the syndrome’s prevalence in recent years.

Clearly it is essential that the recreational sector is well organised and structured to allow for the best use of the R, D & E resources we have and to maximise the potential but more importantly ensure the sustainability of the sector.

There is currently a lack of a coordinated national approach to R, D & E from the sector.

There is no entity or vehicle in the recreational sector to manage and procure investment for R, D & E.

There is no mechanism or event for the recreational sector that allows a regular national conference.

There is no appropriate recogntion of the achievements by the sector in the field of research, management, advocacy, volunteering, etc.

The contributions of commercial fisheries to coastal communities in NSW is not well understood. Current methods for estimating the economic contribution of fisheries calculate only the landed value of the catch and numbers of people directly employed in commercial fishing. This gives inadequate information about commercial fisheries’ position in economic networks within coastal communities – they require a range of goods and services provided from the local community and from larger centres in NSW, all with associated employment. A small percentage of the population is directly engaged in commercial fishing, however, existing evidence indicates that when commercial fishing declines the negative impacts may spread throughout the supply chain, as well as on the ‘glue’ holding towns together through social contributions of fishing families. In the prevailing policy environment the importance of ecological protection and the contributions of recreational fishers are well recognized, while commercial fishers are often seen as ‘the bad guys’ and bear the brunt of the trade-offs made in resource management decisions.

The project generates knowledge that can be used both to demonstrate the value of commercial industries to improve their position as stakeholders in resource management decisions, and to improve public attitudes about commercial fisheries. Sound evidence about the contributions of commercial fisheries will enable triple bottom line policies for sustainability in coastal NSW, by adding social and economic knowledge to the ecological knowledge already developed. For example, it will help identify the costs of adjustment and the resilience of communities with economically challenged fisheries, and indicate how restructuring may be made less difficult. It will also remedy the lack of understanding about contributions from particular sections of commercial fishing, such as the special contributions Indigenous commercial fishers make to their local communities - both Indigenous and non-Indigenous - related to cultural obligations.

Seriola spp. are susceptible to a variety of viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases. In Japan, where considerable culture of these fish occurs (including S. dumerili, S. lalandi and S. quinqueradiata), several pathogens and parasites are responsible for serious production inefficiencies. Monogenean (flatworm) parasites are one of the most serious problems for the yellowtail industry and may increase production costs by over 20% (Ernst et al. 2002). In Australia, monogeneans have become a serious risk to sustainable development of the emerging kingfish industry (S. lalandi) in Spencer Gulf. Without efficient, effective and environmentally aware parasite management strategies, competitive and sustainable production will be impossible. The need for improved parasite management is recognised by industry in Australia and Japan and by the Australian Government who have jointly invested over $1 million through a 3-year Australian Research Council Linkage Project (“Kingfish/Yellowtail Parasite Management Project”) to develop integrated management strategies for the aquaculture of Seriola spp. (see Synergies below). This research project, however, has no funding to investigate the important issue of interactions between wild and cultured fish stocks. This topic is of critical concern to sea-cage aquaculture of kingfish as it has been for sea-cage aquaculture of salmonids (Anonymous 1997).

There is currently a lack of scientific information on the interactions between wild and cultured fish directly applicable to the waters of South Australia in particular, and Australia in general, on which to base sound aquatic animal health policy, licence conditions and operating standards to safeguard both the wild and cultured fish populations. There is an immediate need for research in this area to allow PIRSA Aquaculture to develop effective policy and zone management, and to provide a framework for the development of Commonwealth principles of best practice and environmental management.

Whilst Seriola spp. are considered an appropriate starting point, it is envisaged that the broad principles of policy and standards derived from the research may be applied to the marine finfish aquaculture industry as a whole in Australia. With this in mind, a three-year project is considered necessary to study the yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) sector of the marine finfish net pen aquaculture industry, specifically to investigate the population dynamics and parasite interactions of skin flukes (Benedenia seriolae) and gill flukes (Zeuxapta seriolae) on cultured and wild fish. A second requirement is to study the effects on the wild population of any escapees from culture facilities. The yellowtail kingfish sector is again an appropriate model due to the close association of the cultured and wild fish in the Spencer Gulf.