Conference to Focus on Repelling Invaders

10 June 2003

Exploring ways of repelling aquatic invaders will be a focus of the annual Australian Society for Fish Biology Conference, to be held in Wellington later this month. The conference is sponsored by both New Zealand and Australian agencies including the principal sponsors; the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries, New Zealand Department of Conservation and Australian Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. A two-day workshop at the conference looks at the management, policy and research supporting the detection, assessment of impacts and control of invasive fish species in marine and freshwater environments. Four guest speakers at the invasive species workshop are:

• Dr. Cynthia Kolar from the United States Geological Survey (Biological Division) who will present her modelling studies that can predict aquatic species' ability to establish and spread in new areas.
• Dr. Ron Thresher from CSIRO Australia, presenting his work on genetic techniques to control pest fish, including the "daughterless gene" which turns all offspring into males.
• Dr Peter Sorenson from the University of Minnesota, an expert in the use of pheromone attractants in fish control, will present developments in this method for carp control.
• Dr Greg Ruiz of the Smithsonian Environmental Center, will talk about the risks of ballast water transfer of marine organisms and the impacts on marine fisheries from any releases of new diseases and parasites.

A second concurrent workshop is dedicated to the snapper fishery in both Australia and New Zealand, a significant fishery species on both sides of the Tasman.

The workshops will be followed by two days of papers addressing varied aspects of freshwater and marine fisheries science and management from both sides of the Tasman.

Biologists, fisheries managers and scientists from New Zealand and Australia will attend the Conference, at Victoria University, Wellington, from 29 June to 4 July 2004.

Ends