Conservation challenges for the most threatened family of marine bony fishes (handfishes: Brachionichthyidae)

Stuart-Smith, JF; Edgar, Graham J.; Linardich, Christi; Lynch, Tim; Barrett, Neville; Bessell, Tyson; Wong, Lincoln; Stuart‐Smith, Rick D.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108831

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Two additional species of conservation value were observed on the seafloor above buried flowlines (Brachionichthyidae spp., handfish, and Urolophus spp., stingaree). The poorly studied handfish are considered the most threatened of all marine bony fishes, especially at greater depths (Stuart-Smith et al, 2020). Seven of 14 species were recently listed as Critically Endangered or Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and this family has the only marine bony fish to be recognized as Extinctthe Smooth handfish (Sympterichthys unipennis) (Stuart-Smith et al, 2020).…”

Section: Marine Communities Along Flowlinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The poorly studied handfish are considered the most threatened of all marine bony fishes, especially at greater depths (Stuart-Smith et al, 2020). Seven of 14 species were recently listed as Critically Endangered or Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and this family has the only marine bony fish to be recognized as Extinctthe Smooth handfish (Sympterichthys unipennis) (Stuart-Smith et al, 2020). Imagery obtained of handfish was not sufficient to accurately identify to species level the 10 individuals observed; therefore, their conservation listing is not known.…”

Section: Marine Communities Along Flowlinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Industry remotely operated vehicle imagery for assessing marine communities associated with subsea oil and gas infrastructure on the continental shelf of South-East Australia

Ierodiaconou

McLean²,

Birt³

et al. 2023

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Introduction Offshore oil and gas (O & G) infrastructure provides hard substrata of structural Q7 complexity in marine environments and has been shown to have ecological value, particularly in oligotrophic environments. As infrastructure approaches end of life, understanding such values is critical to inform decommissioning decisions. MethodsThis study uses a decade of industry remotely operated vehicle (ROV) imagery to describe fish, invertebrate, and benthic communities on gas field infrastructure. Sampling was conducted over 22 km of flowline, three wells and one manifold in the temperate waters of Bass Strait, south east Australia in depths of 155 to 263 m.ResultsA total of 10,343 mobile animals from 69 taxa were observed. A higher diversity of fishes were observed on flowlines (28 taxa) compared to wells (19 taxa). Fish and invertebrate communities observed along flowlines were distinct from those observed on wells/manifold, however, there was also high spatial variability among the different flowlines surveyed and between the three wells and manifold. These differences appear to be driven by habitat and depth preferences of the species observed. Many sand-affiliated species were associated with buried sections of flowlines (Tasmanian giant crab Pseudocarcinus gigas, Balmain bug Ibacus peronii, slender sand burrower Creedia haswelli, red cod Pseudophycis spp., blue grenadier Macruronus novaezelandiae) whilst reef-associated and schooling species were observed on the wells/manifold (jackass morwong Nemadactylus macropterus, redbait Emmelichthys nitidus, splendid perch Callanthias australis). Species of ecological importance were also noted including the Australian fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus), long-lived foxfish (Bodianus frenchii), and handfish (Brachionichthyidae spp).DiscussionThis study describes the habitat value of oil and gas infrastructure in a data poor temperate region that is important for understanding how the decommissioning of these structures may affect local marine ecosystems and fisheries. Therefore, it is critical to understand the habitat value of O&G infrastructure to marine life in the Bass Strait and whether decommissioning of these structures affect local marine ecosystems and fisheries. This study shows the complexity of determining temporal change in biodiversity values associated with these O & G structures from historical industry datasets that will be key for informing future decommissioning options. We also provide some guidance on how future quantitative data can be obtained in a systematic way using industry ROV data to better inform ecological investigations and decommissioning options.

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Section: Marine Communities Along Flowlinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Marine Communities Along Flowlinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Industry remotely operated vehicle imagery for assessing marine communities associated with subsea oil and gas infrastructure on the continental shelf of South-East Australia

Ierodiaconou

McLean²,

Birt³

et al. 2023

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…The pipeline for filtering is outlined in the 'High performance computing SNP filtering' section of the Supplementary material. The original VCF file from AGRF (from an overarching spotted handfish study with individuals from 1998 to 2019, see Lynch et al 2020), a renamed and filtered VCF file (based on individuals from the overarching study, Lynch et al 2020), the spotted handfish strata collection data from the overarching study and a genepop (Rousset 2008) input file (for the eight spotted handfish collections from 2006 to 2008) are lodged on the CSIRO Data Access Portal, https://doi.org/10.25919/ jekk-e341.…”

Section: Snp Filtering and Data Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic diversity and restricted genetic connectivity in an endangered marine fish (

Appleyard

Lynch

Green

et al. 2021

Mar. Freshwater Res.

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Determining the genetic diversity and differentiation among populations is a critical element of conservation biology, but for many aquatic, data-deficient species with small population sizes, this is not possible. Closely related species may therefore provide a model. For the first time, using over 4000 single-nucleotide polymorphism loci, we characterise the population genetic diversity and structure of one of the world's rarest marine fish, the spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus), a species which is also a member of the most threatened marine bony fish family (Brachionichthyidae). Fin clips were taken from 170 live spotted handfish across seven disjunct sites within the only known estuary (in Tasmania, Australia) where multiple populations of the species are found. Spatially discrete populations clustered into three genetic groupings and a significant variance in allele frequencies among populations (overall F ST ¼ 0.043), even at the small scale of the estuary, was observed. Furthermore, low contemporary migration rate estimates suggest low genetic homogeneity between locations. Because of the low genetic connectivity, population clusters of spotted handfish within the estuary should be considered as separate conservation management units. This insight should be considered for management and conservation strategies of other data-deficient and threatened species in the family.

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“…The highly‐threatened handfish family (Brachionichthyidae) consists of 14 species confined entirely to Australian waters (Last & Gledhill, 2009). It has recently been described as the most threated family of marine bony fishes in the world (Stuart‐Smith et al, 2020), with half of the species listed as either Endangered or Critically Endangered by the IUCN. One member of this family, the red handfish ( Thymichthys politus ), is a small (<80 mm) and highly cryptic species, and is the subject of a scuba‐based UVC monitoring programme (http://www.handfish.org.au).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using eDNA and SCUBA surveys for detection and monitoring of a threatened marine cryptic fish

Bessell

Appleyard

Stuart‐Smith

et al. 2023

Aquatic Conservation

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Quantification of species’ spatial distributions and population trends is crucial for successful conservation efforts. Obtaining sufficient population data, however, is often difficult in the marine environment, especially for rare fish and invertebrate species that are small, cryptic and very difficult to detect. This study sought to understand the effort required to search for undiscovered populations of small, cryptic, marine species in shallow vegetated coastal habitats and track population numbers, using the Critically Endangered red handfish (Thymichthys politus) as a representative species. A sampling strategy was designed using a combination of environmental DNA (eDNA) and structured underwater scuba surveys of life‐like 3D‐printed ‘handfish replicas’ to estimate detectability and ultimately determine whether current population monitoring is adequately covering the remaining habitat occupied by the species. Tested over scales of hundreds of metres to kilometres, the eDNA assays performed relatively poorly in situ, detecting red handfish presence in only ~13% of samples collected from the centre of a known, yet low‐density, red handfish site. In contrast, underwater searches for independently placed handfish replicas by scuba divers indicated that mean detection probabilities at finer scales (~100 m) ranged from 57 to 97%. Near certain (95% probability) detection of an adult handfish was achievable with only one to three surveys (300 m2 belt transects), depending on the habitat complexity. While other species will vary in detectability using eDNA and underwater searches, these findings give insight into the general effort required for the detection of small, rare species inhabiting vegetated coastal environments. Such knowledge not only helps to refine monitoring and conservation efforts for known threatened species, but may also assist in identifying other inconspicuous species whose population declines may otherwise go unnoticed.

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Conservation challenges for the most threatened family of marine bony fishes (handfishes: Brachionichthyidae)

Cited by 12 publications

References 28 publications

Industry remotely operated vehicle imagery for assessing marine communities associated with subsea oil and gas infrastructure on the continental shelf of South-East Australia

Industry remotely operated vehicle imagery for assessing marine communities associated with subsea oil and gas infrastructure on the continental shelf of South-East Australia

Genetic diversity and restricted genetic connectivity in an endangered marine fish (

Using eDNA and SCUBA surveys for detection and monitoring of a threatened marine cryptic fish

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