For: Western Port Environment Research Program 2011-2017, co-ordinated by Melbourne Water.
Background
As part of the larger Western Port Study, the toadfish assessment program ran from 2015 to 2017, to allow Melbourne Water to better understand the health of bottom dwelling fish in Western Port in relation to toxicants.
Key Points
- Fish survey, biomarker analysis, tissue histology, population genetic structuring and general health assessments were carried out
- Health impacts to toadfish were seen across all sites, including at sites where toadfish were expected to be healthy
- The source of these impacts is unknown, with no relationship to location or population genetics evident
- Less than ten per cent of the population sampled had pre-cancerous or cancerous lesions in their livers. This requires further investigation to ascertain community baseline levels
- Further research is also required to determine the source of these health impacts to enable targeted management action to support the toadfish and general fish populations in Western Port.
- A PhD candidate has commenced in Jan 2022 to develop toxicity tests with early life stage fishes using waters and sediments from Western Port catchments.
Reports and presentations
These can be accessed via the Melbourne Water website, and include:
- Talk - Fishes Western Port Forum 2019
- Talk - Fish‐based measures for assessing pollution in waterways 2018
- Talk - Assessing waterway health using fish as bioindicators 2017
- Report - Fish Health Assessment in Western Port 2019
- Report - Assessment of Fish Health in Western Port 2016
- Report - Understanding the Western Port Environment 2018
Expected completion date: Initial project complete, PhD 2026
For more info, contact: Kathryn.Hassell@rmit.edu.au
#FishSurvey #WesternPort# WesternPortCatchment #BiomarkerAnalysis #FishHealthAssessment #ecotoxicology
