Hindcasting Farmed Salmon Mortality to Improve Future Health and Production Outcomes.

Intracellular, free-floating and biofilm-forming bacterial pathogens have been implicated in summer mortality of farmed Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, in New Zealand. A mortality event in 2022 in the Pelorus Sound, Marlborough, was linked to high water temperatures (> 18°C), and bacterial skin disease associated with Piscirickettsia spp. (=Rickettsia-like organisms) and Tenacibaculum species.

Global climate-driven sea surface temperature and chlorophyll dynamics.

Herein we study long-term changes in global sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll-a concentration (CHL) in order to evaluate possible effects of climate change on the global marine ecosystems. Our approach is to analyze multi-model ensemble-means from global numerical-simulations available through the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). A 250-year span consisting of the 1850-2014 historical period and the 2015-2099 climate-change projection was considered, where the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) 2.

The role and impact of oil and gas structures on the connectivity and metapopulation dynamics of tropical reef species.

Offshore oil and gas (O&G) structures exist in nearshore and offshore marine environments globally, yet our understanding of their ecological implications is poorly understood, especially when it comes to decommissioning these structures at the end of life. Specifically, the influence of these structures on dispersal-based connectivity and population persistence of associated species has yet to be quantified. In this study, we provide insights into the ecological implications of O&G structures on the North West Shelf (NWS) of Western Australia.

East Victoria long term hydrodynamic modelling: Dataset and methodology.

This dataset is the output of a long term multi-resolution calibrated hydrodynamic model of Bass Strait waters in south-eastern Australia. The model is 3 dimensional with 16 sigma layers. It is forced by tides, wind, non-tidal sea level variability as well as salinity and temperature through a nudging scheme.

Offshore oil and gas infrastructure plays a minor role in marine metapopulation dynamics.

Decommissioning consequences of offshore oil and gas infrastructure removal on marine population dynamics, including connectivity, are not well understood. We modelled the connectivity and metapopulation dynamics of three fish and two benthic invertebrate species inhabiting the natural rocky reefs and offshore oil and gas infrastructure located in the Bass Strait, south-east Australia. Using a network approach, we found that platforms are not major sources, destinations, or stepping-stones for most species, yet act as modest sources for connectivity of Corynactis australis (jewel anemone).