Application for Scientific Permit – Available for Public Comment
Public comment on the following application for a Scientific Research (Fauna) Permit is open until 18th March.
Applicant: Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
Species/Taxon: pink, Zeibells, spotted, red, Australian, warty handfish species (Brachiopsilus dianthus, Brachiopsilus zeibelli, Brachionichthys hirsutus, Thymichthys politus, Brachionichthys australis, Thymichthys verrucosus respectively)
Location: Huon and Tasman Fracture marine parks for video observation and water sampling for eDNA for all species, Derwent Estuary for spotted handfish video observation and water sampling for eDNA, Primrose Sands area for red handfish video observation and water sampling for eDNA, Hippolyte Rocks for a single fin clip, skin swab, water sampling for eDNA and video observation of a pink handfish.
Title of research: Develop and test eDNA methods for detection of handfish species and populations from water samples.
Aim of project: The aim of the project is to develop non-intrusive eDNA-based methods for surveying for and description of handfish species and populations in offshore marine parks following recent image-based observations of several listed handfish species in the Huon and Tasman Fracture marine parks, including pink and Zeibells handfish. A secondary aim is for these methods to be available for use by other handfish researchers to extend surveys to other waters, including state coastal waters and inshore species.
Justification:
- Recently our research team has discovered populations of a number of listed handfish species during offshore surveys in the Huon and Tasman Fracture marine parks. However, these image-based observations require species level validation for absolute confirmation. New eDNA approaches offer a solution to this need and allow for more widespread surveys to better understand the distribution of such threatened species.
- As several of these species haven’t been seen for over 25 years in inshore waters, confirmation of their existence offshore in moderate sized populations will provide life-history knowledge to better inform conservation and management of inshore populations and understanding of the likely threats to each species. Likewise, the methods we develop (especially a powerful handfish-specific eDNA primer) will be particularly suitable for other researchers to use in coastal studies on red and spotted handfish, providing better understanding of population distribution than current dive surveys allow.
- A big benefit to the study will be improved understanding of the distribution of a range of listed handfish species, providing a significant improvement in our understanding of their ecology. This is particularly the case for species that now appear to have a deep-water refuge in cooler waters.
Maximum likely numbers of individuals involved: For each of the species listed above, we anticipate finding, videoing and water sampling near 3-4 individuals for confirmation of species identity to match video imagery. For the pink handfish we intend to use one individual to take a small fin clip for DNA sequencing. We already have DNA sequences for many of the other species. Such sequences are needed to develop an appropriate eDNA primer that is specific to handfish species and finely-tuned to amplify the eDNA fragments of each handfish species.
Activities undertaken and methods: There are two main activities to be undertaken. The first is to develop and test an eDNA primer to amplify handfish eDNA for sequencing to identify individual species. This involves finding historical DNA sequences from other handfish species, generating them from current tissue samples, and if possible, acquiring a sequence for a pink handfish if we can obtain a fin-clip. That primer will then be tested on aquarium water from aquaria containing spotted and red handfish before trialling the method on wild populations. The wild population trials for these species will involve a single day finding, photographing and taking water samples near an individual of each of these species via the remote operated vehicle method to be used in deeper waters in the second stage. The fin-clip of a pink handfish will be undertaken at The Hippolyte Rocks by divers specifically trained in this method and using sterilised equipment.
The second activity is to undertake field surveys in the Huon and Tasman Fracture marine parks for handfish species based on video observations and water samples for eDNA taken from a remotely operated vehicle. These are non-intrusive and will attempt to find a range of handfish species and positively identify the species seen in each image. Approximately 4 field days will be spent searching each park.
Fate of animals: Almost all animals in this study will simply be observed remotely by video, with numbers of individuals kept to a minimum, so impact will be negligible. The only animal that will be directly influenced will be a single pink handfish that will have a small fin clip collected for DNA sequencing. This is a low-impact procedure that is in regular use in fish genetics research to obtain DNA from fish with the least effect on their wellbeing.
Likely impact on species involved (including any by-catch): We anticipate that there will be no impact on the species being videoed and having water samples taken in their vicinity. For the pink handfish that will have a fin clip taken we believe there will be little impact on the individual involved and no impact overall on the species. We have observed a significant number of individuals of this species in offshore waters of the Huon and Freycinet marine parks, suggesting this species has a safe offshore population. However, eDNA validation of our imagery-based identification is necessary to positively confirm this.