jaybee
24-07-2004, 04:59 PM
ABC News
Last Update: Friday, July 23, 2004. 8:55am (AEST)
A Spanish mackerel found off the Northern Territory coast has excited the scientists who caught it three weeks ago.
The fish was the first to be re-caught since a genetics-based mackerel tagging system was introduced earlier this year.
Only 500 mackerels have been tagged to date, so the chances of a recapture happening so soon are roughly a million to one.
Geneticist Dr Jenny Ovenden says other states may try the tagging system after the success of the world-first trial in the Northern Territory.
"This was very exciting because the fish is still swimming around off the Top End of the Northern Territory and it proved that our genetic identification methods would work," she said.
"It's certainly a big project but the return in terms of being able to manage the Northern Territory Spanish mackerel fishing industry for sustainability for the future is really, really important, that's why we're putting all this effort into this project."
Last Update: Friday, July 23, 2004. 8:55am (AEST)
A Spanish mackerel found off the Northern Territory coast has excited the scientists who caught it three weeks ago.
The fish was the first to be re-caught since a genetics-based mackerel tagging system was introduced earlier this year.
Only 500 mackerels have been tagged to date, so the chances of a recapture happening so soon are roughly a million to one.
Geneticist Dr Jenny Ovenden says other states may try the tagging system after the success of the world-first trial in the Northern Territory.
"This was very exciting because the fish is still swimming around off the Top End of the Northern Territory and it proved that our genetic identification methods would work," she said.
"It's certainly a big project but the return in terms of being able to manage the Northern Territory Spanish mackerel fishing industry for sustainability for the future is really, really important, that's why we're putting all this effort into this project."