
Podcast S5E9. Prawn Farming By the Great Barrier Reef
Australia loves its big juicy pink prawns but how sustainable is the industry and what impact does it have on our waterways?
Healthy waterways underpin our lifestyles and livelihoods. When waterways thrive, so do we.
SEASON 4 | EPISODE 7
For a long time the study of animals and how they interact with their environment has been fieldwork-based, but new eDNA technology is taking a lot of the ‘field’ out of the equation when it comes to searching for an endangered frog.
Trying to find endangered frogs in the Wet Tropics is like looking for a needle in a haystack thanks to small populations and immense amounts of tributaries, but environmental DNA can greatly narrow down the search area. The genetic material left by organisms in the environment – like secreted faeces, mucous and gametes can be picked up more than 20km downstream, making eDNA an ideal tool to save time and effort.
In this episode we’re joined by Dr Cecilia Villacorta Rath, a researcher with TropWater at James Cook University to find out how eDNA has revolutionised the way she and the TropWater team monitor the distribution of frogs.
Further information
Find Dr Villacorta Rath on LinkedIn
Australia loves its big juicy pink prawns but how sustainable is the industry and what impact does it have on our waterways?
Reef tourism has a role to play in educating people about the Great Barrier Reef and how coral reefs around the world are at risk.
JCU Scientists have found a way to replant to replant seagrass in Mourilyan Harbour after it was destroyed by cyclones and floods.
James joined Wet Tropics Waterways as Executive Officer in 2021 and is passionate about working with stakeholders to communicate the value of our unique waterways. His role involves facilitating and coordinating our partnership program, growing our network and investment into the report card program, and science communication. James oversaw the 2022 Innovations in Waterway Health Forum, and hosted season four of the Reef and Rivers podcast.
James is an ecologist and has previously worked on wetland management in the Murray Darling basin, fish passage in Mackay, and aquatic research in the Wet Tropics.
Outside of work you’ll find him in a local waterway with a mask and snorkel, or hiking or biking around our beautiful region.
Richard has been the Science Technical Officer for Wet Tropics Waterways since 2016. His role involves producing the annual results for the waterway health assessment of the wet tropics region using data from a wide range of sources, to present as scores and grades, as well as developing new indicators to address knowledge and monitoring gaps. He works in collaboration with technical staff at other regional report cards.
Richard has a background in freshwater ecology research projects and environmental assessments with CSIRO, University of Queensland, Queensland Government and as a consultant. For a long time he’s been interested in freshwater aquaculture and continues this interest through farming freshwater crayfish, alongside other farming activities.
Greg is a career Aquatic Scientist who has worked extensively on waterways and waterway health across eastern Australia for almost 30 years, including estuarine and marine environments. He’s been living in the Wet Tropics Region since 2017 and continues to work as a consulting scientist on a range of projects for multiple clients.
Greg returns to Wet Tropics Waterways as Independent Chair, having previously managed the partnership from 2018-2021, and was involved with three report card launches, and overseeing the inaugural Urban Water Stewardship Framework implementation and the inaugural Wet Tropics Waterways forum.
Outside of his profession Greg enjoys a range of recreational pursuits that involve exploring the rivers, estuaries and coastal zones of the Wet Tropics.