Vulnerability of barramundi to climate change Vulnerability of an iconic Australian finfish (barramundi – Lates calcarifer) and aligned industries to climate change across tropical Australia Dean R. Jerry, Carolyn Smith-Keune, Lauren Hodgson, Igor Pirozzi, A. Guy Carton, Kate S. Hutson, Alexander K. Brazenor, Alejandro Trujillo Gonzalez, Stephen Gamble, Geoff Collins and Jeremy VanDerWal Project No. 2010/521 Page i Vulnerability of barramundi to climate change ISBN 978-0-9875922-9-3 © Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and James Cook University, 2013 This work is copyright. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process, electronic or otherwise, without the specific written permission of the copyright owners. Information may not be stored electronically in any form whatsoever without such permission. 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Page ii Vulnerability of barramundi to climate change TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... iii NON TECHNICAL SUMMARY ...................................................................................... 15 OBJECTIVES: ............................................................................................................ 15 OUTCOMES ACHIEVED TO DATE ........................................................................ 16 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... 19 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................. 20 NEED ................................................................................................................................... 23 OBJECTIVES ..................................................................................................................... 24 MATERIALS AND METHODS ....................................................................................... 25 Component A: The population genetic structure of Australian barramundi and its relationship to landscape features. .............................................................................. 25 Background ............................................................................................................ 25 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................... 26 Component B: Physiological tests .............................................................................. 40 i) Live/Dead cell assays .............................................................................................. 40 Background ............................................................................................................ 40 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................... 40 ii) Routine metabolic rate, maximum metabolic rate and aerobic scope in hatchery populations of barramundi from different genetic stocks ........................................... 42 Background ............................................................................................................ 42 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................... 44 iii) Hypoxia trials ........................................................................................................ 48 Page iii Vulnerability of barramundi to climate change Background ............................................................................................................ 48 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................... 50 Component C: Parasite surveys and risk analyses ...................................................... 54 i) Risk assessment to identify the likelihood and consequence of metazoan parasite epizootics in mariculture of barramundi ..................................................................... 54 Background ............................................................................................................ 54 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................... 55 ii) The effects of temperature and salinity on the life cycle of high risk parasites ..... 59 Background ............................................................................................................ 59 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................... 61 iii) Genetic susceptibility of barramundi stocks to Neobenedenia infection and mode of this parasites pathology .......................................................................................... 68 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................... 68 iv) Histopathology ...................................................................................................... 68 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................... 68 Component D: Modelled effects of future climate change on wild fisheries and aquaculture production ............................................................................................... 70 i) Modelling climate change impacts on the wild barramundi fishery ....................... 70 Background ............................................................................................................ 70 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................... 73 ii) Modelling climate change impacts on barramundi aquaculture ............................. 79 Background ............................................................................................................ 79 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................... 81 Page iv Vulnerability of barramundi to climate change RESULTS/DISCUSSION .................................................................................................. 84 Component A: The population genetic structure of Australian barramundi and its relationship to landscape features. .............................................................................. 84 Component B: Physiological testing ......................................................................... 106 i) Live/Dead cell assays ............................................................................................ 106 ii) Resting metabolic rate, maximum metabolic rate and aerobic scope in populations of barramundi ............................................................................................................ 108 Validation of open-top respirometry as a method to determine MO2 .................. 108 Determination of routine metabolic rate, maximum metabolic rate and aerobic scope in four genetic stocks of barramundi ......................................................... 109 iii) Hypoxia trials ...................................................................................................... 111 Component C: Parasite surveys and risk analyses .................................................... 118 i) Risk assessment to identify the likelihood and consequence of metazoan parasite epizootics in mariculture of barramundi ................................................................... 118 Parasite species .................................................................................................... 118 Risk assessment for mariculture of Lates calcarifer ............................................ 131 ii) The effects of temperature and salinity on the life cycle of high risk parasites ... 137 Time to first and last hatch and hatching success of Neobenedenia .................... 137 Hatching success and time to first and last hatch of Lernanthropus latis ............ 140 Oncomiracidial longevity ..................................................................................... 141 Infection success and time to sexual maturity ..................................................... 142 Effect of temperature and salinity on size of Neobenedenia ................................ 143 Life cycle .............................................................................................................. 147 iii) Genetic