Project description
- Background: Sea snakes comprise a significant component of bycatch species across multiple coastal trawl and trap fisheries in northern Australia. This is especially concerning for Western Australian fisheries, which interact with two Australian-endemic sea snake species that are listed as critically endangered under the EPBC Act and IUCN Red List. These are the leaf-scaled sea snake, Aipysurus foliosquama, and the short-nosed sea snake, A. apraefrontalis (which was identified by the DCCEEW as one of nine reptile species in the ‘100 Priority Species’ list). Given difficulties in excluding snakes while maintaining target catches (prawns), an important goal is to reduce snake mortality by understanding its causes. Drowning is often assumed to be the main cause, but for sea snakes stress and physical injury are more likely and might be reduced via operational changes.
- Aims and outcome: The aim of this project is to assess the effects of capture and handling stress on multiple species of sea snakes. Specifically, we will measure stress hormones (glucocorticoids) in response to capture and handling to simulate the effect of sea snakes being caught as bycatch. A potential outcome of this project is to provide new guidelines about the how to handle sea snakes to the fishing industry to increase survival of endangered sea snakes.
- Methods: This project will involve field work in Exmouth, WA (likely at the beginning of 2024) to catch snakes and collect blood samples. The remainder of the project involves laboratory work to measure hormones at Flinders (Bedford Park).
Co-supervisors
Associate Professor Kate Sanders (University of Adelaide) is a collaborator on this project and will provide the technical knowledge for handling sea snakes.
Assumed knowledge
There are no prerequisites or required skills for this project. However, the student who takes on this project should have a keen interest in BOTH field and lab work. They will learn how to do hormone assays (something that requires good methods and attention to detail).
Supervisors research focus
My research examines the physiological mechanisms that regulate animal behaviour. I have focused primarily on understanding how conditions experienced during development shape endocrine responses that affect behaviour and physiology across life history stages with consequences on fitness and life history strategies. I take a whole organism approach by integrating studies of animal behaviour and physiology to tackle large-scale questions that sit at the nexus of behavioural ecology, physiological ecology, and evolutionary biology. I work broadly across taxonomic groups but focus heavily on birds and lizards.
Note: You need to register interest in projects from different supervisors (not a number of projects with the one supervisor).
You must also contact each supervisor directly to discuss both the project details and your suitability to undertake the project.