Basement Jacks Project update
NT Fisheries collaborates with parasitologist to bridge knowledge-gaps as part of a nation-wide Basement Jacks Project.
Megan Porter, from Charles Sturt University, has been working hard in the NT Fisheries lab as part of the Basement Jacks research project.
This project, led by NT Fisheries, aims to better understand the movement and connectivity of Mangrove Jack across northern Australia.
Megan’s role in this project has her processing all Mangrove Jack frame samples and extracting the parasites. Megan will collect parasite data from 30 fish, across 20 different Northern Territory locations. The results will then be compared to samples from NSW, QLD, and WA.
So why are we assessing parasites in Mangrove Jack’s?
Parasites are used as biological tags to help better understand Mangrove Jack population dynamics. The parasites found in gills and guts of fish are best to use as biological tags. To find these:
- Megan removes the gills from the fish and places them in a jar with water and shakes vigorously to dislodge any parasites present.
- Then, the guts are removed from the fish, cut open and placed in a separate jar and shaken.
- Megan then gets behind the microscope and sorts through the wash to find and identify the little beasts!
To date, Megan has found an estimated 15 different parasite taxa living in the Mangrove Jack, with some possible new species.
This parasitology work supports other stock identification techniques being used, including otolith microchemistry and genetics.
This project is reliant on samples donated by commercial, recreational and Aboriginal fishers.
If you catch a Mangrove Jack, that is the above the legal size, you can donate the frame by simply dropping it into one of the participating tackle shops: Fishing and Outdoor World, Craig’s Fishing Warehouse and the Complete Angler.
In return you will receive an exclusive Basement Jacks lure and go in the draw for an even more exclusive Basement Jacks fishing shirt.
Sample collection will finish in early 2025, with the final report being completed in mid-2026.
NT Fisheries appreciates all frames that have been donated date from Aboriginal rangers, commercial and recreational fisheries and is grateful for the support of the Top End’s tackle retail stores. It is a testament to the community’s support for sustainable fishing.
The Basement Jacks research project is funded by FRDC and in collaboration with Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (Government of Western Australia), and the Australian Institute of Marine Science. The project is supported by the Northern Territory Seafood Council, Amateur Fishermen's Association NT (AFANT), Recfishwest and Glencore McArthur River Mine.
Read more about the Basement Jacks project.
|  Ectoparasites from the gills of Mangrove Jack, (Left: Caligus sp. and Right: Lernanthropus paracruciatus. |
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