Southern rock lobster is only found in the waters of Southern Australia and New Zealand. Chemical tracers such as stable isotope and fatty acid analyses are means by which the diet of southern rock lobsters in fished and reserve areas may be determined. The combined use of stable isotope and fatty acid analyses has been successfully applied to understanding the feeding ecology of marine invertebrates.

The need for determining whether stable isotopes are a useful tool for diet analysis and identification of catch location is a priority for the Southern Rock Lobster (SRL) fishery. If proved useful, this technology will allow for rapid identification and isolation of stock abnormalities – such as toxic algal blooms, which has potential to save much time and money for fisheries management.

This project aims to determine the level of stable isotope variation within individual lobster tissues (eg muscle vs shell) and identify a non-lethal and minimally destructive method of sampling for stable isotopes. In addition, this project will quantify role of smaller lobsters in the predation and control of Longspined Sea Urchin in Tasmania. If results show that small lobsters do predate on urchins, this will be important for informing stock rebuilding targets and reference points relative to urchin control.