Barramundi origins: determining the contribution of stocking to the Barramundi catch on Queensland's east coast

This project aims to determine the proportion of Queensland east coast wild barramundi catch that is of hatchery origin in order to improve quantitative stock assessment. Recognising the need for a cheap and effective method to identify the contribution of stocked fish, the project will: - develop a near infrared spectroscopy model that can distinguish between wild origin and hatchery origin barramundi; - develop an otolith chemistry model that can distinguish between wild origin and hatchery origin barramundi; - compare the results from these two models against an established genetics-based method to distinguish between wild and hatchery origin fish; and - conduct a cost-benefit evaluation of the two approaches.