Cockrone Lagoon Aquatic Biological Survey-Final Report (PDF File ...

Australian Aquatic Biological Pty Ltd
rectangular rake with 600 mm x 200 mm opening. Large – 600 mm x 700 mm scoop net.
• Cast Net. 3m diameter cast net.
• Structure removal and probing. Crayfish & molluscs shelter under rocks and logs, etc. and time
was allocated to lifting such shelter objects and searching by hand for fauna. This is another
particularly important method to detect species that do not respond to traps or nets.
• Burrow excavation by hand. Most crayfish species construct burrows, thus an integral part
of the survey involved careful excavation of burrows by hand to search for crayfish. This is a
particularly important method to detect species that do not respond to traps or nets.
Most animals were examined at the collection site and released after identification. Some voucher
material was retained where appropriate and all retained specimens were placed in transport
containers with a small amount of water and some vegetation from the site and returned to the
laboratory. Selected specimens were placed in glass aquaria and photographed. Crustacean
specimens were then euthanized by freezing for at least 24 hours and subsequently stored in clear,
labelled specimen jars containing 70% ethanol. Tissue samples were retained in cell lysis buffer
from selected specimens for subsequent DNA analysis, as part of the broader ACP.
These simple methods were used to find and capture freshwater aquatic animals for identification
in the Cockrone Lagoon Catchment & surrounding area. However, AABio employs a code of
practice that is designed to limit the transfer of any pests and diseases from one catchment to
another. For each catchment separate traps and nets are utilized and boots, etc. of field workers are
sterilized between catchments.
Use of traps in eastern drainages is prohibited under the Fisheries Management Act and all methods
and collection was authorized under special scientific collection permits. All collections were
authorized by the NSW Department of Industry and Investment under Scientific Collection Permit
P05/0077-4.1. All collections were authorized by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, under
Scientific Licence S13112.
Figure 3. Cockrone Lagoon
Cockrone Lagoon Catchment Aquatic Biodiversity Report 9