WORK EXPEREINCE AT DPI QUEENSCLIFF

MDC Volunteer Lauren.D. reports on her work placement at DPI Queencliff...

As part of my university studies at Deakin University the unit Professional Practice requires the completion of 80hrs of work experience. I decided to undertake this placement at Queenscliff’s Department of Primary Industries in the Aquaculture department as I am very interested in this industry. Also, I was familiar with the area, projects and staff due to volunteering at the Marine Discovery Centre. This gave me a foot in the door to secure a work experience placement.

Oysters in general anthesitic to relax the mussel
allowing extraction of the larvae by gently
squirting water inside tehe shell

So far I am loving placement. I have gained huge amounts of industry knowledge and have met many interesting people. Two projects that I have participated in include the abalone offshore trials and the oyster hatchery.  Last Wednesday we induced spawning in the oysters. This was achieved by anaesthetising the oysters to extract larvae. In the end we obtained around 11 million larvae. It was amazing to be a part of and very interesting! I have also learnt huge amounts on the very successful mussel hatchery. I would definitely recommend the aquaculture department to others wishing to take part in placement – it’s awesome!

Larvae caught in the grading seives,
the larve is the black - gray material

Once the larvae had been graded we placed them
into these tanks according to there developmental
stage and began feeding algae

SUCKING SLURPING SEAHORSES

Seahorse feeding time with Georgie & Tess....

Seahorses are named for their equine profile. Although they are bony fish, they do not have scales, but rather a thin skin stretched over a series of bony plates arranged in rings throughout their body. Each species has a distinct number of rings.

Seahorses are ambush predators, feeding primarily on crustaceans, mostly shrimp. At the MDC the seahorses are fed a variety of foods: live amphiods, plankton but mostly brine shrimp.

 

Brine shrimp (aka sea monkey's)

hard to see in an aerated tank 

Tap tap tap, this is how we get the
cheeky little shrimp out of the net



They swim very poorly by using a dorsal fin, which they rapidly flutter and pectoral fins, located behind their eyes, which they use to steer. Seahorses have no caudal fin. Since they are poor swimmers, they are most likely to be found resting, with their prehensile tails wound around a stationary object.

 

One sweet seahorse waiting patiently
for its food. Clinging to the seaweed
with its prehensile tail - a tail adapted
to grasp and/or hold objects.

They have long straw like snouts, which they use to suck up food, and eyes that can move independently of each other, much like a chameleon.

 

Slurping up a little shrimp like
we would slurp up a tasty milkshake

Georgie & Tess love seahorses xx