Barra helps Tas fish farms deal with climate change
06 November 2007AUSTRALIA - Scientists in northern Tasmania are using tropical fish to help prepare local fish farms for global warming.
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| Tasmanian scientists are studying tropical barramundi to help fish farms cope with global warming |
The University of Tasmania's School of Aquaculture is investigating how barramundi have adapted to higher temperatures.
The Head of Aquaculture, Professor Chris Carter says scientists want to learn how the barramundi use food and temperature to grow.
"We normally work on salmon and trout and it's been exciting to have a tropical fish here and to try and understand that and I think its really interesting, intellectually to have a look at barramundi and salmon," he said.
"They do the same things but I think they do things on different time scales."
"Barramundi do things a bit more quickly because they're at a higher temperature."
The School of Aquaculture scientists have also found that barramundi grow more quickly when fed lupins rather than smaller fish like anchovies.
Professor Carter says the discovery could save the aquaculture industry millions of dollars in fish food costs.
Source: ABCNews
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