Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute University of Tasmani

Nature of the Partnership

Current collaborative research between VIMS and the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (TAFI)  involves assessing the status of rock lobster and scallop stocks, determining the effectiveness of releases of juvenile rock lobster for stock enhancement, metapopulation dynamics of exploited species, and the role of habitat availability and food quality on rock lobster populations.

Specific collaborations  include a six-month stint at  VIMS by TAFI's Stewart Frusher, who worked on his doctoral research with Dr. John Hoenig. Hoenig's student Thomas Ihde visited TAFI twice to conduct field experiments with Frusher. Dr. Colin Buxton (TAFI) visited VIMS and Drs. John Hoenig, Romuald Lipcius, Rochelle Seitz, and Todd Gedamke have visited TAFI. Lipcius served as an external examiner for one of the University of Tasmania/TAFI's recent doctoral recipients, David Mills.For more information on cooperative arrangements with TAFI, contact Drs. John Hoenig or Rom Lipcius.

TAFI was established in 1998 as a joint venture between the Tasmanian Government and the University of Tasmania as a center of excellence in applied marine research. TAFI supports the development and sustainable management of Tasmania's living marine resources. TAFI combines the marine research resources of the Fish Health Unit and Mount Pleasant Animal Laboratories in Launceston, the Marine Research Laboratories in Taroona, the School of Aquaculture at the University's Launceston Campus, and the School of Zoology at the University's Hobart campus.