What is happening now at Ausyfish

This page is designed as a news page for teachers, friends, and relatives of our work experience students. It also gives those interested in aquaculture an idea of the day-to-day life on a pond based fish farm and hatchery. In effect a pictorial diary.

If you would like to come to Ausyfish for work experience send an Email to: bruce@ausyfish.com

Click here to go to "Work Experience" page.

Last updated December 23rd 2009
BELOW: Joe and Wilson harvest fish
BELOW: Joe and Wilson move lungfish
BELOW: Moving the Saratoga brood fish to a new pond.
Moving these big fish provides an opportunity to get a rare picture with these great fish.
Antoine and Dimitri arrive from France still jet lagged, but already getting to know the fish.
Below: Rob and Louise in the Ausyfish lab, examining the developing eggs from the spawning tanks.
Below: Left, Rob and Louise working in the climate room. Right, Rob helps with brood fish collection in one of the farms large storage dams.
Below: Rob and Louise have a very early start to the day when fish need to be packed for export
Below: Left, all loaded up time for a bit more sleep. Right, later when the sun rises Louise tests the water in one of the ponds.
Alina's last few days and she finishes off her assignments.
Left: It's 4am as Alina helps pack 40 boxes of fingerlings destined for Hong Kong. Right: First light and the 40 boxes are loaded on the truck.
Below: Between harvesting fingerlings, Alina finds time to get up close to a carpet python.
Below Alina checks eggs of jade perch and prepares the hormone.
Above the brood fish are injected.
Left Alina falls in love with a baby kangaroo.

 
Sarah is joined by Alina from Mexico. Below left they search the large tank for a lungfish. Right: they finally manage to get one to hold still long enough to have their picture taken.
Left, Sarah helps pack the days orders.

Sarah gets to know some of the fishy residents. Below left, Sarah with a sleepy cod.

Below right, Owner Bruce Sambell tries to help Sarah hold one of the lungfish but as the picture is taken it leaps back into the tank. On the right a picture is finally taken successfully.
Below, Sarah from Malaysia feeds fish and helps set-up new ponds.
Below: Koji and Natsuko help with a silver perch spawn, harvesting brood fish to injecting hormone.
Below left, Koji meets the wild life. Below right, Natsuko helps with a shipment of live fish
Koji and Natsuko help harvest Australian bass fingerlings, then move the lay-flat hose
Natsuko and Koji assist PhD student Alex Jordan from University of NSW and project leader Alex Chang from the University of Singapore. The day's activities included collecting all the farm's Saratoga, tagging each individual and locating them to their new pond.
Natsuko left, and Koji right, with farm manager Alan. Alex Chang left and Alex Jordan right with one of the breeder Saratoga.
Each Saratoga is carefully moved from the pond to the transporter tank where it is given individual identification.
Mark and farm manager, Alan harvest baby Saratoga.
Below: The baby Saratoga are moved from the pond to the holding tank.
Below Mark from James Cook University, in Townsville monitors temperatures in the ornamental hot house.
Lachlan's last days and he sees archer fish hatch. This was the first time this species has been captive breed.
Caring for Australian bass fingerlings
Meeting more of the wild life
Exploring the beaches
Daily routine by Maria and Asier keep them busy each morning
Dry weather and a bush fire gives Asier and Maria a unique experience as fire fighters
Now they are full of smiles as they have purchased their freedom, wheels to explore ! They have named their vehicle, "Perchy".
Below. New students from Spain, Asier and Maria check the Jade Perch larvae.
Below; Louis experiences the Aussie bush.
Right; Louis helps sort rainbows.
Below: Louis meets the locals
Below: Louis attends aquaculture conference and trade show.
Below left: Louis prepares for spawning season. Right, Louis with one of the large female sleepy cod breeders.

 
It's goodbye from Australia to Roman and Julien.
New arrival from France, Louis helps with Julien's Jade Perch project.
Below; After helping with Jade Perch Louis picks water lilies
Julien gets up close with a large freshwater catfish.
Julien's project gets underway now that water temperatures are finally low enough. In the group of pictures below the fish which will be part of the project are measured, weighed, and sex is determined. Julien records all the data. Each fish is photographed on both sides as a back-up identification. The spots on each fish are unique to each fish. A number of these pictures are included below to demonstrate this feature.
 

 
 

  
 

  
 

  
 

  
 

  
 

  
 

  
Below: Roman and Julien assist while tissue samples are preserved in alcohol for later examination.
Below left: Fisheries Patrol officer check our permits. Below right: Roman and Julien look on as specimens are examined measured and preserved for genetic studies back at the lab.
Below: Two scientists study the samples collected and measure specimens.
Below: The tent up and the camp site established it is time to get to work.
Below: Roman and Julien have a rare opportunity to join an expedition to Central Australia, the Lake Eyre Basin. A trip of 1,200 kilometers.  This is a semi arid area where the rivers only flow occasionally.
Below Left: The boys harvest a pond. Right: Breeding danios. Click here for more on danios
Time to meet the wild life.
Below: The boys meet their first snake. On the right the snake strikes almost getting the boss on the face.
Below: Julien harvests brine shrimp

Below: Roman with a bag of guppies.
Below: Roman watches as Bruce packs a bag of 250 male guppies.
Roman and Julien shake off jet-lag on the first morning, and learn to pack their first bag of fish.
Right: Two new students from France leave Paris Airport for Australia March 19th. Roman on the left and Julien on the right
Below: Within half an hour of arrival at Ausyfish, Luke already has his hands full of fish.
Below left: Courtney hauls the net. Below right: Jayde hauls the other end of the net.
Below: The two girls  harvest fish.
Below: Jayde and Courtney help pack fish regularly. Jayde makes a good supervisor !

Right, and above left: Jayde and Courtney enjoy the "Ausyfish" mud.   ( Perhaps they think it's good for the skin ! ? ) 

Above right: the girls collect the live brine shrimp which they feed to the baby Barramundi.

Left: Aimee, harvests brine shrimp. 

Below: Aimee helps to pack her first shipment of fish.
Below, Barramundi fry developing well
 

 

Below and right, Peter checks the development of the Barramundi fry.

 

Baptist's last few days and it's time to play in the mud. Moving the rare Australian lung fish into another pond Baptiste gets up close and personal with one of the world's rarest fish.

It is in here somewhere ! Got it !
Looks like it got me ! Mud is good for the skin ?
Up close ! Visitor for the day, Michelle shows just how big they are.
 

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