Northern Tasmania Research Articles

A New Approach for Understanding International Hospital Bed Numbers and Application to Local Area Bed Demand and Capacity Planning.

Three models/methods are given to understand the extreme international variation in available and occupied hospital bed numbers. These models/methods all rely on readily available data. In the first, occupied beds (rather than available beds) are used to measure the expressed demand for hospital beds. The expressed occupied bed demand for three countries was in the order Australia > England > USA. Next, the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) has dual functions. Less developed countries/regions have low access to healthcare, which results in high ASMR, or a negative slope between ASMR versus available/occupied beds. In the more developed countries, high ASMR can also be used to measure the 'need' for healthcare (including occupied beds), a positive slope among various social (wealth/lifestyle) groups, which will include Indigenous peoples. In England, a 100-unit increase in ASMR (European Standard population) leads to a 15.3-30.7 (feasible range) unit increase in occupied beds per 1000 deaths. Higher ASMR shows why the Australian states of the Northern Territory and Tasmania have an intrinsic higher bed demand. The USA has a high relative ASMR (for a developed/wealthy country) because healthcare is not universal in the widest sense. Lastly, a method for benchmarking the whole hospital's average bed occupancy which enables them to run at optimum efficiency and safety. English hospitals operate at highly disruptive and unsafe levels of bed occupancy, manifesting as high 'turn-away'. Turn-away implies bed unavailability for the next arriving patient. In the case of occupied beds, the slope of the relationship between occupied beds per 1000 deaths and deaths per 1000 population shows a power law function. Scatter around the trend line arising from year-to-year fluctuations in occupied beds per 1000 deaths, ASMR, deaths per 1000 population, changes in the number of persons hidden in the elective, outpatient and diagnostic waiting lists, and local area variation in births affecting maternity, neonatal, and pediatric bed demand. Additional variation will arise from differences in the level of local funding for social care, especially elderly care. The problems associated with crafting effective bed planning are illustrated using the English NHS as an example.

Do compulsory mental health patients have a right to receive a second opinion on their treatment under Australian mental health legislation?

We reviewed Australian mental health legislation to determine what obligations it places on psychiatrists to facilitate second opinions for compulsory patients who request them. Only four jurisdictions-Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia-have legislated for 'patient-initiated' second opinions. Within these four regimes, there is variation in important aspects of the second opinion process, and there is a general absence of direction given to the second opinion providers. Based on research showing the variability of second opinion provision under New Zealand mental health legislation, we argue that this absence is likely to result in significant variation in the quality and depth of second opinions provided in Australia. We argue that New South Wales, the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Tasmania should consider formal provision for patient-initiated second opinions in their mental health legislation. We believe that such legislation ought to be aware of the barriers patients may face in accessing second opinions, and avoid exacerbating these barriers as Queensland's legislation appears to. Also, we argue that research on current practice in Australia should be conducted to better understand the effects of legislation on second opinions, and to help determine what amounts to best practice.

Occurrence of Stenurus globicephalae (Nematoda: Pseudaliidae) in the blowhole of Globicephala macrorhynchus (Cetacea: Delphinidae) in Tasmania, Australia.

Information about parasites of cetaceans in Australia is scarce and mostly opportunistic. The morphology of specimens of the metastrongyloid Stenurus globicephalae Baylis & Daubney, 1925 (Nematoda: Pseudaliidae), collected from the blowhole of a pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus Gray, 1846 (Cetacea: Delphinidae) off northern Tasmania, Australia, were studied. Light and scanning electron microscopical examinations enabled a detailed redescription of this nematode species, including corrections of some inaccuracies in previous species descriptions, particularly those concerning cephalic and caudal structures. The presence of numerous ventrolateral oblique muscle bands, characteristic of the males of S. globicephalae, is reported for the first time. This is the second finding of this nematode parasite, in a different host species, in Tasmania.

Retrospective study of clinical settings, indications and consequences of measurement of direct oral anticoagulant plasma levels in Northern Tasmania, Australia.

Routine monitoring of direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) levels is not recommended but may be useful in certain clinical situations. There is a knowledge gap regarding the clinical use of DOAC levels in Australian hospitals. To evaluate the clinical settings, indications and changes to anticoagulant management associated with DOAC levels in a tertiary hospital in Northern Tasmania, Australia. Patients with one or more DOAC levels (dabigatran, rivaroxaban or apixaban) requested between January 2017 and December 2022 were identified. Retrospective chart review was performed to evaluate the clinical settings, indications, adequacy of request information and changes to clinical management associated with the measurement of DOAC levels. One hundred and twenty-nine DOAC measurements (54 rivaroxaban, 66 apixaban and nine dabigatran) were performed in 98 patients between January 2017 and December 2022. Annual requests for DOAC levels increased significantly between 2017 and 2019 and remained stable between 2020 and 2021 but declined in 2022. Overall, the most common indication for a DOAC level was renal impairment, followed by bleeding and recurrent thrombosis. Approximately 25% of requests were for acute bleeding with a reversal/haemostatic agent given in 45% of patients, while 10% were prior to urgent surgery. Measurement of DOAC levels was associated with a change in management in 50% of cases. 10% of requests did not specify anticoagulant history. Trends in requests for DOAC levels have changed over time. Clinician education regarding the importance of providing specific anticoagulant history is essential. Future prospective studies investigating the clinical utility of DOAC levels in different clinical settings are needed.

ABEL Energy selects Johnson Matthey’s methanol technology for its flagship project at Bell Bay in Northern Tasmania

ABEL Energy selects Johnson Matthey’s methanol technology for its flagship project at Bell Bay in Northern Tasmania

Changes in the Southern Hemisphere westerlies during last interglacial marine isotope stage 5e and its linkage to the Asian summer monsoon

Considerable ambiguity remains over the triggers for the abrupt climate deterioration that terminated the Last Interglacial Marine Isotope Stage 5e (MIS5e) period. A prevailing explanation is a sudden reduction in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) in response to the reduced boreal summer insolation. Nonetheless, this opinion is challenged by the early weakening of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) documented in the Chinese speleothem oxygen isotope (δ18O) ratio records. Here we propose a new mechanism involving a northerly shift of the Southern Hemisphere mid-latitude westerlies (SHW), based on saturation magnetization (Ms) and stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen isotopes from a speleothem in northern Tasmania. The Ms record shows high-frequent peaks at 122.8–119.7 ka B.P., while δ18O and δ13C ratios first increase significantly (122.8–122.2 ka B.P.) and then decrease (122.2–119.7 ka B.P.). These Ms peaks suggest a northward shift of SHW at 122.8–119.7 ka B.P., which precedes the earliest ASM weakening for MIS5e demise and coincides with the reduced Agulhas leakage. This indicates that when SHW reaches a northerly position, the reduced Agulhas leakage leads to an anomalous warming in the southern Indian Ocean, further weakening the cross-equatorial flow. Such a process would aggravate the ASM weakening caused by the decline in boreal summer insolation and initiate an early MIS5e demise.

Changes in Magnitude and Shifts in Timing of Australian Flood Peaks

We analysed changes in magnitude and timing of the largest annual observed daily flow (Amax), in each water year, for 596 stations in high-value water resource catchments and flood risk locations across Australia. These stations are either included in the Bureau of Meteorology’s Hydrologic Reference Stations or used in its operational flood forecasting services. Monotonic trend (which is either consistently increasing or decreasing) analyses of the magnitude and timing of flood peaks (estimated using Amax) were performed using the Theil–Sen and Mann–Kendall approaches and circular statistics to identify the strength of seasonality and timing. We analysed regional significance across different drainage divisions using the Walker test. Monotonic decreasing trends in Amax flood magnitude were found in the Murray–Darling River Basin and in other drainage divisions in Victoria, southwest and midwest of Western Australia and South Australia. No significant obvious pattern in Amax magnitude was detected in northern Queensland, coastal NSW, central Australia and Tasmania. Monotonic increasing trends were only found in the Tanami–Timor Sea Coast drainage division in northern Australia. Monotonic trends in Amax magnitude were regionally significant at the drainage division scale. We found two distinct patterns in flood seasonality and timing. In the northern and southern parts of Australia, flood peaks generally occur from February to March and August to October, respectively. The strength of this seasonality varies across the country. Weaker seasonality was detected for locations in the Murray–Darling River Basin, and stronger seasonality was evident in northern Australia, the southwest of Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. The trends of seasonality and timing reveal that in general, flood peaks have occurred later in the water year in recent years. In northern Australia, flood peaks have generally occurred earlier, at a rate of 12 days/decade. In Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, the trends in timing are generally mixed. However, in the southwest of Western Australia, the largest change in timing was evident, with Amax peaks commencing later at a rate of 15 days/decade. Decadal variability in flood timing was found at the drainage division scale as well. Most stations show a decreasing trend in Amax magnitude, but how that trend is associated with the change in timing is not clear.

The beautiful noctuid moth Chasmina pulchra (Doubleday) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a highly dispersive species, now established on urban kurrajongs Brachychiton populneus in southern Australia

ABSTRACT We report the establishment of the beautiful noctuid moth Chasmina pulchra in southern Australia following repeated self-introduction. First recorded in 1955 as a vagrant in suburban Adelaide, specimens have been collected or observed at an increasing rate since then. We have recently located a breeding population on the Adelaide Plains where the larvae feed on the introduced kurrajong tree Brachychiton populneus (Malvaceae), although other Brachychiton species are likely to be exploited elsewhere in its range. Native to the drier parts of eastern Australia, this drought-tolerant tree has been widely grown as a specimen or amenity tree in suburban Adelaide since the mid-nineteenth century. Chasmina pulchra appears to have an annual life cycle in South Australia, with adult moths active in the summer, December – March. Larvae cause characteristic scalloping on the leaf margins of the food plant. We present evidence that this tropical to subtropical native species has expanded its range into the southern half of the continent in the last few decades. We also report the first specimen collected in northern Tasmania, associated with a weather system that could have facilitated its movement across Bass Strait. Southward incursions are associated with both wetter and drier than average monthly rainfall totals just prior to the event. Together with recent records from southwestern Australia well beyond the natural range of a putative food plant, we conclude that C. pulchra is a highly dispersive species, behaviour consistent with at least one other species of Chasmina in the Old World.

Supervised machine learning for predicting and interpreting dynamic drivers of plantation forest productivity in northern Tasmania, Australia

The capacity of a plantation forest to grow and produce timber is locally constrained by topography, climate, soil conditions, and external factors such as fire and timber harvesting. Accurate estimation of forest productivity supports effective forest management. However, efficiently generating accurate models of forest productivity is hampered by the need to gather, process and integrate large volumes of disparate, high dimensional data that require computationally intensive data analysis processing methods. Recent developments in cloud-based machine learning systems offer a means to address this problem.This research investigates the use of supervised machine learning to model and predict forest productivity across pine (Pinus radiata) plantations in northern Tasmania, Australia. Forest productivity models are generated by integrating 23 predictive features, including multi-temporal LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) derived topographic attributes, climate (rainfall and temperature) information, and edaphic conditions (geology and soil). Five machine learning (ML) regression algorithms are compared for this task: Linear Regression (LR), Polynomial Regression (PR), Decision Trees Regression (DT), Random Forests (RF) and Gradient Boosted Decision Trees Regression (GBDT). The best performing algorithm, in terms of the optimal bias-variance trade-off, was RF (RMSE 2.08 and Bias −0.72) followed closely by GBDT (RMSE 2.13 and Bias −0.68) and DT (RMSE 2.94 and Bias −0.68). Tuning Model Complexity was used to provide a clear understanding of the relationship and interactions between input features and forest productivity, resulting in more accurate and interpretable models. In contrast, we conclude that GBDT results in a more reliable predictive performance than RF, and transferability model to unseen data by assessing the spatial autocorrelation. Across the top performing models, rainfall was the most important factor driving forest productivity, followed by geological class, topographic position index (TPI), landscape aspect and Digital Elevation Model (DEM).This work demonstrates the usefulness of supervised machine learning techniques to generate accurate and efficient forest productivity predictions from large and diverse spatial datasets. Moreover, users are afforded the ability to gain insight into changes that affect forest productivity through time, such as the increasing risks of wildfire and climate change by identifying the factors that contribute the most to the tree growth. By delivering a framework to understand complex and dynamic drivers of productivity through a machine learning pipeline enhanced by cloud-based machine learning systems, forest managers are provided with easily accessible tools to maximisation productivity.

Long-term biogeographical processes dominate patterns of genetic diversity in a wingless grasshopper despite substantial recent habitat fragmentation.

Low-vagility species may hold strong genetic signatures of past biogeographical processes but are also vulnerable to habitat loss. Flightless grasshoppers of the morabine group were once widespread in southeastern Australia, including Tasmania, but are becoming restricted to remnant patches of vegetation, with local ranges impacted by agriculture and development as well as management. Habitat fragmentation can generate genetically differentiated "island" populations with low genetic variation. However, following revegetation, populations could be re-established, and gene flow increased. Here we characterize single nucleotide polymorphism-based genetic variation in a widespread chromosomal race of the morabine Vandiemenella viatica (race 19) to investigate the genetic health of remnant populations and to provide guidelines for restoration efforts. We update the distribution of this race to new sites in Victoria and Tasmania, and show that V. viatica populations from northern Tasmania and eastern Victoria have reduced genetic variation compared to other mainland populations. In contrast, there was no effect of habitat fragment size on genetic variation. Tasmanian V. viatica populations fell into two groups, one connected genetically to eastern Victoria and the other connected to southwestern Victoria. Mainland populations showed isolation by distance. These patterns are consistent with expectations from past biogeographical processes rather than local recent population fragmentation and emphasize the importance of small local reserves in preserving genetic variation. The study highlights how genomic analyses can combine information on genetic variability and population structure to identify biogeographical patterns within a species, which in turn can inform decisions on potential source populations for translocations.

The botany of the Stony Head Training Area: new records for a biodiverse remnant in northern Tasmania, Australia

A flora survey of the Stony Head Training Area, northern Tasmania, was conducted in 2020–2021 as a collaboration between the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery’s Expeditions of Discovery and the Australian Biological Resources Study Bush Blitz programs. With a long historical use as an artillery range, the 5000-ha area contains a range of geologies, has a low profile with average elevations under 100 m asl, and its vegetation consists largely of heathy woodlands and coastal heathlands. It contains a range of relatively undisturbed, high-quality native habitats and populations of several threatened species. The survey targeted vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens, and recorded a total of 575 taxa. Nine lichens are new records for Tasmania — <i>Buellia hypostictella</i>, <i>Caloplaca gilfillaniorum</i>, <i>Cladonia subradiata</i>, <i>Graphis geraensis</i>, <i>Lecanora intumescens</i> and <i>Opegrapha diaphoriza</i> — all previously also known from mainland Australia, and <i>Micarea rhabdogena</i>, <i>M. xanthonica</i> and <i>Pseudothelomma ocellatum</i>, which represent first records for the Southern Hemisphere. Biogeographical and ecological patterns in the flora, the contribution of vegetation remnants to flora conservation, and the ongoing importance of surveys and alpha-taxonomy for documenting biodiversity are discussed. Our findings are consistent with a body of research showing a trend of healthy populations of threatened taxa within military training areas.

Gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention in Tasmanian women: The Baby-bod Study.

Many factors can negatively impact perinatal outcomes, including inappropriate gestational weight gain (GWG). Despite having the greatest potential to influence maternal and infant health, there is a lack of consensus regarding the GWG consistent with a healthy pregnancy. To date, GWG in Northern Tasmania remains understudied. We investigated how maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) is related to weight gain during pregnancy and weight retention post-partum, and how maternal pre-pregnancy BMI is related to the mode of delivery. Approximately 300 Tasmanian mothers (n = 291 for mode of delivery and n = 282 for GWG) were included in this study. Analysis of variance and chi square tests were conducted to assess differences in BW of mothers across BMI categories and differences between categorical variables; respectively. Based on pre-pregnancy BMI, mothers were assigned to one of three groups, with healthy weight (<25 kg m-2), with overweight (25–29.9 kg m-2), or with obesity (>30 kg m-2). Pre-pregnancy BMI and body weight (BW) were significantly associated (p<0.001) with post-partum BW at 3 and 6 months. Only 25% of mothers with a normal weight BMI, 34% with overweight and 13% with obesity, achieved the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendation for GWG. Interestingly, a number of women in our cohort lost weight during gestation (1.5, 9 and 37% in <25, 25–29.9 and >30 kg m-2 groups, respectively). Further, women with obesity showed the lowest level of BW fluctuation and retained less weight post-partum. The highest number of caesarean sections were observed in mothers who exceeded GWG recommendations. Most mothers either exceeded or failed to achieve IOM recommendations for GWG. To improve the generalisability of these findings, this study should be replicated in a larger representative sample of the Tasmanian maternal population.

History of slope instability in the Oldina plantation, Tasmania

Background: This paper describes a landslide swarm generated by exceptionally high two-day rainfall (c. 300 mm) associated with a stationary cut-off low pressure system over northern Tasmania in early June 2016 and investigates evidence for previous slope instability. The landslide swarm occurred in a recently harvested plantation in the Inglis River catchment at Oldina, south of Wynyard in north-west Tasmania. Within a relatively small area of plantation underlain by weathered Permian tillite and minor siltstones more than thirty rapid earthflows, rotational and translational landslides occurred. Many landslides also occurred in the nearby Forth and Mersey River catchments. Methods: Field observations combined with a digital elevation model produced from high-resolution drone imagery were used to describe the morphology of the Oldina landslides, and to calculate the mass of soil, sediment, and woody debris displaced. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal exposed in landslide backwalls enabled palaeo-landslides and periglacial activity at Oldina to be dated. Results: An estimated 48,400–72,310 t of soil, sediment and woody debris was carried downslope by the major landslides but has been retained within the plantation area. The total sediment loss from the affected upper catchments is likely to be greater than the above estimate as the contribution from small riparian landslides, sheet, gully, and rill erosion has not been accounted for, nor has streambank erosion and sediment transported off the study site been measured. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal in sediments indicated that two landslides had evidence of previous instability in the Holocene. Most ages indicated that previous instability dated to 35–15 cal ka BP, i.e., to a time when the climate was cold and dry and freeze-thaw processes in a sparsely vegetated landscape were active. Conclusions: During planning for harvest the soils developed on Permian tillite were correctly described as having a low to moderate risk of landslide erosion. This study concludes that the landslides initiated in June 2016 resulted from exceptionally heavy rain falling on harvested steep and hilly land coupled with the decline in root strength of the harvested trees. The frequency of such a combination of circumstances may increase if high-intensity rainfall increases in Tasmania as the result of climate change. To improve the long-term stability of this terrain and the overall sustainability of plantation forestry it is recommended that landslides and riparian areas are seeded with native vegetation, and that the current assessment of landslide risk for this terrain is re-evaluated.

Supervised Machine Learning for Predicting and Interpreting Dynamic Drivers of Plantation Forest Productivity in Northern Tasmania, Australia

Supervised Machine Learning for Predicting and Interpreting Dynamic Drivers of Plantation Forest Productivity in Northern Tasmania, Australia

A rapid sediment pulse induced by glacial melting during the MIS 8/7e transition buried well‐developed karst in the Railton Valley, Tasmania, Australia

Recent catastrophic sinkhole collapse caused by regional water table lowering induced by quarrying has led to the partial exhumation and reactivation of a buried karst cave system in the floor of the Railton Valley in the lowlands of northern Tasmania, Australia, and widespread sinkhole development. Extensive silty sediments exposed in sinkholes, OSL dated to approximately 237 ka, are interpreted to be lacustrine deposits derived from rapidly deposited glacial outwash. The silty sediments have mineralogy consistent with derivation from a source in the upper Mersey catchment rather than locally and are interpreted to be the product of rapid melting of the Mersey Valley glacier during the MIS 8/7e transition. Thick Last Glacial alluvial fan and Holocene flood‐plain deposits mantle the lacustrine sediments. Exposures of glacial erratics and weathered till in streambeds provide further evidence that the valley was impacted by earlier Pleistocene glaciations.

WHO Child Growth Standards in context: The Baby–bod Project - Observational study in Tasmania

ObjectiveThis research evaluated (1) differences in body size and composition of Tasmanian infants at birth and 3 and 6 months postpartum compared with WHO child growth standards and (2) body...

Environmental DNA detection of the giant freshwater crayfish (Astacopsis gouldi)

AbstractThe giant freshwater crayfish, Astacopsis gouldi Clark, 1936, is an endangered endemic freshwater species native to Northern Tasmania. Habitat loss, fishing pressure, and climate change have been identified as threatening processes. The Australian government approved a recovery plan for A. gouldi in 2017 that requires routine population surveys to assess the impact of ongoing threats and recovery actions. We developed a novel species‐specific probe‐based assay targeting a 219 bp fragment in the Cytochrome Oxidase 1 gene region to detect traces of A. gouldi DNA in environmental samples as a cost‐effective, sensitive, and non‐invasive surveillance method to assess the presence of this endangered species. We tested assay specificity against ten crayfish species commonly found in Tasmania within the Astacopsis, Cherax, Geocharax, Engaeus, and Ombrastacoides genera and determined assay sensitivity using tissue‐derived genomic DNA and synthetic oligo standards designed for A. gouldi. We then tested water samples collected from aquaria and natural freshwater streams in Northern Tasmania with known occurrence of A. gouldi, as well as one site with no known A. gouldi occurrence. The probe‐based assay designed in this study successfully detected A. gouldi DNA and eDNA with a 10 copies/µl limit of detection and showed no amplification of non‐targeted co‐existing crayfish species. We successfully detected the presence of A. gouldi eDNA in water samples from six sites with known occurrences of the species. There was no detection from the negative site. This study validates the use of eDNA‐based detection of A. gouldi by real‐time PCR as a non‐invasive monitoring tool to assist field monitoring, assessment, and complement ongoing recovery actions to protect habitable ecosystems of A. gouldi.

Estimating Pasture Biomass Using Sentinel-2 Imagery and Machine Learning

Effective dairy farm management requires the regular estimation and prediction of pasture biomass. This study explored the suitability of high spatio-temporal resolution Sentinel-2 imagery and the applicability of advanced machine learning techniques for estimating aboveground biomass at the paddock level in five dairy farms across northern Tasmania, Australia. A sequential neural network model was developed by integrating Sentinel-2 time-series data, weekly field biomass observations and daily climate variables from 2017 to 2018. Linear least-squares regression was employed for evaluating the results for model calibration and validation. Optimal model performance was realised with an R2 of ≈0.6, a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of ≈356 kg dry matter (DM)/ha and a mean absolute error (MAE) of 262 kg DM/ha. These performance markers indicated the results were within the variability of the pasture biomass measured in the field, and therefore represent a relatively high prediction accuracy. Sensitivity analysis further revealed what impact each farm’s in situ measurement, pasture management and grazing practices have on the model’s predictions. The study demonstrated the potential benefits and feasibility of improving biomass estimation in a cheap and rapid manner over traditional field measurement and commonly used remote-sensing methods. The proposed approach will help farmers and policymakers to estimate the amount of pasture present for optimising grazing management and improving decision-making regarding dairy farming.

Astronomy in northern Tasmania

Tasmania has been the site of much astronomical activity over the past century. While most of the scientific research has taken place in the south of the state, this paper documents the significant activities that have been a focus in northern Tasmania, tracing the history of key events and people involved. The scene is set with a summary of pre-1920 astronomical history, followed by a detailed discussion of activities over the past 100 years, including the establishment of the Launceston Planetarium and its subsequent shift from QVMAG to the present-day Inveresk site. It identifies the many professional and amateur astronomers who have played a pivotal role in helping build Tasmania’s strong astronomical reputation as a centre for research and education, now recognised worldwide. Many aspects of this paper are drawn from the author’s own experience in the hopes of attracting further information to expand our knowledge.

Aquarium industry offers hope for Tasmania’s critically endangered handfish

Southeast Australia, and most notably Tasmania, is the last home to the Handfishes, a unique group of marine fish that use their fins for walking. A range of threats occur across all species, with four listed as endangered, two as critically endangered, and the Red Handfish now on the brink of extinction. This paper summarises the contribution being made to the national recovery of the Spotted Handfish and Red Handfish by a captive breeding project underway at Beauty Point in northern Tasmania. Information is provided on husbandry techniques, survival and growth rates in captivity and a trial underway to identify their reproductive strategies. This program highlights the contribution the aquarium industry can make to improving the survival of two of the world’s most unique species of marine fishes and the collaboratives efforts of those involved.