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cater for its aquaculture programmes. NMIT Diploma of Aquaculture programme's new marine scientist Charmaine Gallagher is originally from San Diego, California. Dr Gallagher has a PhD from Oregon State University and more than 25 years' international experience in the marine and aquaculture sector. Dr Gallagher has worked in aquaculture research, development and fi sheries' management with invertebrate species – abalone or paua, shrimp, black lipped pearl oysters and giant clams – including growing, seeding and marketing giant clams. SCOTLAND'S NEW AQUACULTURE AND FISHERIES BILL After repeated complaints against salmon farming by recreational salmon anglers, the Scottish government is currently engaged in a consultation prior to the introduction of a new Aquaculture and Fisheries Bill to tighten controls on the salmon farming industry. Since the latest Minister for Aquaculture took up his role, it has been suggested that the wild fi sh interests have besieged the minister with demands and this new proposed legislation is the result. A response to the Scottish government's consultation is being prepared by Callander McDowell who hope to introduce suffi cient element of doubt about the proposed legislation that the Scottish bovernment send it back for a major rethink. SEA'S CANARIES SINGING New Zealand Herald writer Sam Judd recently described jellyfi sh as canaries and,"cockroaches of the sea", because they thrive in damaged environments, "which is why their proliferation is so worrying for us". He refers to research done by the United States National Science Foundation that showed jellyfi sh numbers in the Bering Sea multiplied 40 times in the period 1982 to 2000, studies of outbreaks of Nomura jellyfi sh in the Sea of Japan which grow up to 2m in diameter and weigh 200 kilos, and studies in areas of the Gulf of Mexico where more than 100 jellyfi sh can be found in each cubic metre of water. Judd said work from Australia's CSIRO suggested that: "open-ocean ecosystems can fl ip from being dominated by fi sh, to being dominated by jellyfi sh". Environmental problems can promote the formation of jellyfi sh populations include pollution, and the over-harvesting of their natural predators, fi sh. MAF NAMECHANGE Fisheries and Aquaculture have been folded in with Agriculture and Biosecurity to form a new portfolio of Primary Industries. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is to be renamed to refl ect the importance of the whole primary sector to the economy. The ministry, to be known as the Ministry for Primary Industries from April 30, will cover agriculture, horticulture, fi sheries and aquaculture, forestry, the food sector and biosecurity. The change follows the merger of the Ministry of Fisheries and Food Safety Authority into MAF. Primary Industries Minister David Carter said the name change was a logical move. community and homeschooled on the West Coast and is now based at Nelson's Cawthron Institute. She says she is excited about the prospects for expanding oyster research at the institute and overseas over the next fi ve years. Fifteen fellowships are granted to young women researchers internationally, from each of fi ve geo-cultural regions of UNESCO. Three New Zealanders have been awarded Fellowships in the past. The sole winner of a Laureate is the University of Auckland's Professor Margaret Brimble in 2007. Her work in organic chemistry includes the synthesis of bioactive shellfi sh toxins. NEW CAWTHRON CEO Professor Charles Eason, a former senior manager with Landcare Research and a professor at Lincoln University, has been appointed the new chief executive of the Cawthron Institute. He takes over from Gillian Wratt, who steps down from the role in April. Professor Eason will take up the position at the beginning of June. Dr Zoe Hilton Nelson scientist Dr Zoe Hilton has been awarded a L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Fellowship for her work on the captive breeding of the fl at, or Bluff oyster. She will present her work at workshops and an awards ceremony in Paris before travelling to Spain where she will use the US$40,000 fellowship to further her research into the breeding of European and New Zealand fl at oysters. Dr Hilton was raised in a hippie EXCEPTIONAL SCIENTIST WINS AWARD SALMON FARM DEBATE In March the Marlborough Express gave three leading players from both sides of the salmon farming debate a chance to present their views on the current applications to extend salmon farming in the Marlborough sounds. Good writing and plenty of coaching were evident in the cases presented by Grant Rosewarne, chief executive of NZ King Salmon, and Peter Vitasovitch, Aquaculture NZ chairman. The case presented by Peter Beech from Guardians of the Sounds was remarkable for its quantity of emotive language. three CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 MARINE FARM SALMON DEATHS A MYSTERY New Zealand King Salmon (NZKS) wants to know why an unusually high number of fi sh died at one of its Marlborough Sounds marine farms during one week in March. On some days during the week, seven percent of fi sh died at its Pelorus Sound marine farm. Testing by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry confi rmed the fi sh were clear of all known viruses and bacterial diseases. The number of fi sh with small lesions like swollen mosquito bites had increased in this summer-autumn period. It was not known how many deaths on the 500,000-fi sh farm were caused by these lesions, old age, stress and seal attacks. NZKS said introduced measures to make sure no biological material was transferred to or from the site and no equipment on the farm would be moved. Those steps would stay in place until further test results came back confi rming the exact cause of the problem and remedies. Fish from the affected farm would not be harvested until November. Overall, fi sh deaths seemed lower than usual this year, probably because of cooler sea temperatures. MAY/JUNE 2012 ■ NZ AQUACULTURE ■ 5