Australian Moths and Butterflies Are Barcoded

Australian moths and butterflies are being barcoded. There are 10,000 species in Australia and 65 per cent of them have been coded, 28,000 specimens in all. They are not flying around with a tag on them. DNA is analyzed then recorded with an image of a specimen in a barcode system.

The database is a combined project by the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) and CSIRO's Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC). It is the first time such a system has been used to categorize a group of insects in a country. This is the beginning. Plans are in train to record most organisms worldwide.

The technology has been used to determine if wrongly named fish are being sold. It will be used to identify dangerous pests coming into Australia. Species will now be more effectively categorised in research.

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Science

If Fishing Is Not Reduced There Will Be Little to Sell

Consumers will have to learn to do without. If we want our children to enjoy seafood we will have to eat less of it now. That means paying a higher price.

A guide has been put out by the Australian Conservation Society to make people aware of what species are in danger. This Christmas consumers have bought lobster, bugs and mackerel. It is debatable as to whether all of these are actually threatened.

Not everyone is in favor of informing the general public about the need for change in the seafood industry. The Queensland Seafood Industry Association, in particular retailers the body represents, are angry because they fear a fall in income. They are saying the industry is already struggling. Yes, it is struggling because seafood is becoming more difficult to supply.

It is really a case of "someone has to pay and it won't be us". They say fishing boats have been bought and licensing fees have been paid. The reality is, however, that if fishing is not cut back there will not be much to sell.

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New Lobsters Found in Australia

New lobsters have been found in Australia. Six species new to Australia were discovered off the western. Two are new finds to the world. The most interesting is Galacantha subspinosa which is bright red in its live state, before being cooked. It will make only a small meal being only a few inched across.

There are hundreds of lobster species worldwide. They live in the shallows and the deep ocean. Those along the coast are related to crabs though they are called lobsters. The squat lobster is of this type having large front claws.

The red G. subspinosa new to Australia would fit well into aquatic themes parks because of its pretty color. This squat lobster is not in sufficient numbers to be an economic fishing species. Furthermore it has a small body which would not provide much "meat".

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Extinct Animals Are Still With Us

Animals are going extinct, though some are still turning up. This is true. In the past 100 years many species have been declared extinct. Oddly, a third of these have been found still living. Many have not been seen for a very long time. This is the reason for them still being around.

The okapi a zebra-like animal was recently re-found in the Congo. In Cuba the solenodon "rat" was seen jumping around. Another find was the Indonesian Talaud Flying Fox. In Australia the rock rat was identified. And the Christmas Island shrew came to light.

This is embarrassing for the conservationists about to meet in Japan at the United Nations Summit on Biodiversity. It appears that emotion has won out over rationality. It is too easy to make predictions about what will happen in the future. With climate change, little real knowledge is available to researchers. Perhaps now more cautious steps will be taken.

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Orange-bellied Parrot About to Become Extinct

It's a tough time for the orange-bellie. This species of parrot is about to become extinct. It is estimated to have five years left to live. A few years ago there were 70 pairs. Now only 50 birds remain. The last species of bird to go extinct in Australia ceased its existence 70 years ago.

For the most part, people don't seem to care. However, there are more close to extinction. There has been a fight to keep the orange-bellie alive. In 1984 the OBP Recovery Team was created to monitor and protect the bird. A protected breeding program was established in south-west Tasmania. Fifteen years of drought has seen the birds' supply of seeds dwindle to almost nothing. Water has been allocated for irrigation and piped away from the region.

A last throw of the dice involves catching 10 pairs then breeding them in a caged area. This kind of action is unusual. It would be expected that eggs would be taken from nests of wild birds, with hatching done in an incubator then hand feeding. This way more eggs would be laid when the initial eggs are taken away.

Once wild birds are taken from the wild they will always be "domesticated". There is no way knowledge of feeding grounds can be passed on.

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