mediaportal report - university of queenslandsci-s03.bacs.uq.edu.au/biol/biol-news/march12/sea...

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01/03/2012

Rare sea snake slid under the radarAge, 01/03/12, General News, Page 3By: Bridle Smith And

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29/02/2012

New sea snake species discoveredWestern Cape Bulletin, 29/02/12, General News, By: None

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24/02/2012

Big barra willing to biteTownsville Bulletin, 24/02/12, General News, Page 62By: None

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23/02/2012

Scientists spot slippery new sea snake speciesCourier Mail, 23/02/12, General News, Page 18By: Brian Williams

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22/02/2012

Scientist charmed by sea snake discoveryCairns Post, 22/02/12, General News, Page 3By: None

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ABC Far North (Cairns)06:30 News - 22/02/2012 6:34 AMNewsreader

Scientists say they have found a new venomous snake in the Gulf ofCarpentaria. Bryan Fry from the University of Qld says it was found in waterswhere fishing trawlers do not operate.

Interviewees: Bryan Fry, Scientist, University of QldDuration: 0.39Summary ID: W00047585188© Media Monitors

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ABC Far North (Cairns)Breakfast - 22/02/2012 6:53 AMKier Shorey

Shorey plays an interview with Bryan Fry from the University of Qld about therough-scaled sea snake, which has been discovered by scientists in the Gulfof Carpentaria in an area where fishing trawlers don't normally operate. Frydescribes what the snake looks like and says he wants to do further researchon it. Fry notes it has very potent venom, and he says there are many moresea snakes out there than scientists realise. He thinks the environmentneeds to be conserved because of its importance in medical research; henotes high blood pressure medication is based on a modified snake toxin,and he says it's a 'multi-billion dollar wonder drug' which has saved countlesslives. He adds painkillers and diabetes treatments have also been derivedfrom animals. Fry believes some animals are going extinct before they canbe discovered by science.

Interviewees: Bryan Fry, Scientist, University of QldDuration: 3.23Summary ID: W00047585277© Media Monitors

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AUD: 416

Triple J (Melbourne)07:00 News - 22/02/2012 7:02 AMNewsreader

Scientists say they have discovered a new venomous snake in the far northQld.

Interviewees: Bryan Fry, Scientist, University of QldDuration: 0.25Summary ID: W00047584586This program or part thereof is syndicated to the following 7 station(s):-Triple J (Brisbane), Triple J (Adelaide), Triple J (Hobart), Triple J (Darwin),Triple J (Perth), Triple J (Canberra), Triple J (Sydney)© Media Monitors

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AUD: 6,902

ABC 936 Hobart (Hobart)07:00 News - 22/02/2012 7:06 AMNewsreader

Scientists have discovered a new venomous snake off Far North Qld.

Interviewees: Bryan Fry, University of QldDuration: 0.37Summary ID: W00047583897This program or part thereof is syndicated to the following 1 station(s):-Radio National (Hobart)© Media Monitors

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AUD: 1,588



ABC 891 Adelaide (Adelaide)07:00 News - 22/02/2012 7:06 AMNewsreader

Researchers from the University of Queensland have discovered a new seasnake on the Gulf of Carpentaria, which they believe will play a pivotal role inthe development of medicine. Bryan Fry, associate professor, University ofQueensland, it could provide developments for pain killers and diabetes.

Interviewees: Bryan Fry, Associate Professor, University of QueenslandDuration: 0.47Summary ID: W00047584775This program or part thereof is syndicated to the following 5 station(s):-ABC North and West SA (Port Pirie), ABC Riverland SA (Renmark), ABCSouth East SA (Mt Gambier), ABC West Coast SA (Port Lincoln), RadioNational (Adelaide)© Media Monitors

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Male 16+: 25,000

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ABC Far North (Cairns)07:30 News - 22/02/2012 7:34 AMNewsreader

Scientists say the discovery of a new sea snake in the Gulf of Carpentariacould lead to new medical treatments. Associate Professor Bryan Fry fromthe University of Qld says the rough-scaled sea snake is one of three foundin waters not plied by trawlers. He says venom could potentially lead tolife-saving medications.

Interviewees: Associate Professor Bryan Fry, University of QldDuration: 0.44Summary ID: W00047586310© Media Monitors

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AUD: 90

ABC 936 Hobart (Hobart)07:45 News - 22/02/2012 7:56 AMNewsreader

Scientists have discovered a new venomous snake off Far North Qld,prompting hope that the revelation may lead to new medical treatments.

Interviewees: Bryan Fry, Associate Professor, University of QldDuration: 0.41Summary ID: W00047585526© Media Monitors

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AUD: 403



ABC Western Queensland (Longreach)08:30 News - 22/02/2012 8:34 AMNewsreader

Scientists say they have discovered a new venomous snake living in the Gulfof Carpentaria. Bryan Fry, Spokesman, University of Qld says it could resultin important medical breakthroughs.

Interviewees: Bryan Fry, Spokesman, University of QldDuration: 0.37Summary ID: W00047589779This program or part thereof is syndicated to the following 1 station(s):-ABC North West Qld (Mt Isa)© Media Monitors

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AUD: 152

ABC NewsRadio (Sydney)Mornings - 22/02/2012 9:53 AMCathy Bell

Interview with Associate Professor Bryan Fry, University of Queensland.Scientists have discovered a new venomous snake in the Gulf of Carpentariaoff far north Queensland. The species has been dubbed the rough-scaledsea snake because of its unique raised scales. Fry explains how the snakeswere discovered in waters off Weipa. Fry says two more species of seasnakes were found Weipa. Fry talks about using venom in medicine.

Interviewees: Associate Professor Bryan Fry, University of QueenslandDuration: 5.11Summary ID: L00047592637© Media Monitors

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AUD: 10,292

ABC Southern Queensland (Toowoomba)12:30 News - 22/02/2012 12:34 PMNewsreader

Scientists say the discovery of a new sea snake in the Gulf of Carpentariacould lead to new medical treatments. Associate Professor Bryan Fry fromthe University of Qld says venom could potentially lead to life-savingmedications.

Interviewees: Associate Professor Bryan Fry, University of QldDuration: 0.37Summary ID: W00047592760© Media Monitors

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Male 16+: N/A

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AUD: 76



ABC 612 Brisbane (Brisbane)15:00 News - 22/02/2012 3:03 PMNewsreader

Scientists have discovered a new species of venomous snake on the Gulf ofCarpentaria. Bryan Fry, spokesperson, University of Qld, says the discoverymay result in significant medical breakthroughs.

Interviewees: Bryan Fry, spokesperson, University of QldDuration: 0.37Summary ID: W00047594725This program or part thereof is syndicated to the following 11 station(s):-ABC Capricornia (Rockhampton), ABC Far North (Cairns), ABC Gold andTweed Coasts (Gold Coast), ABC North Queensland (Townsville), ABCNorth West Qld (Mt Isa), ABC Southern Queensland (Toowoomba), ABCSunshine and Cooloola Coasts (Sunshine Coast), ABC Tropical North(Mackay), ABC Western Queensland (Longreach), ABC Wide Bay(Bundaberg), Radio National (Brisbane)© Media Monitors

Audience

Male 16+: 14,600

Female 16+: 14,100

All People: 28,700


AUD: 1,196

ABC Southern Queensland (Toowoomba)Drive - 22/02/2012 5:45 PMCraig Zonca

Interview with Associate Professor Bryan Fry, School of Biological Sciences,University of Qld. Fry discusses the discovery of a rough scaled sea snake inthe Gulf of Carpentaria. Fry discusses the characteristics of this sea snake.

Interviewees: Associate Professor Bryan Fry, School of Biological Sciences,University of QldDuration: 8.23Summary ID: W00047597342This program or part thereof is syndicated to the following 4 station(s):-ABC Capricornia (Rockhampton), ABC North West Qld (Mt Isa), ABCTropical North (Mackay), ABC Western Queensland (Longreach)© Media Monitors

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Male 16+: N/A

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AUD: 5,155

Rare sea snake slid under the radarBy BRIDIE SMITHSCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY REPORTERA SEA snake with unique raisedscales has been discovered inthe Gulf of Carpentaria's remoteestuaries, giving scientists hopethe find might provide someimportant clues about evolu-tion.

The discovery has also raisedthe prospects of finding newvenom, which could have futurespinoffs in medical research.

Bryan Fry from QueenslandUniversity's school of biologicalsciences first found the snake in2000. But despite believing it tobe new, it took years to confirmthe snake as a new species.

"As soon as it hit the deck Iknew it was new and it was aglorious, tingly feeling," he said."But we had to make sure it wasairtight."

Working with researchersfrom Adelaide University, theteam conducted anatomicalstudies and analysed the seasnake's DNA to confirm it was

genetically distinct before com-paring the results with otherdocumented species.

The snake grows up to onemetre long and has been namedthe "rough-scaled sea snake". Itsscientific name of Hydrophisdonaldii is a tribute to AssociateProfessor Fry's long-time boatcaptain David Donald. "Wewould not have found this snakewithout Dave's unique know-ledge of the area," he said.

Professor Fry said while itwas exciting to discover a newspecies, there was much more atstake. Snake venom has alreadybeen used in treatments forconditions ranging from highblood pressure to diabetes. Moststudied snake venom comesfrom land snakes, as they areeasier to catch.

However, Professor Fry hasidentified a powerful anticoagu-lant in sea snake venom withthe potential to treat coronaryconditions. "They are a bio -resource," he said. "This is a

Professor Bryan Fry with the newly discovered species of sea snake

great illustration that there arestill creatures out there that weare unaware of."

The rough-scaled sea snakeappears to be very rare. Since2000, Professor Fry has seen justnine in the wild out of 100,000other sea snakes observed in theWeipa area.

However, despite a crash insea snake populations due tocommercial fishing, this snakeappears to have slipped underthe radar as it preferred rockyestuarine habitats which werepoorly surveyed and not tar-geted by commercial fishing.

"Here you have a uniquehabitat that other snakes mightnot be able to exploit becausethey would be cut to ribbons,"Professor Fry said.

"These scales are very rough. .. so I imagine they've evolvedthat way to protect themselvesagainst the rocks."

The rough-scaled sea snakeis described in the current issueof the journal Zootaxa.

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Age, Melbourne01 Mar 2012, by Bridle Smith And

General News, page 3 - 191.26 cm²Capital City Daily - circulation 190,750 (MTWTF--)

ID 135780103 PAGE 1 of 1

4:-A NEW species of sea snake dis-covered by scientists in the Gulf01 Carpentaria has been given thescientific name Hydrophis donaldiiin honour of Weipa fishing guru,Dave Donald.

University of Queensland AssociateProfessor Bryan Fry said the discoverywould not have been possible withoutthe assistance of his long-time boatcaptain.

'Quite simply we would not haveFound this snake without Dave's uniqueknowledge of the area

I told him wewanted to survey as many distincttypes of habitat as possible and heguided us to the perfect spots." Dr Fry

4, said

-f )scontinued page 2

Main photo: Associate Professor Bryan fry examirw aHydra phis dm:kill specimen. rose Dr Fry with long-timeboat captain, Data Denuid and a rare Stokes see snake.

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Western Cape Bulletin, Weipa QLD29 Feb 2012

General News, page 1 - 789.90 cm²Regional - circulation 1,350 (----F--)

ID 136530749 PAGE 1 of 2

New sea snake species discovered>> from page 1

The finding of the new sea snake species,which is unique in having raised scales, isexpected to provide important clues aboutevolution. It has been given the common-name "rough-scaled sea snake" to reflectthe unique scalation.

"We don't know why it has beenevolutionarily selected to have such uniquescalation, but we will next study its ecologyto learn more about it", Dr Fry said.

Hydrophis donaldii had evaded earlierdiscovery as it prefers estuarine habitatsthat are poorly surveyed and not targetedby commercial fisheries.

The scientists collected nine specimensof this 'viviparous or true' sea snake fromthe coastal estuarine habitats of Weipa.

"Weipa really is one of the last sea snakeSerengetis'. We can see over 200 sea

snakes in a single night's hunting, whereassea snake populations have really crashedelsewhere through over-fishing removingtheir prey and also the snakes drowning intrawling nets," he said.

Dr Fry said the findings extend beyondsimply discovering a rare animal.

"All venomous animals are bio-resourcesand have provided sources of many life-saving medications, such as treatments forhigh-blood pressure and diabetes.

"This reinforces why we need to con-serve all of nature as the next billion dollarwonder-drug may come from as unlikely asource as sea snake," he said.

The Western Cape Bulletin spoke toDave Donald following the publishingof Dr Fry's findings and he said he washonoured to have the new species namedafter him.

"Bryan and! have been working togetherfor years and have appeared in many seasnake documentaries, including The SnakeWranglers series by National Geographic.

"Over the years we have covered theentire year and found snakes every time,catching up to 200 per night on some nightsin a couple of hours," Dave said.

Dave developed special nets to capturethe snakes using spotlights at night.

"Sea snakes don't come to the surfacevery much during the day because it makesthem vulnerable to capture by sea eaglesand osprey," he said.

Dave said Dr Fry was accidently bittenby a deadly Horned Sea Snake at the boatramp when they returned from one of theirnights collecting snakes, and became thefirst person to be treated with the antivenomthat he had only just developed.

"Sea snake venom is extremely toxic andworks by dissolving muscle fibre. Bryanexhibited a marked loss in muscle tone forover six months after the bite," Dave said.

"I routinely carried a pouch for Bryancontaining adrenalin and phenergan incase Bryan was bitten out in the boat,even after he received the bite, as ananaphilactic reaction was always a pos-sibility," he said.

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Western Cape Bulletin, Weipa QLD29 Feb 2012

General News, page 1 - 789.90 cm²Regional - circulation 1,350 (----F--)

ID 136530749 PAGE 2 of 2

Big barra willing to biteANGLERS are loathe to talk aboutanything other than barra it seems,such is the quality of the barramundifishing since the opening of the 2102season just a few weeks ago.Big fish are being regarded as com-

mon place and it is certainly that waywhen anglers choose to fish with anyof the local fishing guides.Andrew Mead of Aussie Barra Char-

ters says there are plenty of big barrasaround and they're willing to bite.Mead recently tied Matthew Wilkie

to a fat fish of well over a metre longand he backed that up last week whenBob Skuza used Mead's experience tocradle a thumping 124cm fish for aphotograph before being dutifully re-leased.Ryan Moody continues to have little

trouble finding the big barras in theHinchinbrook Channel with fish bet-ter than the 120cm maximum legalsize a regular catch for clients.

I haven't found any 120cm models forclients so far this season (the ones thatfall off don't count) however mosttrips usually result in enough barrasto keep everyone happy and a coupleover that magic metre mark.

Breaming with prideAN unseasonal catch of yellowfin andbig pikey bream in Morrissey's Creekinterrupted the barra hunting tacticsof Raymond Seiger and wife Christineearly this week. The pair had set smalllive mullet baits at a favourite barraspot near the mouth of the system anddidn't have to wait long for a strike.

A sturdy rod bowed to the weight ofa good fish and it was with completeamazement that Ray dragged in awhopping 43cm silver bream.

The experienced angler put hiscatch down to plain old good luckbut was astonished when his wifepulled in another bream albeitonly slightly smaller at 39cm.

A dozen little mullet were rel-ished by the bream with nine fish- smallest an incredible 32cm -finding the points of the Seiger'shooks.

The hubby and wife fishing

team were hardly disappointedthat they didn't boat a barra.

Muddie hotspotsMUDCRABS are plentiful in localwaters with anglers claiming finebags of the crustaceans whentraps are set along estuarine fore-shores.

Long Beach and Red Rock Bayshallows inside Cape Clevelandyielded a bunch of quality crabslast week according to shysources while traps set withinCocoa and Crocodile Creek alsoclaimed good crabs.The Bohle River and Black

River on the northern fringes ofthe city proved muddle hotspotsearly last week with plenty offully buck crabs being measuredby gob smacked anglers.

John Anderson (not the fineBully journo) said he and a matecaught their 10-crab-each baglimit in quick time when largemullet baits were set during theevening tides early this week.

Anglers might have to spreadtheir pots well this weekend withsome of the bigger crabs likely tobe making their way back up thecreeks with the more gentle tidesand lack of freshwater influence.

Rare honourMY old mate and Weipa fishingguide Dave Donald has had therare distinction of having a newlydiscovered species of snakenamed after him. Hydrophisdonaldii - common-name; rough-scaled sea snake - was named inhonour of Donald according toAssociate Professor Bryan Fryfrom the University of Queens-land's School of Biological Sci-ences.

"Quite simply we would nothave found this snake withoutDave's unique knowledge of thearea," Associate Prof Fry saidrecently in Zootaxa, a scientificjournal for animal taxonomists.

Donald, Fry's long-time boatcaptain and guide, helped theAssociate Professor to the excit-ing discovery of the rare snakewithin estuarine habitats on thewestern flank of Cape York.

Fingermark breakFINGERMARK or golden snapperremain a priority target for in-shore bluewater anglers, how-ever lumpy seas predicted forTownsville waters this weekendare likely to hand the species amuch needed reprieve from devo-tees of the species.

Catches of big fish have becomea regular occurrence and trophyfish, once well hidden from a goodmajority of anglers, are now be-ing found and caught with theunprecedented aid of new techno-logy. Side imaging sonars allow-ing anglers to view terrain andfish for considerable distanceeither side of their vessel andintegrated electric motors withGPS technology that are used tohold anglers over the discoveredfish and structure are proving adeadly combination for thefingermark. Never before have somany fingermark or golden snap-per been so easily accessed by alarge number of anglers and Idoubt it will be long before popu-lations of the popular and speciesplummet near major centers likeTownsville.

Slow growing and accordinglyslow to mature, an 8-10 kilo fishmight be anywhere between 30and 40 years old and it disturbsme that so many are being takenduring the last few years andcoincidentally so, since this newtechnology has been available tothe wider fishing public.

Sadly, fingermark do not re-lease well at all and it seems onlyfish caught and given their free-dom in the shallowest of watershave any reasonable chance ofsurvival.

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Townsville Bulletin, Townsville QLD24 Feb 2012

General News, page 62 - 599.87 cm²Regional - circulation 27,998 (MTWTFS-)

ID 135010268 PAGE 1 of 2

Matthew Wilkie caught this thumping barra while fishing with Aussie Barra Charters

Bob Skuza released this barramundi when it measured better than the legal size

1F

4

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Townsville Bulletin, Townsville QLD24 Feb 2012

General News, page 62 - 599.87 cm²Regional - circulation 27,998 (MTWTFS-)

ID 135010268 PAGE 2 of 2

Scientists spot slipperynew sea snake speciesBrian WilliamsENVIRONMENT REPORTER

A NEW species of sea snake hasbeen discovered near Weipa inthe Gulf of Carpentaria.

Associate Professor Bryan Fryfrom the University of Queens-land said the rough-scaled snakehad evaded discovery because itlived mostly in estuarine habitatsthat were poorly surveyed andnot targeted by commercialfisheries.

"Weipa really is one of the lastsea snake Serengetis," Prof Frysaid. "We can see over 200 seasnakes in a single night's hunting,whereas sea snake populationshave crashed elsewhere throughover-fishing, removing their preyand the snakes drowning intrawling nets."

Nine specimens of the snakehad been caught, with the largestat 85cm. It was not yet known

what their range might be, norwhy they had such unusuallyrough scales and what role thescales played in their evolution.

Prof Fry said hundreds ofvenomous sea snakes came to thesurface in the area just after dark.They also were accompanied bysharks and large crocodiles.

"You find there's not a lot ofpeople out at night in the gulflooking for snakes," he said."Scientists might be crazy butwe're not suicidal.

"We shine lights out of theboat and cruise along slowly. Wescoop up snakes in nets.

"It's astounding how many bullsharks are around the boat. I cantell you the bull shark populationis very healthy.

"We've also seen crocs biggerthan our 5m boat. Snakes are

really cool and they are animportant bio-resource.

"Venomous animals ... haveprovided sources of many life-saving medications, such as treat-ments for high-blood pressureand diabetes.

"This reinforces why we needto conserve all of nature as thenext billion-dollar wonder drugmay come from as unlikely asource as sea snake venom."

The snake has been given thescientific name hydrophisdonaldii to honour Prof Fry'slong-time local boat skipperDave Donald.

"Quite simply, we would nothave found this snake withoutDave's unique knowledge of thearea," he said.

The findings have been pub-lished in Zootaxa.

'VVeipa really is oneof the last seasnake Serengetis.We can see over200 sea snakes ina single night'shunting.'UO ProfessorBryan Fry

REPTILE DISCOVERY: Associate Professor Bryan Fry gets up close and personal with the rough-scaled sea snake. Picture: UO

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Courier Mail, Brisbane23 Feb 2012, by Brian Williams

General News, page 18 - 530.15 cm²Capital City Daily - circulation 194,949 (MTWTFS-)

ID 134810347 PAGE 1 of 1

WEIPA has been describedas one of the last sea snake"serengetis".

And it has delivered a new seasnake that could provide freshclues to evolution and life-savingmedications.

Scientists have named thesnake, which has unique raisedscales, Hydrophis donaldii,with a common-name of

"rough-scaled sea snake""Weipa really is one of the

last sea snake serengetis,"Associate Prof Bryan Fry fromthe University of Queensland'sSchool of Biological Sciences said.

"We can see over 200 seasnakes in a single night's

hunting, whereas sea snakepopulations have really crashedelsewhere through over-fishing,

removing their prey and alsodrowning in trawling nets."

His comments and findingswere published yesterday inZootaxa, a scientific journal foranimal taxonomists.

Associate Prof Fry saidHydrophis donaldii had evadedearlier discovery as it preferredestuarine habitats which werepoorly surveyed and not targeted

by commercial fisheries. Thefindings extended beyond simplydiscovering a rare animal.

"All venomous animals

are bio-resources and haveprovided sources of manylife-saving medications, suchas treatments for high bloodpressure and diabetes," he said.

"This reinforces why we needto conserve all of nature as the

next billion dollar wonder drugmay come from as unlikely asource as sea snake venom."

The snake's scientific nameHydrophis donaldii honoursAssociate Prof Fry's long-timeboat captain David Donald.

"Quite simply we would nothave found this snake withoutDave's unique knowledge of thearea," Associate Prof Fry said.

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Cairns Post, Cairns QLD22 Feb 2012

General News, page 3 - 476.64 cm²Regional - circulation 23,845 (MTWTF--)

ID 134662848 PAGE 1 of 1

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