NSW seeks Access alternative for fish diaries

NSW Fishery researchers have collected 10 million data points about the movements and habitat relationships of fish in the state's southern estuaries and coastal waters.

The data was generated by cylindrical acoustic tags that were surgically inserted into fish by scientists at Industry and Investment NSW, the Government department that attracts jobs to the state.

Researchers have tagged more than 700 bream, whiting, flathead, mulloway and perch since the project's launch in September, 2007.

Tags range from one to five centimetres in length and emit unique signals at frequencies around 180 kilohertz, which are detected by 400 listening stations in Sydney Harbour, the Shoalhaven and Clyde Rivers.

Data is transferred from the stations to a Microsoft Access database every two to three months.

Researchers leading the project said they were looking to replace Access, which had ballooned past 2GB in size and was slow to respond.

Research leader Charles Gray said the project would "unravel the mysteries surrounding where and when fish move and what environmental factors stimulate such movements".

"Part of this research is funded the NSW Recreational Fishing Trusts and is another example of how the revenue collected from fishing licences is used to safeguard our fisheries resources for future generations," he said.