Indo-Pacific reef fishes are under increasing fishing pressure, yet life history characteristics for many are poorly known. Bomb radiocarbon dating using recent coral records answered questions about longevity for three important fish species for which little or nothing was known about age. Valid ages from this study exceeded original estimates and provided direction for refinement of age estimation protocols.

Invasive common carp, Cyprinus carpio, are considered a global problem. We assessed its life-history in a large African impoundment and compared our findings to those published in the global literature. We found that the combination of early maturity, fast growth and high natural mortality rates infers a rapid population growth potential that leads to a high resilience to management interventions once carp has been introduced.

Since its initial proposal in 1953, the role of the hyporheic zone as refuge for benthic invertebrates during hydrological disturbances (hyporheic refuge hypothesis) is still under discussion. This review underlines the importance of hyporheic hydrology (patterns of water exchanges through the hyporheic zone) in determining the size, distribution and patchiness of hyporheic refugia during flooding events and flow recession, and proposes working hypotheses based on a multiscale approach.

Recent MtDNA analysis of tissues samples collected from five free ranging Orcaella from northwest Western Australia and the Northern Territory have helped to resolve uncertainty about the taxonomy and distribution of O. heinsohni in Australian waters. Future studies on metapopulation structure and gene flow among different populations across their range, and taxonomic identification of potential neighbouring populations (i.e. Papua New Guinea) are needed to establish conservation status and management actions at national and regional scales.

The age and growth characteristics among species can mean the difference between coexistence and competitive exclusion. We determined that the age and growth characteristics of five coexisting platycephalid fish species are unique and each species displays sexually dimorphic growth, with females growing larger than males. These unique growth characteristics likely assist length-based partitioning of resources, reduce competitive interactions and facilitate coexistence.

Understanding variability of recruitment and mortality is essential for attempts to conserve populations or assess disturbances. We examined population density and size-frequency distributions of the small giant clam at many sites to make interpretations about dynamics from spatial patterns. This approach suggested substantial spatial and temporal variability in recruitment and mortality, but long-term studies are needed to understand any particular population.

Estuaries are important habitats for small and juvenile fishes, but they are highly vulnerable to deleterious human impacts. A beach seine survey of 69 estuaries enabled predictions to be made of species richness, occurrence and abundance for most (380) of New Zealand’s estuaries. The results will inform managers who make decisions relating to human use of estuaries and surrounding catchments.

Impoundment fisheries are often created or maintained through fish stocking, yet the patterns of habitat use by stocked fish is often overlooked in their management. This study detailed habitat use by a stocked Australian species, and found that these fisheries are unique and strongly influenced by annual and stochastic variation in habitat availability. This highlights the importance of incorporating spatial ecology into stocking programs.