Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2009L02536:reg:3:p8
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2009L02536
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 3 (pt 8/8)
Character Range: 33223–35760

However, within Australia five key gaps are identified:

    * The possibility that the presence of ship rats reduces the chance to eradicate mice needs to be tested and the causes identified. This is not just an Australian problem so researchers need to liaise with overseas colleagues to develop dual-species or one-at-a-time strategies for managing mice in the presence of ship rats.
    * Best-practice use of toxic baits (and other control methods) and adequate monitoring protocols for sustained control options need to be formulated and tested.
    * The humaneness of control methods remains an issue and ongoing research is required to improve the animal welfare costs of rodent control.
    * Information on the risks of invasion by exotic rodents on islands of different types needs to be gathered to develop a risk profile for key islands. Best-practice surveillance and intervention (by prophylactic measures such as permanent bait station around wharfs, or reactive measures such as surveillance and prompt response to a detection) need to be developed, applied where appropriate, and tested over the long term.
    *  The consequence of exotic (or native) predators switching to native prey from exotic rodents as primary prey may be an issue on islands. The precautionary approach is to remove exotic predators at the same time as the exotic rodents, but if this is not possible predicting and testing the consequences is desirable before rodents are removed.
    *

6 – Actions for research and information needs                                           Priority and timeframe
6.1 Determine why mice appear to be more difficult to eradicate in the presence of rats  Very high priority, short term
6.2 Develop best-practice guidelines for sustained control of rodents on islands         High priority, short term
6.3 Improve the humaneness of eradication tools                                          High priority, long term
6.4 Develop and test risk-based methods to detect and manage incursions by rodents       High priority, short term
6.5 Predict and test the consequences of prey switching                                  Medium priority, medium term

Current state of actions
All of these research actions are being addressed either in Australia or elsewhere. The issue of sympatric mice and ship rats is a particular problem on Australian islands.

Performance indicators
    * Australian research on the mouse-rat issue is developed and integrated with research being conducted in New Zealand and the USA.