The State Government is threatening the health of Victoria's waterways by slashing fisheries research jobs at Queenscliff with DPI poised to halve the number of researchers from 30.  "If the cuts go ahead it will leave only 14 researchers to cover all of the marine and freshwater fisheries in the state," fisheries ecologist Joel Williams told protesters who chanted "save the jobs, save the fish" at a rally outside the Marine Fisheries and Research Centre on Sunday.  The gathering was told the marine centre was purpose-built as a research facility in 2004 at a cost of about $4 million, but laboratories would be closed, boats were being sold, and scientists made redundant because the Government did not consider research work "frontline".  They are conducting world-leading research into climate change, sustainable fishing and fish species, and their knowledge can not be replaced."  "I can't emphasise enough how amazing these researchers are.'  "There are 30 researchers there now - down from about 100 in the 1990s - and I know they are already struggling to keep up with the work.'

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