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R&D NewsR&D NewsVolume 12, Edition 4Final reportsFINAL reports on these recently-completed R&D projects are available online or by post from FRDC, or sources named.
Determining fish mortality A new and better way to determine mortality in fish populations devised in this project will be invaluable for managers of all fisheries with appropriate data, says Principal Investigator Ian Potter of Murdoch University. The method, he says, can be used to estimate both natural and total mortality. It was developed in a study that set out to provide the biological data for better management of Western Australia’s commercial and recreational fisheries for four tuskfish of the Choerodon species and the western yellowfin bream A latus. In achieving this the researchers also contributed to a paper on the importance of assessing the implications of finfish hermaphroditism in reaching management conclusions. A. latus changes from male to female and the tuskfish change from female to male. Carp eradication success When Tasmania’s Inland Fisheries Service decided to eradicate European carp from the 7135 hectares of the adjoining lakes Crescent and Sorell, draining and poisoning were not options. Mesh screens small enough to capture eggs and juveniles were put across their outlet and a fishdown that began with nets, traps and electro-fishing eventually used a radio-transmitting Judas-fish to locate aggregations as numbers in Lake Crescent were lowered. In 1999 the IFS concentrated on females, tagging and returning males to help estimate remaining population size. Two years later, the population in Lake Crescent was estimated at 32 and the focus now is on Lake Sorell. Principal Investigator John Diggle said the effectiveness of the different techniques used had been documented to assist groups elsewhere in Australia considering eradication through fishing. Growing abalone faster Abalone aquaculture can now build a long-term program to selectively breed faster growing stock, says Principal Investigator Xiaoxu Li of the South Australian Research and Development Institute. Farm personnel have been trained, industry facilities have been modified and this pilot has established14 blacklip families in Victoria and 12 greenlip families in SA. Shareholders have adopted a commercialisation model to guide the program into a business entity. Mark Gervis, General Manager of participant Southern Ocean Mariculture P/L, says he believes the genetic gains will deliver a substantial economic benefit across the sector. NSW abalone enhancement Button-size juveniles dispersed at low density and week-old post-larvae appear to offer the best prospects of enhancing wild abalone stock, this NSW Fisheries study indicates. Conversely, larval seeding was economically futile and no further money should be spent on it, said Principal Investigator Mike Heasman. He said seeding reefs with big clusters of button size abalone produced a disappointing 0%-4% survival rate after one year, but distributing them sparsely averaged 12.5 per cent, which was within wild abalone’s normal range. Aquaculture spinoffs from the project include synchronisation of spawning that will enable pair crossing and fast-growth gene selection, better and cheaper nursery systems and Australia’s first year-round captive spawning and hatchery production. Murray cod culture There’s a place for owner-operators, but realising the potential of Murray cod aquaculture requires corporate investment in large scale production, according to Principal Investigator Brett Ingram of Primary Industries Research Victoria. This is because the recirculating systems in which the cod thrive are a capital-intensive proposition. Fisheries managers, researchers and industry, he says, should recognise that not all problems have technical solutions and a climate that fosters industry development has to be created at policy formation level. After peaking at about $24/kg, the farm price for Murray cod has steadied at about $13.50/kg. See also Murray cod shows star quality elsewhere in this issue. More mussel confidence A new code of practice will see blue mussels marketed in three quality grades and three sizes to stimulate consumer confidence. Principal Investigator Nick Ruello said trade interviews had shown meat content to be the key to demand. Growers now will evaluate mussel condition the way consumers do – after cooking. Premium grade will require a minimum meat content of 39 per cent and a totally clean shell. As to discarding mussels unopened by cooking – his advice is don’t. They are almost certainly OK. Instead, Nick Ruello advised, before cooking look for dead or doubtful ones that are likely to create unpleasant flavours, but unlikely to make anyone ill. Lobsters love abalone Abalone was the most effective bait trialled for western rock lobsters in this University of WA study and identifying its chemo-attractants may be the key to an effective artificial substitute. Principal Investigator Emilio Ghisalberti said as lobsters rely on chemical signals to locate and identify prey, his study analysed leachate compounds from abalone muscle and trialled mixtures containing different combinations. One mix stimulated lobsters to move as rapidly as did abalone, but less efficiently, possibly because the ratios were wrong or the selection of compounds was incomplete. He said development of an artificial bait required more information on the sensitivity and specificity of lobsters’ chemo-receptors. Live packing crabs Queensland blue swimmer crabs can be dry-packed, live, to Australian and close Asian markets, says Principal Investigator Craig Winkel of Seafood Directions P/L, Caloundra. His practical experiments showed a survival rate of 83.5 per cent after 12 hours and 66 per cent after 18 hours. Crabs that died en route could be cooked on arrival with no apparent quality loss, he said. The packing technique: Purge for two days, lower to 5ºC below holding temperature for two minutes, pack head up in a 36l carton with 1kg of coolant gel in the bottom and pump oxygen into the carton after packing. WA crabcatches The recreational blue swimmer crab catch in Cockburn Sound and Geographe Bay, has increased while the commercial catch has declined, according to a 2001-02 survey by the Department of Fisheries Western Australia. Comparison with 1996-97 catch data showed the Cockburn Sound-Owen Anchorage recreational take had almost doubled as a percentage of total catch, which itself had declined because of variable recruitment and less commercial fishing. In Geographe Bay the recreational percentage of the catch had risen from 51 per cent to 66 per cent – 28.6 tonnes – and the commercial catch had declined to 14.9 tonnes. Continued stock monitoring was needed, said Principal Investigator Neil Sumner. Jellyfish a moveable feast The edible jellyfish Catostylus mosaicus moves along the Victorian coast in summer and autumn, but this three year study of commercial potential showed big variations in abundance and location from year to year. Principal Investigator Noel Coleman of Primary Industry Research Victoria said 2001 had been best, with an estimated 4754 tonnes wet in Port Philip Bay in May, 1540 tonnes in Corner Inlet in April and eight tonnes in Western Port in February. The combined wet weight of commercial size jellyfish – 23cm or bigger bell – from all three locations was estimated at 3340 tonnes. Concentrations of heavy metals and other contaminants in those sampled were below 1999/138 Linking fish to habitat Fisheries managers and environmental scientists now have the tools to predict the fish species likely to be found at any location along the Australian continent’s lower west coast. Principal Investigator Ian Potter of Murdoch University said six main habitats had been readily and reliably identified using statistical techniques. Regular sampling of the fish and their prey at each site had allowed the research team to determine the relationship between these species, their densities and the habitat type they occupied. Ian Potter said the predictive approach developed would allow 2000/159 Juvenile lobster diets Juvenile tropical lobsters grow well on four daily feeds of dry pellets containing krill and krill hydrolysate. Their southern counterparts do best on a diet containing 27 per cent carbohydrate and 13.5 per cent lipid. Principal Investigator Kevin Williams of the CSIRO said these and other recent findings from FRDC’s Rock Lobster Enhancement and Aquaculture Subprogram had increased knowledge of the nutrients both species required to survive and grow quickly. Mother of pearl stock There are enough big mother of pearl oysters south of Broome to allow an annual harvest of 53,000 shells, according to the Department of Fisheries Western Australia. Principal Investigator Anthony Hart said until the mid-1980s big female oysters, unwanted by the cultured pearl fishery, were harvested to make buttons. If harvesting resumed, it would again be for the shell nacre marketed as mother of pearl, which averaged about 900g per 175mm oyster. Larval fish database A database containing all known information on the early life history of 51 finfish from the head of the Great Australian Bight to Moreton Bay, Queensland is now available at the CSIRO, Hobart, phone 03 6232 5222. It concentrates on distribution and ecology and allows users to determine what is known about the larvae of target species in specific locations. Principal Investigator Barry Bruce of the CSIRO Division of Marine Sciences said an application module in the Microsoft Access SA mudworm preliminaries Previously unrecorded species of mudworms have been dug up in a preliminary attempt to identify the ones that blister South Australian oysters. Principal Investigator Gary Zippel of the SA Oyster Research Council said the aim now was to find out enough about the culprits’ life cycles to devise effective controls. In the meantime, elevating oysters in the water column is regarded as the best defence. Reclusive Queensland beachworms Creel surveys and 18 months of beach sampling have revealed little about the abundance and life of Queensland beachworms, except that they are harvested for bait at three times the New South Wales rate. More information was required to determine if this semi-regulated level of commercial harvesting was sustainable, said Principal Investigtor Donald Fielder of the University of Queensland. Pearl oyster antifouling A commercial coating is now being used by the Australian and Indonesian cultured pearl growers to remove and prevent infestation by a sponge that bores into and destroys big oysters carrying, potentially, the most valuable pearls. PearlSafe is the result of collaboration between researchers from two universities, industry and Wattyl Australia. Principal Investigator Rocky de Nys of James Cook University said the team also had developed a prototype epoxy-based, water curing coating that could be sprayed automatically on to oysters to prevent the fouling that currently is removed regularly and expensively at most farms. Its development will continue in FRDC project 2003/206. 2000/254 WA prawn fence? Western Australia’s North West Shelf and Shark Bay wild prawn stocks appear to be free of the gill-associated virus found in other states and the Northern Territory, according to this Department of Fisheries WA investigation. Therefore the hypothesis that WA prawns have a distinctive protective parasite cannot be discounted, says Principal Investigator Brian Jones. He says controls on the cross-border movement of live prawns, principally for aquaculture, should remain or be strengthened and two-way disease risks should be quantified by importing and exporting jurisdictions, The study found the west’s prawns harbour the mondon baculovirus-like virus and hepatopancreatic parvo-virus found elsewhere in Australia, plus syndromes possibly associated with unrecognised viruses. Allergy awareness Skin rashes, asthma, rhinitis and rhino-conjunctivitis are the most common allergies among aquaculture and seafood processing workers, according to a survey by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Queensland. More than 800 companies were sent survey forms and of the 140 that responded only nine per cent ran an industrial hygiene program. About 70 had an on-site occupational health service and some form of medical surveillance. Principal Investigator Stephen Thrower recommends a national alert to make managers aware of allergy avoidance procedures. Basic WA data Commercial, recreational and charter fishers caught about 1000 tonnes of finfish off the Pilbara and Kimberley coasts in 2002, according to this baseline study by the Department of Fisheries Western Australia. Sampling of inshore waters in the wet and dry seasons of consecutive years turned up 170 species, 70 of which are targeted by commercial and/or recreational fishers. Deeper sampling yielded 132 species over nearshore reefs and 279 over soft bottom out to 30 metres, more than half of them commercially and recreationally important over reefs but only 9% over the soft bottom. Principal Investigator Stephen Newman said research priorities now included estimating the biological parameters of key species and assessing the impact of aboriginal and recreational netting. Exotic disease CD-ROM A CD-ROM from a national training course held earlier this year on expert recognition of and response to outbreaks of exotic aquaculture disease is being distributed for further in-house training in the states and territories. Experts from France and Canada lectured at the course at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory. AAHL Principal Investigator Ken McColl, who developed the course, presented more than 150 transparencies of histological material, covering almost all aquatic animal diseases on Australia’s reportable list. Colleague and course provider Mark Crane said every Australian fisheries jurisdiction now had one or two specialists up to date on reportable exotic diseases whose improved knowledge and awareness would help maintain Australian aquaculture’s enviable freedom from major diseases. Manual for non-experts A training manual and CD-ROM on the 34 exotic diseases of aquatic animals reportable in Australia has been aimed at non-experts with some scientific knowledge or understanding of disease processes. Principal Investigator Shane Raidal of Murdoch University said the intention was to help users make a provisional diagnosis, rather than a definitive one. Better nodavirus tests Significantly better tests are now available for local and exotic nodaviruses that infect marine and freshwater fish. The new molecular and immuno-diagnostic methods would be published as an Australian and New Zealand Standard Diagnostic Procedure, said Principal Investigator Nick Moody of the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Queensland. He said more than one litre of polyclonal antibody was available to laboratories requiring an immuno-diagnostic ability. Better EHNV detection Improved reagents produced in this project to detect the virulent epizootic haematopoietic necrosis virus in cultured finfish should meet Australian and overseas needs for about 15 years. Principal Investigator Richard Whittington of the University of Sydney said production of the reagents, associated protocols and reference materials would benefit the entire Australian aquaculture sector by demonstrating Australia’s fish disease competencies to international markets. Bonamia reagents available Reagents to detect and identify known species of the serious oyster pathogen bonamia are available from the Australian Animal Health Laboratory. Principal Investigator Serge Corbeil said the associated development of a standard diagnostic technique would allow all jurisdictions to establish accurate information on the presence of bonamia, isolate infected populations and base management on accurate information. The research showed that the bonamia present in New South Wales differs from New Zealand and northern hemisphere isolates. AAH Subprogram success In its first three years FRDC’s Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram had managed 50 R&D projects, said Subprogram Leader Eva-Maria Bernoth. Output included 10 standard diagnostic techniques for priority diseases, 21 emergency management manuals and 10 training exercises, all developed though stakeholder consultation. Stakeholder feedback indicated that strategic targeting and the establishment of a network of health experts and research providers had been significant achievements. See also Subprogram leaders report elsewhere in this edition. NSW disease manual New South Wales now has an Aquavetplan manual outlining procedures for tackling an aquatic animal disease emergency. It sets them out at local, district and State levels, describes the required response phases and details roles, responsibilities and actions to be taken by key staff. With NSW Fisheries about to be folded into a super department, a new version will be issued within months to describe the new structure and jurisdictional responsibilities. Queensland disease manual Queensland too has a control centres manual for handling aquatic animal disease emergencies. Principal Investigator Tiina Hawkesford of the Queensland Fisheries Service says its development has led to a more cooperative, interactive approach and raised awareness of aquatic animal health within the state bureaucracy. Vic disease exercise An exercise to test the Victorian Department of Primary Industry’s response to an aquatic animal disease emergency showed that awareness was high among fisheries and animal health staff, said Principal Investigator Anthony Forster. There was room for improvement though - particularly in adapting management systems designed for terrestrial animals - and recommendations have been made accordingly. Setting up AAHC Setting up the national Aquatic Animal Health Consultative Committee as a policy interface between industry and government was relatively straightforward, said Principal Investigator Eva-Maria Bernoth, Leader of FRDC’s Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram. Membership covers the major aquaculture sectors, commercial and recreational wild catch fisheries, the ornamental fish sector and all Australian governments. However governments and the private sector have yet to agree on how to sustainably fund either AAHC or its technical working group. VHS strategy manual Infectious viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS) has never been found in the southern hemisphere. But Australian monitoring is not good enough to rule out the possibility that it is here already, according to Paul Hardy-Smith of Hawthorn, Victoria, whose strategy manual outlines likely scenarios and response options. VHS, originally found in rainbow trout, can infect and kill other temperate freshwater and marine species, including pilchards, usually at water temperatures below 15ºC. Whirling disease strategy Australia is free of the myxozoan parasite that causes the potentially devastating whirling disease in freshwater salmonids, but it could arrive here in seafood from any of the major continents or New Zealand. Rainbow trout are most susceptible and diagnosis can be difficult, says Principal Investigator Paul Hardy-Smith of Hawthorn, Victoria, whose disease strategy manual nominates stringent Customs and quarantine measures as the first – and presumably last – line of defence. If you’ve got it… An initial demonstration of seafood processing and retailing skills at the national Worldskills 2004 in Brisbane should become a springboard for regional competitions next year, a national competition in 2006 and, ultimately, an international one. This is the view of Principal Investigator Anita Heijkoop of Seafood Training Australia, organiser of this year’s initiative, which she said was a superb team effort and a showcase for industry best practice.
Rig threatens bream stocksTHE running sinker rig used by most recreational black bream fishers in eastern Australia is lethal to undersize fish, according to Victorian research funded through FRDC’s National Strategy for the Survival of Line-caught Fish. Deakin University honours student Ben Roennfeldt said up to 80 per cent of black bream hooked in some estuaries were undersize, making this finding particularly significant. Because black bream typically mouth a bait and make tentative runs before swallowing it, a running sinker or unweighted rig often results in deeper hooking and higher catches. Ben Roennfeldt said the removal of deep hooks was not recommended because the associated injuries were believed to increase death rates. However his studies indicated the belief that released bream would remove such hooks naturally was ill-founded. Many died within hours of release and most others did not feed while retaining a hook. Degradation of common hook types was slow and slight and small bream in particular that dislodged long-shank hooks were unable to evacuate them via intestine and anus. As a result, deep hooking was a threat to future stocks. Ben Roennfeldt said he hoped to do further work next year on degradability and dislodgment of hooks of differing materials and designs and on retention periods for fish hooked in the stomach or oesophagus. In the meantime he recommends that recreational fishers consider:
MORE: Ben Roennfeldt,
Assessing two shared seasFISHERY issues in the Arafura and Timor seas will be assessed at a benchmark States of the Seas conference opening in Dili on November 29. This first conference of its kind is designed to assemble information on the condition of the living resources of the two seas, their system dynamics and the food security of the maritime and indigenous populations of adjoining nations. Its five priorities:
The four-day event, staged by the Timor Government and the Arafura and Timor Seas Experts Forum, will be opened by Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri. The organisers say their aim is to achieve a balance of knowledge and perspectives from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor and Australia, as well as a balance of perspectives from government ministries, research agencies, NGOs and indigenous and community organisations. Australian contributors will include the Commonwealth Fisheries Minister, Northern Territory Chief Minister Clare Martin, Marine Science Advisory Group Chair Russell Reichelt, National Oceans Office Deputy Director Sean Sullivan and Coordinator of the Northern Alliance of Indigenous Land and Sea Managers Joe Morrison. MORE: www.oceans.gov.au SA kingfish catch Board’s eyeFRDC Directors saw first-hand the integration of kingfish and southern bluefin tuna aquaculture at Arno Bay, South Australia, after visiting Port Lincoln for their 75th Board meeting. They also inspected SA Mariculture’s abalone farm and at both sites were reminded by the proprietors of the importance of R&D to aquaculture development. The FRDC Board discussed South Australian R&D issues with industry and research provider representatives in Port Lincoln, where speakers included Brian Jeffriess, Rob Lewis, Bob Pennington, Marcus Stehr and Leith Whittaker.
Recs using release infoMORE than a third of recreational fishers have changed their practices following a 2003 awareness campaign promoting best practice in releasing line-caught fish, survey results suggest. Roy Morgan Research surveyed recreational attitudes both before and after the television-led campaign. In the follow-up survey 59 per cent of respondents said they were aware of the campaign and 35 per cent said they had changed their practices as a result of it. Bill Sawynok, Principal Investigator of FRDC’s National Strategy for the Survival of Released Line-caught Fish, said the results supported the decision to promote best practice as a front-line approach. In Western Australia, recapture rates of tagged fish indicate that use of a release weight to return reef fish quickly to the bottom significantly improves survival, particularly of dhufish. A brochure on obtaining and using the release weight is available from infofish@zbcom.net, or andrew@recfishwest.org.au. Meanwhile International Angler has re-published from the National Strategy’s newsletter an account of the recapture of a barramundi from Queensland’s Lake Tinaroo, 17 years after it was tagged. International Angler is published by the Florida-based International Game Fish Association. MORE: www.info-fish.net/releasefish
2O% FARMED ABOLONE GROWTHAUSTRALIA’S abalone farmers expect to increase their current annual production of 300t by more than 20 per cent a year. Profit should be substantial, provided investment is maintained in R&D, as well as marketing, delegates to the 11th annual Abalone Conference in Hobart were told. Shane McLinden, interim chair of the new Australian Abalone Growers Association, said his members were ideally placed to cash in on expanding domestic and overseas markets. He said as the global supply of wild caught abalone continued to decline the improving affluence of Asian nations, particularly China, was fuelling demand and underpinning the future of the farm sector. “We now have a number of growers producing significant volumes and making significant profits, but we still have problems filling orders from overseas,” he said. With the sector underpinned by FRDC’s Abalone Aquaculture Subprogram, the growers have decided to fund a voluntary R&D levy and to explore national marketing initiatives with the help of the National Aquaculture Council. “Abalone farmers understand the advantages of working cooperatively and sharing information. There are fewer secrets now and a recognition that the competition is not over the fence – it’s overseas,” Shane McLinden said. Subprogram Leader Ann Fleming said in a progressive 10 years FRDC-managed R&D had moved from developing basic technology to more advanced objectives. Selective breeding, genetics and nutrition were now seen as the research paths most likely to reduce production costs and improve growth rates. MORE: Shane McLinden, phone 08 9336 6831, 0419 927 058
Longline ecosystem surveyCSIRO scientists have begun analysing data from a two week ecosystem survey of longline fishing grounds off eastern Australia. The September study, made from the research vessel Southern Surveyor, aimed to deliver a scientific snapshot of marine life, ocean currents and seabed features for better informed management of the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority. It is part of a broader assessment of the ecological effects of tuna and billfish longlining off eastern Australia, funded by FRDC with further voluntary contributions by fishery operators. “Federal government legislation now requires fisheries to manage their overall interactions with ecosystems and an obvious step in this process is to define these ecosystems, their biological communities, their physical conditions and boundaries, and how they change with the seasons,” said CSIRO voyage leader Jock Young. “Ocean ecosystems are a moveable feast,” he said. Much of the sampling was at Lord Howe Rise, an undersea plateau about 400 nautical miles off the continental coast. Nets were shot to varying depths to sample prey on which the target species feed. At the same time a chartered longliner sampled the target species – broadbill swordfish, yellowfin and bigeye tuna, and striped marlin – plus sharks and other top predators. “By analysing their stomach contents, we’ll be able to construct a food chain for each region, to map who eats who, and their rates of consumption,” Jock Young said. “Then to distinguish ecosystem differences, we’ll look for overlapping patterns in food chain structure such as shifts in species dominance and ocean features such as temperature, productivity and seabed structure. “The information ultimately will be used in computer-based ecosystem models to test the effect removing top predators has on other groups of species.” MORE: Jock Young, phone 0428 325 360;
R&D gave NPF a big net gainBENEFITS of between $42m and $123m have flowed from four FRDC-funded R&D projects in the Northern Prawn Fishery, according to an independent expert analysis. Fisheries Economics, Research and Management Pty. Ltd assessed the economic outcomes of projects 1994/128, which estimated the impact of environmental factors and new technology; 1995/014, which measured tiger prawn indices of recruitment and effective spawning; 1998/109, which analysed risk and set sustainability indicators; and 1999/100, which used fine-scale commercial data to establish spatial and seasonal stock dynamics for northern tiger prawns. NPF benefit-cost results
It says its estimated benefits of between $42m and $123 come from catch increases and fishing cost reductions that occurred because the R&D allowed excessive NPF effort to be reduced considerably sooner than otherwise would have been possible. FERM says a benefit of $42m would have resulted if the R&D brought forward the effort reduction by two years. If it brought it forward five years, the gain was $123m. Without the FRDC-funded R&D, it says, the fishery would have lacked the scientific rigour and stakeholder support needed to take decisive remedial action. The company’s estimates do not include additional savings from lower management costs, any benefits associated with the easier or earlier accreditation of the fishery under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Protection Act, community benefits from a tiger prawn stock recovery, or the social benefits resulting from the NPF becoming more resilient and less vulnerable. FRDC contributed less than $1.3m to the four projects, which cost a total of $2.3m. FERM said after raising the total net value to $3m in 2004 values it estimated the R&D had delivered a benefit-cost ratio in the range of 14:1 to 41:1. The NPF is the most valuable Commonwealth-managed fishery. MORE: Fisheries Economics, Research and Management Pty. Ltd, phone 02 4232 3736
Next phase for prawnsTHE nation’s wild-catch prawn fisheries will attempt to identify stepping stones to a more secure future at their three-day national conference beginning in Cairns on November 28. Under the theme The Next Phase keynote speakers and delegates will explore public perceptions of prawn trawling, the components of theoretically ideal management, the potential to profit from good environmental performance, marketing and Advances being made to create a new generation of responsibly-managed fisheries will be highlighted and the latest R&D results will be discussed. FRDC is a major sponsor. MORE: Carolyn Anderson & Associates, phone
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Last Updated: March 28 2007 13:43:41