R&D News

  Volume 13, Edition 1

ED’s Editoral - Some final thoughts I’d like to share …

FOR the past 12 years the fishing industry, and the natural resources on which it depends, have played a large role in my life. In the weeks before I leave FRDC, inevitably I’ve been thinking about my role and the Corporation’s achievements and influence during these years. I’d like to share some of those thoughts with you.

I’ve found, especially in recent times, that most people who are reasonably well-informed about the industry think that the Corporation has made a difference. The real question is: how much?

Looking back, the first change that strikes me is that the industry is now far less fragmented than it was when FRDC was formed in 1992. FRDC can take a lot of credit for this: it helped to build up valuable infrastructure through the Fisheries Research Advisory Bodies; through management arrangements for the R&D Subprograms and other national programs; through Seafood Services Australia, Seafood Training Australia and other industry-related companies; through national programs such as the environmental management system project officers and the survival of released line-caught fish; and through national conferences it initiated, such as Seafood Directions and Australasian Aquaculture.

These initiatives took place because, very early on, the FRDC Board realised that unless it boosted the industry’s infrastructure, the ultimate return on much of the Corporation’s R&D investments - to the Australian Government and the industry - would be greatly diminished. This significant strengthening of infrastructure would not have originated from within the industry at the time. It’s gratifying to see the industry now building on these FRDC initiatives. 

In the early 1990s the ‘fishing industry’ usually meant the commercial wild-catch sector. Now the aquaculture, harvesting and post-harvest sectors are part of the whole-of-chain emphasis which the Corporation has championed.

In a similar vein, a very important decision was made in 1996 — to formally recognise the other major user of wild fisheries resources, the recreational sector. Broader recognition of the sector followed that decision. Since then we have also progressed, albeit slowly, in engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fishers.

Priority-setting mechanisms such as the Fisheries Research Advisory Bodies have enabled end-users of R&D results (fisheries managers and industry alike) to have much more say about R&D investment, not only by the FRDC but by other funding agencies.

Of course, R&D is only as good as the extent to which it is taken up by end-users. I find it surprising to be still observing the unthinking habit of criticising R&D funding agencies and research providers for under-achievement of the ‘real world results’ on which all our efforts are focused - the outcomes. Such criticism was justified in years gone by, but is much less so now. A recent study by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (Queensland) showed a high degree of uptake of the results of FRDC-funded research dating back to 1992. The Corporation’s stronger emphasis on extension of R&D results into industry, and improved measurement of resulting outcomes, has also drawn praise from our investors.

Fortunately, confidence in the benefits of R&D investment is now more prevalent than scepticism. A decade ago, the industry’s contribution to fisheries R&D was only 60 per cent of the amount that the Australian Government will match. Last financial year, for the first time, the industry contributed more than 100 per cent — particularly achieved through large investments in FRDC by the Northern Prawn Fishery, southern bluefin tuna aquaculture and Atlantic salmon aquaculture. This is a sign of confidence in how the FRDC plans, invests in and manages R&D. It’s also a sign that some sectors of industry see R&D as a key investment in their future — another reflection of the huge strides the industry has taken since the early 1990s.

It’s not easy to change attitudes on a large scale and, even more, to spur people to action. Many leaders in the industry, and people who support the industry in government agencies and research organisations, can be proud of their achievements in this respect. A significant milestone in having our key players ‘singing the same song’ was FRDC’s 2000–2005 strategic R&D plan. It provided the first-ever strategic picture of our industry, its natural resources and the challenges that face us all.

Many industry plans have since built on its insights. As the successor plan nears completion, there have been many signs, especially at our major conferences, of how strong our shared visions have become. This augurs very well for the industry’s future!

FRDC’s emphasis on demand factors as well as supply factors has stimulated industry thinking in recent times. Already, people are talking of ‘demand chains’, reflecting the ever-increasing focus of wild-catch and aquaculture producers and post-harvest operators on the needs of the consumer. 

Inevitably, I would have liked to have seen FRDC make a greater difference in some areas, not least in boosting the industry’s capacity to represent its best interests.

Unlike other primary industries the fishing industry largely depends on access to community-owned natural resources. In many fisheries the commercial sector also depends on government permission to export seafood products.

As we know, in a robust democracy our elected representatives’ ears are open to all callers. Given this reality, it’s remarkable that the sector continues to seriously under-invest in its capacity to advocate to governments and the community in general, and to gain the knowledgeable support of consumers for Australia’s safe, high-quality seafood. The seafood industry is well behind other primary industries in this respect.

At the other end of the success scale, although still in its infancy, is the commercial sector’s uptake of environmental management systems. Aided by timely funding by the Natural Heritage Trust, Seafood Services Australia Ltd (itself a great success story of industry/FRDC collaboration) is putting seafood EMS well ahead of other primary industries.

My conclusion? FRDC has made a huge difference to the industry and the natural resources that sustain it. Industry, government and the Australian community alike are reaping ever-increasing rewards from the millions invested in R&D. And the strengthened partnerships that have grown from these successes give promise for a far greater future.

If you’re reading down this far, you’ve been part of the success story!

Peter Dundas-Smith

Executive Director, FRDC

Thanks to my friends… … my 12 years serving the fishing industry and the Australian community have been immensely satisfying.

During the past three months I’ve taken the opportunity to personally thank the people with whom I’ve worked in so many contexts. Fortunately, that has saved me from the impossible task of starting to name them here! Suffice to say that in our industry - and among the people who support it - are some of Australia’s finest. I’m privileged to have shared your passion. My best wishes to those who are carrying the industry forward to its great future, including my very capable successor, Patrick Hone, the eight other hugely dedicated staff members who make FRDC what it is, FRDC’s Directors, and their predecessors. No-one could have wished for finer colleagues and friends.  - PDS

Since 1992 the R&D News has been published quarterly and in a couple of instances a fifth special edition was published. Currently 30,000 copies are distributed throughout the industry making it one, if not the, highest volume fishing magazine.

Behind every single edition there have been two people who have been largely responsible for consistently helping the FRDC produce a quality product. They are Daphne (Duckie to friends) Bryan and Mal Maloney.

Duckie was a skipper on a prawn trawler operating out of northern Australia and now lives in Hobart where amongst many other things she creates the R&D News’ visual style.

Mal is an ex-Kiwi and is a rock lobster licence holder in Hobart. Mal is also an author and has a passion for Tasmania’s wilderness protection (he also refuses to wear a tie!). Mal contributes to the R&D News by following up on leads and writing the stories. Many of you would have received a call from Mal over the years.

Incidentally, it was Duckie’s husband Dale who, as an inaugural director of the FRDC, conceived the need for the R&D News.

Major seafood market push

THE national seafood industry is about to launch a ‘Brand Australia’ marketing campaign to dramatically increase market access and profitability.

The long-term domestic and export campaign is a joint initiative of the National Aquaculture Council (NAC) and the Australian Seafood Industry Council (ASIC).

Its inspiration – and initial funding – come from NAC-Australian Government Aquaculture Agenda, which seeks to increase the annual value of aquaculture from a current $700m to $2.5 billion by the end of the decade.

“We’ve canvassed many options for increasing profitability. The only one capable of such a seismic shift in production value is the promotion initiative,” said NAC Chair John Jenkin.

Accepting that the market for Australian seafood does not differentiate between wild harvest and farm products, NAC realised that seafood from both sources had to be promoted as one.

ASIC support

“We’re very supportive of this approach,” said ASIC Chair Bob Pennington.

“We believe it could do for Australian seafood what similar campaigns have done for wine and horticulture.”

Australian Fisheries Minister Ian Macdonald said during the federal election campaign that the Government would continue to work with NAC and ASIC to implement a branding and marketing program for Australian seafood.

Three brand development specialists have been commissioned to develop a new brand that appeals to seafood consumers in Australia and overseas – and to encourage Australians to buy their local product.

A brand strategy and proposals for its communication and management were due to be delivered to industry as this edition of R&D News went to press.

NAC and ASIC are seeking support along the entire seafood chain and plan to hold a series of port and farm meetings early this year to outline objectives, strategies and potential benefits to industry and explain how individuals and companies in the commercial sector can become involved.

“We need our leaders to get out and draw in the necessary support within their industries,” said John Jenkin. “We’ve been given the chance. Let’s take advantage of it.”

MORE: Simon Bennison, NAC, phone: 02 6281 0383; email nac@asic.org.au; www.australian-aquacultureportal.com; Russ Neal, ASIC, phone
02 6281 0383; email rneal@asic.org.au

Patrick Hone to lead FRDC   

FRDC Programs Manager Patrick Hone  is the Corporation’s new Executive Director, replacing inaugural executive director Peter Dundas-Smith.

The appointment was made by the FRDC Board.  Chairman Denis Byrne said the new Executive Director’s wide experience of fisheries R&D and the broad support of industry leaders would ensure a smooth transition.

Patrick Hone said he looked forward to tackling the challenges facing the fishing industry, to ensuring that opportunities for all sectors were realised and would continue to build on what he described as “FRDC’s excellent reputation for delivering outcomes”.

PDS leadership scholarshipPDS leadership scholarship

AN annual leader scholarship will be awarded by the FRDC Board in recognition of its inaugural executive director.

Winners of the Peter Dundas-Smith Leadership Scholarship will receive $10,000 towards an overseas study tour or other project that will improve their ability to contribute as leaders in their chosen field.

In 2005 and other odd-numbered years the opportunity will go to an applicant from the commercial sector – either wild catch or aquaculture. In even-numbered years it will be offered within the recreational and indigenous sectors.

In each case a selection panel will choose the candidate it believes is most likely to make an outstanding contribution to his or her industry sector.

FRDC said the scholarship would be a continuing reminder of Peter Dundas-Smith’s outstanding contribution to all sectors of the fishing industry.

Potential commercial sector applicants for 2005 are invited to send brief letters outlining their scholarship proposal to FRDC by March 31.

MORE: John Wilson, phone 02 6285 0400.

First hatchery lobster hailed

TINY, transparent and fragile, Australia’s first hatchery-reared rock lobster has brought the national goal of commercial rock lobster aquaculture significantly closer.

A team lead by Arthur Ritar at the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute produced the first Australian hatchery puerulus to survive the moult from
the phyllosoma stage in November.

The achievement is a high point of FRDC’s Rock Lobster Enhancement and Aquaculture Subprogram, which so far has invested six years and more than $6m in an attempt to make Australia the first country in the world
capable of culturing rock lobster commercially.

“Others have tried and failed. We know of only two other labs – both Japanese – that have successfully reared lobsters past the phyllosoma stage,” said TAFI Director Colin Buxton.

“They worked with very small numbers and sterile conditions, but we’re now producing consistently high numbers of phyllosoma larvae, with the expectation of many more puerulus.

“The significance for eventual commercial production is that the phyllosoma larval period in our hatchery was only 12 months, whereas in the wild it is estimated to be up to 24 months.

“This was the result of good husbandry, good health management and a great science team,” he said.

TAFI’s Director said this initial success would contribute very significantly to the understanding of larval rearing at TAFI and at its partner labs interstate.  He said he believed some of the methods used had commercial potential and could be licensed, but this would be a matter for groups involved within the Subprogram.

Wild fisheries had nothing to fear, he said, because commercial aquaculture would produce a smaller lobster requiring a separate marketing strategy.

It was also at least 10 years off, by which time international demand for seafood would have significantly outstripped supply and aquaculture potential would be far greater than it was now.

Australian Government Fisheries Minister Ian Macdonald described the breakthrough as a major achievement that gave Australia an advantage in the race to commercial culture.

His Tasmanian counterpart Steve Kons said it was also a triumph over technical complexity by the
TAFI team.

MORE: Colin Buxton, phone 03 6227 7277, email Colin.Buxton@utas.edu.au; Arthur Ritar, email arthur.ritar@utas.edu.au.

Become a leader in 2005

The Advance In Seafood Leadership Development Program enters its sixth year with its 2005 program. The Program provides an opportunity for future leaders from all sectors and states to come together and take the next step in building the leadership capacity of both individuals and the industry as a whole.

Advance in Seafood equips participants with the skills, networks and “big picture” perspective to work more effectively in their enterprise as well as in the broader industry.

The program comprises of three residential sessions over six months with participants making a commitment to undertake a significant industry project. 

The six month program will commence in Geraldton with the first session being held 27th – 29th April. The second session will run from 27th – 29th July in Sydney and the final session, which includes the graduation ceremony being held in Canberra 11th – 13th October.

For further information on being involved in the program either as an industry stakeholder interested in nominating and supporting a participant or as a participant contact Kelly Tape on (08) 8357 8319 or kelly@corvel.com.au

R&D News reader survey

The FRDC is seeking to improve R&D News as a publication by better understanding what readers think of it. We want you to tell us how relevant you find it, and how effective it is in delivering the type of information you are after. We would appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to complete this important survey for us. Your views and opinions will help shape future editions of R&D News and your individual comments will remain strictly confidential.

You can return your survey either by post free of charge to R&D News survey, FRDC, Reply Paid 222, Deakin West ACT 2600 or by faxing it to 02 6285 4421 by no later than 25 March 2005, for your chance to win a case of premium wine.

Please take the time to fill out the R&D reader survey, it is at the back of this issue of
R&D News.

Applications approved for 04-05

FRDC will fund the following projects in 2004-2005.  They were approved after the previous R&D News went to press.   

Industry’s $6.5m tops the ton

It’s the first time the matchable total has been reached or exceeded. The previous year’s contribution of $5.1m represented 84 per cent.

Although the government matching peaks at 0.25 per cent of the annual gross value of commercial fisheries production, its total contribution, including appropriations and specific-purpose funding, was more than $24m.

FRDC Directors said industry’s achievement reflected its increasing recognition of the benefits flowing from R&D and its confidence in the Corporation.

This and strong project partnerships lifted the annual value of R&D projects managed by FRDC by almost
10 per cent to $65.8m.

FRDC’s investment of $25.1m amounted to slightly more than 38 per cent of the total. R&D partners contributed $40.7m – almost 62 per cent. This leverage of 1.63 times the FRDC contribution was a marginal  increase on the previous year. For every dollar industry invested, its 2003-04 return averaged $3.85.

FRDC evaluated 171 R&D proposals in 2003-04 and funded 81, one fewer than in the previous year. Projects under management rose slightly to 494, with a median value of $224,406. One hundred and twenty-two final reports were delivered, 32 more than in 2002-03.

FRDC’s annual report is available at www.frdc.com.au/pub/anrep/

Govt increases R&D costs

The Board’s Business Development Committee has highlighted what it describes as Australian Government departments not giving enough consideration to helping fund the R&D needed to support the fisheries assessments required by the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Directors say the R&D required also tends to be more tactical than strategic, which leaves important
strategic R&D unfunded.

Asking the Australian Government to include recreational fishing in the annual gross value of production (AGVP) on which its R&D funding formula is based is an option being floated by the FRDC Board to bridge the gap.

In support of its case for a recreational component, the Board’s Business Development Committee says a decline in the annual gross value of commercial production is expected to continue because of lower export returns.

Establishing recreational fishing licences with an R&D component in States and Territories that do not have them is also suggested. Given that increasing expenditure alone will not ensure all high-priority R&D is funded, the Board says FRDC is redoubling its efforts to ensure R&D is competitive and cost-effective.

Future investment, it says, will be even more sharply focussed on meeting the knowledge needs of end-users – mainly fisheries managers.

Colbeck, Hewitt, in  new roles

TASMANIAN Liberal Senator Richard Colbeck is the new Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. He replaces Judith Troeth.

Richard Colbeck, 46, was appointed to parliament in 2002 to serve out the remainder of the term of Jocelyn Newman, who had resigned.

A carpenter who set up his own building consultancy, he is a former Tasmanian president of the Liberal Party and former member of the party’s federal executive.

He served two terms as President of the Devonport Chamber of Commerce, is a former Devonport City Council alderman and a former director of the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

FRDC and other Research and Development Corporations report to the Australian Government and the Parliament through the Parliamentary Secretary.

Meanwhile, Joanna Hewitt has become the first woman to head the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Previously a deputy secretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, she has also held senior posts in the former Department of Primary Industries and Energy and headed the Agriculture Directorate at the OECD Secretariat. Her most recent assignment was representing Australia at the Doha round of agricultural trade negotiations.

Queensland Liberal Senator Ian Macdonald has been reappointed Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation by Prime Minister John Howard.

Most users say R&D delivers

 FRDC-funded R&D is highly regarded by end-users, according to a PhD study by a former Projects Manager with the Corporation.

Alex Wells’ two surveys of five years’ R&D recorded the assessments more than 300 end-users made of more than 100 projects.

The vast majority, he reported, “considered FRDC’s R&D projects to be valuable in terms of results, to be of high priority and to be meaningful  for the fishing industry and/or the community”.

A majority confirmed that objectives were achieved, results were adopted and benefits were positive. However they called for more industry participation and for better communication between scientists and end-users.

Alex Wells’ study showed that end-users are more likely to adopt R&D results and identify benefits if they are involved in project planning and development, communication throughout is good, the science is of a high standard, the researchers are well regarded and, mostly importantly, the R&D addresses a high priority issue.

The FRDC Board says it will continue to act on what it describes as ‘these important factors, with an emphasis on end-users being closely involved in identifying R&D priorities, preparing funding applications and in project delivery as co-investigators.

Directors says they are acutely aware that evaluation of the benefits of Australian fisheries R&D has been limited because of cost and because there are few recognised ways of measuring environmental benefits in particular.

R&D Towards AGD-resistant salmon

THE possibility of breeding Atlantic salmon immune to amoebic gill disease (AGD) is being investigated in two collaborative projects.

In the first, salmon will be exposed to AGD in a purpose-built facility at the University of Tasmania’s School of Aquaculture in Launceston and the genes of those showing high and low resistance will be examined for differences.

In this three year project James Wynne, a PhD student with the CSIRO and the School of Aquaculture, will continue his search for gene forms likely to confer resistance. If they can be identified, parent stock will be selected to breed new lines of AGD-resistant fish.

The study is funded by FRDC and the Aquafin Cooperative Research Centre, with industry support.

A second experiment, by Mathew Cook of the CSIRO in collaboration with Norwegian colleagues, will use new genetic technology to identify the genes that are more – and less – active during the onset of AGD.

This will point to the genes associated with resistance, as well as those active during infection, offering clues to alternative treatments.

In the new DNA microarray technology, a small glass slide is spotted with thousands of dots of DNA, each representing a different gene. This allows differences in many thousands of genes to be tracked simultaneously with a minimal number of samples.

Fish with amoebas on their gills remain safe to eat but lose weight. The amoebas are removed by bathing the salmon in fresh water, a cumbersome strategy that costs Tasmanian growers about $15m a year.

However, farmers have noted that individual fish in a single batch have clear, measurable differences of amoeba infection.

“If we can demonstrate that this is consistent inherited trait, we have a good chance of developing an amoeba-resistant line of salmon in Tasmania,” said project leader Nick Elliott of the CSIRO.

The studies are among 10 AGD-related projects in the Aquafin CRC Health Program. Others are investigating alternative treatments and vaccine development.

MORE: Nick Elliott, phone 03 6232 5263, email nick.elliott@csiro.au

The Retail Sale and Consumption of Seafood in Melbourne

Principal Investigator Nick Ruello says better communication is the key to raising consumer confidence and increasing fish consumption and thereby strengthening industry profitability.

Five focus group discussions with consumers in Melbourne has revealed that they recognise fish and other seafood as a tasty and nutritious protein source, and often select seafood when dining out, but their consumption in home is constrained by a lack of confidence in buying and preparing it. Price is also commonly mentioned as a barrier to increasing fish consumption.

Consumers reported that they are uncertain about:

• what is “local” or “Australian” seafood in retail stores (those caught in nearby bays, oceans or those processed here?);
• safety of seafood generally, particularly some imported species, after media publicity on mercury in fish and chemicals in imported prawns;
• freshness and taste of packaged seafood, and loose seafood in supermarkets labelled “thawed for your convenience”; and
• truth in labelling, especially on fish names (substitution of cheap fish for more expensive ones) and the word “fresh” (how fresh, has it been frozen and thawed?).

They also acknowledged that they have little if any understanding of:

• Commercial fisheries resource management and sustainability;
• Aquaculture;
• Organic seafood; and
• Marine Stewardship Council.

The low level of consumer awareness of the importance of commercial fishing and aquaculture to the fresh food supply and the Australian economy combined with the uncertainty and lack of confidence in the labels on seafood in retail outlets are critical issues that need to be addressed by the industry.

But our trade interviews with 120 Melbourne retailers indicate that many of them are also ill informed or uninformed about most of these key issues. So both the wild-catch and aquaculture sectors need to invest far more heavily in communicating with their customers (retailers and consumers) so that mislabelling is drastically reduced if not eliminated, retailers are better informed on new products and species so they can offer consumers what they want: new ideas and inexpensive quick and easy meal solutions.

The basic foundations for any product, brand or sector promotion should be greater presentation, consumer knowledge of the product and confidence in the quality of seafood. Ultimately the best promotional ideas will fail if the product or place of sale does not meet expectations.

MORE: Nic Ruello, phone 02 9817 4652; email nick@ruello.com

Is My Fish Worth More Than Yours?

Australia is surrounded by vast seas, from which a wonderful variety of seafood is harvested. Yet in some fisheries there are simply too many fishers. That leads to arguments about who will have how much access to the particular fishery.

Nevertheless, some of the most important debates about access to fisheries resources are still being argued by appeals to emotion than rather to facts. We have some facts, so its time to start using them.

Important questions in the debate include: how can the values of fish caught by commercial and recreational fishers be ascertained? How can these values be compared with each other (as in comparing apples with apples) to help in making decisions about who should be allowed to catch fish? And at the core is the question that draws the emotion: is a fish worth more to an angler than to a commercial fisher?

These questions are important because we need answers that allow us to optimise allocations of fisheries resources for the best economic (and environmental and social) returns to the Australian community, which owns the resource.

For a copy of “Is My Fish Worth More Than Yours?” contact the FRDC; Tara Ryan 02 6285 0915.

Rec divers as reef guardians

IN South Australia this month  trained scientific divers have begun biological surveys of about 300km of coastal reefs.  Simultaneously, up to 100 volunteer divers are also contributing to the monitoring effort through a community-based sister project.

The three year scientific project (FRDC 2004/078) aims to provide a baseline understanding of the individual reef ecosystems east and west of Adelaide and their current state of health so future changes can be monitored, measured and, where necessary, acted upon.  An environmental report card system will grade reefs into categories from A to F based on their condition.

Considerable effort is being invested in developing community involvement in reef monitoring.  South Australia already has an active volunteer based reef monitoring initiative known as Reef Watch, which is coordinated by the State’s Conservation Council.  Inputs from the scientific program are designed to take community monitoring to its next level.

“By the end of the project, we believe volunteer divers trained in the Reef Watch program will have taken over a considerable portion of the ongoing monitoring and will continue it indefinitely,” said Principal Investigator David Turner of the South Australian Research and Development Institute. 

“This regular monitoring will also act as an early warning system for introduced pests. Local groups will have responsibility for reefs in their area, so any new invasive species should be spotted early, leading to an increased chance of successful control or eradication,” he said.

“In the long term we also expect to be able to measure changes associated with such things as improved wastewater treatment and Marine Protected Areas.”

Community and agency support for the project is strong with active involvement from management agencies, fisheries bodies and universities.  Wider community involvement continues to grow with 58 volunteer divers attending the most recent marine life identification workshop run by SARDI and Reef Watch.  

Reef Watch now has about 700 community divers, with about 100 of them undertaking ongoing monitoring.

Under the guidance of experts, who nominate the reefs to be examined, the recreational divers use the same uniform survey method as agency professionals.

“Community involvement is the key now and it will be even more so in the future,” said David Turner.  “It’s put more eyes in the water, which means we’ll get more highly resolved information; and local ownership is already creating a better informed community, committed to understanding and looking after the reefs.”

MORE: David Turner, phone 08 8207 5441; email: turner.david@saugov.sa.gov.auaddresses a high priority issue.

SA bags SBT world first

A BIG polypropylene bag has allowed South Australian researchers to determine the metabolic rate of southern bluefin tuna by measuring their resting oxygen consumption.

It’s the first time these measurements have been taken from such big, free-swimming fish.

In SBT culture, metabolic rates provide fundamental information on tuna responses to many external factors. These include handling, confinement, feeding and changes in water temperature and oxygen levels, says Principal Investigator Richard Musgrove of the South Australian Research and Development Institute.

For the study (FRDC 2003/228) two unfed, similar-sized caged tuna were transfered from a farm pontoon and quickly transferred to the reinforced bag, which is 12m in diameter, 2.5m deep, has a capacity of 242,000 litres and is described by the scientists as a mesocosm respirometer.

As the tuna acclimatised over six hours, oxygen electrodes, water stirrers and data and temperature loggers were installed in fixed positions in the water column.

The swimming behaviour of the fish was recorded on digital video at the end of the acclimation period, excess air bubbles that had collected underneath the roof were rolled-out and the mesocosm was sealed.

Initial dissolved oxygen levels were recorded with a portable oxygen meter at three depths and the fish were left for up to 24 hours, when final dissolved oxygen readings were taken.

Then the fish were removed, the big bag was recharged with an oxygen diffuser loaned by BOC Gases. The experiment was repeated with a further four pairs of tuna.

Richard Musgrove said the equipment and method proved a reliable way to measure SBT metabolism and the technology developed would be a useful tool to help farmers better understand environmental interactions, particularly in view of tuna sensitivity to water quality fluctuations.  This knowledge could then be used to optimise SBT quality and value.

The project was a collaboration between SARDI and University of Adelaide researchers Quinn Fitzgibbon, the late Russell Baudinette and Roger Seymour, conducted within FRDC’s SBT Aquaculture Subprogram and the Aquafin Cooperative Research Centre.

MORE: Richard Musgrove, phone 08 8207 5437; email Musgrove.Richard@saugov.sa.gov.au

Great whites are real movers

Four great whites sharks fitted with tracking tags at North Neptune Island near Port Lincoln, South Australia, in mid-November had each travelled 500km to 700km within three weeks.
The sharks, all males three to four metres long, brought to 10 the number satellite-tagged and tracked by the CSIRO since March 2000.

Team leader Barry Bruce said patterns were beginning to emerge of regional mixing, seasonal migrations and swimming behaviour.

“We now have evidence they move tremendous distances in Australian waters,” he said.

“Sharks from South Australia seasonally travel as far as southern Queensland and north-west Western Australia.

“They seem to spend extended periods in one area when food resources are available, then make relatively rapid and directed movement away, presumably in response to food availability, or reproductive cues.

“Following several white sharks tagged at the same time provides us with a wonderful opportunity to see how coordinated their movements are and what cues they use to travel.

Great white sharks are protected in Australia under fisheries and threatened species legislation.

Tracks of the white sharks are available at
www.marine.csiro.au