R&D News

R&D News

  Volume 13, Edition 2 

Final reports

FINAL reports on these recently-completed R&D projects are available from FRDC, or other
sources named.

Abalone reproduction

Abalone hatcheries can now produce seedstock of both blacklip and greenlip year-round by providing the required environmental conditions and feed, this Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute study shows. Temperature is the key to controlling spawning, says Principal Investigator Arthur Ritar, who has specified the critical temperatures below which there is no gonad development, plus the ambient temperature – 16degC – at which broodstock should be held to consistently produce big numbers of eggs and sperm. He says commercial adoption of these procedures is providing a reliable and continuous supply of high-quality larvae.

2000/204

Abalone sperm preservation

Sperm from selectively bred abalone can now be frozen and stored on-farm. Principal Investigator Xiaoxu Li of the South Australian Research and Development Institute said the cryptopreservation technique could protect lines of improved stock and increase hatchery efficiency, because most of the time only females would need to be spawned. Cross-breeding distant populations or species that breed asynchronously could be easier and the potential to spread disease by translocating broodstock could be reduced. Progeny have yet to be assessed.

2000/202

Released lobster survival

Hatchery-reared juvenile southern rock lobsters appear to have a high survival rate when released in the wild. Research in Tasmania and New Zealand under FRDC’s Rock Lobster Enchancement and Aquaculture Subprogram showed juveniles raised from wild-caught puerulus and released at 12 months avoided predators immediately, thanks to being pre-conditioned to feed at dusk. Principal Investigator Caleb Gardner of the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute said survival rates after 48 hours were equivalent to those of wild controls, with predation not exceeding five per cent. Survival was best when releases were made at night and in winter. Suitable sites could be selected cost-effectively by divers on the basis of good shelter and the presence of wild juveniles, he said.

2000/185

Best lobster practice

Best practice handling codes for Australia’s southern and western rock lobster fisheries have been distributed to licence-owners in South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The western code is in 13 loose-leaf sections, the southern one in 15; each designed to be continuously improved. More than 350 copies of videos showing recommended procedures for each species have been supplied to fishers on request. Principal Investigator Richard Stevens of the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council says the code should be modified for the hand-capture tropical rock lobster fishery as soon as practicable. Copies of the videos and associated manuals are available from WAFIC on 08 9244 2933.

2002/237

Lobsters and ammonia

Techniques developed in this project to prevent ammonia toxicity rock lobster in holding and transport systems have been incorporated in project 2002/237’s codes of practice. Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute scientists established the maximum safe levels of ammonia, short and long-term, in holding water for both southern and western rock lobsters and Principal Investigator Stephen Battaglene says the resulting industry guides have increased survival rates and lobster quality, particularly in Tasmania. Two industry guides are included in the final report. These guides are optimising water quality – O² and recirculatory systems for holding rock lobsters.

2000/252

SBT dioxin levels

Dioxin levels in Australian farmed southern bluefin tuna are only about one-eighth of the European Commission’s maximum allowable limit, the South Australian Research and Development Institute has found. This, says Principal Investigator David Padula, provides a high degree of public health protection. A predictive model framework has been constructed to relate dioxin levels in baitfish to those in harvested SBT. But the relationship between the two is non-linear and unexplained, raising the possibility that accumulation of both dioxins and PCBs may in part be attributible to metabolic degredation of low-toxicity dioxins naturally-present in farmed SBT to create more toxic forms. The study found mercury and lead levels in farmed tuna were comparable to those in wild-caught specimens.

2003/227

Now, the squeezeometer

Tasmanian scientists have developed an electronic gauge they’re calling a squeezeometer to help fishers and researchers accurately measure rock lobster shell hardness at sea. Hard shells are mandatory in the live market and subjective measurements made after the annual moult have been consistent only in their unreliability. With their squeezeometer Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute researchers have improved on North American technology by developing a gauge to quickly measure the spring-like flex in the arched lobster tail – a spring that grows stronger with shell age. The harder the tail, the more LEDs light up, allowing soft-shellers to be identified and returned to the water. Principal Investigator Caleb Gardner says for catch sampling research, the readings can be downloaded simultaneously to computer. Options for manufacture are being investigated.

2002/238

Aboriginal fishing strategy

An Aboriginal fishing strategy developed by the Western Australian Department of Fisheries following three years’ consultation asks the WA Government to recognise customary fishing and include it in legislation. It also recommends promoting economic opportunities for Aborigines in fishing, eco-tourism and aquaculture. Principal Investigator Ben Fraser says a third major recommendation – involving Aborigines in fisheries management – is already being implemented, with funding provided for an Aboriginal management officer and a trainee fisheries officer program. He says although the strategy is the most comprehensive in Australia it should be regarded as a first step to improving recognition and inclusion of indigenous fishing rights and interests in WA’s fisheries legislation and management.

2001/064

Estimating spawner numbers

This project has developed a cost-effective way to assess stocks of prawns and other fish by determining the number of successful spawners. The idea is that genetic estimates of population size - which can be made by measuring genetic drift – are equivalent to estimates of successful spawners. Principal Investigator Jenny Ovenden of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries says calculations of effective spawner numbers can be used as a surrogate for spawning population size and recruitment and, by improving the accuracy of stock-recruitment models, will lead to more effective management that improves fisheries’ sustainability. And it’s getting easier – technology now available is cheaper, friendlier and more reliable than that used to develop and validate the spawner method.

2001/018

Sharks and aquaculture

A sellout workshop on shark incursions in South Australian aquaculture identified bronze whalers as the greatest nuisance for kingfish growers and freshly dead caged fish as the major attraction. Despite publicity about great whites, whalers and makos were the major problem for the tuna sector – and mostly when cages were being towed. Principal Investigator Sue Murray-Jones of the SA Departmernt of Environment and Heritage said there was general agreement that fish cages did not attract sharks to the region. There also was agreement that seals and sea lions were a greater problem.

2002/040

The seafood story

Publisher the Kondinin Group will coordinate a marketing strategy to build on the initial success of the award-winning The Story of Seafood in primary schools, says Principal Investigator Kim Field of Kondinin. She says the book and its supportive teacher resource kit have an immediate audience, with many schools advance-ordering Kondinin’s Workboot titles because of their credibility and value to teachers. Urging more industry involvement, she suggests that giving tomorrow’s consumers an appreciation of the seafood sector and its contribution to their lives would deliver great future benefits. Copies are available from the Kondinin Group 1800 677 761.

2001/311

Salmonid AGD progress

This project has created knowledge and tools that will allow research into amoebic gill disease in farmed Atlantic salmon to be better targeted and more effective. The knowledge includes identification of developmental stages of AGD, its strong association with salinity and temperature and the consequent establishment of AGD case definition, which will provide consistent disease interpretation. Tools include an ability to culture standardised preparations of virulent, host-derived Neoparamoeba species with cell factory production systems and enhanced crypto-preservation techniques. But, inevitably, new questions have emerged, says Principal Investigator Barbara Nowak of the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, who outlines the work needed to answer them.

2001/244

AGD epidemiology

A draft best practice protocol to minimise AGD has been developed in a project complementary to the one immediately above, but understanding of the dynamics of outbreaks was not good enough to build a predictive computer model for the disease. But Principal Investigator Barbara Nowak says understanding of AGD epidemiology has improved and will provide a basis for development of new treatments or vaccine applications.

2001/245

SA snapper structure

South Australia’s snapper appear to be a single stock originating in one or two areas: the northern Spencer Gulf and the northern Gulf St Vincent, this SA Research and Development Institute study concludes. Researchers believe the fish remain in these nurseries for three years, then disperse throughout SA waters, with most choosing locations for permanent residence. Principal Investigator Anthony Fowler says fishery management should be reassessed in light of this new understanding of stock structure and its temporal dynamics.

2002/001

Prawn hopper handbook

Hoppers in Action, a booklet summarising current knowledge of hoppers for Australia’s prawn trawl fisheries, should increase their use and efficiency, say Principal Investigators Anissa Lawrence and Christine Soul of Ocean Watch. It also spells out what they say is a need for research to measure hoppers’ principal ecological benefit – better bycatch survival. Copies of the handbook are available from Oceanwatch 02 9660 2262.

2003/012

WA BRD assessment

Exclusion devices are ensuring the survival of 95 per cent to 100 per cent of turtles, rays and big sharks entering trawls in Western Australia’s Shark Bay and Exmouth Gulf prawn and scallop fisheries. In Shark Bay mandatory bycatch reduction device grids reduce prawn catches by five per cent to nine per cent but, says Principal Investigator Mervi Kangas of the WA Marine Research Laboratories, these prawns remain catchable. Scallop catches seem unaffected except in prawn gear, where they are down by five per cent to nine per cent.

2000/189

WA grass emperor

Severe restrictions on the recreational catch of snapper in Shark Bay appear to have led to the over-exploitation of grass emperor, according to the WA Department of Fisheries. Principal Investigator Suzanne Ayvazian says information from this first study of WA grass emperor, at the southern extremity of its range, provided a scientific basis for increasing the legal minimum length to 32cm and reducing the bag limit in the Gascoyne bio-region. She says future changes in the snapper fishery should take account of the transfer of effort to other species.

1999/152

NSW eels

Preliminary genetic analysis suggests New South Wales’ longfinned eels should be regarded as a discrete population, says the NSW Fisheries Research Institute. Tagging and recapture indicated most restricted themselves to a home range of less than 300m. Males favoured tidal zones – only two of 677 eels caught in fresh water were male – and females occupied all zones in relatively high proportions. Principal Investigator Bruce Pease said harvest levels in the State’s two major eel fisheries appeared to be sustainable, but while females were effectively protected because of their high numbers in closed fresh water, increasing the minimum legal size from 30cm to 58cm would protect male spawning stocks in the heavily-fished upper tidal zone.

1998/127

Nodavirus transfer

Queensland scientists have been able to infect barramundi fry with nodavirus simply by adding the virus to fresh water. A similar attempt to infect older fry of silver perch, golden perch, sleepy cod and Barcoo grunter failed, but all four species proved susceptible to infection by injection. Principal Investigator Ian Anderson of the Department of Primary Industries says this does not necessarily mean freshwater species are immune to nodavirus infections spread by barramundi farmed beyond their natural range because, with barramundi, the older the larvae or fry, the less effect the virus has. He advises tests to see if this is the case with freshwater species too.

1999/205

Tropical seabed dynamics

Sponges, sea fans and other mega-fauna of the tropical seabed appear to have an unpredictible natural mortality of between eight per cent and 23 per cent a year, according to a CSIRO survey on the Great Barrier Reef near Townsville. Cyclones typically caused additional mortality of about six per cent and the pass of a single trawl averaged about 12 per cent. Recovery after cyclones and trawling could take decades, said Principal Investigator Roland Pitcher and was more dependent on recruitment than on growth rates. He said recruitment rates measured were only half those needed to retain densities. For surveying benthic fish abundance acoustic techniques were the most flexible and precise and best results were likely when they were combined with video, traps or other catch data.

1997/205

EMS assessment manual

The Australian seafood industry has demonstrably improved its environmental performance by developing environmental management systems attuned to the needs of individual fisheries, says Principal Investigator Ted Loveday of Seafood Services Australia Ltd. In doing so it has been guided by this project’s EMS Chooser, EMS Self-assessment and Training Manual and EMS Assessor’s Guide. A next step, he says, is to obtain funding through the Australian Government’s Pathways to Industry EMS program to ensure that seafood’s EMS initiatives continue to improve. The Seafood EMS Training and Self-Assessment Manual is available from SSA, phone 1300 130 321.

Aquaculture sediment

Pictures from still or video cameras are all finfish farmers need to monitor sediment underneath their cages, say researchers from the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute and they have produced a guide showing farmers how to take the pictures and interpret them. The visuals identify what the researchers describe as impacted and unimpacted sediments, plus transitions; and allow farmers to identify nine stages from pristine through degradation to a recovered state suitable for restocking. Principal Investigator Catriona Macleod said reduced stocking rates and longer fallowing delivered measurable and predictable benefits. She said combining reliable information on sediment condition with stocking and feed rates would help farmers manage their leases to obtain the best economic and environmental results. Final report and guide are available from the Aquafin CRC on 08 8207 5303.

2000/164

Aquaculture Subprogram savings

Coordination of projects within FRDC’s Abalone Aquaculture Subprogram has created operational savings of more than $500,000 and this trend is set to continue, says Principal Investigator and Subprogram Leader Ann Fleming in a review of operations. She says FRDC’s 12-year investment partnership with the private sector through the Subprogram has resulted in a significant, economically viable aquaculture industry.

2000/200

Aquaculture conference

More than 1300 people from 49 countries turned up for last September’s Australasian Aquaculture conference and trade show in Sydney, reports organiser and Principal Investigator Bruce Zippel. More than 200 presentations were delivered within a diverse and interactive program that put the emphasis on technology to reduce production costs and minimise environmental harm. Extra floor space had to be found to accommodate 105 trade exhibitors.

2003/304

Released fish survival

Before-and-after surveys indicate that 35 per cent of recreational fishers have improved their practices to increase survival of released line-caught fish as a result of a national television and print awareness campaign. In the absence of Australian data, promoting practices based on the best overseas science was likely to have accelerated the uptake, said Principal Investigator Bill Sawynok of Infofish Services. Guidance of the national strategy by an expertise-based committee meant that the $5.1m spent to date had targeted the highest priorities, he said. To obtain further information on released fish information contact Info-fish on 07 4928 6133 or visit their website www.info-fish.net

2002/099

WA shark manual

A code of practice for on-board handling of shark from Western Australia’s demersal gillnet and longline fishery has been developed by the WA Fishing Industry Council. It incorporates a handbook for new recruits and junior deck crew and an ice ready-reckoner that Principal Investigator Richard Stevens says is useful in other fisheries. The code will allow fishers to comply with the Australian Seafood Standard and the mandatory Primary Production and Processing Standard for seafood. Copies are available from WAFIC, phone
08 9244 2933.

SBT Subprogram

In its seven years, FRDC’s Southern Bluefin Tuna Aquaculture Subprogram has helped the SBT sector become Australia’s third biggest seafood exporter, earning more than $260m and employing more than 2000 people directly and indirectly, says Principal Investigator and Subpro-gram Leader Steven Clarke. He says with production levelling off and competition increasing in the Japanese market, the industry needs coordinated R&D that maintains or increases competitiveness more than ever.

2001/250

Abalone reproduction

Abalone hatcheries can now produce seedstock of both blacklip and greenlip year-round by providing the required environmental conditions and feed, this Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute study shows. Temperature is the key to controlling spawning, says Principal Investigator Arthur Ritar, who has specified the critical temperatures below which there is no gonad development, plus the ambient temperature – 16degC – at which broodstock should be held to consistently produce big numbers of eggs and sperm. He says commercial adoption of these procedures is providing a reliable and continuous supply of high-quality larvae.

2000/204

Abalone sperm preservation

Sperm from selectively bred abalone can now be frozen and stored on-farm. Principal Investigator Xiaoxu Li of the South Australian Research and Development Institute said the cryptopreservation technique could protect lines of improved stock and increase hatchery efficiency, because most of the time only females would need to be spawned. Cross-breeding distant populations or species that breed asynchronously could be easier and the potential to spread disease by translocating broodstock could be reduced. Progeny have yet to be assessed.

2000/202

Released lobster survival

Hatchery-reared juvenile southern rock lobsters appear to have a high survival rate when released in the wild. Research in Tasmania and New Zealand under FRDC’s Rock Lobster Enchancement and Aquaculture Subprogram showed juveniles raised from wild-caught puerulus and released at 12 months avoided predators immediately, thanks to being pre-conditioned to feed at dusk. Principal Investigator Caleb Gardner of the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute said survival rates after 48 hours were equivalent to those of wild controls, with predation not exceeding five per cent. Survival was best when releases were made at night and in winter. Suitable sites could be selected cost-effectively by divers on the basis of good shelter and the presence of wild juveniles, he said.

2000/185

Best lobster practice

Best practice handling codes for Australia’s southern and western rock lobster fisheries have been distributed to licence-owners in South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The western code is in 13 loose-leaf sections, the southern one in 15; each designed to be continuously improved. More than 350 copies of videos showing recommended procedures for each species have been supplied to fishers on request. Principal Investigator Richard Stevens of the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council says the code should be modified for the hand-capture tropical rock lobster fishery as soon as practicable. Copies of the videos and associated manuals are available from WAFIC on 08 9244 2933.

2002/237

Lobsters and ammonia

Techniques developed in this project to prevent ammonia toxicity rock lobster in holding and transport systems have been incorporated in project 2002/237’s codes of practice. Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute scientists established the maximum safe levels of ammonia, short and long-term, in holding water for both southern and western rock lobsters and Principal Investigator Stephen Battaglene says the resulting industry guides have increased survival rates and lobster quality, particularly in Tasmania. Two industry guides are included in the final report. These guides are optimising water quality – O² and recirculatory systems for holding rock lobsters.

2000/252

SBT dioxin levels

Dioxin levels in Australian farmed southern bluefin tuna are only about one-eighth of the European Commission’s maximum allowable limit, the South Australian Research and Development Institute has found. This, says Principal Investigator David Padula, provides a high degree of public health protection. A predictive model framework has been constructed to relate dioxin levels in baitfish to those in harvested SBT. But the relationship between the two is non-linear and unexplained, raising the possibility that accumulation of both dioxins and PCBs may in part be attributible to metabolic degredation of low-toxicity dioxins naturally-present in farmed SBT to create more toxic forms. The study found mercury and lead levels in farmed tuna were comparable to those in wild-caught specimens.

2003/227

Now, the squeezeometer

Tasmanian scientists have developed an electronic gauge they’re calling a squeezeometer to help fishers and researchers accurately measure rock lobster shell hardness at sea. Hard shells are mandatory in the live market and subjective measurements made after the annual moult have been consistent only in their unreliability. With their squeezeometer Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute researchers have improved on North American technology by developing a gauge to quickly measure the spring-like flex in the arched lobster tail – a spring that grows stronger with shell age. The harder the tail, the more LEDs light up, allowing soft-shellers to be identified and returned to the water. Principal Investigator Caleb Gardner says for catch sampling research, the readings can be downloaded simultaneously to computer. Options for manufacture are being investigated.

2002/238

Aboriginal fishing strategy

An Aboriginal fishing strategy developed by the Western Australian Department of Fisheries following three years’ consultation asks the WA Government to recognise customary fishing and include it in legislation. It also recommends promoting economic opportunities for Aborigines in fishing, eco-tourism and aquaculture. Principal Investigator Ben Fraser says a third major recommendation – involving Aborigines in fisheries management – is already being implemented, with funding provided for an Aboriginal management officer and a trainee fisheries officer program. He says although the strategy is the most comprehensive in Australia it should be regarded as a first step to improving recognition and inclusion of indigenous fishing rights and interests in WA’s fisheries legislation and management.

2001/064

Estimating spawner numbers

This project has developed a cost-effective way to assess stocks of prawns and other fish by determining the number of successful spawners. The idea is that genetic estimates of population size - which can be made by measuring genetic drift – are equivalent to estimates of successful spawners. Principal Investigator Jenny Ovenden of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries says calculations of effective spawner numbers can be used as a surrogate for spawning population size and recruitment and, by improving the accuracy of stock-recruitment models, will lead to more effective management that improves fisheries’ sustainability. And it’s getting easier – technology now available is cheaper, friendlier and more reliable than that used to develop and validate the spawner method.

2001/018

Sharks and aquaculture

A sellout workshop on shark incursions in South Australian aquaculture identified bronze whalers as the greatest nuisance for kingfish growers and freshly dead caged fish as the major attraction. Despite publicity about great whites, whalers and makos were the major problem for the tuna sector – and mostly when cages were being towed. Principal Investigator Sue Murray-Jones of the SA Departmernt of Environment and Heritage said there was general agreement that fish cages did not attract sharks to the region. There also was agreement that seals and sea lions were a greater problem.

2002/040

The seafood story

Publisher the Kondinin Group will coordinate a marketing strategy to build on the initial success of the award-winning The Story of Seafood in primary schools, says Principal Investigator Kim Field of Kondinin. She says the book and its supportive teacher resource kit have an immediate audience, with many schools advance-ordering Kondinin’s Workboot titles because of their credibility and value to teachers. Urging more industry involvement, she suggests that giving tomorrow’s consumers an appreciation of the seafood sector and its contribution to their lives would deliver great future benefits. Copies are available from the Kondinin Group 1800 677 761.

2001/311

Salmonid AGD progress

This project has created knowledge and tools that will allow research into amoebic gill disease in farmed Atlantic salmon to be better targeted and more effective. The knowledge includes identification of developmental stages of AGD, its strong association with salinity and temperature and the consequent establishment of AGD case definition, which will provide consistent disease interpretation. Tools include an ability to culture standardised preparations of virulent, host-derived Neoparamoeba species with cell factory production systems and enhanced crypto-preservation techniques. But, inevitably, new questions have emerged, says Principal Investigator Barbara Nowak of the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, who outlines the work needed to answer them.

2001/244

AGD epidemiology

A draft best practice protocol to minimise AGD has been developed in a project complementary to the one immediately above, but understanding of the dynamics of outbreaks was not good enough to build a predictive computer model for the disease. But Principal Investigator Barbara Nowak says understanding of AGD epidemiology has improved and will provide a basis for development of new treatments or vaccine applications.

2001/245

SA snapper structure

South Australia’s snapper appear to be a single stock originating in one or two areas: the northern Spencer Gulf and the northern Gulf St Vincent, this SA Research and Development Institute study concludes. Researchers believe the fish remain in these nurseries for three years, then disperse throughout SA waters, with most choosing locations for permanent residence. Principal Investigator Anthony Fowler says fishery management should be reassessed in light of this new understanding of stock structure and its temporal dynamics.

2002/001

Prawn hopper handbook

Hoppers in Action, a booklet summarising current knowledge of hoppers for Australia’s prawn trawl fisheries, should increase their use and efficiency, say Principal Investigators Anissa Lawrence and Christine Soul of Ocean Watch. It also spells out what they say is a need for research to measure hoppers’ principal ecological benefit – better bycatch survival. Copies of the handbook are available from Oceanwatch 02 9660 2262.

2003/012

WA BRD assessment

Exclusion devices are ensuring the survival of 95 per cent to 100 per cent of turtles, rays and big sharks entering trawls in Western Australia’s Shark Bay and Exmouth Gulf prawn and scallop fisheries. In Shark Bay mandatory bycatch reduction device grids reduce prawn catches by five per cent to nine per cent but, says Principal Investigator Mervi Kangas of the WA Marine Research Laboratories, these prawns remain catchable. Scallop catches seem unaffected except in prawn gear, where they are down by five per cent to nine per cent.

2000/189

WA grass emperor

Severe restrictions on the recreational catch of snapper in Shark Bay appear to have led to the over-exploitation of grass emperor, according to the WA Department of Fisheries. Principal Investigator Suzanne Ayvazian says information from this first study of WA grass emperor, at the southern extremity of its range, provided a scientific basis for increasing the legal minimum length to 32cm and reducing the bag limit in the Gascoyne bio-region. She says future changes in the snapper fishery should take account of the transfer of effort to other species.

1999/152

NSW eels

Preliminary genetic analysis suggests New South Wales’ longfinned eels should be regarded as a discrete population, says the NSW Fisheries Research Institute. Tagging and recapture indicated most restricted themselves to a home range of less than 300m. Males favoured tidal zones – only two of 677 eels caught in fresh water were male – and females occupied all zones in relatively high proportions. Principal Investigator Bruce Pease said harvest levels in the State’s two major eel fisheries appeared to be sustainable, but while females were effectively protected because of their high numbers in closed fresh water, increasing the minimum legal size from 30cm to 58cm would protect male spawning stocks in the heavily-fished upper tidal zone.

1998/127

Nodavirus transfer

Queensland scientists have been able to infect barramundi fry with nodavirus simply by adding the virus to fresh water. A similar attempt to infect older fry of silver perch, golden perch, sleepy cod and Barcoo grunter failed, but all four species proved susceptible to infection by injection. Principal Investigator Ian Anderson of the Department of Primary Industries says this does not necessarily mean freshwater species are immune to nodavirus infections spread by barramundi farmed beyond their natural range because, with barramundi, the older the larvae or fry, the less effect the virus has. He advises tests to see if this is the case with freshwater species too.

1999/205

Tropical seabed dynamics

Sponges, sea fans and other mega-fauna of the tropical seabed appear to have an unpredictible natural mortality of between eight per cent and 23 per cent a year, according to a CSIRO survey on the Great Barrier Reef near Townsville. Cyclones typically caused additional mortality of about six per cent and the pass of a single trawl averaged about 12 per cent. Recovery after cyclones and trawling could take decades, said Principal Investigator Roland Pitcher and was more dependent on recruitment than on growth rates. He said recruitment rates measured were only half those needed to retain densities. For surveying benthic fish abundance acoustic techniques were the most flexible and precise and best results were likely when they were combined with video, traps or other catch data.

1997/205

EMS assessment manual

The Australian seafood industry has demonstrably improved its environmental performance by developing environmental management systems attuned to the needs of individual fisheries, says Principal Investigator Ted Loveday of Seafood Services Australia Ltd. In doing so it has been guided by this project’s EMS Chooser, EMS Self-assessment and Training Manual and EMS Assessor’s Guide. A next step, he says, is to obtain funding through the Australian Government’s Pathways to Industry EMS program to ensure that seafood’s EMS initiatives continue to improve. The Seafood EMS Training and Self-Assessment Manual is available from SSA, phone 1300 130 321.

Aquaculture sediment

Pictures from still or video cameras are all finfish farmers need to monitor sediment underneath their cages, say researchers from the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute and they have produced a guide showing farmers how to take the pictures and interpret them. The visuals identify what the researchers describe as impacted and unimpacted sediments, plus transitions; and allow farmers to identify nine stages from pristine through degradation to a recovered state suitable for restocking. Principal Investigator Catriona Macleod said reduced stocking rates and longer fallowing delivered measurable and predictable benefits. She said combining reliable information on sediment condition with stocking and feed rates would help farmers manage their leases to obtain the best economic and environmental results. Final report and guide are available from the Aquafin CRC on 08 8207 5303.

2000/164

Aquaculture Subprogram savings

Coordination of projects within FRDC’s Abalone Aquaculture Subprogram has created operational savings of more than $500,000 and this trend is set to continue, says Principal Investigator and Subprogram Leader Ann Fleming in a review of operations. She says FRDC’s 12-year investment partnership with the private sector through the Subprogram has resulted in a significant, economically viable aquaculture industry.

2000/200

Aquaculture conference

More than 1300 people from 49 countries turned up for last September’s Australasian Aquaculture conference and trade show in Sydney, reports organiser and Principal Investigator Bruce Zippel. More than 200 presentations were delivered within a diverse and interactive program that put the emphasis on technology to reduce production costs and minimise environmental harm. Extra floor space had to be found to accommodate 105 trade exhibitors.

2003/304

Released fish survival

Before-and-after surveys indicate that 35 per cent of recreational fishers have improved their practices to increase survival of released line-caught fish as a result of a national television and print awareness campaign. In the absence of Australian data, promoting practices based on the best overseas science was likely to have accelerated the uptake, said Principal Investigator Bill Sawynok of Infofish Services. Guidance of the national strategy by an expertise-based committee meant that the $5.1m spent to date had targeted the highest priorities, he said. To obtain further information on released fish information contact Info-fish on 07 4928 6133 or visit their website www.info-fish.net

2002/099

WA shark manual

A code of practice for on-board handling of shark from Western Australia’s demersal gillnet and longline fishery has been developed by the WA Fishing Industry Council. It incorporates a handbook for new recruits and junior deck crew and an ice ready-reckoner that Principal Investigator Richard Stevens says is useful in other fisheries. The code will allow fishers to comply with the Australian Seafood Standard and the mandatory Primary Production and Processing Standard for seafood. Copies are available from WAFIC, phone
08 9244 2933.

SBT Subprogram

In its seven years, FRDC’s Southern Bluefin Tuna Aquaculture Subprogram has helped the SBT sector become Australia’s third biggest seafood exporter, earning more than $260m and employing more than 2000 people directly and indirectly, says Principal Investigator and Subpro-gram Leader Steven Clarke. He says with production levelling off and competition increasing in the Japanese market, the industry needs coordinated R&D that maintains or increases competitiveness more than ever.

2001/250

New CRCs for water, pests

A NEW Cooperative Research Centre is being set up to improve the management of fresh water in rural and urban catchments.

With program funding of $40m, the Canberra-based e-Water CRC intends to develop products that will
help government and the private sector deliver water of a higher quality more efficiently and at vastly
reduced cost.

Building on the work of the Catchment Hydrology and Freshwater Ecology CRCs, its approach will be commercially oriented.

Another new CRC being set up in Canberra will tackle problems created by introduced animals in land-based agriculture and freshwater.

The Australasian Invasive Animal CRC is a spin-off of the Pest Animal Control CRC and has program funding of $29.6m to help develop commercial solutions to pests such as feral cats, pigs, dogs, foxes, rabbits and carp.

It will establish research and information partnerships with New Zealand and other countries.

Both CRCs open for business on July 1.

MORE: e-Water - Gary Jones, phone 02 6201 5167; email gjones@lake.canberrra.edu.au. Invasive animal – Tony Peacock, phone 02 6242 1768; email tony.peacock@pestanimal.crc.org.au.

Aquaculture and the locals

INSIGHTS into the benefits of involving local communities in aquaculture development have been developed by the Bureau of Rural Sciences from two regional case studies.

The studies on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula and Victoria’s Port Phillip Bay confirmed that people who live close to aquaculture sites recognise the sector’s  economic benefits but are concerned about environmental impacts, such as coastal pollution and fish escapes.

With future aquaculture development dependent on access to public natural resources, industry and government needed to understand the wide range of community interests, anticipate the likely conflicts and develop approaches responsive to all, said BRS Executive Director Colin Grant.

He said the report, Community Perceptions of Aquaculture, delved into the minds of people living in the two aquaculture areas.

The report, case studies, literature review and summary booklet are available at www.brs.gov.au

Strong NSW Government support for Seafood Directions

As the exclusive Platinum Conference Sponsor of Seafood Directions 2005 , the NSW Department of Primary Industries is continuing its drive to identify and develop opportunities with industry to ensure a confident, viable seafood sector.

NSW’s vision is for sustainable and profitable fisheries supplying fresh, safe fish now, and in the future. 

Through cooperative partnership between industry, government and other stakeholders, we are improving the effective management of the fishery resource.

Our work is based on excellent science and research.  The NSW Department of Primary Industries leads the world in several fisheries-related research fields including:

• Selective fishing technologies for commercial and recreational fishing methods
• Aquaculture nutrition

We also have large-scale programs in assessments of aquatic habitats and are beginning work on major ecosystem-based modelling.

We are proud to support Seafood Directions 2005 as part of our commitment to sustainable and profitable fisheries, and look forward to a stimulating and informative conference.

Austag’s big, broad R&D input

RECREATIONAL fishers Australia-wide have tagged and released more than 453,000 fish in the Austag program coordinated by the Australian National Sportfishing Association Ltd (ANSA).

Recaptures exceed 34,500 – about 7.6 per cent.Most of the action has been in Queensland, where the initiative originated in 1986 as Suntag. 

Queensland members of ANSA and associated organisations taking part in Suntag have so far tagged and released 400,000 fish, including crabs; and the Suntag database now has catch and effort details of more than 10,000 fishing trips.

Austag  proper began in the late 1990s when first Victoria and then all other states and the Northern Territory followed Queensland’s lead.

The movement has since evolved into a much broader program collecting data on other aspects of important recreational fish, Austag says in its 2003-04 research report. Principal activities now are:

• Tagging
• Catch and effort recording
• Released fish survival R&D
• Other R&D support
• Database compilation and maintenance

Austag says its increasing collaboration with fisheries agencies and R&D bodies has reduced R&D costs and given its members greater ownership of the
knowledge created.

In support of FRDC’s National Strategy for the Survival of Released Line-caught Fish, Suntag has recorded locations where almost 16,000 fish have been released with hooks still lodged and similar records are being compiled in Western Australia, Victoria and New
South Wales.

With deep hooking known to be a major cause of mortality, Austag says results so far suggest that for a broad range of species the rate of deep hooking averages 10 per cent for bait-caught fish and about one per cent for those caught on lures.

In Queensland the recapture rate of tagged fish, used to estimate recreational numbers and activity, has fallen over the past six years from 9.5 per cent to six per cent. Austag says this indicates that recreational effort in Queensland is falling, though the average time taken to catch a fish had risen steadily to 72 minutes.

The average Queensland fishing trip as described by Suntag is 1.7 fishers spending 5.6 hours to catch 9.3 fish and keeping one of them.

MORE: Bill Sawynok, phone 07 4928 6133; email infofish@zbcom.net; www.info-fish.net/files/439/rad03F10.pdf. See also Recfish has a release code elsewhere in this issue.

November 1 — new submission date for applications

The new date for receipt of full applications to the FRDC will now be the 1st of November (instead of the old date of the 1st of December).

This new date means that FRABs and expert reviews can be completed before Christmas; the Board can meet earlier than it previously did in March and April, which will mean that successful applicants will be informed earlier of their applications outcome; November - December is a very busy period for industry, scientists and managers.  The new date reduces the conflict and ensures that participants in this process can afford the time to develop applications and attend evaluation meetings.

Consistent with this change, the December 2005 Board meeting has been brought forward to 22- 23 of November.  This will allow for a timelier processing of applications before the New Year for those seeking an early start.

WEBAPP is going

Applicants have been asking FRDC for a more user friendly way of applying for funding. FRDC have been listening and have put in place a process that will take two years and consist of two phases.

In phase one, the existing WEBAPP program architecture will be completely re-written. For applicants the changes this year will include:

• Contacts – this will now be a wizard feature. The data will be directly linked to FRDC’s own database to ensure compatibility and improved data accuracy.
• Section A will be re-written to use simple forms and wizards for data entry.
• Navigation tools – a tree based menu structure will allow applicants to navigate forms quicker and show which forms have not been completed. It will also show those forms that are critical for the FRAB evaluation process.
• Security – passport is going to be replaced by a new security system.
• Schedule of Payments – this will allow the applicants to outline when the cash will be paid.
• Industry Consultation – deleted several editions ago this form is now back at the request of FRABs and the FRDC Board. This section is used to detail applicant consultation and how this has been reflected in the application.
• Printing – re-written based on a wizard style and allowing simple short cut methods.

In Phase 2 the new program will be further enhanced. Section B will be re-written. A new import and export capability will be developed to allow applicants to work offline. If the application is approved, the program will then allow the principal investigators to track milestones, submit reports, view agreement conditions, access previous milestone reports, view schedule of payments and interact with FRDC’s database. This will foster a ‘partnership’ approach between FRDC and its  partners.

FRDC staff will be seeking your thoughts in the future about how we can further enhance the program to better meet all our needs.