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About
the Subprogram
The catches of Australia’s rock lobster fisheries are at or near their maximum level. However, adding value to the rocklobster catch will ensure continuing and improved profits for industry. This can be achieved by way of enshrining maximum quality on delivery to the processing factories, maximum survival of live lobsters shipped to overseas destinations, perfect cooking regimes for the portion of the product processed for this market, the maximum recovery during processing, a continuous maintenance and upgrading of handling conditions, maintaining and improving health and safety conditions, and having respect for community welfare concerns.
The markets for rock lobsters and the product forms in which they are sold constantly change. There has been a dramatic change from frozen products to live marketing of a large portion of the catch. Due to these changes industry faced new challenges to retain, maintain and expand markets and profitability. These markets are changing again because of the global nature of the market and there are significant opportunities for new products and markets.
The purpose of the Subprogram is to work with industry to identify the opportunities and priorities to enhance products and profitability and to assist industry meet these challenges. It then seeks to identify and support the research needed to provide answers to permit industry to grasp these opportunities, in a cost effective and timely manner. The outcomes of the research are rapidly provided to industry in a form that allows industry to capture the benefits of the research for the Australian industry.
The global market for lobsters now demands Australia to compete effectively in these markets, and the subprogram assists in ensuring that there the capacity to achieve this to allow the industry to maintain and improve its competitive advantage.
Mission
To ensure that Australia obtains the maximum value for its rocklobster catch.
Priorities
- Enhanced capacity to be internationally competitive and make informed market decisions
- Optimal product quality and processing efficiency
- Quality assured supply chains delivering differentiated product to market
- Capacity to maintain and expand live and other pack styles export markets with maximum returns
New Strategic Plan 2005-2010
There are many areas of the supply chain for the rocklobster industry that are worthy of investigation. These include quality, value-adding, traceability, health such as residue testing, packaging, processing technologies that include modern cooking and freezing techniques, market data research, analysis of overseas competitor activities, etc. The new Strategic Plan commencing in 2005 identifies four of these areas for attention. These four areas are all sections of the supply chain in which applied research can improve profitability for the Australian rock lobster catch in the domestic and global market place.
News
New Projects Funded by FRDC
Two new projects were funded by the FRDC. The projects are:
Value adding the southern rock lobster fishery – optimising flesh quality of under-valued large lobsters for the sashimi market- for which the principal investigator is Dr John Carragher. This project is to try to determine whether an opportunity exists to add value to the significantly undervalued output of large southern rock lobsters. Several factors on a number of flesh quality attributes of southern rock lobsters and the “fitness for purpose” of larger animals for high value premium rock lobster products will be examined.
Evaluation of alternative processing technologies applicable to crustaceans - for which the principal investigator is Dr Hannah Williams. It has been clearly identified by that there is a need for improved and/or alternative processing methods for crustacean species in Australia. This study will initially concentrate on rock lobsters and will examine three alternative cooking methods, steam, steam plus pressure and microwave cooking.
Selecting Research Projects
With the help of the FRDC, the rock lobster industry throughout Australia has the opportunity to capture new opportunities and increase its profitability.
This Subprogram examines applications through a Steering Committee composed of industry members. Therefore applications considered worthy of support go to FRDC with a solid industry backing. FRDC values this evaluation process in its annual examination of the projects to be considered for funding.
To make this process effective, the Subprogram makes an annual call for pre-proposals of applications to be sent to it for examination. This occurs in June each year. These should also be sent to the State Fisheries Research Advisory Bodies that provide an examination priorities, value to industry in that State, the level of funding sought, and the type of work to be undertaken. Both the subprogram and FRAB’s prioritise, comment and rank these applications to ensure that they are targeted to specific needs.
An electronic form is available to streamline this process. Copies can be obtained from the individual State Fisheries Research Advisory Bodies. A list of the FRABs may be found on the FRDC website www.frdc.com.au The Steering Committee meets twice a year, and during these meetings examines applications for possible support by the Subprogram.
Applications must be submitted to the FRDC on 1 November each year.
Ideas for applications can be discussed with the Subprogram Leader at any time of the year. This is encouraged, as it usually takes some months to work with industry to develop applications to a state sufficient for submission to the FRDC.
Events
Annual Workshop
The last Annual Workshop was held in Hobart in October 2004. Copies of the proceedings of the Workshop are available from the Subprogram Secretary.
Subprogram Publications
The Subprogram has now released the following publications:
Optimising Water Quality, Dr Bradley Crear and Dr Grant Allen
Recirculating Systems NH3, Dr Bradley Crear, Jennifer Cobcroft and Stephen Battaglene
Rock Lobster Health and Diseases: A Guide for the lobster industry, Dr Frances Stephens, Seema Fotedar and Dr Louis Evans
Best Practice in the Western Australian Lobster Industry, WAFIC, Richard Stevens
Best Practice in the southern rock lobster fisheries, WAFIC, Richard Stevens
A pamphlet outlining the results of the studies to reduce melanosis in boiled rock lobsters, Dr Hannah Williams
These are available free from the Subprogram Secretary.
Full copies of FRDC final reports are available as hard or electronic copies from the FRDC website www.frdc.com.au/research.
Contacts
Further Information
Additional information on the Rock Lobster Post-Harvest Subprogram can be accessed by contacting the Subprogram Leader (b.phillips@curtin.adu.au) or the Subprogram Secretary, Emma Phillips (emmaphil@ozemail.com.au).
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