There is already considerable Australian research commitment to the production of hatchery feeds and to the development of new feeds. Many research insitutions have a proven track record in development of production technology, but with the expansion of aquaculture in Australia there is a clearly defined need to improve coordination between the research organisations in the area of fish larvae feeds, and to identify opportunities and priorities for future research.
In October 99 McKinnon acted on advice from QFIRAC and FRDC, and canvassed support for a live feeds workshop. All respondents indicated support, but indicated that such a workshop should encompass all aspects of hatchery feeds research. We propose that the workshop will focus on hatchery feeds for finfish, and will aim to summarise the current status of research within Australia, identify gaps in research effort, and prioritise research needed.
Final report
With the expansion of aquaculture in Australia there is a need to improve coordination between and within both the R&D and industry sectors with regard to the study of hatchery feeds, and to identify opportunities and priorities for future research. The recent world shortage of the brine shrimp Artemia has precipitated a crisis situation in aquaculture hatcheries. Accordingly, in late 1999 FRDC commissioned a Hatchery Feeds R&D Plan, which was developed at a workshop held in Cairns, Queensland, on 9–10 March 2000.
The aquaculture community was widely polled to establish industry priorities for future research. A questionnaire was sent to all stakeholders, together with an invitation to attend the workshop, which was held in Cairns on 9-10 March 2000. Researchers were invited to present the results of work in progress, and industry needs were canvassed in open forums.
For convenience, the subject was divided into 5 main areas of research: microalgae, rotifers, brine shrimp, copepods and formulated diets. Status reviews were commissioned in each of these areas, and priorities in each defined in the workshop. In all areas, the need to benchmark best practice and to more efficiently transfer research results to industry were highlighted.
Keywords: Aquaculture, hatchery, hatchery feeds, rotifer, Artemia, copepod, diet.