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PROJECT NUMBER • 2022-096

PROJECT STATUS:

COMPLETED

NPF Tiger Prawn Fishery Adaptation Strategy workshop

The Northern Prawn Fishery operates over a considerable expanse off Australia's northern coast. The fishery has been managed with a combination of voluntary buybacks, internal industry restructuring, and compulsory acquisition programs, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of...

ORGANISATION:

NPF Industry Pty Ltd

TAGS

SPECIES

Tactical Research Fund: Addressing the urgent need to identify viable refrigerant alternatives for use in the Northern Prawn Fishery

Project number: 2013-227

Project Status:

Completed

Budget expenditure: $80,908.22

Principal Investigator: Annie Jarrett

Organisation: NPF Industry Pty Ltd

Project start/end date: 9 Oct 2013 - 30 Dec 2014

Contact:

FRDC

TAGS

Sustainability

Market Opportunities

Aquaculture

Need

High capacity, reliable refrigeration systems are essential for provision of quality seafood, particularly from remote areas of the Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF). Recent policy changes by the DSEWPaC to pursue reduced greenhouse gas emission targets will result in phasing out of the most commonly used refrigerant, R22. The proposed shift towards use of natural refrigerants has highlighted a need to urgently consider alternative options suitable to fishing operations in the NPF, and review practice and system design changes that may be required.

Adaptation to natural refrigerants may be a viable option for land-based refrigeration systems, however the size, complexity, location and purpose of refrigeration systems used aboard NPF vessels are likely to prevent adaptation or modification of existing systems without significant safety, operational and/or cost implications which are impractical and unsustainable for NPF operators.

Significant seasonal/spatial variability in availability of target prawn species can radically influence refrigeration load requirements in the NPF. Consequently, NPF systems are uniquely designed with capacity to snap freeze 5 tons of 25°C product down to -18°C in 8–12 hours, with a holding capacity at -35°C of 30–40 tonnes. This freezing and storage capacity is uncommon among refrigeration systems, particularly among vessel-mounted systems. Consequently, alternative options are likely to significantly limit freezing capacity of NPF vessels, impacting on the economic value of Australia’s most valuable Commonwealth-managed fishery.

Additional factors including the significant distance between fishing grounds and ports, limited ability of vessel engineers to maintain complex refrigeration systems, and significant dangers associated with use of highly volatile refrigerant alternatives also necessitate use of safe, simple, reliable refrigeration systems, further limiting adaptive options able to be applied to NPF vessels.

There is an urgent need to review options able to be applied to NPF fishing systems and identify an uncomplicated, reliable, high capacity, compact and inexpensive solution.

Objectives

1. Undertake detailed review of refrigerant alternatives to R22 that are able to be applied on NPF vessels. Evaluate associated advantages and disadvantages of each, including an estimate of the costs per vessel associated with implementation of alternatives.

2. Identify a simple, cost effective, reliable solution to the impending phasing out of R22 in Australia

3. Extend key findings to target audiences - particularly NPF operators, government officials and political representatives

Final report

Author: Annie Jarrett

Final Report • 2015-05-15 • 7.33 MB

2013-227-DLD.pdf

Summary

Modern fishing fleets and the fish product supply chains are entirely dependent on effective and reliable refrigeration systems, from the point of catch to consumption.

The fishing vessels of the NPF (Northern Prawn Fishery) have one of the most demanding tasks for refrigeration equipment, operating in constrained spaces, under heavy load, in high ambient temperatures, requiring snap freezing of tonnes of sensitive product using equipment operating in a moving vessel, with heavy vibration and exposed to corrosive salt spray and water. Aside from the severe mechanical constraints and conditions, this demanding refrigeration task is only easily achieved using HCFC-22 (R22), a refrigerant that is on the verge of being completely phased out within a matter of years. HCFC-22 is rapidly becoming unaffordable, typically selling for $110 per kilogram with an average vessel requiring from 200 to 300 kilograms.

Further down the supply chain, the very large refrigeration system around which the SFM (Sydney Fish Market) is built, is also at the end of its design life and reliant on more than half a million dollars of the same refrigerant, HCFC-22. The SFM have few of the mechanical constraints and conditions of the NPF fleet, however it has other significant issues that have to be managed in design and replacement of the existing system. Aside from the logistics of replacing a working system of this size, in a facility that requires 7 days per week operation to maintain the stock in trade, the locality of the SFM, on the edge of the largest CBD in Australia, in the middle of an active tourism, retail and hospitality precinct, means that the use of certain refrigerants that have potential safety issues is unlikely to be acceptable, even though they may be the best technical solution to the requirements.

Recent policy changes by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (now Department of Environment) to pursue reduced greenhouse gas emission targets by imposing a carbon based levy on HFC refrigerants in conjunction with the phase out of HCFC refrigerants including the most commonly used refrigerant R22 under the Montreal Protocol leaves the NPF fleet with a technical, commercial and OHS dilemma. The proposed shift towards the use of low GWP refrigerant such as natural refrigerants has highlighted a need to urgently consider alternative options suitable to fishing operations in the NPF, and review practice and system design changes that may be required.

Project products

Report • 2015-05-15 • 8.29 MB

2013-227-DLD Appendix report.pdf

Summary

Modern fishing fleets and the fish product supply chains are entirely dependent on effective and reliable refrigeration systems, from the point of catch to consumption.

As a result of the age of the NPF fleet, the majority of refrigeration equipment employed is also at, or well past its original design life, making the potential for component failure increasingly likely, with the potential for total loss of the very expensive refrigerant.

This report examines a number of options for the NPF fleet to transition to technology that provides the best mix of performance, reliability and affordability, while proposing a process for minimising the design risk for individual vessel owners. The future technology options however are clouded by new rounds of international discussions and proposals to restrict the use of what might be the best refrigerant option for vessel owners to move to. The long life of refrigeration plant means that even proposals to restrict availability of a refrigerant in 10 or 12 years needs consideration in design decisions now.

Tactical Research Fund: synthesis of existing information, analysis and prioritisation of future monitoring activities to confirm sustainability of the red-legged banana sub-fishery in the Joseph Boneparte Gulf

Project number: 2013-047

Project Status:

Completed

Budget expenditure: $53,440.00

Principal Investigator: Annie Jarrett

Organisation: NPF Industry Pty Ltd

Project start/end date: 31 Oct 2013 - 15 Oct 2014

Contact:

FRDC

TAGS

Need

The Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF) received certification under the Marine Stewardship Council in 2013, becoming the first tropical prawn fishery in the world to receive ecocertification under this process. Certification was conditional upon a number of actions being addressed. Included among them was the need to demonstrate, using robust scientific information, that fishing in the JBG sub-fishery is not having adverse impacts on at-risk species, vulnerable habitats or ecosystems.

To maintain certification under the MSC, NPF Industry Pty Ltd must undertake a number of actions by September 31 2013. They include:
- evaluating existing information to confirm its suitability for understanding key ecosystem elements in the JBG, understanding the nature, distribution and vulnerability of main habitat types present, and monitoring at-risk species (where identified). Identify deficiencies/gaps;
- implementing a program of activities to address deficiencies/gaps where required; and,
- using existing and newly implemented (as required) research and monitoring activities to assess the status of at-risk species, vulnerable habitats and ecosystems in the JBG sub-fishery.

This proposal will seek to progress these actions. Failure to do so would jeopardise ongoing certification of the NPF.

Objectives

1. Determine the feasibility of using and extending the existing observer coverage of the NPF to monitor the at-risk species identified through the ERA process

2. Assess all available spatially-explicit information on habitats and their proxies (seascapes, bioregions, environmental envelopes, geomorphs, etc.), and develop a detailed plan to identify the nature, distribution and vulnerability of main habitat types in the JBG

3. Assess whether existing information available is sufficient to understand key ecosystem elements (including target species, bycatch species and habitats) in the JBG fishery

Final report

ISBN: 978‐1‐4863‐0524‐7

Author: Annie Jarrett

Final Report • 2015-06-05 • 1.36 MB

2013-047-DLD.pdf

Summary

To evaluate the ecological sustainability of the at‐risk species, habitats and ecosystems impacted by the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf (JBG) sub‐fishery, we synthesized existing data and assessments, and detailed the changes that have occurred in the fishery in relation to temporal and spatial trends in effort, implementation of bycatch reduction devices and the scale of monitoring of the fishery bycatch by scientists and industry. Fishery effort data was sourced from Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF) logbooks and the vessel monitoring system (VMS) program and bycatch data was sourced from NPF logbooks, Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) scientific observer program and the NPF crew member observer (CMO) program. The key outcome of this project was the collation of information to inform an external review of the JBG sub‐fishery’s ecological footprint and the research required to address the key information gaps.

Keywords: Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, Red‐legged banana prawns, Observer program, Bycatch species, TEP species, At risk species, Monitoring, Habitat, Ecosystem