This Visiting Expert Grant was designed to allow Professor Gavin Burnell to visit a representative cross section of CRC members and advise on how other models for communication among aquaculture stakeholders have been successfully developed.

Professor Burnell was instrumental in establishing the AQUATT network (www.aquatt.ie) established initially to systematise, coordinate and develop the training requirements of the European aquaculture industry but now the organization is actively involved in coordinating technology transfer and information dissemination throughout Europe. Professor Burnell is also an expert on mollusc aquaculture, particularly interactions with the environment. This is a key area of challenge to oyster farmers, particularly in parts of Tasmania and the northern rivers in New South Wales.

This visit aimed to achieve

• Adoption of improved methods of communication between aquaculture producers in Australia (through the Aquaculture Innovation Hub) based on lessons learned from the AquaTT experience,
• A framework for a longer term linkage with AquaTT and,
• Recommendations to the CRC oyster consortium on environmental interactions in the Australian oyster industry.

Recommendations have been made for each of these aims to improve communications, programs, management systems and collaborations both locally, and between Australia and the EU.