Seafood CRC: Extending biotoxin capability and research in Australia through development of an experimental biotoxin contamination facility to target industry relevant issues
Future oysters CRC-P: Species diversification to provide alternatives for commercial production
Future Oysters CRC-P: Advanced aquatic disease surveillance for known and undefined oyster pathogens
Oysters Australia IPA -workshop – identifying knowledge gaps for development of the native oyster aquaculture industry in South Australia
The establishment of a new native oyster aquaculture sector in SA will not only diversify the business risk of the existing Pacific oyster sector, but has the potential to become a multi-million dollar industry itself. As native oyster is an ideal alternative species to mitigate POMS, the successful development of this aquaculture sector will strengthen the confidence of existing/new growers and investors in both Pacific and native oysters; thereby encouraging further expansion of the industry. In addition, supporting species diversification is one of the high strategic priorities in the Oysters Australia Strategic Plan 2014-2019.
Final report
The 2015-229 “Oysters Australia IPA - workshop - identifying knowledge gaps for development of the native oyster aquaculture industry in South Australia” brought together oyster farmers, hatchery operators and scientists from across Australia to share their knowledge and experience with native oyster (Ostrea angasi) aquaculture and help to identify the key knowledge gaps in the production chain. Through presentations and group discussions, a number of research and development needs were identified. These were categorised into seven key areas: early life history/genetic improvement, farming, oyster health, post-harvest, marketing and branding, industry network and training and education. Across these categories, 19 key research and development needs were identified and prioritised via a post-workshop survey. The following four research and development needs were prioritised as being most important
- Having a constant and reliable spat supply.
Development of a selective breeding program to improve Bonamia resistance, growth rate, meat/shell ratio, colour, lustre, etc.
Establishment of good husbandry practices (e.g. handling, density, growing heights, sub-tidal vs. intertidal, seasonal effects, a system to suit O. angasi production).
Increase the shelf life/improve packaging/develop processing methods.
Identifying these needs will help to target future research to meet industry priorities and establish/develop the South Australian/Australian native oyster industry.
Keywords: Native oysters; Ostrea angasi; Australia; aquaculture
Assessing occurrence of pathogenic species of the marine bacteria Vibrio in Tasmanian oysters from St Helens
This is the first time that an illness associated with Vibrio has been traced-back to Tasmanian oysters. Regrettably, this incident occurred in the only major harvesting area in Tasmania that has not been impacted by the current Pacific oyster mortality event.
In Australia the control of Vibrio is currently limited to temperature controls during storage or transport. Pre-harvest controls used by the shellfish quality assurance programs are predicated on controlling risk posed by faecal contamination and biotoxins and are not suitable for controlling risk from these naturally occurring bacteria. Although the recent implementation of the Codex Standard for pathogenic marine vibrios suggests risk in bivalve growing areas should be assessed to ascertain the risk to public health, there has been limited research undertaken in Australia. The studies undertaken to date have generally been short in nature with no comprehensive longitudinal studies being undertaken and methodologies have now progressed significantly, whereas New Zealand has been undertaking a long-term survey to understand the risk posed by these pathogens (Cruz, Hedderley & Fletcher 2015). This issue may become a risk in accessing key markets that are active in monitoring or who regulate for these pathogens.
There is an immediate need to collect information on prevalence for the remainder of the summer period to understand the risk and evaluate if there is a relationship to salinity, temperature and toxic strains. This information will be immediately useful for developing appropriate management plans in this growing region.
This illness outbreak will likely result in Tasmanian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program and the other state programs having to consider how to manage risk in the growing areas and establish what is an acceptable level. The work proposed here could be used as a framework for future work that assesses risk across the bivalve industry Australia-wide.