418 results

The bigger blue potential for Asparagopsis: A review of the potential for blue carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and biodiversity credits for the Australian Asparagopsis seaweed industry

Project number: 2023-190
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $120,000.00
Principal Investigator: Robert A. Bell
Organisation: Blueshift Consulting
Project start/end date: 19 Jun 2024 - 30 Dec 2024
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Climate Change

Need

The project will provide a comprehensive and contemporary synthesis of relevant information on C, N& P uptake and B creation potential and existing and potential schemes which could be implemented to provide environmental benefits and commercial opportunities for the nascent industry to develop. It will involve: delivering a detailed review of existing research, theories and proposed policies for C, N&P and B schemes; producing a set of recommendations for regulators regarding scheme(s) implementation and operation; and identify potential environmental, social and economic benefits from successful schemes.

Objectives

1. Undertake a detailed literature review and summary of relevant published and grey literature, industry information and anecdotes on: science of C,N&P and B benefits of seaweed mariculture
credit/trading schemes for C,N&P and B structure and operation, implementation requirements.
2. Develop a recommended policy position for ASSA which can be used by ASSA to advocate and make clear recommendations to government on the potential for the Australian seaweed industry to benefit from the establishment of aligned credit schemes, as well as the potential accreditation of products.
3. Provide outlines of potential credit scheme(s) and implementation, including high-level SWOT analysis and cost-benefit indications.
4. Provide the above objectives and outcomes to ASSA/FRDC which can then be readily developed into regulator and other stakeholder communications outputs and tools (e.g. online formats).

Evaluate and optimise cost and energy effective solutions for lighting, carbon delivery and mixing in intensive commercial scale tetrasporophyte production of Asparagopsis

Project number: 2023-188
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $100,009.00
Principal Investigator: Sasi Nayar
Organisation: Flinders University
Project start/end date: 30 Apr 2024 - 28 Mar 2025
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Seaweed

Need

This project seeks to improve process efficiencies in inoculum production systems in hatcheries and mass culture grow out systems in land-based seaweed aquaculture facilities through selection of light sources with the appropriate spectral qualities and intensities as well as efficient carbon delivery and mixing systems. Laboratory scale optimisation trials on tetrasporophytes of A. armata and A. taxiformis will be validated under scaled-up industrial scale systems. The project proposes to trial various commercially available light sources as well as carbon delivery systems that the industry could adopt.

Objectives

1. Comprehensive review of spectral quality and intensity of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), carbon delivery and mixing in high density mass cultures of the tetrasporophytes of Asparagopsis
2. Validated spectral quality and irradiance in high density tetrasporophyte cultures of A. armata and A. taxiformis
3. Developed optimised carbon delivery and mixing systems in tetrasporophyte mass cultures
4. Laboratory-scale trials validated under scale-up conditions.

Community Trust in Rural Industries 2022-2025 - Joint RDC initiative

Project number: 2023-179
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $48,855.43
Principal Investigator: Georgina Toose
Organisation: AgriFutures Australia
Project start/end date: 10 Apr 2024 - 14 Dec 2025
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Community
Awareness
Agriculture

Need

A continuation of representative national surveys of the Australian public regarding attitudes towards trust and acceptance of rural industries, trends shifts, and drivers.

Objectives

1. Develop capability across the sector to monitor, anticipate and respond to shifts in the levels oftrust the community has in Australia's rural industries.
2. Build a common language and collective national narrative around the community trust challenge.
3. Identify common best practice approaches, strategies and interventions for building, rebuilding andmaintaining community trust.

Investigating drivers of environmental change in Pipe Clay Lagoon

Project number: 2023-176
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $38,400.00
Principal Investigator: Carryn Manicom
Organisation: Marine Solutions Tasmania Pty Ltd
Project start/end date: 15 Sep 2024 - 29 Jun 2025
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Wild Catch
Recreational Fishing
Rac Tas
Climate Change
Aquaculture

Need

Coastal lagoon systems in Tasmania form a fundamental part of coastal ecosystems. Healthy lagoons support local biodiversity, and play a key role in nutrient cycling and flood protection. They provide opportunities for sustainable aquaculture, fishing and tourism, while also being appreciated for their recreational amenity and cultural values. Sustainable management of coastal lagoons is essential to environmental and socioeconomic development.

There is limited information about the ecosystem drivers that are influencing the changes being observed in Pipe Clay Lagoon, leading to knowledge gaps in decision making tools and monitoring strategies required to identify and mitigate these changes. The proposed application is a multifaceted approach to investigate the environmental drivers of change in Pipe Clay Lagoon. The findings can then be used to provide valuable guidance for the management and conservation of other coastal lagoons in Tasmania facing similar challenges, providing a model for proactive monitoring and ongoing sustainability.

The FRDC has a responsibility to ensure that research is undertaken to assist in the management of fisheries and aquaculture resources for ongoing sustainability. The changes being experienced in Pipe Clay Lagoon will have implications on the availability and suitability of the lagoon as a sustainable aquaculture site. The planned approach and objectives of the application align with the FRDC’s R&D Plan for 2020-2025 through:

- Building people's capacity and capability
- Ensuring that resulting knowledge and innovation is adopted for impact through awareness of the needs of the ‘adopter’, local context and effective networking
- Continual improvement and collaboration of industry and community to deliver competitive advantage, healthier ecosystems and community support
- Provision of foundational information

Equally and importantly the application aligns with the NRM Strategy for Southern Tasmania 2030 for Pipe Clay Lagoon and similar systems in that wetland health is improved for socio-economically important systems by working with key partners and encouraging investment in monitoring, land and water management practices and on-ground works.
The enthusiasm of those engaged in the stakeholder consultation process was a strong indication of the need, interest and urgency of the application.

Objectives

1. Characterise and quantify environmental changes in Pipe Clay Lagoon, providing an evidence base for anecdotal observations of change.
2. Understand the drivers and interactions behind observed environmental changes in Pipe Clay Lagoon.
3. Identify management mechanisms to safeguard the values of Pipe Clay Lagoon and other Tasmanian coastal lagoons, including sustainability of the aquaculture industry.
4. Capacity building and increased marine literacy within community and industry to help observe and report change.
5. The applicant would welcome feedback and suggestions from FRDC and/or key beneficiaries for additional objectives.

Biorefinery approaches to creating value from Asparagopsis

Project number: 2023-175
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $125,000.00
Principal Investigator: Colin J. Barrow
Organisation: Deakin University Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus
Project start/end date: 9 Jun 2024 - 31 Jan 2025
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Seaweed

Need

The project will provide a 'blueprint' for utilization of Asparogopsis. The created ‘blueprint’ will be based on production and utilization of individual components (e.g. bromoform, bioactive polysaccharides or protein) and their potential markets. The project will also provide a product flow diagram based on a biorefinery approach, that shows processes and equipment required to provide a range of bioproducts from a single Asparogopsis biomass. The 'blueprint' will consist of flow diagrams and tables for production of multiple bioproducts out of a single biomass. The ‘blueprint’ will also contain information on bioprocessing methodology and equipment required for biomanufacturing of multiple bioproducts from Asparogopsis. This project will create ‘blueprints’ for both Asparagopsis taxiformis (tropical) and Asparagopsis armata (temperate) at both gametophyte and tetraporophyte life stages. This information will eventually be added to a Marine Bioproducts database of existing pilot and manufacturing scale bioprocessing capability that could be applied to developing bioproducts based on the 'blueprint.' This database component is not a part of the current project.

Objectives

1. Provide a literature review of potential bioproducts from Asparagopsis, including specific component products and potential markets.
2. Carry out proximate and compositional analysis of four different Asparagopsis materials and compare compositional differences amongst the two species and two life stages.
3. Carry out lab and selected pilot scale biorefinery bioprocessing of the representative Asparagopsis input materials and create a flow-chart including mass balance for each bioproduct output material.
4. Analyses the quality (purity and composition) of each bioproduct fraction produced through laboratory and pilot scale bioprocessing.
5. Convert the bioprocessing information into a 'blueprint' that includes mass balance, fraction composition information, equipment impact on bioproduct quality, which provides a starting bioprocessing strategy for obtaining maximal value from the Asparogopsis input material.
6. Process a ‘blueprint’ report that is available to all stakeholders.
Industry
Environment

FRDC Fish Tank: building the research communities capability and capacity (Seafood Directions 2024/2026)

Project number: 2023-170
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $65,000.00
Principal Investigator: Sue Rana
Organisation: Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC)
Project start/end date: 23 Apr 2024 - 7 Feb 2027
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Leadership
Communications

Need

The FRDC Communications team has identified a need to engage with our research partners in more frequent and positive ways. Through discussions between FRDC's research and investment team and FRDC's stakeholder engagement team, it was decided that Seafood Directions 2024 and 2026 provided an excellent opportunity as an event platform to engage with our research partners to build capability and capacity.

EVENT
The FRDC FishTank campaign has been created to help researchers undertaking FRDC projects communicate their research outputs in creative and engaging ways. The FishTank campaign will encourage our research partners to think more deeply about the way they communicate their research and provide training for them to develop engaging and creative research presentations that will be delivered at Seafood Directions 2024. The costs of the FishTank campaign will be covered by FRDC and include professional presentation training by Scientell to advance the finalists’ research communications skills in unique and innovative ways. The aim of this project is to help researchers develop innovative presentations that will boost audience engagement and help extend the research to other relevant audiences, after Seafood Directions. In discussion and agreement with the FRDC Research Portfolio Managers, FRDC FishTank finalists may be able to use their Seafood Directions FishTank presentation to replace a milestone report from their FRDC Project.

The FishTank campaign will help build communication capability and capacity to enable change in the way research is presented and perceived. Participants supported by a 2024 Seafood Directions bursary or similar (including NSILP, ARLP, or Nuffield) will not be eligible to receive travel assistance via this project. Recipients of a 2024 FishTank bursary will not be eligible for 2026 FishTank bursaries.

PROCESS
Prior to the FishTank campaign being announced, an EDM (see EDM and other communication outputs in attached Strategic Plan Seafood Directions 2024 FRDC FishTank), will be sent to all FRDC current Principal Investigators, inviting them to submit a pitch video to FRDC for a chance to be part of this project. The EDM will outline the pitch video requirements, i.e. Researchers to provide a 3 to 5-minute ‘mock-up’ presentation pitch, which showcases at least three different innovative and creative communication executions (e.g. pictures, video, animations, props).

The group of individuals who can assess all applications throughout the entire process includes:
- Crispian Ashby (GM Research and Investment)
- Chris Izzo (Senior Research Portfolio Manager)
- Deepika Satchithananthan (Research Portfolio Manager)
- Ben Jones (Research Portfolio Manager)
- Kylie Dunstan (GM Stakeholder Engagement)
- Sally Roberts (C&C Portfolio Manager)
- Sue Rana (Corporate Affairs Manager)

PI’s will have four weeks from the first EDM being sent out to submit their applications. The selection panel will have two weeks to assess all applications. All applicants will be notified if they were successful or not. FRDC’s Managing Director, Patrick Hone, may also record a video snippet, that could be attached and promoted to PIs through the EDM. This could be part of two follow-up EDM’s sent prior to the public FishTank campaign announcement.

PROCESS FOR FRDC FISHTANK FINALISTS
After assessing and determining the six successful pitches, applicants will be notified followed by a an EDM outlining:
- Allocated budget $4,000 pp (up to $2,000 AUD for travel/accommodation & $2,000 AUD for materials)
- Training information (who the provider is, the dates & the format [online or in-person] - PI’s will be given 4 weeks to do this training.
- The email will also provide instructions on how to finalise their successful bursary application in fishnet. Each researcher will enter into an individual bursary agreement, so that FRDC can pay their bursary.

The bursary agreement will also stipulate that successful researchers will engage with bursary finalists for 12 months after Seafood Directions to provide guidance on future similar initiatives.

TRAINING INFORMATION
Principal Investigators will be asked to work with Scientell to complete a science presentation training program. This offer can be extended to a member of the PI’s project team. However, if they extend this offer to a project team member only this person can present as a finalist at FRDC FishTank. A PI and a research team member cannot BOTH complete the training, it can only be undertaken by one person within a project team.

BUDGET SUMMARY
Accommodation and travel up to $2,000 x 6 = $12,000
Material Cost up to $2,000 x 6 = $12,000
Training budget = $6,000
Contingency (~8-10%) = $2,500
Budget = $32,500 per event (SD 2024 and SD 2026 - 2 total)

NOTE: see a more in-depth plan and link to all communication outputs in an attached document to this application, called Strategic Plan Seafood Directions 2024 FRDC FishTank

Objectives

1. Build presentation capability and creative outlets of and for the FRDC's research community
2. increase engagement with our research partners to help bring our investment portfolio to life
3. increase stakeholder awareness of FRDC’s research portfolio and outcomes through innovative and creative ways

Design and build a portable hatchery prototype for the Australian seaweed industry

Project number: 2023-167
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $664,350.12
Principal Investigator: Warren Atkins
Organisation: Sea Health Kelp Lab
Project start/end date: 6 May 2024 - 29 Mar 2025
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The Australian seaweed industry is poised for rapid development to capitalise upon its projected worth of $275 million outlined in the Australian Seaweed Industry Blueprint (Kelly, 2020). However, Australia’s current lack of commercial seaweed aquaculture means that the industry captures less than 1% of the $17 billion global market. The major R&D barrier to the development of Australia’s seaweed industry is the optimisation of breeding and propagation techniques for native Australian seaweed species, including Asparagopsis and kelps.

Many of the new and smaller Asparagopsis growers are still in the early phases of scale-up and are often searching for quick and affordable solutions for a hatchery to maintain broodstock and supply seed for their farms. Set-up of a hatchery requires specialised knowledge of water treatment systems, drainage, clean culture management, and specialised equipment such as fume hoods, laminar flow stations, autoclaves and microscopes. There are also controlled temperature spaces, where stocks should be kept axenic and isolated, and conditions can be altered for experimentation. Without access to prior knowledge of designs, and cultivation expertise, many growers struggle to understand the requirements of a laboratory.

As the developing Australian seaweed industry is widely scattered geographically, a portable hatchery will mean that it can be readily relocated to optimal locations to suit industry’s R&D or commercial needs. This will provide an opportunity for new players to reduce initial set up costs by using the portable hatchery as a 'stepping stone' as well as providing an opportunity to prove the concept before investing further.

Objectives

1. To design and build an operational portable hatchery prototype able to work with and produce Asparagopsis cultures and to be used alongside the ASSA temperate hatchery hub.
2. Encourage new players into the industry
3. Address contamination concerns with growing Asparagopsis
View Filter

Research

Category

Species

Organisation