11 results
Industry
Industry
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-106
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Minor use permit for oxytetracycline in non-salmonid finfish

There are no registered or permitted antimicrobial products approved by the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicine Authority (APVMA) for treatment of bacterial infections in finfish. This project developed an application for a minor-use permit (MUP) for the use of oxytetracycline (OTC) to...
ORGANISATION:
University of Adelaide

Development of a national sector-specific biosecurity plan guideline and template for the sea-cage finfish (non-salmonid) industry of Australia.

Project number: 2019-088
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $25,000.00
Principal Investigator: Shane D. Roberts
Organisation: University of Adelaide
Project start/end date: 1 Oct 2019 - 29 Jun 2020
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The sea-cage aquaculture industry (tuna, kingfish and cobia) currently does not have a set of nationally consistent biosecurity guidelines and templates to assist farmers with the development of their on-farm biosecurity plans. The development of a sector-specific national biosecurity plan for the sea-cage aquaculture industry would ensure a common level of biosecurity risk management to support specific enterprise and whole of industry productivity. Biosecurity plans underpin disease prevention, preparedness and rapid emergency response to secure and future proof the industry.
An industry-wide biosecurity plan is a crucial component of health accreditation programs to facilitate inter-state and international trade in aquatic animals. Any health accreditation program of minimum biosecurity standard must meet the importing jurisdiction or countries requirements, so it is vital that these plans are recognised by state government authorities and implemented by industry.
Furthermore, many jurisdictions now require (or will require) those applying for a new aquaculture permit to develop an aquaculture biosecurity plan as part of the application process. Also, work is underway to develop industry-government emergency aquatic animal disease response arrangements which would require industry biosecurity plans.

Objectives

1. Development of an industry endorsed, national sector-specific biosecurity plan guideline and template for the Australian sea-cage aquaculture industry (includes tuna, kingfish and cobia).

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-876007-31-7
Authors: Shane Roberts Matthew Bansemer Matt Landos
Final Report • 2020-06-01 • 3.99 MB
2019-088-DLD.pdf

Summary

In this project, we developed guidelines to provide the Australian sea-cage finfish (non-salmonid) industry with the tools and templates to create an auditable farm biosecurity plan. Consideration was given to the current farming of yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi), southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) and cobia (Rachycentron canadum). There were two components to this project. Firstly, an industry-government workshop was held on the 7 November 2019 in Adelaide. Attendees included representatives from the sea-cage finfish industry (peak body industry representatives, farm managers, hatchery representatives) and relevant state government representatives across Australia. Attendees discussed disease risks for sea-cage finfish farms, existing biosecurity guidelines, policy, risk assessments, and the appropriate content of a sea-cage finfish (non-salmonid) biosecurity plan. Based on these discussion, attendees workshopped best practice and practical biosecurity management for sea-cage finfish (non-salmonid) farms.
The second component of the project was to develop biosecurity plan guideline and template for the sea-cage finfish (non-salmonid) industry of Australia. These guidelines are based on information from the industry workshop and related reference material. In these guidelines, we highlight the potential routes for disease transmission, including disease spread onto, with-in and off of the farm to facilitate associated risk assessments for disease transmission. Risk pathways and associated mitigation processes identified in the workshop, included water, animals, equipment, vessels, vehicles, feed and people. These pathways were included in the biosecurity plan guidelines. In addition, templates for suggested supporting documents are also provided in the guideline to develop a comprehensive plan.
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-157
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Evaluation of Cobia and Giant Groper production and health in multiple growout systems, as an alternative species to farm in WSSV affected areas of South East Queensland

The report details the production performance and health performance of Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) and Giant Groper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) reared in tanks, ponds and cages within a farm in the previously white spot syndrome virus affected region of the Logan River, Queensland. Findings of this...
ORGANISATION:
Rocky Point Aquaculture Company Pty Ltd
SPECIES

Optimisation of treatment of Cryptocaryon irritans in Barramundi aquaculture

Project number: 2018-100
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $415,057.00
Principal Investigator: Marty R. Deveney
Organisation: University of Adelaide
Project start/end date: 30 Sep 2021 - 29 Aug 2024
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Significant losses of farmed barramundi have occurred in coastal marine aquaculture sites utilising marine water sources due to Cryptocaryon irritans infestations. The disease costs have had substantial impacts on commercial aquaculture operations. Cryptocaryon irritans has a direct life cycle with an adult in the skin or gills of the fish and asexual reproduction in the environment away from the fish. The life cycle of C. irritans is temperature and host dependant and treatment must be timed with critical phases of the life history to maximise efficacy. This project will establish this timing to provide guidelines for optimised treatment.

The existing treatments have substantial costs ($3K+/treatment) and a sub-optimal profile for environmental release with high toxicity and environmental persistence. This project will optimise doses of existing treatments, and identify and assess new treatments. Products identified as effective and safe will have optimised guidelines developed for delivery to ensure the best outcome for farms and the environment. Such improvements will support further expansion of the finfish aquaculture industry in Northern Australia.

Objectives

1. Describe the life cycle of Australian C. irritans isolates from Barramundi aquaculture, and describe relevant treatment intervals for different temperatures for C. irritans to maximise benefit from each treatment
2. Screen candidate treatments to identify new products for further assessment
3. Establish efficacy and safety of optimised doses for current treatments and selected candidate treatments in laboratory and small-scale field trials
4. Optimise delivery under field conditions for delivery of new treatments

Vaccination for emergency and long-term control of nodavirus in Australian marine aquaculture

Project number: 2018-098
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $567,695.00
Principal Investigator: Andrew C. Barnes
Organisation: University of Queensland (UQ)
Project start/end date: 28 Mar 2019 - 30 Jan 2023
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES

Need

The grouper industry is new but growing in Australia with recent new private sector investment in the hatchery in Cairns. However, all current grow out is affected by nodavirus outbreaks which have been both acute and severe. Without a solution the industry will not be able to continue. Fortunately, nodavirus is preventable by vaccination and there is local capacity to produce. Whilst there is currently insufficient demand to allow a fully privately financed vaccine initiative, with an emergency vaccine put in place and a registration data pack established, the industry is predicted to grow to a point where vaccine production by the private sector will become self-sustaining. This project will deliver an emergency vaccine to assist farmers through 2018/2019 grow out. It will build capability in vaccination of grouper in the industry. Most importantly it will provide the efficacy data, optimisation and formulation data with documentation appropriate for future licensing of a vaccine for use in Australia.

Objectives

1. An emergency vaccine to prevent nodavirus in the Queensland grouper cohort for stocking in spring/summer 2018
2. A data pack suitable for registration of an optimally formulated nodavirus vaccine for Australia

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-74272-399-0
Authors: Rosemary Thwaite Minami Kawasaki Angus Li Kelly Condon Richard Knuckey Bradley Cherrie Mark White Matt Landos and Andrew C Barnes
Final Report • 2023-02-01 • 18.85 MB
2018-098-DLD.pdf

Summary

Rocky Point Aquaculture in southeast Queensland experienced a disease outbreak in cage-reared giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) in late summer and autumn 2018 resulting is severe losses caused by a Betanodavirus. Following a request from the farm owner, Serena Zipf in July 2018, Dr Andrew Barnes from The University of Queensland, designed and built a recombinant protein subunit vaccine against the Betanodavirus and supplied the construct and production outline to Tréidlia BioVet Pty Ltd (Sydney) for manufacture in September 2018. Under direction from Dr Matt Landos and Dr James Fensham (Future Fisheries Veterinary Services) and with permission from Dr Richard Knuckey (General Manager, The Company One), juvenile grouper were vaccinated under a research permit from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) at The Company One (TCO) Cairns hatchery in October 2018, and shipped for grow-out at Rocky Point Aquaculture in December 2018, less than 6 months after concept discussion. Vaccination coincided with a reduction in the severity of outbreaks and from mid-2019 to 2022 the farm was free from nodavirus outbreaks. In summer 2022, a persistent low-level  outbreak was recorded at the farm in vaccinated fish, although again well below the mortality levels of the 2018 outbreak. In controlled laboratory challenge studies by Dr Kelly Condon at James Cook University, the vaccine has been shown to be >90% effective. Vaccinated juveniles have also been purchased by Noosa Ecomarine and the vaccine has also coincided with substantially reduced mortalities by nodavirus in their recirculating aquaculture facility.
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