Australia’s aquatic animals are free from many diseases that occur overseas, providing us with a competitive advantage in both production and trade. Australian aquaculture has grown from an industry valued at AU$260 million in 1993 to an industry valued at AU$1.6 billion in 2020 (ABARES, 2021). This dramatic growth has been accompanied by the emergence of new diseases/infectious agents, e.g., NNV since 1989, Bonamia since 1992, OOD since 2006, OsHV since 2010, POMV since 2012, new YHV genotypes since 2013, PMMS since 2015 and WSD since 2016, all of which threaten the sustainability of major aquaculture enterprises. Consequently, the need for health research to support this expanding sector is also growing. The wild-harvest, recreational, Indigenous and ornamental sectors are also under threat; e.g., crayfish plague, Edwardsiella ictaluri in catfish, Perkinsus in oysters, WSD in crustacea and gourami iridovirus in a range of finfish species pose significant risks.

Thus, identification and prioritisation of aquatic animal health and biosecurity research and capacity building needs to be coordinated across all aquatic sectors to ensure synergy while avoiding duplication. FRDC, through AAHBRCP, plays a major role in addressing research needs and training in aquatic animal health and biosecurity and is able to direct funding priorities to the most pressing areas. AAHBRCP provides a cohesive national approach to FRDC-supported R&D by providing leadership, direction and focus for health R&D and other related non-R&D activities. According to an external review of AAHBRCP undertaken in 2015 the consensus among major stakeholders was that AAHBRCP provides an essential service for the aquatic animal sector. Given the success of the AAHBRCP there is a need to continue it as a means of providing the service with consideration given to adjustments (reflected in this proposal) to enhance the service it provides for the evolving needs of Australia’s seafood industry, public policy and program needs

After many years of interest but little on ground activity apart from a few established operations based on the harvest of beach-cast material, the seaweed industry is starting to gain momentum in southern Australia. There is particular interest in the farming of Asparagopsis for its methane reducing properties in ruminants, but also in several species for human consumption and other uses, including the golden kelp Ecklonia radiata. While much of the focus is on the development of an aquaculture industry, this needs to be supported by the wild harvest of seedstock, at least in the early years, and there is also some interest in wild-harvest for product. However, the knowledge base and tools available for managers to regulate this emerging industry are limited. This proposal aims to start filling in some of these gaps. The first is to develop an understanding of the biomass present in targeted areas, and importantly, the development of a rapid assessment tool to do this, which can then be used to form the basis of a stock assessment methodology as the industry expands. The second is to develop harvest methodologies that allow for the recovery of local stocks, and which can be used to inform rotational harvest strategies by documenting how long recovery takes. The third is to develop an understanding of some of the biosecurity issues likely to be faced by industry and regulators, which will allow managers to make informed decisions around translocation policies to both prevent the spread of disease, and to maintain the genetic integrity of natural populations.