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Establishing a national end of life fishing/aquaculture gear recovery system for Australia

Project number: 2023-124
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $273,080.00
Principal Investigator: Anissa Lawrence
Organisation: TierraMar Ltd trading as Ocean Earth Foundation
Project start/end date: 29 Sep 2024 - 29 Jun 2026
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Building on the circularity discussions and work being undertaken by FRDC and the industry, this project seeks to undertake the legwork required to establish a nationwide on-demand End of life (EOL) fishing gear recovery system for Australia and pilot it in key locations. The materials that many nets and ropes are made of are highly valuable and recyclable and in fact in many other countries, is already being recycled or remanufactured. Until now, having a national system has been cost prohibitive due to the large distances and need for economies of scale and limited local buyer interest. As a part of the national targets set by the Australian Government relating to plastics use and recycling, commercial fishing and aquaculture sectors have been exploring how to move to a circular economy model and reduce plastic inputs through a variety of projects run by FRDC and others. However, with fishing gear the biggest plastic polymer input, and contamination challenges, there has yet to be a suitable system established.

This project seeks to enable the opportunities that addressing EOL gear provides in Australia to the commercial fishing and aquaculture sector through the establishment of an effective EOL fishing gear recovery system for the country to reduce the landfill costs to industry. It seeks to build on the learnings from previous projects as well as the ten years of experience of our partner Bureo has in in operating an EOL fishing gear recovery program. Bureo currently have an EOL gear recovery system active in 9 countries.

The key objectives are:
● By the end of 2026 there is an effective end-of-life fishing/aquaculture gear recovery system implemented across key fishing ports, and key aquaculture centres benefiting regional communities and fisheries conservation and assisting the Australian Government to address plastic recovery/recycling targets.
● By the end of 2024, the enabling environment for an effective and fit for purpose EOL fishing/aquaculture gear recovery system is in place within Australia, with commencement of recycling underway in key pilot locations.

Objectives

1. By March 2025 the feasibility of and logistical requirements are understood to establish a national end of life recovery system for commercial fishing and aquaculture gear in Australia and an enabling pathway for roll out created.
2. By the end of 2026 there is an effective end-of-life fishing/aquaculture gear recovery system for Australia implemented across at least 5 key fishing ports, with measurable benefits being delivered to regional communities, industry, conservation, while contributing towards the Australian Government’s recycling targets.
People
PROJECT NUMBER • 2016-401
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Catch the Drift - Leadership and development training for the next generation in the commercial fishing and aquaculture industries

Catch the Drift (CTD)was successfully completed in October 2018 with the completion of the stakeholder survey. The project delivered three CTD programs within the scheduled timeframe, meeting the expected requested participant numbers. Additionally, due to the success of the first two...
ORGANISATION:
Affectus Pty Ltd
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2017-103
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

The evaluation of two species, Cobia and Giant Grouper, as alternative species to farm in the WSSV affected areas of South East Queensland.

In 2016/17, the Rocky Point Prawn Farm, along with other farms in the Logan River region of south-east Queensland, was severely affected by a white spot disease outbreak caused by the exotic white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). Measures enforced to eradicate WSSV resulted in a complete loss of stock...
ORGANISATION:
Rocky Point Aquaculture Company Pty Ltd
SPECIES
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-086
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Assessment of the capability of Shrimp MultiPath White Spot virus tests: A multiplexed screening platform for pathogen diagnostics in prawns

This report summarises the development and performance assessment of novel PCR based assays to monitor and detect the microsporidian Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) in Penaeid shrimp samples using a cost-effective and high-throughput approach. The original Project objective was to...
ORGANISATION:
Genics Pty Ltd
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2017-190
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Assessment of gamma irradiation as a feasible method for treating prawns to inactivate White Spot Syndrome Virus

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) was detected in diseased farmed prawns by Biosecurity Queensland’s Biological Sciences Laboratory and confirmed by the CSIRO Australian Centre for Diagnostic Preparedness (ACDP) Fish...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
SPECIES
Industry
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-118
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Reinvigorating the Queensland Oyster Industry

The overall objective of this study is to provide critical background knowledge to support the reexpansion of Queensland oyster aquaculture, which has been experiencing low levels of production since the 1920s. Once the epicentre of the oyster industry in Australia (Schrobback, 2015),...
ORGANISATION:
Griffith University Nathan Campus
SPECIES
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-214
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Survey for WSSV vectors in the Moreton Bay White Spot Biosecurity Area

The objective of this project was to undertake opportunistic plankton sampling and collect small non-commercial species of decapod crustaceans in northern Moreton Bay and near the intakes of the three prawn farms which remained operating on the Logan River during April and May 2020, at a time when...
ORGANISATION:
DigsFish Services Pty Ltd
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-157
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT

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
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