Aquatic Animal Health and Biosecurity Subprogram: Strategic planning, project management and adoption
AAHBS provides a cohesive national approach to FRDC-supported aquatic animal health R&D in Australia by providing leadership, direction and focus for health R&D and other related non-R&D activities. AAHS was renewed in 2012 based on national need, previous performance and strong stakeholder support. Key strengths include its strategic focus and the establishment of a network of aquatic animal health experts and research providers. An external review of AAHS was undertaken in 2015 and it found that the consensus among the major stakeholders was that AAHS provides an essential service for the major stakeholders. Thus, continuation of AAHS beyond 2016 on the basis of a shared financial commitment by stakeholders from industry and governments is highly desirable.
Australia’s aquatic animal sector is free from many diseases that occur overseas, providing us with a competitive advantage in both production and trade. While the number of aquatic animal species and the absolute number of aquatic animals being farmed in Australia is increasing annually, new diseases caused by emerging infectious agents (e.g. new yellow head virus genotypes, oyster oedema disease, ostreid herpesvirus, Bonamia exitiosa) continue to threaten the sustainability of significant enterprises, and the call on health services to support this expanding industry is growing.
In addition to aquaculture, aquatic animal health R&D is required for the other aquatic animal sectors, including wild-capture (c.f. Edwardsiella ictaluri in catfish), recreational (c.f. Perkinsus in oysters) and ornamental (c.f. gourami iridovirus), that share the aquatic environment. Thus health services need to be coordinated across all aquatic sectors to ensure synergy while avoiding duplication. FRDC, through AAHBS, plays a major role in addressing research needs and training in aquatic animal health. With its incumbent expertise and experience, AAHBS is able to direct these activities in the most pressing areas.
Report
In the period 2016-20, AAHBS has managed 27 projects concerned with aquatic animal health and biosecurity. AAHBS also provided advice on other aquatic animal health- and biosecurity-related projects that were part of other FRDC programs. In addition, AAHBS has a specific role in managing the DAWE/FRDC Aquatic Animal Health Training Scheme. AAHBS also provided comment, as requested, on health-related projects submitted to industry peak bodies.
AAHBS reviewed, in-house, the Subprogram R&D Plan on an annual basis which included consultation with major stakeholders (industry and governments). The revisions accounted for the changing aquatic animal health and biosecurity R&D needs at the enterprise, industry sector, and state and national levels.
During the period 2016-2020, there were seven issues of the Subprogram newsletter, Health Highlights, which has a broad distribution list (>300 subscribers) that includes industry associations, research providers and regulators both domestically and internationally. In addition, AAHBS provided support for the 2017 White Spot Disease R&D Needs Workshop and 2017 Pinctada maxima Pearl Oyster Health Workshop. Two FRDC Australasian Scientific Conferences on Aquatic Animal Health and Biosecurity were convened in Cairns (in 2017 and 2019). The Cairns conference provides a unique opportunity for regulators, researchers and industry to meet and discuss the latest research results and current issues relating to aquatic animal health and biosecurity. Workshop and conference proceedings were distributed electronically to participants.
Aquatic animal welfare – a review of guidance documents and legislation
Practicing aquatic animal welfare: Identifying and mitigating obstacles to uptake and adoption by the Australian Fishing Industry
Recent research shows general public support for Australia’s fishing industry (Sparks 2017; Voyer et al 2016) that depends on people’s assessments of industry’s commitment to implement best practice and demonstration of being effective environmental stewards (Mazur et al 2014). The FRDC has recognised external pressure for the fishing industry to move beyond compliance with environmental and other regulations and improve its performance in key areas, including animal welfare. As noted above, the FRDC has provided support for a range of research and industry initiatives to achieve positive aquatic animal welfare outcomes. The FRDC also recognises that further improvement to the seafood industry’s aquatic animal welfare practices are required.
Recent FRDC project investments has produced valuable knowledge about how when change is called for it is very important to recognise that multiple factors influence – positively and/or negatively - people’s decisions to take up those new, innovative, and/or different practices (i.e. 2017-133, 2017-046, 2017-221). These factors typically include personal values and belief systems, access to different kinds of resources required to make changes, particular features of the recommended practices, as well as a range of macro-levels factors that while they may be outside of people’s direct control still affect their choices. FRDC Project 2017-133 generated important insights about how and to what extent these kinds of factors have been keeping the seafood industry from making more substantive progress towards building greater stakeholder and community trust (Mazur & Brooks 2018).
Further work of this nature is now needed to shed greater light on aquatic animal welfare in the seafood industry (FRDC 2017-221). In particular the research should be focused on identifying the particular features of ‘best care’ for aquatic animals, the range of factors that may be obstructing industry members’ use of those practices, and examples of recent (extension) initiatives used to encourage better aquatic animal welfare.
Final report
A mixed-method approach was used to collect data and information for this research. These included a desk-top review, stakeholder consultation, and a set of interviews.
This Project identified a range of AAW practices used by some seafood producers that they believed to be ‘humane’. The Project also identified some factors enabling and impeding seafood producers’ approaches. Key factors supporting AAW uptake and adoption included a seafood producers’ openness to change and interest in learning, the relative advantages of using recommended practices, well designed and resourced extension, and positive relationships across industry, government and interest group networks.
This Project provides highly useful insights about AAW practices used by a small sample of Australian seafood industry members, which were primarily representatives of the wild-catch commercial fishing sector with two from the finfish aquaculture sector. This project’s findings support results from other recent Australian seafood industry research and policy initiatives, which have found that more appropriately designed and consistently-funded extension programs can help improve AAW uptake and adoption. However, AAW is a complex issue, and requires more than just extension. A range of carefully conceived and integrated policy instruments (e.g., market instruments, regulations) are needed to achieve substantive and lasting AAW practice change. Five recommendations have been formulated to help amplify enablers of and mitigate obstacles to AAW uptake and adoption. Suggested next steps include a workshop to draw out policy and industry-led options to enhance adoption, including feasibility of a risk assessment; and a case studies to test risk assessment and options to improve adoption.
Benchmarking for health and productivity in aquaculture
Development of Fish Health Indicators for the Gladstone Harbour Report Card
FRDC communication of evidence-based information on the healthfulness and sustainability of seafood to Health Professionals
Sustainable Fishing Families: Developing industry human capital through health, wellbeing, safety and resilience
By developing an evidence-based health and safety training program for Australian fishing communities, this project meets the needs of the commercial wild-catch and aquaculture industry identified in FRDC’s RD&E Program 3, ‘Communities’ and particularly theme 10, which promotes resilient and supportive communities who are able to adapt to the social impacts of change in industry business environments.
The project will address a national need, identified by VicFRAB, to better understand the social and economic contribution of commercial fisheries, by identifying and addressing potential losses incurred through the poor health and wellbeing of the industry’s human capital.
Fishers tend to work in rural and remote communities, which means they have higher rates of mortality, disease and health risk factors than urban dwellers, further impacted by reduced access to primary health care services. Fishers are at particular risk of certain kinds of illnesses (eg. skin and diet-related), as well as injury (fatality rates are more than double those in the agricultural sector). Mental health concerns are higher than average in the fishing industry, exacerbated by uncertainties within the industry including often high debt and insecurity of tenure and licencing. While both women and men are at risk, 86.9% of fishers are male, a factor placing them at greater risk of suicide.
Fisher ‘attitudes’ also impact health, such as the culture of self-reliance, particularly among males. This may make fishers resilient, but also makes them less likely to adopt preventative health practices or to use health services, and they will usually wait longer before seeking medical assistance, particularly for issues of chronic poor mental health.
The Sustainable Fishing Families project will benefit fishing families’ health, safety and resilience by promoting a self-awareness of the value of the industry’s human capital, and building their health capacity.