15 results

Building biosecurity capability across the wild harvest fisheries

Project number: 2017-193
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $131,450.00
Principal Investigator: Eric Perez
Organisation: Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA)
Project start/end date: 14 Jun 2018 - 27 Sep 2018
Contact:
FRDC

Need

A White Spot Disease R&D Needs Workshop held in Brisbane on Wednesday 18 October 2017 providing a forum to unpack research and other issues amongst industry with respect to the detection of WSSV. The government and industry response at the meeting demonstrated gaps in the wild harvest sector’s knowledge of biosecurity concepts.

There is a need to greatly increase industry capacity to respond to biosecurity threats. This project proposal is a people development project aimed at extending the work of the BILO and significantly boost industry preparedness.

The purpose of this project application is to address the information and education gaps identified amongst the wild catch commercial fishing sector. In consultation with industry stakeholders and the QSIA, Millstream Productions have been approached to developed a series of video clip production plans (attached to this application).

The Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld) section 23 sub-sections states that industry businesses have an obligation (a general biosecurity obligation) to take all reasonable and practical measures to prevent or minimise the biosecurity risk. This project will help industry to do this by offering an information platform that is tailored to industry needs and will provide video and written material to educate industry regarding its biosecurity obligations.

This project has broad based support from industry, biosecurity experts and government (letters of support attached).

1) Industry – Marshall Betzel, President, Queensland Seafood Marketers Association (QSMA).
2) Biosecurity experts – Dr Matt Landos and Dr Ben Diggles.
3) Government – Dr Stephen Wesche, Planning and Policy Manager, White Spot Disease Program, Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

The project compliments the work developed by the BILO. The linking of paper and video material will provide industry with multiple platforms to engage on the critical issue of biosecurity.

Objectives

1. Increase the Queensland and national wild capture fisheries preparedness in the event of biosecurity emergencies.
2. Provide an information and education platform (using QSIA's web presence) to industry.
3. Provide video biosecurity material to industry to enhance BILO written biosecurity material.
4. Deliver biosecurity information developed by industry, government and biosecurity experts.

Report

ISBN: Not provided
Author: Eric Perez
Report • 2019-02-01 • 793.37 KB
2017-193-DLD.pdf

Summary

This report addresses an information and education need amongst the wild catch commercial fishing sector regarding biosecurity preparedness. In doing so, the project has led to the production of three information/education videos. The first and second videos focussed on the importance of biosecurity from a wild harvest and post-harvest perspectives featuring commentary from industry, researchers and government. The final animated video focuses on identifying key terms, industry responsibility as it relates to biosecurity, the role of the State and Federal governments.
The report outlines the process used to develop the videos. Combined, the videos lay a foundation for a better understanding of biosecurity issues from a seafood supply chain perspective.

Assessing the biosecurity risk of uncooked whole and eviscerated barramundi and grouper in relation to exotic viruses

Project number: 2019-126
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $69,279.00
Principal Investigator: Matthew A. Landos
Organisation: Future Fisheries Veterinary Service Pty Ltd (FFVS)
Project start/end date: 19 Apr 2020 - 28 Feb 2021
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The Australian farmed Barramundi is estimated at over $37.1 million AUD with a production of over 3,772 tonnes annually (Savage, 2015). The value of the wild-catch sector was estimated to be $9.9 million AUD with 1,073 tonnes produced (Savage, 2015). These sectors of the industry as well as recreational and Indigenous fishers, are all at risk of being exposed to hazards potentially introduced by imported Barramundi and grouper products, which could pose significant consequences. The Australian Federal Department of Agriculture does not consider there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the import conditions for uncooked barramundi do not effectively manage the risk of pests and diseases of concern arriving in Australia. Until further evidence is generated to demonstrate that importation of uncooked barramundi products poses a risk that exceeds Australia's Appropriate Level of Protection, then regulatory actions to mitigate these perceived biosecurity risks are unlikely to be implemented. Risk mitigation requirements for importation of whole farmed barramundi include that the exporting country must, among other things, declare it has in place health surveillance and monitoring and that the fish were not derived from a population slaughtered as an official disease control measure. However, this self-declaration is not supported by rigorous testing to ensure compliance. There are current and have been no previous protocols in place to test for the target iridoviruses in imported barramundi and grouper product, so the efficacy of the existing import controls has not been subject to assessment at retail level. Sampling at retail outlets of uncooked whole and eviscerated barramundi and grouper commodities is proposed in order to better assess the efficacy of import conditions. This project will focus on determining the presence or absence of exotic virus genetic material in imported uncooked potential high risk barramundi and grouper commodity. Should any positive genetic material be detected confirmatory re-testing will be performed in order to reduce the risk of a false positive PCR test result and a subsequent project will be prepared o

Objectives

1. To determine the presence of Red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV), Infectious Spleen and Kidney Necrosis Virus (ISKNV), Scale drop syndrome virus (SDSV) and Singapore Grouper Iridovirus (SGIV) in high risk imported uncooked barramundi and grouper collected from seafood retail outlets throughout Australia, using PCR.
2. Review of imported uncooked barramundi and grouper commodity types and relevance to current import risk assessment and published literature.

Final report

ISBN: 9781639441143
Authors: Matt A. Landos James Fensham Paul Hick Alison Tweedie Jo-Anne Ruscoe
Final Report • 2021-10-01 • 3.42 MB
2019-126-DLD.pdf

Summary

Presently, the Australian Barramundi farming industry enjoys freedom from numerous internationally significant diseases including all from the Megalocytivirus genus of iridoviruses. These diseases are known to be causing severe impacts on farmed Barramundi and other species in southeast Asia and elsewhere. Australia’s biosecurity system is the primary barrier to keep such disease risks offshore. The importation of Barramundi and other finfish commodities for human consumption from countries where these diseases have been reported had not been fully assessed as a risk pathway for disease incursion prior to this project.
Industry
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2015-239
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Oysters Australia IPA: Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome - resistant Oyster breeding for a sustainable Pacific Oyster Industry in Australia

This report describes selective breeding research and extension conducted by Australian Seafood Industries Pty Ltd (ASI) to assist the Pacific Oyster industry’s recovery from an outbreak of Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome (POMS) in Tasmania in 2016. The report also describes research to...
ORGANISATION:
Australian Seafood Industries Pty Ltd (ASI)

Testing retail commodities for the presence of Taura Syndrome Virus and Yellow head Virus I

Project number: 2017-088
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $14,100.00
Principal Investigator: Matthew A. Landos
Organisation: Future Fisheries Veterinary Service Pty Ltd (FFVS)
Project start/end date: 2 Jul 2017 - 30 Aug 2017
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The Australian prawn farming industry has been fortunate to remain free from many of the serious viral diseases which have decimated prawn farms internationally. It had been free from WSSV until it hit the Logan River farms in late 2016.
Pathways for movement of disease have been described through the movement of commodities destined for human consumption, such as uncooked prawns. Diversion of such commodities through use as bait or berley by anglers has the potential to generate a release pathway that could see these disease enter prawn farms via their intake of water, or through use of wild broodstock who may develop sub-clinical infections. Recent surveys have suggested that recreational angler use of supermarket origin uncooked prawns for bait has increased, even though such commodities are labelled that they are intended for human consumption only, and are specifically not to be used for bait.
Knowledge of the risks associated with uncooked prawn importations will assist the industry in contributing to the review of the Import Risk Assessment of uncooked crustacean which is currently underway. Data from this testing will also assist farmers in relation to making risk based decisions around major capital expenditure on farms to increase biosecurity and surveillance.

Objectives

1. Generate data on the PCR test status of imported uncooked prawns at retail in relation to Taura Syndrome Virus and Yellow Head Virus 1, to support Australian Prawn Farmers Association submission to the review of the Commonwealth Import Risk Assessment of uncooked crustacea

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-64204-814-8
Author: Matt Landos
Final Report • 2018-01-01 • 453.46 KB
2017-088-DLD.pdf

Summary

As part of the response to the outbreak of White Spot Disease (WSD) in late November 2016, uncooked prawns were purchased by Dr Matt Landos (Future Fisheries Veterinary Service Pty Ltd) from various retail outlets in northern NSW and south east Queensland and these were tested by qPCR for White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) under FRDC project 2016/066. This project utilised residual sample material which had been held at -80oC at Sydney University since collection during December 2016 and January 2017. All remaining samples which were identifiable as imported were tested by PCR for two further exotic crustacean viruses: Yellowhead Virus-1 (YHV-1) and Taura Syndrome Virus (TSV).
Industry

R&D and management support to Clarence River Fishermen's Cooperative Ltd and their members as a result of the white spot disease outbreak.

Project number: 2022-184
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $39,500.00
Principal Investigator: John C. Harrison
Organisation: Future Focused Consulting
Project start/end date: 3 May 2023 - 30 Jan 2024
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Commercial in confidence. To know more about this project please contact FRDC.

Objectives

Commercial in confidence
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-102
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Understanding Ostreid herpesvirus type 1 risk: alternative hosts and in situ hybridisation

South Australia (SA) has a large edible oyster industry primarily growing Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas). The industry is regionally-based, an important employer and a substantial contributor to regional economies. Pacific oyster mortality syndrome (POMS) is a serious infectious disease of C....
ORGANISATION:
Flinders University
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-147
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Risk factors and management strategies associated with summer mortality in Australian abalone

In this project, we reviewed the scientific literature and collaborated with Australian abalone growers to develop a case definition for summer mortality. The case definition developed for summer mortality is as follows: i. Chronic mortality of unknown cause (if in doubt take this to mean...
ORGANISATION:
University of Adelaide