Aquaculture Nutrition Subprogram: strategic planning, project management and adoption
Final report
The Aquaculture Nutrition Subprogram was established to maintain communication and momentum in aquaculture nutrition research in Australia, and to ensure focussed investment in this research discipline and optimum return on research investment. The Subprogram was successful in establishing an Expert Working Group used for the evaluation of research projects and strategic research priorities, a strategic plan for 2002-2007, a number of short courses, workshops and conference sessions, and the basis for a more standardised and relevant approach to aquaculture nutrition research through a methodology manual.
Keywords: aquaculture, nutrition
Project products
Aquaculture Nutrition Subprogram: Technical review, project management and development services.
The need for on-going research into aquaculture nutrition and the need for continued inputs to how this research is conducted to ensure it is completed to the highest possible standard is emphasized by the fact that Australian aquaculture industries have a heavy reliance on imported nutrition technologies, feeds and ingredients for the supply of nutrients to target species. This includes feed manufacturing technologies, ingredients such as bait fish, fish meals, crustacean meals and fish oils, and complete feeds such as those utilised by the prawn industry. Not only does this create issues in relation to imported disease risks, continuity of supply and cost, but it means that many local products are being under utilised.
There is currently renewed interest in establishing a dedicated aquaculture nutrition research program due to the increase in cost of fishmeals and oils, their increasingly limited availability and potential contamination with antibiotic residues such as chloramphenicols if the meals are derived from some aquaculture reared products. In addition, pressure from consumers to limit the use of animal proteins in diets and limit interspecies recycling has applied new pressure to feed manufacturers and increased the need to identify and utilise alternative vegetable protein sources in aquafeeds. The increased value of the Australian dollar has also increased competition from imports and the need for the Australian sector to become increasingly efficient to remain internationally competitive with nutrition playing a key role in their capacity to achieve this.