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Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2000-190
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Development of a business plan for enhancement of saucer scallops in sub-tropical waters

A working party of persons with technical and practical experience in scallop biology, hatchery technology, economics, management, fishing operations and processing technology was convened to develop a study on the feasibility of enhancing and culturing saucer scallops (Amusium balloti) in...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2003-033
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Enhancement of saucer scallops (Amusium balloti) in Queensland and Western Australia - genetic considerations

The saucer scallop, Amusium balloti, is distributed along the Western and Eastern coast of Australia and supports a fishery in both Queensland and Western Australia. Two commercial companies are investing in sea-ranching operations in an attempt to stabilise and increase annual catches. These...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Environment

Establishment of Seafood Services Australia stage 1 - extension and advisory services

Project number: 1999-333
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $193,861.00
Principal Investigator: Stephen Thrower
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 11 Jul 1999 - 30 Jun 2001
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Demand for assistance from clients in areas such as live transport, modified atmosphere packaging, value adding, market information, etc continues. Requests for information in three new areas have increased. These are:

(i) A search for alternative export markets and domestic outlets for product formerly sent to Asia. In order to assist in this area, Alan Snow has recently competed an export facilitation course through the Australian Institute of Export.

(ii) A need to comply with food safety regulations and quality assurance specifications of customers and ultimately ANZFA. This is expected to increase as a result of the SeaQual initiatives.

(iii) A requirement to support the SeaQual Chooser initiative through supply of suitable material for the SeaQual packs and through an increased volume of requests for customised information packages resulting from the distribution of 35,000 Choosers.

More specifically, industry needs from AUSEAS that we have identified are:

1. Assistance to people who are exploring new ventures, products, and processes. This includes value adding and processing options, market details, and technical information.

2. Information on contacts in markets, government agencies, and other service providers (eg consultants, freight forwarders, equipment providers). AUSEAS needs to maintain a comprehensive list of contacts and to keep information on the capabilities of providers of services to improve coordination across the seafood industry.

3. Customised assistance to companies implementing food safety plans and quality management programs in cooperation with SeaQual initiatives.

4. Trouble shooting when problems occur, usually in the form of telephone advice or short targeted written material.

5. Advice on funding assistance, usually in the areas of product and process development applications to NSC. This can include reviewing applications before and after submission and assessment of reports.

6. Demand for brief targeted information to be provided free of charge through delivery methods such as internet, fax-back, etc.

7 A centralised delivery point for information on seafood related matters acting as a "one stop shop" for the industry.

8 A need to promote the national post-harvest infrastructure services of FRDC. i.e. AUSEAS, NSC, and SeaQual.

Objectives

1. To provide the Australian seafood industry with technical information and advice that is timely, relevant and accurate.
2. To provide fast targeted responses to approaches by industry when problems occur.
3. To maintain an inventory of the sources of funding assistance available for industry development.
4. To develop a comprehensive web page that provides basic free information to industry, the public, and students as well as further access to AUSEAS resources and other post harvest programs.
5. To participate in the development and promotion of Seafood Services Australia.

Final report

ISBN: 0 646 40220
Author: Stephen Thrower
Final Report • 2000-09-15 • 3.54 MB
1999-333-DLD.pdf

Summary

This report covers the activities projects 1996/341 and 1999/333 for the period 1996 to 2000.  In October 1999 AUSEAS along with the National Seafood Centre (NSC) and SeaQual were brought together under the umbrella name of Seafood Services Australia (SSA).

To avoid confusion, for the remainder of this report, the previous name of the service AUSEAS (Australian Seafood Extension and Advisory Service) has been replaced with the new title SSA.

The report begins with a review of current activities including: 

  • industry inquiries and the SSA responses;
  • consultancies;
  • the preparation of the Australian Seafood Industry Directory;
  • the sales of technical literature packages.

A discussion of the available information resources is then followed by promotional activities.  This is followed by a consideration of staffing issues including staff skills development to better service clients’ needs.

Finally, there is a discussion of planned new initiatives including development of a “one-stop shop” Internet site for the post-harvest fisheries sector.  This will allow clients to access a wide range of information held in the SSA databases including:  the bibliography of the technical information available through this service;  sources of assistance for industry development;  and a topical issues discussion line.  A special feature of this will be a series of technical advisory notes.

Keywords: Literature searches; Publications; Information; Advice; Research.

A study of the sand crab (Portunus pelagicus) and its exploitation in a sub-tropical multi-sector fishery

Project number: 1984-023
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $0.00
Principal Investigator: Mike Potter
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 28 Dec 1986 - 31 Dec 1986
Contact:
FRDC

Objectives

1. Compare, contrast life history parameters of sand crab in sub-tropical sth Qld vs. Gulf of Carpentaria & temperate waters.
2. Assess Moreton Bay sand crab stocks
relative impact of recreational, otterboard trawl & commercial crab pot fisheries
effectiveness existing mgt strategies & alternatives

Final report

Author: M.A. Potter W.D. Sumpton
Final Report • 1986-12-31 • 1.77 MB
1984-023-DLD.pdf

Summary

Based on logbook records the sand crab commercial pot fishery in Moreton Bay is worth in the vicinity of $2 million wholesale annually. Sand crabs are also taken as an incidental by-catch by otter trawlers and in addition Moreton Bay supports a substantial recreational fishery.

Sand crabs are caught throughout the year but fishing effort is greatest from October to June. Peak catches in the pot fishery occur during March and April when daily catch rates may exceed 3 legal males per pot. Gravid females are present throughout the year but the highest proportion of egg bearing females is found in the population during August and September. Peaks in mating activity occur in autumn and spring with recruitment of juvenile crabs commencing in November. The parasitic barnacle Sacculina granifera infects 3% of all sand crabs in Moreton Bay and a previously unreported microsporidian parasite is found in 0.7% of the population.

Tagging studies show that fishing effort and mortality of sand crabs is highly variable throughout the Bay. Recapture rates for different areas vary from 1% to 65% with an overall return rate of 14%. The pattern of tag returns does not indicate any ordered directional movement of crabs either into or out of the Bay.

Male and female sand crabs exhibit differences in preferred habitat. Large males are generally more abundant in deeper water, whereas females predominate in shallower water, particularly on the top of sand banks.

Management recommendations arising from the project work include a change in the method of sand crab measurement to the width at the base of the antero-lateral spines, lowering of the existing size limit, the introduction of a bag 1 limit for recreational fishermen and an abolition of the prohibition on taking females provided that suitable management conditions can be maintained.

Fisheries biology and interaction in the northern Australian small mackerel fishery

Project number: 1992-144
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $486,531.00
Principal Investigator: Darren Cameron
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 17 Apr 1993 - 28 Nov 2003
Contact:
FRDC

Objectives

1. Determine whether the Australian spanish mackerel resource, comprising four main species of the genus Scomberomorous, is exploited recreationally and commercially in three distinct areas of tropical Australia, in each of which the stock of each species is an autonomous stock
2. To determine if the species composition of the resource is the same in the 3 areas
3. To determine if the three unit stocks of search of the 3 smaller species differ as to growth rate, reproductive potential or survival rate under average environmental conditions or in consequence in composition as to sex age and size
4. To determine if the resultsobtained from Deuel surveys will be sufficient basis for allocating fishery access as between commercial and recreational fishers
5. To determine if the Deuel special survey method can yield a reliable estimate of the amount of the fishing for the small mackerels by commercial and recreational fishers in remote regions of northern Australia.

Final report

Author: Darren Cameron and Gavin Begg
Final Report • 2002-05-31 • 10.21 MB
1992-144-DLD.pdf

Summary

The small mackerels comprising school mackerel (Scomberomorus queenslandicus), spotted mackerel (S. munroi) and grey mackerel (S. semifasciatus) are important and valued species to recreational and commercial fishers in northern Australia. Prior to this project very little was known about the basic biology of, or fisheries for, small mackerels. Each species was found to exhibit distinct life history patterns with differing stock structures. Though there is some overlap between fisheries, there was much spatial and temporal separation of the fisheries, with gill net specialisation for each species targeted by the commercial fishery. Recreational hook and line fisheries for school mackerel and spotted mackerel were important with most of the grey mackerel harvest taken by the commercial sector.
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