Training is needed, for fish farmers, technicians & veterinarians in all Australian States, for increased vigilance with respect to early disease detection, diagnosis, control and eradication of newly emerging endemic and exotic fish diseases. Northern States of Australia (NT, Qld) are at greatest risk for disease incursions, via the vast expanse of the States & Territories, remoteness of farms, illegal trade of fish, fish products, shipping movements (over 13 ports in Qld), people movement and the proximity of northern Australia to Indonesia, PNG and Asia. Early fish disease detection and eradication is necessary to protect the Biosecurity of the Australian Fish Farming industry, and prevent disease spread within and between States.

The continued annual growth of the barramundi & freshwater fish industries in all Australian States precipitates the need for farmer training for disease detection at the grass-roots level for farm workers to detect, control and treat fish disease, and thereby reducing disease risk to aquaculture enterprises and fisheries resources.

A specific training workshop is needed to train fish farmers, technicians, fisheries officers, vets, with hands-on, practical, technical skills & knowledge by Aquatic Animal health Professionals, so skills can be practically applied on farms during disease epizootics, investigations, and disease emergencies. This is needed to support continued growth, productivity, & sustainability of the Australian Fish farming Industry, disease being a limiting factor. This Workshop is needed to support on-going disease reporting activities by all States to DAFF, OIE and NACA, allowing continuation of Australian trade in fish and disease-free status.

The need for effective control and monitoring of safety and quality is obvious following the crisis of confidence caused by the recent viral outbreak which sent shockwaves throughout the seafood industry. Test kits allow industry to control the QA process rather than just follow the recommendations of consultants. They also allow industry to decide the type of processing required and the end use of the products being produced. One example is if a processor can determine the amount of bacteria present on seafood and the storage conditions it has been exposed to when delivered by fishers then they can estimate the length of shelf life that the seafood after processing will attain. This information will also indicate what types of product can be produced. It is a waste of time producing seafood at the limit of an importing country's standards if there is going to be further handling before the consumer purchases it. The Australian processor's target should be mush higher than this.

The new statutory requirements for food safety plans and the increasing adoption of formal quality management systems, necessitate the development of quality measures that are relevant and quantifiable.

For industry to implement QA programmes, there is an essential need for tools by which to monitor the systems. Rapid test kits provide these tools, but are they appropriate and effective for the Australian seafood processing environment? This knowledge is crucial to successful adoption of AQ programme initiatives.

There is a special need for this information by existing small and medium sized seafood enterprises, as well as new players entering the market, who do not have the resources not time to assess available methods themselves. Information providers such as AUSEAS can only provide lists of test kits that may be available but they have no funds to ascertain which ones work reliably under Australian conditions. They have stated that they will not recommend anything they have not tested yet this is what industry really wants. Promotional material accompanying test kits usually does not warn of any limitations.

Three areas of need for objective analysis are identified.

Product specification
As QA becomes more widespread, there is a need to specify and quantify the quality parameters so they can be included in product specifications associated with contracts. Those parameters may be Physical (eg size grades), Chemical (eg K values), Bacterial (eg TPC's), or Sensory (eg Demerit scores).

HACCP and Food Safety Plans
To monitor the effectiveness of a QA program such as proposed by SeaQual and SQMI, an objective, reliable measure of quality is needed. There are few universal measurements of quality and many tests require laboratory facilities. A number of rapid test kits have been developed which reduce delays in obtaining essential information required for processing strategies. Not all kits available are effective or suitable. This investigator has appraised some test kits intended for identifying the presence of sulphite on prawns and found them to be very inaccurate. An assessment of test kits in the Australian seafood processing environment is essential to establish their suitability.

Disputes and Loss Assessment
At the Centre officers are sometimes employed by loss assessors to report on the condition of suspect seafood in the distribution chain. We use a combination of bacterial, chemical and sensory techniques. The use of test kits within the processing sector would clarify many of these disputes.