SCRC: SCRC RTG 3.12: Micromon recombinant DNA techniques course (Dr James Harris: Students Paula Lima and Celeste Knowles)
Final report
This research travel grant allowed two PhD students: Paula Lima and Celeste Knowles to travel to Melbourne to undertake the Micromon Recombinant DNA Course conducted by Monash University. This course taught essential techniques and skills which may be used by both students in the course of the PhD studies and throughout their careers.
The Monash Recombinant DNA Techniques Course is widely recognised as the leading course of its type in Australia, which consists of a series of tutorials, lectures and hands on laboratory work.
These students aimed to use the techniques learned to investigate amoebic gill disease in Atlantic Salmon which costs the industry $20-25 million annually. Both students have reported that the techniques learned during the course have been used on a regular basis since returning from Melbourne.
SCRC: SCRC Honours Scholarship - H3.3 Impact of fish oil replacement on the expression of antioxidant genes and genes involved in the synthesis of highly unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids in YTK liver and muscle tissue (Dr Kathy Schuller: Student Nathan Rout-Pitt)
SCRC: SCRC Honours Scholarship H3.2 -Impact of acid sulphate soils on the survival of adult Pacific Oysters challenged by bacterial extracellular products (Dr James Harris: Student Joel Kellam-Stock)
Final report
This study investigated the impact of short-term exposure to acid sulphate soil leachate on the biochemical condition of the Pacific Oyster Crassostrea gigas. Oysters were exposed to artificially acidified seawater, aluminium and iron treatments for a period of six hours and assessed for changes in mantle glycogen, mantle protein and haemolymph protein between treatments.
An additional challenge using Vibrio harveyi extracellular products was conducted to reduce oyster condition and make them more vulnerable to impacts of acidified treatments. Despite depressed mantle protein levels, no significant differences in biochemical condition were found between control treatments and acidified water treatments indicating that short periods of exposure to acid leachate in the field would be unlikely to have significant impacts on general oyster condition.
SCRC: SCRC Honours Scholarship H3.1– Impact of commercial hatchery practices on the contribution of broodstock to offspring and genetic diversity in the Yellowtail Kingfish breeding program (Dr Alex Safari: Student Daniel Tan)
SCRC: PhD: Profiling host-parasite dynamics of AGD using molecular DNA methods – application to vaccine development, selective breeding and offshore aquaculture
Amoebic gill disease (AGD) research remains a high priority for the Tasmanian salmon industry. Within this framework there is a need to develop, both for research and practical reasons, non-destructive quantitative measures of AGD severity. This PhD project will develop a state of the art quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) method for AGD-causing Neoparamoeba perurans. If successful this will be the first such DNA test of its type in the world for this disease. The assay will then be utilised to answer practical questions such as profiling host-parasite dynamics in vaccinated and non-vaccinated salmon prior to, during and after commercial freshwater bathing treatment, providing a rigorous measure of vaccine efficacy, and much-needed insights into the parasite loading exhibited by the different experimental salmon groups. The N. perurans DNA test will then be extended to selectively-bred salmon, correlating pathogen load with breeding values for resistance in F2 stock. This could provide a more reliable way of quantifying infection than current gill scoring methods, and will be the first time such a tool is applied to gain more precise information from a commercial salmon selective breeding program. Finally, the project will then apply the qRT-PCR test and other N. perurans molecular markers to the wider environment to address questions of population genetics, environmental reservoirs (providing much-needed information on the parasite life cycle, a prelude to in vitro culture which would benefit vaccine development), and parasite dynamics in heavily-farmed and virgin marine environments to address fundamental questions as the Tasmanian salmon industry contemplates a move towards off-shore aquaculture.
This project is a high priority for the Tasmanian salmon industry and was adopted into the CRC at its inception. This PhD project has the support of the industry. The project also has strong alignment with the industry run selective breeding program.
SCRC: Visiting Expert Application: Dr Doug Tocher
Dr Douglas Tocher from the University of Stirling in Scotland is a world-renowned expert in both the practical aspects and the molecular biology of lipid nutrition in fish. He will be visiting Sydney in September 2009 to speak at the Oils and Fats conference. This is an excellent opportunity to have him visit Adelaide and Port Lincoln researchers and industry personnel to discuss possible international collaborative projects in finfish lipid nutrition.
Final report
This visiting expert grant allowed a visit to South Australia by Dr Douglas Tocher. Dr Tocher is based at the Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling University in Scotland and he is internationally-recognised for his work as a research scientist in the area of finfish lipid and fatty acid nutrition. The objectives of his visit were to exchange information about the most recent developments in finfish lipid and fatty acid nutrition in Europe and Australia and to hold a workshop to develop international collaborative research projects between the Seafood CRC and the Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling University.
Dr Tocher met for technical discussions with research providers at SARDI Aquatic Sciences, Adelaide University and Flinders University. He also visited the Lincoln Marine Science Centre in Port Lincoln. The culmination of Dr Tocher's visit was a symposium on finfish lipid and fatty acid nutrition and the human health implications held at Flinders University on Thursday October 8, 2009. The symposium was attended by approximately 25 researchers from Ridley Aquafeed, the Seafood CRC, Flinders University, University of Adelaide, the Royal Adelaide Hospital, SARDI and Deakin University.
The symposium was followed by a workshop to discuss possible future collaborative research projects in the area of finfish lipid nutrition. The workshop resulted in a cluster of proposed Seafood CRC Honours projects adding value to the feeding trials planned within "Sustainable Feeds and Feed Management for Yellowtail Kingfish" and "Understanding Yellowtail Kingfish".