3 results

People Development Program: Nuffield Scholarship for an Aquaculture and/or Fish producer

Project number: 2009-324
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $336,542.73
Principal Investigator: Jodie Dean
Organisation: Nuffield Australia
Project start/end date: 31 Mar 2010 - 29 Apr 2014
:

Need

The long-term capacity of Australia's aquaculture and fishing industry to compete and succeed internationally will be determined by the ability of Australian producers to recognise changing consumer preferences, adopt new technologies and production practices and maintain the sustainability of their operations by protecting their production environment.

To do this they need to be knowledgeable about the forces shaping international trade policy in key markets, the issues behind consumer sentiment and the technological advances being made by producers in other countries. They need to be able to digest this information and then use it to make rational management decisions, which position their enterprises to benefit from international opportunities as they arise. All of this lies at the heart of the Nuffield Australia Farming Scholarship program.

Each year, Nuffield Australia awards Scholarships to selected primary producers throughout Australia. The objective of these scholarships is to increase practical farming knowledge, improve management skills and encourage the use of new and innovative production techniques. These scholarships give Australian citizens the opportunity to study farming practices in New Zealand, Europe, Asia and the Americas and countries relevant to the Scholar's interests.

This project addresses the goal of the FRDC’s People Development Program (the Program) which is to develop the capabilities of the people to whom the industry entrusts its future by investing in research and development activities that:
1. enhance industry leadership within all sectors;
2. build industry capacity to drive change to achieve goals;
3. encourage knowledge transfer and R&D adoption;
4. build workforce capability; and
5. recognise and promote achievements.

Particular focus is given to the outcomes sought under objective 3 - encourage knowledge transfer and R&D adoption.

Objectives

1. To build the capacity of the aquaculture/fishing industry to overcome the challenges of a global and internationally competitive environment through the provision of FRDC support for an annual Nuffield Farming Scholarship for an aquaculture or fishing producer for the next three years.

Report

Author: Ben Ralston
Report • 2015-10-01 • 1.82 MB
2009-324-DLD-Ben Ralston Report.pdf

Summary

A changing culture, education and a robust supply chain are three very important roles in Australia’s oyster industry. The Australian oyster culture is changing with the help of international chefs and one particular oyster finisher, Steve Feletti; who has been leading the way in changing the oyster culture in the way he sells and markets his oysters.

In the past, Australian oyster farmers sold live oysters in bulk to processors who would shuck the oyster and rinse the oyster meat under a fresh water shower. This method is becoming less respected and is seen as a lower profit way of selling oysters from the farm gate. 

The majority of the worlds’ oyster supply will see oysters being sold live and oysters will be shucked, either to order at restaurants and markets, or taken home and shucked in household kitchens. The reason behind this is the oyster remains alive until it has been shucked and then it will be served in its own natural juice.  In fact, in some countries it is against the law to serve or handle oysters the same way Australians do. Educating the consumer is about teaching them how to handle, shuck and serve live oysters. The future opportunities for farmers are to sell live oysters with higher value or profit margins.

Re-modelling the supply chain is the aim of the study. The supply chain needs to be robust and add value. This needs to start at government and policy level; fed through to farmers, transport, restaurants; and finish at the consumers. The lack of communication between government, oyster associations, oyster committees and farmers is becoming an increasing issue.  

The recommendations of this report show how a stronger supply chain could add value. The winners will be farmers changing their supply chain to the value chain, restaurants/markets selling higher quality, and the consumers getting value for money.

Project products

Report • 2014-08-01 • 916.15 KB
2009-324-DLD-Ewan McAsh Report.pdf

Summary

Globally,  seafood  consumption  is  on  the  rise.  This  rise  in  demand  provides  this  Aquaculture  Industries with the opportunity to increase production and profitability. The New South Wales (NSW) Oyster Industry in particular, has a huge potential to capitalise on this trend.

The  NSW  Oyster  Industry  has  a  world-­‐class  quality  assurance  program  and  healthy,  export  classified estuaries producing high quality shellfish. However, the industry is in serious decline. It is plagued by decreasing production and poor profitability and without significant intervention in the next few years, the industry is at real risk of disappearing.

Strategic planning was critical in the success of the once failing Australian Wine Industry. Key aspects of that, and other successful industry strategic plans include:

  • An ambitious and engaging vision for the future;
  • Industry ownership of the strategic plan; and
  • Strong leadership with a whole of industry approach.

An  industry  driven  strategic  plan  is  vital  to  create  an  envisioned  future  of  the  NSW  Oyster  Industry  and  unlock  its  potential.  A  NSW  Strategic  Plan  would  detail  the  scale  and  scope  of opportunity.  It  would  also  form  the  framework  so  that  on  a  day-­‐to-­‐day  basis,  individual  businesses,  the  NSW  Farmers  Association,  the  Government  and  supportive  Non-­‐Government Organisations (NGO's) can all work towards this vision together. Furthermore, it will serve as a catalyst and rallying point to revitalise the NSW Oyster Industry and help ensure its long-­‐term survival, growth and success.

Report • 2012-10-01 • 1.37 MB
2009-324-DLD-Clint Scharfe report.pdf

Summary

The focus of this research was about using the positive aspects of other industries, particularly other prawn fishing industries, throughout the supply chain.  The objectives of this research were to:

  1. Investigate new technologies and how they could be applied in South Australia.
  2. Learn about management practices in other fisheries and identify those that could improve the performance of the Spencer Gulf Prawn Fishery and prawn fisheries in Australia more generally.
  3. Identify how product differentiation will improve prawn prices (including the value of an internationally recognised environmental accreditation system, ie Marine Stewardship Council certification).

Through the research conducted, there are several opportunities that have been identified to improve the performance of the Spencer Gulf Prawn Fishery in the international market as well as within the fishery itself.  In particular, there is a need to highlight Australia’s stringent food safety standards overseas and a need for better labelling of product (ie so other inferior product is not sold as Australian).  There are also opportunities for live prawn exports that obtain higher prices, which need further investigation and research.  Additionally, consideration needs to be given to the current operations of the Spencer Gulf Prawn Fishery, in relation to vessel numbers; there would be a greater advantage to those in the fishery to have fewer operators.  Furthermore, should the Spencer Gulf Prawn Fishery introduce a mechanism, which reduces the fleet size, there are new technologies that can assist with processing product on board vessels.

Report • 2017-06-01 • 1.29 MB
2009-324-DLD-Wayne Dredge Report.pdf

Summary

Australia’s Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) is a multi-species fishery that covers nearly 50% of Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and is made up of seven different fishing sectors. The total economic value of the fishery in (2014-2015) was AU$68 million (Patterson, et al., 2016) and unlike many other high value Australian fisheries, mainly supplies the domestic market with fresh finfish and shark. 

Within the SESSF is the Shark Gillnet sector which predominantly targets Gummy shark in the Commonwealth waters off Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (SA) and Western Australia (WA). The biological stock of Gummy shark is considered sustainable with a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of 1,836 tonnes and commercial catches are reported in 16 separate fisheries across southern Australia. The demersal gillnets used to catch Gummy shark are considered a passive, selective and low impact form of fishing. 

In response to a report by Goldworthy et al, (2009) suggesting that the failure of the Australian Sea Lion (ASL) population to recover from sealing activities in the 18th and 19th centuries was in part, due to high levels of bycatch mortality within the Shark Gillnet sector, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) imposed formal fishery closures encompassing 6,300 km2 in June 2010 to protect known ASL breeding sites. Since May 2011 further closures were implemented to strengthen ASL protection and reduce the incidence of gillnets interacting with dolphins, bringing the total area closed to gillnet fishing to 129,992 km2. 

These closures had a significant economic impact on fishers and onshore businesses that relied on the shark fishery. Many businesses believe that in order for them to become economically viable again alternative fishing methods must be found which can be used to target Gummy shark in areas closed to gillnet fishing. 

Report • 2012-10-01 • 3.69 MB
2009-324-DLD-Rhys Arangio Report.pdf

Summary

The Australian toothfish industry began in 1994 when commercial quantities of Patagonian toothfish were found by Austral Fisheries off Macquarie Island in Australia’s sub-Antarctic waters.  Today, there is also a commercial stock at Heard Island & McDonald Islands (HIMI) and both these toothfish fisheries are independently certified as sustainable and well managed by the Marine Stewardship Council.  These fisheries contribute approximately $50 million per annum to Australia’s Gross Domestic Product and account for around 14% of the world’s Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish tonnage.  There are two companies that own the rights to fish for toothfish in Australian waters, Austral Fisheries (who hold around 74% of quota) and Australian Longline (who hold around 26%).

Austral Fisheries operate two toothfish vessels, a longline/trap vessel and a trawler.  The company’s aim is to replace the trawler with an additional longliner in 2013 to increase the amount of longline caught fish taken from the fishery.  Longline and trap caught fish are of a premium quality over trawl caught fish, while reducing the impact on the fish stock1 and reducing the potential impact on the seabed.  

With an increased portion of longline caught fish there is also an increased risk of being affected by marine mammal depredation.  In our case, this is most likely to occur from Sperm whales and potentially Killer whales.  In other toothfish fisheries such as the French Crozet Islands fishery, these whales take up to 75% of the fish from the line when they are present (Roche, et al., 2007), which has a serious detrimental effect to the fisherman’s profits.

Report • 1.17 MB
2009-324-DLD Dennis Holder Report.pdf

Summary

The majority of Australia’s fishing fleet is outdated. That is, combustion engines are the typical form of power generation. As power generation technology has superseded traditional diesel engines in the last three decades, there is enormous room and requirement for improvement.

This report examines the prospect of building a modern fishing vessel using the latest technology of propulsion, power storage and power generation. 

The author visited six countries on this study topic including The Netherlands, Iceland, Ireland, Florida (USA), Brussels and Norway, which was a major highlight. Here, the author experienced an electric fishing boat for a full day, met with ship designers, factory tank test hulls, and visited battery and fishing manufacturers.

A key outcome from the study is the evident significant barriers associated with regulations reducing uptake of newer technology. 

Electric and hybrid power generation systems have been successfully utilised in Scandinavia and other parts of mainland Europe. Electric motors provide more power and vessels can utilise smaller engine units and conserve space for additional cargo, catch or crew.

The added efficiencies associated with electric motors like thermal waste re-use, allow for further reductions in required power on board fishing vessels.

In addition, hull design enhances the efficiency of power conversion of electric motors and battery storage solutions are able to capitalise on commercial fishing conditions.

In summary, with new technology it is possible to reduce fuel costs by up to 80%, reduce maintenance costs by up to 50% and positively address occupational health and safety fatigue management and reduce the overall carbon footprint of the industry. 

The now ‘old’ technology in fisheries needs to be supported with legislative framework to adopt today’s available technology. Then, it will become appealing to the younger generations.  

Report • 1.06 MB
2009-324-DLD Ben Tyley Final Report.pdf

Summary

This study is for the purpose of rebuilding the lobster stocks and sustainably managing the future harvest of primarily the Northern Zone rock lobster fishery. Over the past 10 years the total catch of the zone has been steadily decreasing to the present all time low.

The industry has in this time had a complete change of management plans, going from input controls to output restrictions, in the form of individual transferable quota. Since the shift to quota management 7 years ago the total allowable catch has been annually reduced until 2009, hoping to leave more breeding stock in the sea.

The aim of my study has been to network with fishermen, fisheries managers and scientists from the northern hemisphere, where the lobster fishery has survived since the early 1800’s, and in places like Nova Scotia which are having record catches.

Travelling through Maine and Canada’s east coast where in excess of 25% of the worlds annual lobster catch is caught gave me the opportunity to meet and share knowledge with significant stake holders in the industry. The UK and Ireland also have a similar length history of lobster fishing, but their stock levels are significantly lower. This made for an interesting look at different methods of management and fisheries control.

One of the major differences between the North American fisheries and the South Australian fishery is the amount of scientific research being done. Canada and the U.S. have numerous research bodies and facilities, with the fishing industry and the community (through sponsorship) funding many of these. 

One of the most encouraging projects that has just been started in Canada is the study of DNA profiles in lobster. The benefits of being able to trace where a lobster egg hatches, and the path the paurulas take before settling to the sea floor could be invaluable to rebuilding stock levels in lobster fisheries all around the world.

Significant change in the way forward could come in trap design. This is something that has not been changed in the northern zone since moving from input controls when a standard trap was necessary for management purposes. Now that quota management is in place a more efficient trap would mean less time the traps are in the water, therefore less by-catch and lower mortality rates of trapped lobster. This would result in lower running costs for fishermen and more fish being left in the sea.

Another key difference between our industries is public perception. The North American fisheries have strong community support and public understanding of the value of the fishing industry. They are using some brilliant educational and promotional tools that could be well utilized by the Australian industry, to give a better understanding of the fisherman’s commitment to responsible stewardship of the marine resources.

After talking to lobster fishermen and fisheries managers in other sectors of the world, South Australia’s rock lobster industry needs to better promote its self to the general public. It could be said much damage was done in the 60’s and 70’s with the style of fishing compared to the present. Awareness of the environment and marine eco system preservation is very much a part of today’s fishing practice.

Although there is always room for improvement in management plans, the Northern Zones current plan is more detailed than any I saw in the Northern Hemisphere, which I found encouraging.

Report • 557.07 KB
2009-324-DLD Marty Phillips.pdf

Summary

Barramundi farming in Australia is coming under increased pressure from cheaper imported product from South East Asia.  Even the Basa (Pangasius) Catfish industry in Vietnam, a large source of much of the cheap imported product is struggling to remain profitable at the moment because prices are so low.  Production in these countries is less regulated and has a far lower cost of production. If Australian producers are to survive in this climate they will have to implement systems to differentiate and promote their product, as being different from the competitors. Underlying any promotion program there must be a high level of product quality. Some aquaculture production systems in Australia can suffer flesh quality issues which must be overcome to ensure consumer confidence in this iconic Australian fish.

To address the issue of low cost imports I visited the Scottish Salmon Industry who experienced similar problems several years ago with cheaper product coming from Chile and Norway. The industry needed to promote the high quality product they knew they cultured compared to the imported fish and hence developed a program called Scottish Quality Salmon. This was the basis for developing the Tartan Quality Mark and Label Rouge Brand. This program has also been the basis for helping industry address the increasing pressure of Government regulators on their industry which is also a major issue to the Barramundi Industry in Australia. Cheaper imports are also a problem in the other industries visited, including the Trout industry in the UK; the Trout industry in Denmark; several recirculation industries (including Sturgeon, Eels, African Catfish, and Pike Perch) in the Netherlands; the Catfish industry in the USA; and several other smaller industries in the USA.

To examine the flesh ‘off flavour’ issue experienced by many aquaculture industries, I also visited a number of experts, in the abovementioned sectors.

Capability and Capacity: Nuffield Australia Scholarships

Project number: 2016-407
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $504,500.00
Principal Investigator: Jodie Redcliffe
Organisation: Nuffield Australia
Project start/end date: 2 May 2016 - 30 Mar 2029
:

Need

The Nuffield Scholarship program relates to the 'People' section of FRDC's RD&E program, needed to attract and advance people who will lead fishing and aquaculture towards a sustainable and profitable future. The FRDC has taken a strong role in this area, facilitating access to leadership development for all sectors of fishing and aquaculture.

Unlike many capacity building programs that place focus on working within communities in their own environments, Nuffield Australia seeks to break the cycle of everyday life in primary production. The approach is to organise and facilitate international study tours that allow participants to break away from their normal routine and gain a global perspective on how other producers around the world operate their businesses and apply leadership in their industry.

A Nuffield Scholarship targets young primary producers who are already on the leading edge of production practices and technology uptake in their respective communities in Australia. The program is necessary to further enhance those individuals’ skills, elevate their status as role models and innovative leaders amongst their own broader community, thus having a ripple effect that goes far beyond their immediate participation.

Objectives

1. To build the capacity of the fisheries industry to overcome the challenges of a global and internationally competitive environment through the provision of FRDC support for five Nuffield Farming Scholarships over the next five years.

Report

Author: Steven Davies
Report • 2.41 MB
2016-407-DLD Steven Davies Nuffield Report.pdf

Summary

The Australian seafood industry has a long and proud history of employment of very sound environmental and economic management principles which have made it the envy of much of the world. 

An altogether robust Australian seafood industry is hyper critical to the social and economic fabric of the coastal communities it supports, and it is vital this industry is maintained and – wherever possible – continually developed in a way which brings the best possible outcomes for all vested parties.

In an age of social media and 24-hour news cycles, it may be argued the Australian seafood industry and its general social licence to operate finds itself under increasing levels of attack. It is at times easy to consider there is more fearmongering than fishmongering occurring in this new age, and it is vital that the industry takes effective and collaborative steps to ensure that public perceptions pertaining to the industry are in line with the reality of the generally responsible way in which it operates. 

The author visited nine countries as part of this research, including commercial fishing operations, aquaculture ventures, general agribusinesses, peak representative bodies, wholesalers, retailers, third-party certifiers and financial institutions in both developing and developed nations. The aim of the study was to understand the importance of maintenance of an industry’s social licence to operate, whilst considering consumer confidence, modern markets, investor confidence, key motivators, brand development, politically motivated policy settings and general public perception.

It is very clear that maintenance of an intangible, but critical, social licence to operate must be a key and ongoing consideration for any business, industry peak body, regulatory body, or other organisation. For an industry such as the Australian seafood industry - which relies absolutely on its right to access public resources - maintenance and development of public perceptions around the socially responsible nature of its operations is fundamental.

This report is in part an anthropological study generated from countless meetings, interviews, observations and individual and collective viewpoints. It aims to explore the concept of the social licence to operate (SLO), why it is important, how it can impact on a business or brand and steps which can be taken to ensure a business maintains it.

Project products

Report • 1.70 MB
2016-407 Glen Wormald report.pdf

Summary

Nursery systems are additional phases in the culture of prawns between larval production at the hatchery and final grow out in the pond. 

Introducing nursery phases to Australian prawn production offers greater control over the crop for longer periods of time. Greater control affords the farmer the ability to manipulate growing environments and to more effectively assess production by way of efficiencies.

Post larval care in nursery tanks or raceways can improve the quality of the stock that is put into the ponds by benefiting from:

  • Access to the post larvae (PL) for assessment of health and development
  • High quality commercial nursery diets
  • Reducing water management costs
  • Maintaining optimal water conditions
  • Improving biosecurity
  • Protecting stock from predation

Growing PL to be bigger and stronger in nursery environments means that the animal gets a head start in the pond. Bigger, stronger PL are more tolerant of the stresses of the pond environment and stocking these improved PL can result in improved pond production.

Report • 2019-04-30 • 1.87 MB
2016-407 Jonas Woolford report.pdf

Summary

This report gives an overview of the world’s wild harvest abalone fisheries, how they are managed, and the findings of what stock enhancement has been occurring. The countries explored are Australia, New Zealand, Japan, USA and the Republic of South Africa. Hong Kong and The Peoples Republic of China was also visited to explore the market for abalone and customers’ perceptions of hatchery spawned but wild raised abalone.   

The world’s wild abalone fisheries production is declining while abalone aquaculture production has been increasing. Australia’s wild harvest abalone production remained relatively stable since the commercial dive fishery started in the 1950’s until about 2010. Total allowable commercial catch (TACC), commonly called quotas, were implemented in all harvesting regions by the mid to late 1980’s. Successful abalone recruitment is the key issue for a sustainable fishery. There was a low biomass post the implementation of quotas but now fishing pressure was controlled and reduced. A slow recovery occurred from a low spawning biomass until very good recruitments in the late 1990’s, from 2002 to 2006 there was a large spawning biomass on the reefs, the largest it had been for 15 years; recovery was occurring.

Unfortunately, since 2010, despite the large spawning biomass and controlled fishing pressure, production has decreased at an alarming rate. What is happening to recruitment? Why are the abalone larvae not surviving? How can it be overcome? Something is happening when the abalone are in their early larval and settlement stage, at their most vulnerable stage. Can they be nursed through this stage in a hatchery, reseed them when they are stronger and enhance the reefs and commercial production? These questions were the motivation to visit the world’s wild harvest abalone countries. 

Abalone stock enhancement is in its infancy, except for Japan where 30 plus years of stock enhancement sees 30% of their total annual harvest consisting of seeded abalone that achieves a survival rate of 10-15% of what is released. All other countries have undertaken experiments, some for decades with varying results. Further research particularly around the ecology of release areas and large scale projects are needed to determine and improve success. This will be long-term investment requiring substantial money and resources. It is therefore crucial that there is confidence in government to provide protection to the reseeded abalone from any external factors which may interfere with the abalones’ survival. 

Not all locations will be conducive to successful stock enhancement and keeping the handling of the juvenile abalone to a minimum is important for survival. No release method stands out as the most successful. The ideal release size appears to be about 30 millimetres shell length. This size is the best because of genetic fitness. The juvenile abalone is strong enough to not succumb to the environmental factors inhibiting recruitment in the first place and is small enough not to be too domesticated from being raised in a hatchery. 

Genetic diversity contributes to the genetic fitness and the brood stock parents consisting of tens of males and tens of females should be sourced from the area the juveniles are intended to be released to achieve the greatest survival. The parents should be replaced after each spawning season.  

Stock enhancement, combined with resting areas, will be the best way to rebuild the biomass of abalone on the reefs and therefore commercial production.  Utilising technology in a fully transparent commercial fishery will be the way to monitor and manage harvesting pressure to find optimum efficiency, quality and reef production.

A recommendation from the market is to tell the story of successful stock enhancement whereby the sustainability of abalone stocks is being ensured.

Report • 1.10 MB
Tom Robinson Nuffield Report_FINAL.pdf

Summary

In a world where the general population relies so heavily on smartphones and tablets to perform day to day tasks such as banking or checking the weather, the commercial fishing industry has been stubbornly slow to adopt electronic reporting in their businesses. 

As a consequence, fishing regulators around the world are forcing industry to move toward electronic reporting, often against their will. In many cases, regulators are reverting to tactics such as charging for paper-based submissions in an attempt to force this change. Even this rather blunt approach has failed to meet its objective, with many operators hanging on to paper for as long as they possibly can.

This report explores the reasons behind this reluctance to embrace the move to electronic reporting, noting that the very fishers who are hanging onto their paper, moved as members of the general public to electronic banking and online bookings years ago.

The reasons behind their decision to avoid reporting electronically are many and varied. Ironically, none are linked to the fishers’ belief that there are technical challenges stopping them from making the move, with all those interviewed feeling comfortable that if their banking is secure, their fishing data should be secure at a technical level.

The real insight of this report relates to a perceived risk by the fishers that recording their fine scale data, which is really their intellectual property (IP), is putting their businesses at risk. They are fearful that once data is collected it can be accessed by other stakeholders (principally government agencies) and potentially used against them for things like marine parks or quota reductions.   

This report demonstrates that if industry started collecting its own data, it would be in a stronger position to have meaningful dialogue with those stakeholders who ultimately manage their fisheries. All stakeholders would benefit from the greater transparency that well managed, secure data could provide, starting from the decision to open the fishery by the regulator, through to the person who ultimately consumes the catch. 

Can the fishing industry continue to hide its data because of a perceived risk of the government using it against them? Or, does industry and the fisheries regulator, need to get smarter about how they use data to sustainably manage fisheries into the future.

People
PROJECT NUMBER • 2007-315
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Nuffield Australia Farming Scholars

Through FRDC scholarships, Nuffield Australia aims to provide a significant boost to the fishing and aquaculture industry's understanding of the international forces affecting the industry and the need to adopt new technology and management practices to continue to maintain productivity...
ORGANISATION:
Nuffield Australia
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