226 results

Seafood CRC: market access for abalone - biotoxins

Project number: 2010-737
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $83,974.68
Principal Investigator: Alison Turnbull
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 29 Apr 2011 - 29 Mar 2014
Contact:
FRDC

Need

In 2010 marine biotoxins are being targeted by Chinese and Japanese authorities for import testing of Australian shellfish, including abalone. Australia is a major exporter of ‘wild caught’ abalone, with over 50 % of Australian abalone caught in 2008 exported to Hong Kong and China, therefore the results and cost of these import testing regimes can have a significant impact on this trade.

Codex are progressing an international abalone standard with proposed marine biotoxin testing components. These standards could require Australia to intensively sample abalone from the coast line and would have large cost implications for industry.

The EU have reduced requirements for biotoxins in abalone, however some end product testing of abalone for biotoxins is still required for access and this imposes additional cost on industry.

The proposed project involves testing of wild caught abalone for biotoxins. The core purpose of the data collected in the project is to improve the quality of the risk assessment. This risk assessment can then be used to support:
- negotiations towards risk based biotoxin testing requirements in the international Codex standard, and
- reduced testing requirements for abalone going to China, Japan and the EU (e.g. aim for no end product testing).

The project will also provide scientific information to support risk management strategies to assist in decision making if biotoxins ever do become an issue for abalone in Australia.

An objective in the strategic plan of the Abalone Council of Australia (ACA) is to “Determine the product quality and integrity parameters specific to each product type”. In relation to this objective, the ACA have strongly supported the development of this project, which aims to determine the quality of abalone with respect to marine biotoxins and will underpin future negotiations on international requirements for biotoxins in abalone.

Objectives

1. This project aims to reduce technical barriers to trade for Australian abalone in key markets sucsh as China, Japan and the EU. This will be delivered by using the risk assessment output of the project to negotiate risk based international biotoxin standards (at Codex)
2. A secondary aim of this project is to enhance R&D capability on marine biotoxins and market access in Australia. This project will be a collaborative effort between experienced NZ researchers in this field and Australia, in order to facilitate knowledge transfer to assist in capability building for broader industry benefits in Australia

Seafood CRC: development of formulated diets for cultured abalone

Project number: 2010-736
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $218,931.71
Principal Investigator: David A. Stone
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 14 Nov 2010 - 30 Dec 2013
Contact:
FRDC

Need

It is estimated that 1000 tonnes of formulated feeds are used to achieve the current level of production. Feed is considered as the major variable cost (up to 30%) associated with abalone production (Mr Justin Fromm, personal communication), so minor improvements in feeds or feed efficiency may result in large improvements in productivity. There are currently four feed manufacturers supplying the abalone grow-out sector and each feed company typically offers one formulation of feed for the entire ~2.5 year production cycle of greenlip or hybrid abalone. It is common practice in other sectors of the livestock industry to use a range of different diet formulations throughout the production cycle to satisfy the requirements of animals of different life stages. It is also well established that in the wild abalone have at least two distinct feeding strategies as they develop with young cryptic abalone grazing on epiphytic organisms whilst older animals feed on macroalgae. Improvements in commercial feeds formulated for abalone, specifically for different life stages and/or water temperatures (seasonal/inter-annual/climate change), are likely to deliver improvement in weight gain per unit cost across an entire grow out period.

As a result of a recent R & D planning meeting held by AAGA, other industry participants, AS CRC and research providers, the AAGA perceive that the current commercial abalone feeds do not contain the required nutrient combinations to meet the genetic potential for growth. Australian abalone feed producers have based dietary formulations on information from previous FRDC funded projects. The information from the FRDC projects, including a range of ingredient nutrient availability and nutrient requirement data, resulted in the standard of Australian abalone feeds surpassing Japanese abalone feeds (considered as the benchmark at the time). AAGA have identified research in this area to be their highest priority within the AS CRC.

Objectives

1. To detemine optimum protein and energy requirements for small greenlip and hybrid abalone at different temperatures
2. To detemine optimum protein and energy requirements for larger greenlip and hybrid abalone at different temperatures
3. To develop and test starter feeds and improved grow-out feeds for greenlip and hybrid abalone in commercial settings
4. To develop an on-farm grow-out trial research protocol manual.

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-921563-68-3
Authors: David A.J. Stone Matthew S. Bansemer and James O. Harris
Final Report • 2015-02-09 • 1.87 MB
2010-736-DLD.pdf

Summary

The key research findings described in this project addressed the two highest research priorities identified by the Australian Abalone Grower' Association (AAGA) in 2009, prior to the commencement of this project.:

  1. Improve our understanding of the effects of seasonal water temperatures on the growth of abalone; and
  2. Improve our understanding of the effects of dietary protein on the growth of abalone

Members of the AAGA were interested in determining if multi-diet feeding strategies designed specifically to provide the optimum dietary protein level to the abalone in response to animal age and seasonal fluctuations in water temperature improve production. Additionally, the planned overall outcome from tis project was to develop commercial diet formulation and feeding strategies that deliver a >10% improvement  in productivity across an entire grow-out period for greenlip (Haliotis laevigata) and hybrid abalone (H. laevigata x H. rubra). To achieve this outcome, a series of laboratory-based experiments were designed to improve our understanding of the optimum dietary protein levels for greenlip abalone and also characterise the growth and feed utilisation of greelip abalone of different age classes at a range of seasonal temperatures (14-22oC) representative of those experienced by abalone in land-based facilities in southern Australia (Chapters 2 and 3). This information was then used to design and run three commercial on-farms trials at the Great Southern Waters, Costal Seafarms and Kangaroo Island Abalone (Chapters 4 and 5). The on-farm trials comprised a series of three long-term (>18 months) studies, using commercial culture practices, to evaluate the growth, feed utilisation and survival of greenlip and hybrid abalone using two different feeding strategies:

  1. Single-diet feeding strategy: the current production method of feeding one standard protein for the entire trial
  2. Multi-diet feeding strategy: fed a sequential combination of "high protein"/"low protein" grow-out diets for the entire trial.

PIRSA Innovative Solitions 3: Feasibility study on the establishment of harlequin fish (Othos dentex) aquaculture in South Australia

Project number: 2010-234
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $9,000.00
Principal Investigator: Xiaoxu Li
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 28 Feb 2011 - 27 Feb 2012
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Harlequin fish, O. dentex, are endemic to Australia and occur from Victoria to Western Australia, with South Australia being central to its natural geographic range. This species has a very attractive appearance and appealing fresh texture and taste. According to the preliminary assessment of Prof Gong, who has more than 15 years’ experiences in promoting and marketing unique fish species in China, this product would fetch a market price similar to, if not higher than, the most expensive fish species sold at the top end restaurants in China, such as fresh tuna and sea cucumbers. However, the basic knowledge required for the aquaculture development of this species is lacking. This proposal seeks to commence a systematic approach to address this need. The time period required to grow harlequin fish to market size (0.8 to 1.0 kg in weight is anticipated) is unknown. There is a need to obtain information on this critical factor that will influence the research and investment strategies in the subsequent stages. There is also a need to gather preliminary biological information that is currently not available (e.g. capacity to capture broodstock, potential to hold the species in farm tanks, the species readiness to feed on manufactured diets). Finally, a basic desktop cost – benefit analysis is needed to prepare a business case to evaluate the economic viability of harlequin fish aquaculture in South Australia.

Objectives

1. Establish a captive stock of harlequin fish at the SARDI SA Aquatic Sciences Centre.
2. Monitor survival, growth, apparent feed consumption and reproductive development of captive wild caught fish held in tank(s) and if possible, conduct preliminary spawning induction.
3. Estimate the grow rate of young harlequin fish determined from scales or otoliths of fish from wild fishers.
4. Conduct a basic desktop study on both the biology of harlequin fish and its closely related species, and the business case associated with undertaking a sea cage and land-based intensive recirculation system venture to aquaculture harlequin fish in South Australia.

Feasibility study for integrated multitrophic aquaculture in southern Australia

Project number: 2010-201
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $448,868.00
Principal Investigator: Jason E. Tanner
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 31 Aug 2010 - 29 Aug 2013
Contact:
FRDC

Need

With aquaculture production increasing rapidly in South Australia, as well as several other states including Tasmania, there is an increasing level of concern about the trade-offs between economic returns and environmental sustainability. In Australia, most aquaculture, particularly in-sea aquaculture, is undertaken on a single species basis. For finfish, which are fed a diet based on either baitfish or pelleted feeds, this means that a considerable amount of nutrients are released into the environment. For example, for the two main species farmed in Spencer Gulf in South Australia, southern bluefin tuna and yellowtail kingfish, for every tonne of production, as much as 500 and 200 kg respectively of nitrogen is released into the environment. In areas of high production, these wastes have the potential to stimulate plankton blooms and/or smother the benthos. As a consequence, stocking levels are closely regulated to reduce the potential for environmental harm, and there is considerable interest in methods for removing wastes and/or mitigating their impacts. IMTA thus has the potential to be utilised in Australia to both decrease the environmental impacts of finfish farming, and increase financial returns to the aquaculture industry. If successful, IMTA could be used to reduce nutrient inputs from farming into the marine environment, giving industry the flexibility to maintain higher stocking levels, leading to more optimal use of resources. Before IMTA can be undertaken on a commercial scale in the warm temperate waters of southern Australia, however, there are a number of questions that need to be addressed. These include what species and farming systems are suitable, what is the potential for the species used to act as an intermediate host for parasites of other species in the system, and are their any food safety issues that need to be addressed.

Objectives

1. Review available published and unpublished literature and databases, and liase with international research teams, to assess potentially suitable species and farming techniques for use in IMTA
2. Trial selected macroalgae species in tanks to improve understanding of their biology and develop appropriate propagation techniques for later open-water grow-out, based on knowledge gained from Objective 1
3. Undertake a field trial of IMTA, to assess macroalgal growth rates, determine optimal spatial configuration to maximise growth, and commercial potential
4. Assess the potential for macroalgal species trialled to act as reservoirs for parasites/pathogens of other species used in the system
5. Provide improved parameter estimates for biogeochemical modelling of IMTA, enabling its consequences for regional nutrient enrichment to be determined
6. Provide recomendations to industry on what species to farm, with what culture systems, and in what densities, to optimise both nutrient extraction and economic returns

Towards understanding greenlip abalone population structure

Project number: 2010-013
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $447,515.00
Principal Investigator: Stephen Mayfield
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 31 Jul 2010 - 30 Aug 2012
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The principal need is to enhance understanding of greenlip abalone population genetic structure, and the degree to which nearby populations are connected, in order to optimally manage exploitation of commercial greenlip reef systems. Greenlip abalone support valuable fisheries across southern Australia. Total catch is >700 t with a landed value of ~$27M. Most of the catch is harvested in SA.

The majority of abalone-related funding has addressed research needs for blacklip abalone. This research has focussed on stock structure and dynamics, developing assessment and management approaches to overcome spatial complexity, and stock rebuilding strategies. Recent projects (FRDC 2004/019, 2005/024, 2005/029), have clearly demonstrated that (1) blacklip abalone populations are effectively isolated from conspecifics at fine spatial scales (Miller et al. 2009), and (2) each has typically variable life-history parameters (e.g. growth rates) that influence productivity and response to fishing.

Historically little effort has been directed towards understanding variation or interconnectedness among greenlip abalone populations. Connectivity among greenlip abalone populations is expected to be substantially different to that observed for blacklip abalone, due, in part, to environmental differences (current, swell, kelp) in reef systems they inhabit. However, there are few data to support this assertion. If, as expected, patterns of connectivity among greenlip populations differ from blacklip abalone, this will require a different approach and different scales of management and assessment.

Understanding greenlip abalone population structure is clearly a high priority in SA, Tas and WA. Development of improved techniques for assessment, definition of metapopulation boundaries and reducing the spatial scale of management are high research priorities of the SA abalone Management Plan. Investment Platform 3 in the ACA Strategic Plan similarly has developing harvest models that incorporate fine-scale fishery management to guide harvest practices and optimise yield as a research priority.

Literature cited:
Miller et al. 2009. Mol Ecol, 18:200-211

Objectives

1. Quantify greenlip abalone population genetic structure within key fishing areas.
2. Assess genetic connectivity within and among greenlip abalone populations in key fishing areas.

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-921563-55-3
Author: Stephen Mayfield

Seafood CRC: prawn market access defenders

Project number: 2009-787
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $234,300.00
Principal Investigator: Alison Turnbull
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 30 Jun 2010 - 30 Nov 2012
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES

Need

• There have been numerous trade failures regarding exportation of Australian prawns into Asia and Europe. These mainly relate to cadmium and Vibrios. ~4900 tonnes wild caught prawns were exported in 2007/2008 compared with total capture of 19,000 tonnes.

• Due to these trade issues the Seafood Access Forum have ranked Vibrios and cadmium as ‘high priority’.

• Vibrios have been responsible for illness outbreaks in Australia. Due to the role of Vibrios in illness outbreaks Codex is progressing standards on the control of Vibrios and domestic requirements for testing are increasing e.g. Woolworths requires testing for Vibrio cholerae.

• Standard laboratory methods are time consuming and don’t differentiate ‘disease-causing’ and ‘non-disease causing’ strains and so they ‘overscore’ (‘false positives’). The lack of this capability hampers efforts to dispute trade detentions related to the presence of Vibrios.

• This project aims to address this need by developing a rapid method that distinguishes pathogenic and non pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus, V. cholerae and V. vulnificus to underpin domestic and international trade requirements.

• Cadmium trade failures are related to the low maximum level set by the EU and some Chinese jurisdictions. Attempts by the Australian government have been unsuccessful in negotiating a higher limit.

• Recent data published on nutrients in food that may mitigate the adsorption of cadmium by humans has not been fully considered by regulatory authorities. Consideration of this may support the Codex position that no limit is required.

• This project aims to provide a risk-benefit assessment on cadmium in prawns to underpin further multi-lateral trade negotiations and Codex.

• Other potential food safety risks to the prawn industry will also be assessed and key areas of concern will be prioritised to assist in directing resources to issues of high business risk.

Objectives

1. Establish a recognised capacity to assist industry with domestic and international trade issues/failures related to V. parahaemolyticus, V. cholerae and V. vulnificus in prawns.
2. Generate data on levels of cadmium, iron, zinc, selenium and calcium in prawns to support risk-benefit assessment.
3. Undertake a scientific risk-benefit assessment on cadmium, iron, zinc, selenium and calcium in prawns to underpin future trade negotiations and support the Codex position that a standard is not required
4. Assess and rank the risks (food safety and trade related) to the prawn industry and prioritise key areas of concern to target risk reduction initiatives in the future.

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-921563-58-4
Authors: Ian Stewart Damian May John Sumner Susan Dobson Jessica Tan Tom Madigan Andreas Kiermeier Lina Landinez Navreet Malhi Alison Turnbull Amanpreet Sehmbi Sam Rogers Cath McLeod
Final Report • 2014-04-01 • 722.38 KB
2009-787-DLD.pdf

Summary

Australia typically produces around 20,000 tonnes of prawns annually, of which around 25% is exported. The Australian Prawn Fisheries Council (APFC) and the Seafood CRC commissioned SARDI to undertake a food safety risk rating of prawns consumed in Australia. This project scientifically evaluated the human health impact of chemical and microbial hazards associated with prawns.

Risk ratings indicate a very low risk of human illness associated with the consumption of prawns produced domestically, imported prawns and exported prawns. This finding is consistent with the public health record which shows few reports of illness related to the consumption of prawns that have been handled appropriately

SCRC: SCRC RTG 3.7: PhD workshop on physical and biochemical methods for analysis for fish as food and subsidiary activities (Tom Madigan)

Project number: 2009-755
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $0.00
Principal Investigator: Tom Madigan
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 31 Oct 2009 - 30 Dec 2009
Contact:
FRDC

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-925982-51-0
Author: Tom Madigan
Final Report • 2009-12-31 • 316.32 KB
2009-755-DLD-RTG.pdf

Summary

The author attended a PhD training course which provided an introduction to a wide suite of biochemical methods that can be used to assess post-mortem changes in fish. The information gathered will be useful across a range of projects in the Australian Seafood CRC (AS CRC). A number of subsidiary visits were also undertaken to build international collaboration. The author visited the Grimsby Institute and was given an introduction to the Cells Alive System (CAS) which is a novel freezing technique believed to be superior to standard fast freezing systems.

The author also visited Campden BRI and discussed their high pressure processing work and with the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) who are playing an important role in the development of European methods for the detection of marine vibrios. CEFAS has kindly offered an extensive bank of Vibrio strains for use in future AS CRC work. The author has identified and discussed the potential for collaborative links with each of the institutes that were part of the subsidiary visits.

SCRC: SCRC RTG 3.3: Zooplankton research tour and fish hatchery/farm visits in Taiwan (Dr Bennan Chen)"

Project number: 2009-753
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $0.00
Principal Investigator: Bennan Chen
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 30 Sep 2009 - 30 Dec 2009
Contact:
FRDC

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-925982-59-6
Author: Dr Bennan Chen
Final Report • 2009-12-31 • 858.83 KB
2009-753-DLD-RTG.pdf

Summary

Dr Chen undertook a research tour in Taiwan, as previously organised, to investigate the copepod pond production system used for marine larval finfish rearing. This involved capturing information about the system and getting some hands-on experience. The system could possibly be adopted, with modification, by Australian finfish hatcheries, including Clean Seas Tuna Ltd, which is focused on the hatchery production and growout of YTK and SBT.

Local issues that need to be addressed include biosecurity issues associated with the growth of a natural live foods in an outdoor situation and the effects on production of the large diurnal and seasonal environmental variation experienced outdoors in many regions of South Australia.

Seafood CRC: seafood trade expert panel (SafeFish)

Project number: 2009-752.10
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $432,268.53
Principal Investigator: Alison Turnbull
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 28 Feb 2010 - 29 Feb 2012
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The members of the SAF (industry and government) have recognized the need to provide coordinated, cohesive and robust technical advice to support Australian negotiators and delegations dealing with trade and market access issues. While this expertise is variously available from different sources a more cohesive and collaborative approach will help:

a) ensure that the most appropriate technical expertise is available to support Australian trade negotiations relating to seafood
b) coordinate robust technical advice for input to international trade fora such as Codex and bilateral and multilateral trade agreement discussions
c) deliver a multi disciplinary approach to often very complex trade issues and ensure that Seafood CRC participant business operations and practices are considered in developing Australia’s negotiating positions
d) foster open communication between Australia’s technical trade experts and assist early detection of issues
e) provide a forum for debate and discussion about technical trade issues and their impact on the CRC participant businesses
f) create an international technical trade network and enable Australia’s experts to identify and act on opportunities for national and international collaboration
g) facilitate professional development of existing and new people with technical trade expertise.

Objectives

1. Establish the ‘Seafood Trade Expert Panel’ by June 2010 and develop at least 2 position papers or technical reviews each year for input into the resolution of high priority current technical barriers to trade (see methods section 1 for details of the STEP)
2. Provide technical guidance and support to Australia’s delegations to at least 2 Codex meetings per year that potentially impact on Seafood CRC participant businesses.

Report

Report • 2015-03-01 • 1.89 MB
2009-752.10-Business model review report.pdf

Summary

SafeFish is assessing its strategic and operational strategies and structures in response to two needs: to ensure SafeFish has a long term future beyond funding cycles, and to fulfil a condition of the SafeFish funding agreement.

This report is submitted to the recently appointed independent Chair of SafeFish, Dr Anne Astin, and her SafeFish Partnership Group colleagues. The report responds to a Terms of Reference (see Appendix 1) developed by SafeFish to identify a preferred Business Model that reflects stakeholder investment needs, positions the partnership to create value for stakeholders, and enables its longevity.

This report provides independent interim advice regarding the Partnership Group’s preferred operational model and structures over the next 3 years. This advice is based on strategic discussions with stakeholders, known work programs, and priorities currently defined. A more comprehensive and longer term strategic discussion is now required to identify and strategically focus on what seafood problems SafeFish is to solve. This requires stakeholders and the FRDC to jointly consider and agree the integrated risk management and strategic investment platform that is essential to guide SafeFish and its work program over the next 5-10 years.

Final Report • 2015-04-01 • 398.71 KB
2009-752.10-DLD.pdf

Summary

SafeFish originated from the recognition by the members of the former Seafood Access Forum (SAF) (industry and government) of the need to provide coordinated, cohesive and robust technical advice to support Australian negotiators and delegations dealing with trade and market access issues related to food safety. While this expertise was variously available from different sources a more cohesive collaborative approach was required to bring together all relevant stakeholders (industry, scientists, government, and regulators) more collectively. This was the origin of the partnership approach known originally as the Seafood Trade Expert Panel which was then renamed SafeFish in 2011. This project was responsible for ensuring the most appropriate technical expertise was available to support Australian trade negotiations relating to seafood and to coordinate robust technical advice for input to international trade fora such as Codex and bilateral and multilateral trade agreement discussions.

SafeFish has been very successful in delivering a multi-disciplinary approach to often very complex trade issues which has ensured that Seafood CRC participant business operations and practices were considered in developing Australia’s negotiating positions

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