Seafood CRC: Scope and economic analysis of options for a nationally unified breeding program that provides significant economic benefit to the Australian abalone aquaculture industry
Due to the divided opinions of members, the AAGA committee believes the best way forward is to commission the CRC to scope and model both the Tasmanian/GSW program(s), and determine the optimal strategy for a centralised mainland program, not to compare them against each other, but rather to provide an economic model of each, recognising infrastructure, running costs, capacity to produce families, etc, that will deliver a breeding strategy for each initiative to allow them to maximise their genetic gains and economic benefits (benefit to cost ratio). By doing this we will determine how to best meet AAGA’s objectives for the supply of selectively bred stock to the industry. These objectives are:
• Capacity to achieve maximum rate of genetic gain for the traits selected
• Minimum time until the supply of improved stock can meet the demand by the industry
• Capacity to service all industry members (including land-based farms without hatcheries and at-sea farms)
• Commercial, financial and practical feasibility in the short (5years) and long term (10-20 years), with significant economic benefit to the industry
• Capacity to implement biosecurity measures that will meet state agencies’ legislative requirements for translocation and result in sustainability of the program (ie. not affected by disease issues)
• Capacity for all abalone breeding initiatives to work collaboratively and value-add to each other
Final report
Towards understanding greenlip abalone population structure
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
Final report
Abalone Aquaculture Subprogram: selective breeding of farmed abalone to enhance growth rates
A major problem facing abalone farmers in temperate Australia is the high operating costs associated with holding animals for 4 years until they reach market size. In other shellfish, selective breeding has substantially improved a number of traits (particularly growth rates & disease resistance), however no such program exists for abalone. An appropriately designed selective breeding program could produce abalone with growth rates enhanced by up to 30% over 3 generations of selection (6--8 years). This could shorten the production cycle by over a year, and thus substantially reduce farm operating costs.
With the continuing enthusiasm for abalone aquaculture both on-shore and off-shore across southern Australia, as well as developing in northern Australia, significant growth of the industry can be expected. Within the next decade it is possible that abalone aquaculture production will exceed the wild fishery in value.
(For FRAB Information repeated from Background)
How the Priority was determined –
The FRDC Board will remember that last year large, high cost approach was submitted that attempted to integrate all aspects of genetic development across all states. The FRDC Board rightly indicated that this was an expensive approach and concern was expressed at the time that all parties had not been properly integrated into the application. The FRDC Abalone Aquaculture Subprogram Steering Committee re-determined the critical R&D priorities with regards to development of a genetic improvement program for the abalone farming industry. The output was a defined plan that had 3 critical areas that needed to be developed. These were:
1) Development of a practical selective breeding protocol
2) Development of a R&D Genetic Business Plan
3) Commence the establishment of on-farm family lines and data collection
An expression of interest was called by the Steering Committee that addressed these three key research areas, for a set budget (approximately $130k), was national in its approach and for no more that 18 months. The application was seen as part of an ongoing research program that was to be established in abalone genetic breeding, with these three areas needing to be addressed before the next stage could commence. It also took advantage of the capacity of the industry to manage on farm selection both technically and physically.