91 results

Rock Lobster Post Harvest Subprogram: optimising water quality in rock lobster post-harvest processes

Project number: 2000-252
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $136,226.00
Principal Investigator: Stephen Battaglene
Organisation: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date: 29 Dec 2000 - 8 May 2006
:

Need

There are concerns that poor water quality may be having an affect on the health of post-capture rock lobsters. This project addresses this in three ways:

1. Determining the optimal level of ammonia in holding and transport systems. This will contribute to the understanding of optimal system design.

2. Understanding the mechanism of ammonia toxicity. This will enable industry to develop methods to counteract the harmful effects.

3. Providing information to the rock lobster industry in the appropriate form to ensure uptake of the results of research on optimising water quality, specifically in the area of oxygen and ammonia.

Objectives

1. Production of a manual on optimising the provision of oxygen during rock lobster post-harvest processes
2. Determine the median lethal concentration (LC-50) of ammonia to adult southern and western rock lobsters (stressed and unstressed).
3. Determine the physiological consequences of exposing lobsters to sub-lethal ammonia concentrations, and the consequences of further exposing lobsters to acute post-harvest stressors.
4. Production of a manual on ammonia problems during rock lobster post-harvest processes

Final report

ISBN: 1-86295-065-2
Authors: Stephen Battaglene Jennifer Cobcroft Mark Powell and Bradley Crear
Final Report • 2005-01-04 • 859.67 KB
2000-252-DLD.pdf

Summary

Rock lobsters can be exposed to poor water quality during all stages of handling and holding prior to going to market. Poor water quality reduces the time a lobster can be held alive and how many animals can be held in a system and thus may reduce profit. The quality of water can be assessed using many different measurements, with two of the most important being oxygen and ammonia (a form of nitrogen). An earlier FRDC funded study investigated oxygen and how it influenced the holding of rock lobsters. However, prior to the current study there was very limited understanding of the harmful effects of ammonia to rock lobsters. Ammonia can accumulate in holding and transport facilities via natural release of ammonia from lobsters, and from the bacterial decomposition of faeces, excess feed, and dead animals. Ammonia can be harmful to crustaceans in small amounts (or low concentrations) and even fatal if concentrations get too high. The toxicity of ammonia to aquatic animals becomes greater when other factors such as low dissolved oxygen, low salinity, and/or low pH (acidity of the water) also interact. In liquids, total ammonia comprises un-ionised ammonia (NH3), which is the more toxic component, and ionised ammonia (NH4 +; ammonium) in equilibrium. Lobsters can become stressed (having a higher demand upon their biological systems) during holding and handling but it is uncertain what effect this stress has on the ability of lobsters to tolerate ammonia. This project provided a better understanding of the effect of ammonia and other water quality measurements, on the health of stressed and unstressed lobsters.

Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2001-042
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Development of the tools for long term management of the giant crab resource: data collection methodology, stock assessment and harvest strategy evaluation

The project has developed tools for low cost assessment of the giant crab resource across southern Australia. Stock assessment and management response is now increasingly based on biomass estimates from this project. Risk of poor management decisions is thus reduced, which...
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
SPECIES

Seafood CRC: Future Harvest Master Class in Fisheries Economics - Revision & Extension (2013-748 Communal)

Project number: 2013-748
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $24,694.05
Principal Investigator: Sarah M. Jennings
Organisation: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date: 14 Oct 2014 - 26 Mar 2015
:

Need

As part of the activities of the FRDC 2008/306 Building Economic Capability in Fisheries Project an online survey of professional training needs in fisheries economics of 56 managers, industry representatives, and researchers within the seafood industry was conducted. Results of this survey indicate a high level of demand (100% of respondents) for short course training in fisheries economics. The highest level of interest was for a basic introductory course in fisheries economics of 1-2 days duration. Interest was also high in web-based modes of delivery.
Based on this feedback the initial round of Master Classes were developed in conjunction with the Seafood CRC. Results of the evaluation of these classes indicated that past participants will be recommending the class to others. The following organisations also expressed interest in dedicated Master Classes; AFMA; DPI Victoria; Dept. of Fisheries WA; and SA Rock Lobster Advisory Council (SARLAC) and could be approached individually to ascertain possible enrolments.

Ongoing demand for such training opportunities was also highlighted in the review of the project undertaken by Ian Cartwright as part of the Legacy from Future Harvest review, where it was concluded the initial offering be revised and extended. This work was initially presented and approved as an extension to Seafood CRC Project 2010-714 ‘The Future Harvest Master Class’ but subsequently has required a separate project application.

Objectives

1. To revise/extend the existing face-to-face Masterclass materials/resources
2. To develop an online version of the Masterclass
3. To develop a strategy for marketing, delivery and funding of the Masterclass
People
PROJECT NUMBER • 2009-712
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Seafood CRC: future harvest theme leadership

The CRC has developed the Future Harvest theme business plan to deliver the following outcomes: Fisheries management delivering maximum benefit from the resource while maintaining stocks above sustainability indicators Novel management strategies in place which increase economic yield from...
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2013-026
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Can commercial harvest of long-spined sea urchins reduce the impact of urchin grazing on abalone and lobster fisheries?

At low-levels of exploitation, commercial harvesting of long-spined sea urchins was found to prevent increase in urchin density. Adjacent unfished locations experienced an increase in both urchin density and grazed area over the 2014 – 2016 study period. Research sampling of populations...
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)

SCRC: The Future Harvest Master Class

Project number: 2010-714
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $0.00
Principal Investigator: Sarah M. Jennings
Organisation: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date: 30 Mar 2010 - 30 Dec 2010
:

Need

Fisheries resources are managed for biological, economic and social purposes or objectives. Recommendations made at the Advisory Committee (MACs and FACs) level have significant economic implications for key stakeholders and for the wider community who have an interest in the returns gained from resource utility.

The current low level of understanding of fisheries resource economics amongst those in decision-making roles precludes the capacity to integrate economic parameters and indicators into assessment and decision-making processes. This generates lost opportunity in current management and is a barrier to the development of economic targets for fisheries and the selection of optimal fisheries management & harvest systems.

A recently completed FRDC report, ‘Evaluating the Performance of Australian Marine Capture Fisheries’ (2009), examined the performance of Australian marine capture fisheries and found a massive gap between actual and potential performance. The same project identified the need for more strategic management as the highest priority in closing this gap, which is targeted through this project.

Increasing the understanding of fisheries resource economics amongst members of MACs and FACs is therefore considered necessary to assist the uptake of management tools that would enhance the economic performance of wild-catch fisheries (AFMA, 2007: Economics in Commonwealth fisheries management - Workshop final report, 2 March 2007, Canberra). Most significantly, increasing the understanding of fisheries resource economics principles will support the achievement of Future Harvest outcomes.

The target audiences for the Future Harvest Master Class includes fisheries managers, advising fisheries biologists, & industry representatives associated with key CRC partner investors in the Future Harvest business theme. Specificially, the Master Classes will be offered to members of those MACs or FACs which advise on those fisheries of interest to the key CRC partner investors.

Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2016-235
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Improving post-harvest survival of live held Southern Rock Lobster

This report details the results of a multifaceted research program led by the Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania in collaboration with the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide. The work was undertaken to better evaluate post-harvest...
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)

Rock Lobster Post Harvest Subprogram: quantification of shell hardness in southern rock lobster

Project number: 2002-238
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $86,403.70
Principal Investigator: Caleb Gardner
Organisation: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date: 29 Jun 2002 - 30 Sep 2004
:

Need

A new, simple and quick solution to the ambiguity of current measures of shell wear is to quantify shell hardness with a durometer, which is a small, hand-held device originally designed to measure the flexibility of plastic sheeting (Hicks and Johnson, 1999). This system of standardisation has recently been introduced in Alaskan crab fisheries. Before these devices can be used for Australian rock lobster stock-assessment, a series of short experiments are needed to calibrate hardness reading to the moult cycle. These experiments will allow future research sampling to record more useful measures of moult stage and thus provide more effective stock assessment.

This calibration will have immediate application in Tasmanian research for assessing the effect of September and November harvests on mortality of discarded lobsters. Processors in both South Australia and Tasmania anticipate that this project will provide a valuable tool for industry to use in setting acceptable levels of shell hardness for the landing of export-grade lobsters. That is, fishers will be able to establish a quantitative shell hardness grade that a processor will accept prior to landing the catch. This eliminates the current problem of the landing of lobsters that are ambiguously classed as “hard” by a fisher but “soft” by a processor – with resultant negative impacts on economic yield and markets.

Hicks, D. and Johnson, B.A., 1999. A device to measure shell hardness of Dungeness crabs and trial application in the Kodiak Island, Alaska, commercial fishery. Nor. Amer. J. Fish. Man. 19: 581-590.

Objectives

1. To calibrate the rate of change in shell hardness before and after the moult of southern rock lobsters relative to lobster size, sex, region and temperature.
2. To identify the region of the exoskeleton that is most suited for measuring hardness.
3. To develop a prototype gauge for industry use that can be used to measure shell hardness of lobster with precision in industry conditions.
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