1. The Murray cod is highly valued and sought after as a table fish.

2. The current market relies on a small wild commercial fishery which provides limited quantities
of fish of highly variable quality on a seasonal basis.

3. A hatchery-based industry for fingerling production is already well established in Victoria
and NSW.

4. Methods are currently being developed by both industry and government (MAFRI) to
commercially produce market-size Murray cod in tanks and ponds with both natural and artificial
diets under a range of intensive/semi-intensive and ambient/controlled environment conditions.

5. A new market-driven R&D program designed to facilitate industry development of Murray cod
aquaculture is planned, which will involve strong government support and industry support and
participation.

6. Intensive commercial production and associated value-adding and co-operative marketing will
provide more consistent quality and supply of product, with the added advantage of being able
to target niche markets.

A vertically integrated Murray cod aquaculture industry is envisaged for Australia, with some elements, already in place. Key components include a conventional three tier Production component, viz. Hatchery, Nursery, Growout, tapping into a four tier market scenario, viz. juveniles (for recreational and conservation stock enhancement and as seed for nursery and/or growout operations; the latter ultimately for human consumption), sub-adults/advanced stockers (for sale to growout operations and also small numbers selected for genetically improved/domesticated broodfish), Table/plate size fish (for human consumption; includes both domestic and export, live and gilled and gutted/fillet consumption), and broodfish (small numbers of genetically improved stock for future domesticated commercial strains of juveniles specially selected for the growout market). Some Production levels may also undertake hatchery and/or nursery operations for their own and other industry needs as a fully self-contained, fully integrated business unit. The proposed R&D project will focus on three key tasks, viz genetics improvement, diet development and fish health, all of which are relevant to varying degrees to all production levels/markets of the developing industry. A schematic summary of the above is attached for information.

Specific industry needs for Murray cod R&D for the proposed project have been identified as a two part consultation process (see also Section B5), viz:

1. A workshop on 13 August, 1998, convened by MAFRI, involving relevant scientific, extension and management personnel from MAFRI, Deakin University, Victorian Institute for Animal Science and Fisheries Victoria, and some 30 delegates from industry from both Victoria and NSW (including both practising and proposed Murray cod farmers)(see copy of Workshop agenda attached). This meeting established a network of Murray cod farmers that would be interested in collaborating on a project, together with identifying and setting broad R&D priorities for future work. The initial FRDC Murray cod funding proposal was developed largely on the basis of this proposal.

2. A detailed questionnaire was faxed to a selection of existing and/or proposed Murray cod farmers in Victoria, SA and NSW, including the preliminary R&D consortium established at the September 1998 workshop, on 11 March, 1999 (see list attached). This questionnaire summarised an annotated list of six key R&D priorities as discussed at the September workshop and invited farmers to score the priorities in order of decreasing importance/significance/need etc (see copy attached). The results of the questionnaire have been collated and summarised (see copy attached), with the outcome being that three specific R&D priorities have been clearly identified by industry (accounting for 63% of the total vote). Accordingly, the present proposal has been revised to reflect the specific needs identified by industry through this consultation process (see revised Objectives, Methods, Budget etc). A schematic summary of the developing Murray cod aquaculture industry, identifying the areas in which the proposed R&D priorities/actions are relevant is attached.

In summary, the key needs are:
1. Fish health: Minimising stress from outbreaks and therapeutic treatments to maximise not only survival but longer term growth is critical. Disease induced checks to growth at key physiological development stages has profound impacts on future production. eg. up to 30% loss of suitable seed can occur during the weaning/immediate post-weaning phase due to fish weakened by infection; survival in fry ponds can be reduced from an average of 75% to as low as 5% due to disease outbreaks etc..
2. Genetic improvement: most broodstock currently in use for seedstock production is essentially selected from wild populations and/or first generation (F1) progeny randomly selected from hatchery fish. The breeding system is defined as an "open" system in which there is no/little effort to select hatchery progeny as future broodstock based on specific characteristics suitable for specific markets. Indeed, to date considerable effort has been extended to ensure genetic integrity remains intact for enhancement of wild populations by maximising/randomising genetic resources. Selection for improved growout performance at the same time as protecting wild genetic material is the imperative.
3. Diet development: established feed regimes and associated diets currently in use are based largely on production of seed for enhancement and rely heavily on natural food production. Increased production through intensification requires higher energy, more efficient feeds and feed practices. Artificial diets currently in use for this purpose are largely adapted from existing salmonid, barramundi and silver perch diets, and are not species specific formulated. Consequent problems include sub optimal FCR's and developmental problems such as lipidosis.

From the information in B2, there is, for the following reasons, clearly a need to develop a recreational inland fishery in south-western Australia utilising the euryhaline black bream.
1. To provide, for local residents and tourists in rural areas, access to an outstanding angling and food fish species that occurs naturally in Western Australia and which is both hardy and adapted to living in a wide range of salinities and temperatures.
2. To increase for rural areas, which, during recent years have suffered economic decline through land degradation and salinisation, the potential for tourism.
3. To reduce the fishing pressure on natural populations of black bream, the abundance of which in some estuaries has declined precipitously during the last 20 years, presumably through overfishing (FRDC 93/082).
4. To determine whether the very different growth rates recorded for geographically isolated natural populations of black bream are due to genetic differences or differences in the environments in which they live. Such data are important for ascertaining whether it is necessary to select carefully the populations used as broodstock.
5. To explore the possibility that inland water bodies could be used for producing black bream economically on a limited commercial scale.
6. To provide an angling species in inland saline water bodies of south-western Australia which occurs naturally in the region.

A means of quantifying the optimal stocking density of oysters relative to their food resources (quantity and nutritional quality) is a necessary feature in the sustainable management of the oyster industry at a time of increasing demand both for a greater volume of production and improved production efficiency. This has been recognized by the industry as a major need for there to be further development of production. It is also urgent because of increasing scrutiny and regulation under principles of ecologically sustainable development. Maximal development can only be sustainable if local carrying capacity is well understood.

Of the various ways, in theory, of arriving at quantification of optimal densities, an approach which concentrates upon the oyster and its food, measured initially at the scale of the individual lease, is practical and feasible. Once this relationship is defined, it may then with confidence be extended to a variety of habitat conditions, since it will be based upon the fundamental physiological properties of the species.

This proposal aims to define these relationships via rigorous physiological determinations, coupled with appropriate field studies and modelling. The proposed product will be a tool of value to the oyster farmer and to those concerned with planning and approving the expansion of leases within coastal habitats.

Most of the impacts on estuaries result from the land use pattern of their contributing catchments. Understanding the trend and condition of Australia’s estuaries will do much to provide a report card of the aggregate impact of our land use activities across catchments on the natural environment as well as providing a framework for more strategic estuary management.
Estuaries are the subject of systemic failure – for example, the estuary based oyster industry in NSW and southern Queensland has reduced in value in the last 3 years from $50M to $30M – most of which is related to impacts of land use.
Estuaries are key landscapes for recreational use and commercial use, with many fish and prawn species using estuaries for nursery and sometimes maturation phases of their lifecycles. Estuaries are greatly impacted upon by our growing population – with predictions that the next 5M people in Australia will virtually all live around estuaries.
Given the widespread nature of the problem, there is a need to take a national overview of the state of estuaries and identify mechanisms for restoring their health.