Diagnostic competence in the identification of Vibrio species is of growing concern with the expansion and diversification of aquaculture in Australia. The urgent need to improve diagnostic capacity has been identified as an essential goal in the SCFA Research Priorities for Australian Fisheries & Aquaculture. Under AQUAPLAN improved diagnostic capacity in aquatic animal diseases was also identified as a major national goal under Projects 3.1 Surveillance & Monitoring, 4.2.9 Diagnostic Resources, 6.2.3 Development of New Diagnostic Tests. The National Workshop on Aquatic Animal Health: Technical Issues (FHMC 1999) identified improved diagnostic capacity for Vibrio species as a matter of priority. More recently, Aquatic Animal Industry Stakeholders nominated the identification of Vibrios as a priority need for funding under the Federal Government Budget Initiative, 'Building A National Approach To Animal And Plant Health' (AQUAPLAN, Business Group (FHMC Sub-Committee, Steering Committee of the FRDC Aquatic Animal Health Sub-Program).

Of major concern is the drive to establish health surveillance programs for aquatic animals. A surveillance program already exists for salmonids in Tasmania and similar programs for abalone in Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia have been identified as a priority need by the FRDC Abalone sub-programme. Similarly, a health surveillance program has been proposed for rock lobster. A major weakness however of these schemes is the lack of diagnostic capacity in veterinary laboratories servicing these health programs (Anon 1999). Given that Vibrio species form over 60% of the bacterial flora associated with these major aquaculture species the usefulness of these proposed surveillance schemes is severely limited.

Competence in identification of Vibrio species is an essential pre-requisite in any surveillance program. It provides the basis to assess the significance of findings, is a means of monitoring populations for the emergence of specific pathogens and underpins successful disease management strategies through the selection of appropriate antibiotics, probiotics or vaccines.

The difficulties identifying Vibrio species were highlighted through a National Fish Disease Bacteriology Workshop (FRDC 00/149). All participating laboratories confirmed the low success rate identifying Vibrio species isolated from aquatic animals and found most identification systems either inefficient, cumbersome or unreliable. Participants endorsed strongly the need to improve diagnostic capacity for Vibrio species.

References
Anon (1999) Gap Analysis of Research for Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture. Report for the Research Committee, Standing Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture
FHMC (1999) Report of the Workshop on Aquatic Animal Health: Technical Issues. 7-9 December 1998, Attwood, Victoria

Domestic need

Within Australia, the regulatory frameworks for ecologically sustainable development (ESD) are at a critical point in their development. At the Commonwealth level, aquaculture will be directly affected by amendments to Schedule 4 of the Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982 (WPA); by the introduction of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC); and in Queensland, by the introduction of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Aquaculture) Regulations 1999. Environmental legislation regulating shrimp culture in Queensland is also currently under review.

The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture (SCFA) has established a Working Group on ESD. The working group aims to develop ESD indicators for assessing fisheries and aquaculture in environmental, social and economic contexts. It is anticipated that the ESD assessment process developed through this work will form the basis for Environment Australia’s assessment of fisheries and aquaculture under WPA and EPBC. The first aquaculture case study was held on shrimp farming, 3-4 October 2000.

The Australian Prawn Farmers Association (APFA) convened a National Shrimp Farming Environmental Management Workshop 24-25 May 2000. One of the outcomes of the workshop was for Australian industry “…by 2010, to have technology and farming practices and strategies that achieve worlds best practice and nil tangible water quality impacts…APFA to establish a comprehensive strategy for ESD by fully supporting SCFA Case Study for developing ESD Indicators.”

Given these developments, the expert consultation is ideally placed to facilitate the development of appropriate ESD policy, legal frameworks and good management practices for shrimp culture in Australia. It is expected that the outcomes of the consultation will provide guidance and a common platform for the policy development currently being undertaken by SCFA, Environment Australia and the Australian Prawn Farmer’s Association. This will occur through the interaction of key Australian policy officers with international experts at the consultation, and through the guidelines arising from the workshop.

International need

In December 1997, FAO convened the Technical Consultation on Policies for Sustainable Shrimp Culture. This consultation brought together government delegates and observers from 12 countries of Asia and America accounting for about 90 % of the global production and major consuming countries.

The Consultation noted that the achievement of sustainable shrimp culture is dependent on effective government policy and regulatory actions, as well as the co-operation of industry in utilising sound technology in its planning, development and operations. In this regard, the Consultation recommended that: FAO convene expert meetings to elaborate best practices for shrimp culture and the legal and other regulatory instruments for coastal aquaculture.

This development will benefit both the fishing and aquaculture industry through a better utilisation of prawn waste. It will involve taking a generally discarded seafood waste and produce a value added product. It will aid the seafood processors by reducing the costly expense of disposing of processing waste, assist in waste management and potentially produce a new market for unwanted material. Presently only small quantities of prawn heads are utilised in further processing, being sold for little or no profit. Generally prawn heads are regarded as an expense to the processor. This expense is increasing as greater pressure is being placed on manufacturers with regards to the disposal of biological waste.

This project will allow manufacturers access to detailed technical information on the processing requirements for producing a prawn stock as well as the information on the export market and the domestic market potential. This project will allow processors to investigate an additional product to manufacture without the additional costs of product development.
The success of this project is aimed at generating interest in the utilisation of prawn waste into value added food products.

The overseas speakers have agreed to come, speak at the Congress and speak to at least one other group while in Australia providing there is some assistance with their travel expenses. This is a great opportunity for members of the fishing and aquaculture industry to hear about latest developments in disease research. The proposed presence of these speakers at the Congress has already attracted other experts in marine disease to come to Australia for the Congress and these also will be meeting with special interest groups while here.