With the emergence of AVG in in Victorian abalone in 2005/6, the subsequent discovery of several genetic variants of the causative agent, abalone herpesvirus (AbHV), associated with disease outbreaks in Tasmanian processing plants, and apparent variations in AbHV pathogenicity observed in different abalone species, there is the need to understand what factors promote disease in infected hosts. This project aims to address this knowledge gap and is relevant to all jurisdictions with abalone fisheries. Access to biosecure aquarium facilities, major abalone species and all known AbHV genotypes provides CSIRO-AAHL with a unique capability to investigate what factors influence disease outcomes following infection, including the nature of the AbHV genotype as well as abalone species or origins from locations spanning the primary wild fisheries in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. An improved understanding of the susceptibility of of abalone of different species and origins to infection by the various AbHV genotypes, and of whether different genotypes vary in their potential to transition from sub-clinical infection to acute disease is important for instructing fisheries and aquaculture policies and strategies to avoid disease, especially in aquaculture and abalone processing facilities. This project addresses specific priorities detailed in the current FRDC Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram R&D Plan (viz. 6.2.1 Nature of disease and host-pathogen interaction), priorities identified in the National Abalone Health Work Plan developed by a committee of national representatives following the second Abalone Virus Scientific and Management Forum held in Melbourne in 2007, and FRDC’s 2013 Annual Competitive Round Call for Expressions Of Interest (viz. Determining risk factors for AVG).

It is desirable for any primary producer to understand the health and welfare of their stock. This will ultimately enable optimal production and return on investment.

The challenge in any aquaculture system is ‘observing’ the physiological and behavioural responses associated with environment, production and other stressors; all factors that impact on the animal health and welfare and so overall production efficiency. Suboptimal health is often associated with culturing conditions, and this is predicted to become more prevalent and unpredictable with a changing climate. There is therefore an immediate and long-term need to overcome the 'observation' challenge.

How do we know if conditions are optimal, and the observed performance efficient and sustainable? Generally for aquaculture species, such as molluscs, it is through measurements of growth rate and survival, equating to biomass produced, rather than on metabolic and behaviour observations on the animal, that are difficult to observe and poorly understood. Therefore there is limited information available for optimising the commercial environment from the animal’s perspective.

Sub-optimal conditions lead to stress, and there are multiple (observed and unobserved) stressors or stress events within a commercial growout system, the impact of which on an abalone’s physiology is poorly understood. Measurement of an animal’s response to stress is usually retrospective of the event and via invasive sample collection (an additional stressor).

This proposal is taking advantage of the development of a new research tool (“biologger”) for the in-situ measurement of physiological and behavioural parameters to gain an understanding of the response of the abalone to a range of commonly experienced and predicted stressors in a commercial system. This research will provide knowledge for refining farm management protocols, and in the longer-term for developing real-time bio-monitoring of farm management protocols.

The Australian lobster industry has reported that the ongoing interruptions to trade between Hong Kong and mainland China have impacted on them through:
• Financial loss from seized products and lost payments
• Impact on fishers with lower beach prices
• Shipments on hold causing product losses
• Emergence (and disappearance) of transient buyers
• Requests to send shipments via Vietnam and Thailand.
Such disruptions are unpredictable and are not likely to cease. Consequently the risk to Australian exporters is likely to become untenable and the trade might cease or be significantly reduced, leading to enormous loss of capital value in the industries.

In the case of Australian Wild Abalone it is reported that all trade between Hong Kong and Shenzhen has ceased since the initial border disruption in November 2010. A delegation comprising Abalone exporters, CRC and ACA representatives visited China in November 2011 and were asked by their importers to help improve the trade and market access for Abalone directly into mainland China.

There needs to be improved understanding of the constraints to trade and the mechanisms available to remove them. This includes ensuring that Australia's government trade negotiation positions are robust and strategic, based on sound industry knowledge. Identification of the mechanisms to improve trade and market access and the supporting information needed to capitalise on them will be critical.

Recreational fisheries have no reliable and acceptable methodology or mechanisms to measure their economic value (direct and indirect) to Australians.
More broadly, the sector has no clear understanding of end-user requirements for its economic data, and the most appropriate means of obtaining the required data.
The impacts of this problem are direct, substantial, local and national. Measurement enables monitoring of performance, which enables management of the resource to consistently achieve best outcomes. Lack of measurement means the sector cannot:
1. quantify the operational or economic size of the national fishery on a reliable and repeatable basis, and therefore can not measure or manage economic performance changes over time
2. demonstrate with acceptable accuracy the economic contribution to regional and national economies, at any time,
3. justify and motivate investment by communities, investors and agencies in recreational fishing,
4. clearly and unambiguously demonstrate that it is a relevant sector or contributor to regional and national economies.

The RFAC's 2011 Strategy identifies at least 2 goals (as follows) that demand some type of economic measure to demontrate that they have been achieved.
- Recreational fishing is acknowledged as an important activity that contributes to the health and well-being of Australian society.
- Recreational fishers have access to a fair and reasonable share of Australia’s fish resources.