142 results

Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram: Characterisation of abalone herpes-like virus infections in abalone

Project number: 2009-032
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $401,292.00
Principal Investigator: Mark S. Crane
Organisation: CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory
Project start/end date: 7 Feb 2010 - 29 Oct 2012
Contact:
FRDC

Need

At the National Abalone Health Workplan Priority Setting Workshop held on 18 June 2008 in Melbourne, attended by representatives from DPI Victoria, SARDI, FRDC, VADA, TAC, EZAIA), AAGA, ACA, CSIRO, DPIW Tasmania, RecFish, DAFF and NSW DPI, it was agreed that to address the main epidemiological questions research should be focussed on 4 areas:
1) Development of diagnostics techniques with the highest priorities being:
- Technique to isolate and concentrate the virus from abalone tissues (addressed in FRDC Project 2007/006)
- A rapid and specific diagnostic test-development of a validated PCR-test for the AVG virus (addressed in FRDC Project 2007/006)
- Secondary diagnostic test (ISH development addressed in FRDC Project 2007/006)
- Validation of diagnostic tests (partly addressed in proposed extension of FRDC Project 2007/006 (PCR) and this project (ISH validation))
- Rollout of diagnostic tests across the States (addressed in proposed extension of FRDC Project 2007/006)
- Distribution of infective dose in tissues (to be addressed by this proposal)
2) Disease aetiology and transmission with the highest priorities being:
- Other bio-vectors and abiotic factors (to be addressed by this proposal)
- Determination of the susceptibility of remnant populations following exposure to AVG (to be addressed by this proposal)
3) Virus inactivation with the highest priorities being:
- Determine the viability of the AVG virus, including disinfection efficacy; efficacy of treatments (to be addressed by this proposal)
- Survival of the virus in seawater (to be addressed by this proposal)
- Survival of the virus on fomites (to be addressed by this proposal)
4) Disease surveillance and modelling with the highest priorities being:
- National survey of stocks to determine current distribution of the virus, including latency, and resistance status of stocks (partly addressed by this proposal)
- Determine the mode(s) of spread of the AVG (not addressed)

Objectives

1. Validate the developed in situ hybridisation diagnostic test including roll out to other States
2. Develop a quantitative assay (qPCR) for determining infectious dose for this virus
3. Determine the sensitivity of the virus to physico-chemical conditions including its stability in water/on fomites and its sensitivity to inactivation agents
4. Determine the role of mucus in viral transmission
5. Determine whether a latent stage exists in AVG
6. Determine the susceptibility of remnant populations of abalone previously exposed to AVG and known unexposed wild populations in South Australia

Seafood CRC: Market Access for Abalone

Project number: 2008-909
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $57,333.50
Principal Investigator: Catherine McLeod
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 31 Mar 2009 - 31 Mar 2010
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Approximately 48% of the total Australian abalone legally captured (5465 tonnes) in 2006/2007 was exported to China (+Hong Kong). The Chinese market accounts for ~70 % of all exported abalone (3911 tonnes).

In China the retail price of Haliotis discus hannai (in shell Japanese abalone) in 2005 was RMB 250/kg (~$52 AUD) and the price in 2008 is RMB 150/kg (~$31 AUD). One possible forecast is for rising volumes of abalone from Chinese aquaculture, with further declines in Chinese domestic prices.

The high reliance of the Australian abalone sector on the Chinese market, falling prices in China, and the introduction of strengthened import requirements for live seafood into China (including requirements for testing seafood for a range of pathogenic bacteria and marine biotoxins) suggests that market diversification would be beneficial.

The EU, North America, and China are the biggest markets for seafood (~350 million seafood consumers), however the EU is the biggest importer of seafood. The EU produces limited quantities of abalone at the moment (e.g. Ireland and France produce small amounts).

Until March 2007 several companies in Australia were exporting abalone to the EU, since this time the EU abalone market has been ‘closed’ due to the EC requirement to classify production areas.

The low scale production of abalone in the EU coupled with the declining prices and new food safety requirements for abalone in China presents a market opportunity for Australian abalone in the EU.

The abalone industry (ACA and AAA) has expressed a desire to re-enter the EU market. This project aims to provide information for use in technical market access negotiations to assist in ‘re-opening’ the EU market for Australian abalone.

Objectives

1. Stipulate current requirements to meet the EC regulations for abalone.
2. Determine alternate risk management procedures that may be viewed as equivalent to the current EC regulations for abalone.
3. Define risk of biotoxin poisoning from consuming canned abalone.
4. Identify key information gaps that may influence the efficacy of risk assessment.
5. Provide industry risk management information on the depuration of biotoxins from abalone.
6. Provide a package of information with which to develop a risk based management plan that meets EC requirements.

Seafood CRC: Helping emerging leaders to develop networks and make more effective use of scientific and community resources, knowledge and skills

Project number: 2008-759
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $7,085.80
Principal Investigator: Dean M. Lisson
Organisation: Abalone Council Australia Ltd (ACA)
Project start/end date: 30 Jun 2008 - 30 Oct 2008
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The project is needed to assist with networking future leaders from our industry sector at a level that will enhance their ability to deal with issues that the industry constantly faces adn to be confident when new and emerging issues arise.

There are few participants in the wild capture abalone sector and of those who participate, there are fewer still who possess the capacity to take on the role of future leaders and decision makers. As such it is vitally important to engage as many of the current and future industry leaders, from across a broad section of the industry to provide them with an opportunity to network with each other and with people they would not ordinarily associate with. For example the leadership training course consists of potential future leaders from different sectors that probably network and mix with other industry people, researchers and government managers from their own sector, but rarely do they network or mix with people from other sectors to experience a wider variety of issues that others have to deal with.

The 4th National Abalone Convention provides a perfect opportunity to allow members of the wild capture abalone sector and people from other seafood industry sectors to attend and gain an appreciation of the issues being faced, how the fishery is managed and to meet and greet people from different areas of fisheries management.

Objectives

1. A better understanding by participants of the issues and challenges facing the abalone sector
2. A report produced by the participants dealing with young leaders' approach to implementing the Abalone QA program, the next Abalone convention and any other projects identified in the ACA Strategic Plan
3. A greater appreciation of the benefits of networking with other stakeholders in the industry

Seafood CRC: Australian abalone industry R&D planning, implementation and utilisation.

Project number: 2008-715
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $115,051.00
Principal Investigator: Dean M. Lisson
Organisation: Abalone Council Australia Ltd (ACA)
Project start/end date: 28 Feb 2008 - 30 Jun 2011
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The Strategic Plan summary reports as follows:
For all its economic promise the industry faces some challenges that constrain growth and profitability:
• Lack of appropriate peak body structure and supply chain fragmentation
• Limited enterprise commitment to joint industry development
• Complacency in dealing with market issues – predominant wild caught focus
• Limited sectoral or peak body strategic planning
• Policy dominated by resource managers and technologists rather than those with commercial and market experience.

The industry structure comprises around 300 small owner operator businesses with little or no capacity to coordinate investment in and manage industry development. Recovering lost industry value and delivering future growth is contingent upon coordinated investment in industry development at the whole of industry level.

The ACA is now established and well positioned with the CRC to implement its strategic plan and to integrate R&D work across all stakeholders under its leadership. Two distinct needs are involved in any consideration of better national R&D co-ordination for the abalone sector:

1. The strategic issues of R&D prioritization, funding and the linkages to (and support for) both industry development plans and Government objectives of industry development.
2. The operational issues of facilitating effective communication and coordination at all levels (industry/researchers, among researchers, among industry, FRDC and researchers etc).

Objectives

1. To coordinate the planning, implementation, and reporting of R&D projects conducted by the Seafood CRC to achieve the outcomes specified in the ACA Strategic Plan.
2. To facilitate the abalone industry participation in Seafood CRC projects and the extension and utilization of the project results, particularly in relation to a national product integrity/QA program and the development of new products and new markets.
3. To establish, by December 2010, a mechanism by which the ACA can fund its own R&D coordination and communication activities.

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-9752258-6-8
Author: Abalone Council Australia Ltd
Final Report • 2014-06-17 • 472.87 KB
2008-715-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project aimed to enable the abalone industry to better be able to work collaboratively and improve the quality of products supplied to the market and to maintain market share in major exports.

This project aimed to:

  1. Coordinate the planning, implementation and reporting of research and development projects conducted by the Seafood CRC to achieve the outcomes specified in the Australia Abalone Council's strategic plan.
  2. Facilitate the abalone industry participation in CRC projects and the extension and utilisation of the project results, participation in relation to a national product integrity.
  3. Establish by December 2010, a mechanism by which the Australian Abalone Council can fund its own research and development communication coordination

This project aimed to enable the abalone industry to better be able to work collaboratively and improve the quality of products supplied to the market and to maintain market share in major exports.

This project aimed to:

  1. Coordinate the planning, implementation and reporting of research and development projects conducted by the Seafood CRC to achieve the outcomes specified in the Australia Abalone Council's strategic plan.
  2. Facilitate the abalone industry participation in CRC projects and the extension and utilisation of the project results, participation in relation to a national product integrity.
  3. Establish by December 2010, a mechanism by which the Australian Abalone Council can fund its own research and development communication coordination

Sponsorship of 13th International Echinoderm Conference

Project number: 2008-348
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $0.00
Principal Investigator: Craig Johnson
Organisation: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date: 9 Sep 2008 - 29 Apr 2009
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The conference theme - Echinoderms in a Changing World - focuses on major current issues including climate change and ocean acidification, as well as incorporating echinoderm physiology, biogeography, genetics, genomes and development as major focal points in marine research. Tasmania is a highly appropriate location given international attention to the circumstances of climate change driving range extension of an echinoderm into Tasmanian waters, where it poses a significant threat to biodiversity of shallow rocky reef systems and the sustainability of associated fisheries.

Objectives

1. To provide partner sponsorship to ensure a successful conference

Food safety validation of storage/transport temperatures for live Australian oyster species

Project number: 2007-406
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $9,800.00
Principal Investigator: Andrew Pointon
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 21 Apr 2007 - 30 May 2007
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Industry faces a range of regulatory requirements for storage and transport of live oysters, notably: ASQAP stipulates colder than 10°C after 24 hours;
· current AQIS Export Control (Fish and Fish Products) Orders 2005 indicate that live oysters should be stored at 5°C UNLESS alternative storage arrangements can be validated and shown to not affect fitness for human consumption;
· NSW currently have a dispensation for colder than 25°C for 72 hours then colder than 15°C thereafter.

Objectives

1. Conduct a hazard identification to clarify the food safety risks that the myriad
2. Use the hazard identification to inform the technical interpretation of existing requirements with AQIS and NSW. Tasmanian and South Australian regulators and seek agreement on scientifically justifiable critical limits and define data gaps for validation of alternative temperature regimes.
3. Detail the scope of any research required.

Final report

Author: Andrew Pointon
Final Report • 2007-06-04 • 2.25 MB
2007-406-DLD.pdf

Summary

Apparent anomalies between the Australian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program (ASQAP) and the Export Control Orders stimulated the submission of FRDC Application TM003: Microbiological validation of current storage and transport temperatures for Pacific oyster industries in Australia. The application was approved conditional on wider industry involvement. Subsequently, the New South Wales industry identified the above dispensation and asked that it be considered within the proposal. 

A teleconference on Friday 23rd Feb with New South Wales, Tasmanian and South Australian industry representatives, NSW Food Authority and Seafood Services Australia considered a background paper canvassing the above issues; no representative of AQIS was available. The meeting determined that, as a prelude to deciding the scope of work designed to close information gaps on storage temperatures and times, a Hazard Identification be undertaken for Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and Sydney rock oysters (Saccostrea glomerata).

Project products

Report • 1.21 MB
2007-406-Product.pdf

Summary

Hazard Identification is defined as: The identification of biological, chemical and physical agents capable of causing adverse health effects and that may be present in a particular food or group of foods. 

It is an important aspect of both HACCP and risk assessment. HACCP Principle 1 involves listing potential hazards while Hazard Identification is the first of four stages in risk assessment for which, in effect, it represents a Go/No Go stage.

The aims of this investigation were to:
• Identify those microbiological hazards reasonably likely to occur in oyster harvest, storage and processing of Pacific and Sydney rock oysters.
• Document their involvement in outbreaks of illness for each species.
• Identify knowledge gaps which can be closed by research.
• Inform regulator and industry consultations.

The Development of a National R&D Plan for the Australian abalone Industry

Project number: 2007-311
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $38,000.00
Principal Investigator: Dean M. Lisson
Organisation: Abalone Council Australia Ltd (ACA)
Project start/end date: 21 Feb 2007 - 18 Feb 2008
Contact:
FRDC

Need

There is a need to clearly articulate the R&D priorities for the Australian abalone industry and incorporate them into a Strategic plan to ensure future development of the industry is maintained and the sustainability of the resource is guaranteed. There is the need to value add at every level of the supply chain in order to maximise the potential profitability to all stakeholders.

Objectives

1. The development of a national R&D plan for the Australian abalone industry
2. The development of a national R&D plan for the Australian abalone industry
3. The adoption of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Abalone Council Australia Ltd, on behalf of every State abalone industry organisation and the FRDC.

Australian Fisheries Statistics 2007-08

Project number: 2007-243
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $55,213.00
Principal Investigator: Roslyn Wood
Organisation: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) ABARES
Project start/end date: 28 Feb 2008 - 28 Sep 2008
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The development of statistics on Australian fisheries production and gross value of production (GVP) and trade is required to meet a wide range of demands.

First: The data are extensively used by the fishing industry and by providers of services to the fishing industry in making investment decisions and in longer term planning of marketing strategies.

Second: The existence of these data in a readily accessible form provides the basis for a range of other activities, including the setting of research priorities by fisheries managers, industry and research organisations and the selection of a research portfolio by funding agencies. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry through ABARE, contributes to a number of international databases including databases managed by FAO and OECD. Information at the international level can be important in relation to international negotiations on issues such as transboundary fisheries, in analysing trade opportunities and threats and is essential for participating in fora such as APEC and WTO.

Third: The gross value of production for specific fisheries are used for determining research and development levies for the FRDC and for determining industry contributions to research. Because the estimates form the basis for research levies for each fishery, it is important for the system to be independent from those involved in the management and marketing processes to ensure the neutrality and integrity of the estimates.

Objectives

1. To maintain and improve the data base of production, gross value of production and trade statistics for the Australian fishing industry, including aquaculture
2. To provide these data in an accessible form

Final report

The progression of abalone fishery performance indicators

Project number: 2007-061
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $30,000.00
Principal Investigator: Mike Tokley
Organisation: Abalone Council Australia Ltd (ACA)
Project start/end date: 22 Sep 2007 - 29 Jun 2008
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The FRDC has requested the development with respect to abalone of “an application that takes a national approach to management strategy evaluation development and implementation. This should include economic, environmental, social and governance indicators.” In order to achieve this a workshop is proposed that brings together representatives from Industry, Management and Research from the abalone producing States plus other invited experts in abalone and management strategy evaluation.

There are R&D initiatives in most Australian fisheries and NZ to collect finer scale and more comprehensive data about abalone populations and fishing. These initiatives are also highlighted in the “Harvest Optimisation” and “Sustainability and Environment” investment platforms of the ACA Strategic Plan, within several Objectives including to “Establish management tools and models that enable targeted harvesting of fish to optimise market returns”. It is not yet clear how or what finer scale data will be used to generate the most informative fishery Performance Indicators, although MSE will provide the structure to assess this.

To maximize the value of outcomes from the proposed Workshop, the ACA needs to focus on the strategic direction of finer scale data collection, its incorporation into fishery Performance Indicators and their assessment through techniques such as MSE. Such a focus would allow the ACA to participate in the Workshop with a clear plan for R&D investment in these important directions.

Objectives

1. Determine R&D requirements relating to appropriate performance measures and indicators and the modelling of these measures and indicators
2. Identify available data, and the relevance of current research
3. Assess the commitment of management to move towards finer scale spatial management
and the associated performance measures and indicators for this shift in management
4. Identify and assess the utility of different performance indicators and the methodology for assessment against future management needs
5. Develop an application that takes a national approach to management strategy evaluation development and implementation. This should include economic, environmental, social and governance indicators.
6. Evaluate hierarchical approaches to application of PI for abalone fishery assessment
7. Provide a range of performance indicators to Haddon et al for testing within the MSE framework
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