This is the first time that an illness associated with Vibrio has been traced-back to Tasmanian oysters. Regrettably, this incident occurred in the only major harvesting area in Tasmania that has not been impacted by the current Pacific oyster mortality event.

In Australia the control of Vibrio is currently limited to temperature controls during storage or transport. Pre-harvest controls used by the shellfish quality assurance programs are predicated on controlling risk posed by faecal contamination and biotoxins and are not suitable for controlling risk from these naturally occurring bacteria. Although the recent implementation of the Codex Standard for pathogenic marine vibrios suggests risk in bivalve growing areas should be assessed to ascertain the risk to public health, there has been limited research undertaken in Australia. The studies undertaken to date have generally been short in nature with no comprehensive longitudinal studies being undertaken and methodologies have now progressed significantly, whereas New Zealand has been undertaking a long-term survey to understand the risk posed by these pathogens (Cruz, Hedderley & Fletcher 2015). This issue may become a risk in accessing key markets that are active in monitoring or who regulate for these pathogens.

There is an immediate need to collect information on prevalence for the remainder of the summer period to understand the risk and evaluate if there is a relationship to salinity, temperature and toxic strains. This information will be immediately useful for developing appropriate management plans in this growing region.

This illness outbreak will likely result in Tasmanian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program and the other state programs having to consider how to manage risk in the growing areas and establish what is an acceptable level. The work proposed here could be used as a framework for future work that assesses risk across the bivalve industry Australia-wide.

The updating of the ASQAP manual is urgently needed to ensure that guidance on shellfish management is up to date, sufficient to allow consistency in interpretation and risk assessment and is in line with best practice. The ASQAAC committee represents the Australian bivalve shellfish producers, the program managers from the relevant food safety jurisdictions and the national legislative agencies (Department of Agriculture and FSANZ). It is the key consultative group with regards to bivalve shellfish safety in Australia.

The PST event that occurred in Eastern Tasmania and Bass Strait over the last 24 months, and the FRDC funded review report into the PST incident has highlighted the need to get this national guidance manual updated. It is expected that an updated manual will be outcome focused and provide clear guidance that is internationally robust and meets best practice approaches. The updated ASQAP manual will provide the framework to the relevant state agencies in running their state shellfish safety programs.

The current ASQAP manual is outdated and it was clear from the FRDC PST review report that it urgently needs revision. This position has been accepted by ASQAAC.

Business as usual has caused the problem we seek to address. Australian estuaries and wetlands have been under-valued and much of their ecological function has been lost due to a multitude of small, past decisions coupled with a lack of understanding of their importance and community benefits.

Connectivity loss is an issue across Australia - eg road bridges, causeways, tidal barrages, culverts, ponded pastures, bund walls. As an example, GBRMPA has mapped in excess of 1500 barriers to fish passage just in the Burdekin catchment.

These various barriers have been constructed in times past when knowledge was lacking. We now as a community appreciate the many values of coastal ecosystems and generally the community supports their repair as a means of addressing the legacy of past decisions.

At the same time, a note of caution is necessary. in many cases there has been irrevocable loss. The art form in this Australia-wide Plan will be to identify the "easy wins" - where other public or private assets are not substantially at risk, the benefits well outweigh the costs and the overwhelming community asttitude supports repair works.

The overarching perception across scientists, coastal industries and natural resource managers is that the coastal zone is at high risk for the full range of climate change impacts from land and sea (Simms Woodroffe 2008). There is an overwhelming consensus from industry and managers that a most urgent need in achieving practical adaptive solutions to shifting and variable environmental resources is a consolidated information base of natural resources and industry resources (Simms Woodroffe 2008; Leith Haward 2010; SRCMA 2010, I&INSW comment, Colin Creighton (FRDC) comment, industry feedback). Identification of spatial information about climate change threats, industry location and production and essential environmental resources (water quality, primary production and physical locations) needs to be synthesized and cross referenced to provide for the most informed adaptation strategies.

Of the 5 specific recommendations or needs for adaptation to climate change in the oyster industry, as reviewed by the National Climate Change Adaptation Research facility (Leith and Haward 2010), the following three will be adressed here:

1) a program of coastal and estuarine monitoring in which oyster growers, regional universities and regional NRM authorities are partners
4) continued development of knowledge-action networks that include growers, industry bodies, scientists, regional NRM agencies and representatives of state and local government;
5) provision of clear and concise information that allows reciprocal understanding of the process of oyster farming and the needs of growers… and of government regulatory and approvals processes.

This proposal addresses the identified needs, or recommendations 1, 2 and 4, by developing a monitoring synthesis portal, providing knowledge action networks for industry advocacy and information for regulatory frameworks.