623 results
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2011-734
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Seafood CRC: controlling biofouling of pond aerators on marine prawn farms

Biofouling of aeration equipment is a significant farm management issue and production cost for Australian marine prawn farms. Defouling aeration equipment has a high labour demand and once fouled, the energy efficiency of paddle-wheels and other aerating equipment can be markedly reduced, leading...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
TAGS
Sustainability
Recirculation System
Modelling
Innovation
Economic
SPECIES
Prawns
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2009-775
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Seafood CRC: prevention of muddy taints in farmed barramundi

End chain customers have learnt to expect muddiness in Barramundi and this causes a negative barrier to purchase. The impact of market perception is farmed Barramundi has remained at 7-$10/kg (farm-gate price) for >10 years, despite the species having an 'iconic' name with consumers. There is a...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
TAGS
Value Add
Survey
Marketing
Disease
Biomass
SPECIES
Barramundi
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2006-308
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Investigating options to improve bycatch reduction in tropical prawn trawl fisheries - a workshop for fishers

Since 2000 the use of bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) and turtle excluder devices (TEDs) has been a mandatory requirement in most tropical prawn trawl fisheries in Australia. Despite this period of mandatory use, the number of BRD designs has remained largely unchanged and their performance can, at...
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
TAGS
Workforce
Stakeholder
Nutrition
SPECIES
King Prawns
Tiger Prawns
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2000-190
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Development of a business plan for enhancement of saucer scallops in sub-tropical waters

A working party of persons with technical and practical experience in scallop biology, hatchery technology, economics, management, fishing operations and processing technology was convened to develop a study on the feasibility of enhancing and culturing saucer scallops (Amusium balloti) in...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
TAGS
Resource Enhancement
Oceanography
Husbandry
SPECIES
Ballot's Saucer Scallop
Commercial Scallop
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 1999-358
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Evaluating effective quality monitoring methods for the Australian seafood industry

A variety of rapid kit methods, both microbiological and chemical, have been evaluated with respect to their accuracy for and application to the Australian seafood industry. The information is now readily available for industry managers to base operational processing decisions on. A few kits...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
TAGS
Food Safety
Disease
Diagnostic
Adoption
PROJECT NUMBER • 1999-333
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Establishment of Seafood Services Australia stage 1 - extension and advisory services

This report covers the activities projects 1996/341 and 1999/333 for the period 1996 to 2000. In October 1999 AUSEAS along with the National Seafood Centre (NSC) and SeaQual were brought together under the umbrella name of Seafood Services Australia (SSA). To avoid confusion, for the...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
TAGS
Workforce
Value Add
Resource Enhancement
Market Opportunities
Food Safety
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 1999-205
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

The effect of barramundi Nodavirus on important freshwater fishes

This project has confirmed the knowledge that management of barramundi translocations outside their natural range requires fisheries authorities take into account the risk that barramundi nodavirus may lethally infect native freshwater fishes. The project has shown barramundi nodavirus can...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
TAGS
Sustainability
Population Dynamics
Mortality
Modelling
Invasive Species
SPECIES
Silver Perch
Golden Perch
Barramundi
Murray Cods
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 1998-159
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Stock structure of northern and western Australian Spanish mackerel

Decisions about the allocation of management responsibilities for fisheries for narrow-barred Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus commerson, as well as on-going stock assessments, require an understanding of the spatial relationships of the species. We used a suite of methods, isotope ratios in...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (NT)
TAGS
Genomics
Fisheries Management
Animal Health
SPECIES
Spanish Mackerel

Stock assessment review workshop

Project number: 1998-129
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $39,629.00
Principal Investigator: Cathy M. Dichmont
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 29 Jun 1998 - 29 Jun 2001
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Stock Assessment
Mortality
Fisheries Management

Need

A number of introductory stock assessment and monitoring programmes funded by FRDC will be completed within the next financial year. Most of this work has been done with little peer review. There is a need for an external and highly competent stock assessment consultant to review present research and assessment procedures used for fisheries in southern Queensland, and to identify the direction of future research and monitoring. It is expected that future monitoring programmes will be resourced through an industry based cost-recovery program. As a result, a narrowing of objectives and species is needed.

There is a need to look closely at the simulation models being developed by scientists for management use in south-east Queensland. For example, the State's only output-controlled fishery is subject to a TAC which is set from sustainable yield estimates derived from models which are rapidly becoming outdated. Several monitoring programmes, experiments and simulation models have been attempted with varying success. This work needs to be exposed to peer review as this fishery moves (probably) to an ITQ management system. These models should be updated and the present status of the resource needs to be examined, particularly in light of the situation in northern NSW as it is a shared resource.

There are a number of data sets on south Queensland fisheries which may be extensive enough to warrant further in-depth assessment. There is a opportunity for this work to be completed at the workshop while the expertise is available.

All the MAC’s are seeking information on the status of major fish resources for which they have management responsibilities. They are becoming increasingly aware of the need for objective and scientifically based assessment work and are slowly becoming aware of the costs and resource requirements associated with assessments. The supply of initial assessment reports from the proposed workshop will reinforce the move towards objective assessment and associated management recommendations.

Fisheries management in Queensland will be based upon Fishery Management Plans. There is a need to incorporate into these Plans much more robust and well-conceived monitoring and assessment strategies and decision rules than is occurring at present.

Stock assessment skills are scarce within south-east Queensland. An intensive workshop of most major species will include the majority of fisheries scientists and technicians within the region. This will expose them to stock assessment methods and their data requirements.

Objectives

1. To review and evaluate existing stock assessment and monitoring programmes and methods relating to fishery resources in SE Queensland, with particular reference to eastern king prawns, spanner crabs, tailor and saucer scallops.
2. Use existing data on eastern king prawns, spanner crabs, tailor and scallops to develop and test alternative assessment techniques.
3. To advise the Queensland Fisheries Management Authority and QDPI Fisheries Group of the biological status of these resources, and make recommendations on future directions and/or priorities for research and monitoring.
4. To develop appropriate strategies for monitoring and assessment of southern Queensland fisheries resources at levels commensurate with the value of resources and risk of overfishing.
5. To train Queensland based fisheries scientists in recently developed stock assessment procedures
6. The consultant should report on workshop proceedings as well as limitations or bottlenecks to effective stock assessment in Queensland. The consultant should also offer recommendations which may alleviate such limitations to stock assessment in Queensland and improve stock assessment procedures in that state.

Final report

Authors: C.M. Dichmont M. Haddon K.M. Yeomans and K.E. Kelly
Final Report • 2017-09-29 • 10.82 MB
1998-129-DLD.pdf

Summary

A three day stock assessment course was presented by Dr Malcolm Haddon of the Australian Maritime College and Dr James Scandol of the Quantitative Training Unit for Fisheries. Techniques such as biomass dynamic and age based modelling were covered.

Thereafter, a Stock Assessment Review Workshop, funded by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), Department of Primary Industry, Queensland (DPI) and the Queensland Fisheries Management Authority (QFMA), was held in August at the Southern Fisheries Centre, Deception Bay, Queensland. It was convened by stock assessment scientist Ms Cathy Dichmont ofDPI, and facilitated by Dr Malcolm Haddon from the Australian Maritime College (AMC). Commercial fishers, recreational fishers, managers and scientists were all represented at the workshop. It should be noted that the workshop only reviewed, analysed and commented on some of the major fishery resources of southeast Queensland. The resources chosen for review were determined through a series of Resource Priority Workshops held within DPI. Those workshops concluded that the primary southeast Queensland resources are spanner crabs (Ranina ranina), eastern king prawns (Penaeus plebejus), saucer scallops (Amusium japonicum balloti), sea mullet (Mugil cephalops), tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix) and an inshore finfish component of bream (Acanthopagrus spp), whiting (Siliago spp.) (excluding the trawled stout whiting) and dusky flathead (Platycephalus fuscus).

Tactical Research Fund: using industry expertise to build a national standard for grading of live mud crabs

Project number: 2011-225
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $65,620.00
Principal Investigator: Chris E. Calogeras
Organisation: C-AID Consultants
Project start/end date: 21 Sep 2011 - 31 Oct 2012
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Workshop
Wild Catch
Waste
Survey
Supply Chain

Need

Differing interpretations of grading standards for live mud crabs between fishers and buyers is highly emotive and greatly impacts industry revenue and relationships throughout the supply chain. Live mud crabs are the Sydney Fish Market’s second most valuable product and one of its most problematic, mainly due to grading issues. The urgent need for national grading standards is illustrated by the high level of confusion existing within all industry sectors.

This is compounded by the current environmental conditions that created an oversupply and low mud crab prices at market. Recent floods resulted in old crab with little meat content entering the market in higher than normal proportions, as well as an abundance of newly moulted ‘empty’ crab that are more susceptible to mortality within the supply chain and are lower priced. With newly adopted improved handling practices, harvesters are looking for new markets and experiencing various grading interpretations.

Lack of consumer confidence in purchasing a ‘full' crab impacts industry revenue. Having purchased a crab with poor meat content, consumers are unlikely to purchase again.

There is overwhelming Industry support to develop a universal, objective, agreed and workable standard. To achieve this national standards needs to be developed to ensure all harvesters, buyers and marketers agree on consistent grading standard for live mud crab. Many currently active industry members indicated they are unclear of grading parameters for live mud crab.

With the Qld crab-review in progress, the development of grading standards is timely and will assist the transition to any adjusted management regime.

As the catch of mud crab is a major component of the recreational fishery in many jurisdictions it is important to educate them on how to tell if a crab would be best returned to the water.

Objectives

1. To identify key industry representatives from the live mud crab supply chain across key states and territories to attend a forum
2. The forum to develop a universal, industry-driven, Australian grading standard for live mud crabs
3. Extend the agreed standard to all sectors
4. Evaluate adoption of standards
5. Production of professional media extension capturing outcomes from the workshop

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-9871427-2-6
Author: Chris Calogeras
Final Report • 5.10 MB
2011-225-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project lead to a large number of outcomes that provided significant benefit to the Australian live mud crab industry supply chain. These include:

  • Agreement on an easy to use, national, industry-driven, grading scheme for live mud crabs (the Australian Industry Live Mud Crab Grading Scheme) and the development of a range of material to extend the scheme widely
  • Industry ownership and support for the grading scheme has been evident, with many sectors, individuals and groups taking the scheme on board, including the Sydney Fish Market (SFM) adopting the Australian Live Mud Crab Grading Scheme as part of its grading guidelines.
  • Improved revenue return to the supply chain through a reduction in downgraded live mud crab, resulting in maximum price per unit.  Even though not formally adopted until December 2012, data indicates up to a $1.40/kg increase in value for properly graded product at the SFM since the forum.
  • Supply chain partners have indicated greater consumer satisfaction and less disagreement due to the development of the extension material and easy to use grading scheme.  With the formal launch of the scheme on 3rd December 2012, in conjunction with the SFM, the linking with key sector sites and groups, and all of the material going live, it is anticipated that as consumers become better informed in their decision making process when choosing mud crab, there will be elevated consumer confidence to buy premium quality, live mud crab, engendering more frequent purchases.
  • The linking of project 2010/302 and this project has seen far greater utilisation of Research, Development and Extension (RD&E) resources along the supply chain.  Six trips were undertaken jointly to meet with key people and groups along the supply chain (NT x 2, NSW x 2, Vic x 1, Qld x 1), and the linking of best handling and grading became intertwined.  In addition, when work on either project has taken place by the individual project teams, the opportunity to cross reference the projects has allowed the combined knowledge of the projects to be further extended.
  • The forum methodology, which focused on providing optimal input from industry, was extremely well supported and can serve as a template for future whole of supply chain meetings.
  • The benefits of using professional media/design personnel as part of capturing outcomes from the workshop and developing extension material proved very successful and resulted in production of high quality, client focussed, targeted material.

Keywords: Mud crab, grading scheme, quality, facilitation, extension, industry, supply chain.

Project products

Fact Sheet • 1.52 MB
NT Code of Practice for the Mud Crab Fishery.pdf

Summary

The Northern Territory mud crab fishery is harvested and managed sustainably. In the interests of the stock, the industry and the wider community, the NT Mud Crab Licensee Committee fully supports continued management for the production of sustainable, quality Australian seafood.

In 2002 the NT mud crab fishery was assessed by the Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Heritage as being ecologically sustainable for export, under Australian Government guidelines based on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. In 2007 the mud crab fishery was reassessed under the guidelines and accepted for further export approval.

Fact Sheet • 116.77 KB
Fact Sheet for Recovery Procedure.pdf

Summary

The Queensland Government has developed best practice guidelines for the handling and storage of live mud crabs from harvest to table. These guidelines were developed as a way to reduce the stress levels of muddies, decrease mortality after harvest and to increase the eating quality of the catch. 

This fact sheet provides information on a recovery step for live mud crabs. Mud crabs stored for more than five days are more likely to die. If they survive, these crabs are liable to be poor eating quality.  A recovery step can reduce mortalities and loss of quality by eliminating the crabs waste and toxins. 

Fact Sheet • 118.69 KB
Fact Sheet for Harvesters.pdf

Summary

The Queensland Government has developed best practice guidelines for the handling and storage of mud crabs from harvest to table. These guidelines were developed as a way to reduce the stress levels of muddies, decrease mortality after harvest and to increase the eating quality of the catch. 

This fact sheet provides key information on the handling, sorting and storage of live mud crabs for harvesters before transport. 

Fact Sheet • 339.73 KB
Fact Sheet for Consumers.pdf

Summary

The Queensland Government has developed best practice guidelines for the handling and storage of mud crabs from harvest to table. These guidelines were developed as a way to reduce the stress levels of muddies, decrease mortality after harvest and to increase the eating quality of the catch. 

This fact sheet provides information for consumers on choosing a live mud crab, preparing and cooking it for the table.

Fact Sheet • 181.99 KB
Fact Sheet for Meat Fullness.pdf

Summary

The Queensland Government, in conjunction with the National Mud Crab Industry Reference Group has developed guidelines for grading live mud crabs based on shell hardness and other signs of shell age. However, to provide greater certainty on whether the crab will be full of meat when cooked, a simple method of sampling the live mud crab’s blood can be used.

This fact sheet gives instructions on how to test a live crab’s blood for cooked meat yield.

Guide • 1.01 MB
Guide to Using the Australian Industry Live Mud Crab Grading Scheme.pdf

Summary

This booklet provides a step by step guide to assist you in making decisions about how to grade your live mud crabs in line with the Australian Industry Live Mud Crab Grading Scheme. It is designed to accompany and assist you when using the grading scheme flow chart.

The scheme was developed under a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) project (2011-225) which brought together industry representatives from throughout the supply chain and across Australia.  This group, the National Mud Crab Industry Reference Group (NMCIRG), developed these industry-driven, objective and mutually-agreed Australian minimum standards for a national grading scheme for live mud crabs to provide a consistent grading process across the nation and supply chain.

Fact Sheet • 115.21 KB
Fact Sheet for Transport Recommendations.pdf

Summary

The Queensland Government has developed best practice guidelines for the handling and storage of mud crabs from harvest to table. These guidelines were developed as a way to reduce the stress levels of muddies, decrease mortality after harvest and to increase the eating quality of the catch. 

This fact sheet provides key information on packing and transporting live mud crabs to wholesalers, distributors and retailers.

Fact Sheet • 300.10 KB
Fact Sheet for Retailers.pdf

Summary

The Queensland Government with funding assistance from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation has developed best practice guidelines for the handling and storage of mud crabs, from harvest to table. These guidelines aim to help reduce the stress levels of crabs, decrease mortality after harvest and increase eating quality.

This fact sheet provides information on sorting and storage of live mud crab for retailers.

Fact Sheet • 85.46 KB
Fact Sheet For Tanking Recommendations.pdf

Summary

The Queensland Government has developed best practice guidelines for the handling and storage of mud crabs from harvest to table. These guidelines were developed as a way to reduce the stress levels of muddies, decrease mortality after harvest and to increase the eating quality of the catch. 

This fact sheet provides key information on holding live mud crabs in aquariums or tanks. 

Guide • 4.55 MB
Live Mud Crab Grading Scheme - Web.pdf

Summary

With the support of FRDC a forum was held to develop a national system to ensure catchers, buyers and marketers had a consistent, workable grading system for the entire industry - from trap to plate. The forum, "Using Industry Expertise to Build a National System for Grading of Live Mud Crabs" brought together people from throughout the supply chain and from across Australia to develop this industry-driven, objective and mutually-agreed Australian minimum standards for a national grading system for live mud crabs.

The decision chart developed by the group provides all people throughout the supply chain with an easy to use guide to the Australian Grading Scheme for live mud crabs.

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