PROJECT NUMBER
•
2021-101
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
ORGANISATION:
University of Adelaide
TAGS
9 results
Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics 2019-2020
Project number:
2020-124
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$50,000.00
Principal Investigator:
Robert Curtotti
Organisation:
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF)
Project start/end date:
17 Jun 2021
-
14 Sep 2021
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES
Statistics on Australian fisheries production and trade seeks to meet the needs of the fishing and aquaculture industry, fisheries managers, policymakers and researchers. It can assist in policy decisions, industry marketing strategies and the allocation of research funding or priorities. The gross value of production for specific fisheries are used for determining the research and development levies collected by government. The neutrality and integrity of GVP estimates is therefore important due to their forming the basis for research levies for each fishery. At the international level, the Department of Agriculture through the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) contributes to a number of international databases. These include databases managed by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Information at the international level can assist in international negotiations on issues such as trans-boundary fisheries and analysis of trade opportunities.
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
Author:
ABARES
Final Report
•
2021-08-01
•
2.13 MB
2020-124-DLD.pdf
The Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics report contains comprehensive information on commercial fishing and aquaculture in Australia covering fisheries production, trade data and consumption and employment statistics. The report is aimed at providing statistical information for the fishing and aquaculture industry, fisheries managers, policy makers and researchers. This report also discusses factors affecting the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2017-217
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
ORGANISATION:
Fiskehand Pty Ltd
Future proofing Western Australia’s iconic Marron (Cherax cainii) Fishery
Project number:
2015-028
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$297,500.00
Principal Investigator:
Andrew C. Matthews
Organisation:
Ecotone Consulting
Project start/end date:
31 May 2015
-
31 May 2018
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES
The Western Australian Marron fishery is currently characterised by a short season (4 weeks) confined to rivers and dams (irrigation). The natural habitat of marron is facing increased and cumulative environmental and anthropogenic stressors such as reduced river flows, increasing salinity and loss of key riverbank vegetation.
Measures such as bag/size limits, gear restrictions, licensing and season openings are traditional management tools used to maintain historical levels of sustainability. However major environmental change is predicted to be the main impact on this fishery in the near future and without a solid understanding of the experience desired by recreational fishers, future management options are limited. Maintaining high quality fishing experiences, and all associated values, into the future will require more adaptive type management regime that includes new fishery developments and the improved integration of environmental, social and economic considerations.
This project will see the creation of a blueprint for long-term management of the fishery which will assist fisheries managers, and fishers themselves, in ensuring ongoing viable marron fishing in WA.
1. Determine the drivers, attitudes and aspirations of marron fishers.
2. Develop and test methods to enhance long term stock sustainability and recruitment rates in lentic environments through strategic stock enhancement and artificial marron habitat enhancement structures.
3. Develop a long term blueprint for the management of WA’s marron fishery.
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2004-091
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram: further research and laboratory trials for diagnostic tests for the detection of A invadans (EUS) and A astaci (Crayfish Plague)
Crayfish plague and epizootic ulcerative syndrome are two fungal diseases that affect freshwater crayfish and freshwater finfish, respectively. Crayfish plague, which is caused by Aphanomyces astaci, is exotic to Australia, but is capable of causing massive stock losses of up to 100% which would be...
ORGANISATION:
Murdoch University
SPECIES
Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram: Enhancing the emergency disease response capability of WA Department of Fisheries and industry bodies associated with freshwater crayfish culture
Project number:
2003-671
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$22,161.00
Principal Investigator:
Fran Stephens
Organisation:
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) WA
Project start/end date:
30 Aug 2003
-
30 Jun 2005
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES
Relatively few major disease events have occurred within the WA aquaculture industries and as a result there has not been an opportunity for an integrated multi-agency approach, though one has been developed on
paper. To date, emergencies have been dealt with on an add-hoc basis and no large-scale containment or eradication programs have been undertaken with respect to aquatic animal diseases. The Department has also been fortunate that the remote and isolated nature of most of WA has not seriously affected the limited emergencies so far experienced, though considerable difficulties were experienced in collecting samples during the 2001 White Spot scare. It follows that relatively little experience in handling such emergencies currently
exists within the Department of Fisheries, WA. Simulation exercises provide a practical method of exposing and training staff in the management of aquatic disease emergencies.The need can be summarized as follows:
1. Both government and industries have limited experience with real emergencies.
2. Though there is a cohesive management strategy setting out the roles and responsibilities of individuals and agencies involved, it is untested.
3. The limited number of emergencies has lead to industry and agency complacency about the risks of disease introduction and the potential effects.
4. The linkages between all stakeholders on a national disease aquaculture event have not been tested. This exercise will test a national response as well as a local response. The freshwater crayfish industry in Western Australia is very keen to conduct the exercise and integrate the
products from N Buller and F Stephens.
1. To examine and test the skills and abilities of the participants in-group problem solving and decision making skills relating to emergency response procedures.
2. To increase participant’s knowledge of communication routes to be used in an emergency disease response by working through a scenario which mimics a real emergency situation.To increase participant’s knowledge of communication routes to be used in an emergency disease response by working through a scenario which mimics a real emergency situation.
3. To clearly define the roles within and between the various agencies involved and how they fit within the WA Emergency plan and AQUAPLAN frameworks.
4. To improve participants ability to manage tasks by prioritizing a number of competing demands during the operational phase of an emergency response.
5. To increase participants understanding of the operational procedures in the Disease Emergency Response.
6. To familiarize participants with operational practices on freshwater crayfish farms of varying production technology (extensive and semi-intensive).
7. To identify key areas for improvement in emergency management procedures across a range of subjects including planning, communication, staffing and resourcing.
8. To document an emergency response plan that can be implemented by all stakeholders.
9. To familiarize all stakeholders including AFFA staff with the problems inherent in managing a disease in Cherax species that exist across Australia.
Final report
Evaluating the recreational marron fishery against environmental change and human interactions
Project number:
2003-027
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$315,953.00
Principal Investigator:
Martin de Graaf
Organisation:
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) WA
Project start/end date:
29 Jun 2003
-
29 Aug 2008
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES
Both the catch and range of marron have reduced over the last 25 years. A re-evaluation of the range will provide both the current extent and potential of the recreational marron fishery (RMF) and allow a re-interpretation of current production of the RMF.
Selecting two indicator sites will allow the focusing of research effort to achieve a new, useful level of detail on fecundity, recruitment and survival in indicator stocks, develop new performance measures and new models of productivity (stock recruitment and yield-per-recruit models). Although focused on indicator stocks, this will produce generic tools applicable to other marron stocks, providing a suite of powerful management indicators.
Changes in legal gears have occurred and these gears are likely to have different efficiencies and may explain a proportion of the decline in marron catches. By quantifying the relative efficiencies of the three legal gears, the historical data set can be re-evaluated to allocate a proportion of the decline in catches to changes in gears and predictions of the impact of future gear restrictions.
Identifying and ranking sources of marron mortality will provide key information on marron survival at various life-stages and allow management to focus resources on important mortality sources.
Environmental variables and management of catchments and water resources profoundly influence the extent and productivity of the entire RMF. The collection of data and development of models will provide fishery managers to identify key influences and engage with other management agencies to promote a more sustainable and productive RMF.
1. To assess the present range of the recreational marron fishery (RMF) and compare to the historical range to quantify the reduction in marron range and current extent of the fishery.
2. To assess fecundity, recruitment and survival of marron in indicator sites to develop performance measures and models of productivity.
3. To quantify the relative efficiency of the three permitted capture methods at indicator sites and use the results to standardise the historical catch and effort database.
4. To identify and rank sources of mortality of marron at indicator sites.
5. To model the impact and effect of key environmental variables on marron stocks within the indicator sites and the RMF as part of the overall understanding of the decline in the fishery.
6. Piloting the qualitative assessment of mortality sources of a selected marron population.
7. Piloting the identification of the impacts of major environmental variables affecting a selected marron population.
Final report
ISBN:
1 921258 94 2
Author:
Martin de Graaf
Final Report
•
2011-11-24
•
5.51 MB
2003-027-DLD.pdf
The distribution of marron in the southwest of Australia has seen many changes since European settlement. Reconstructions of their range from historical records suggested that marron inhabited the waters between the Harvey River and Denmark River. Due to translocation, their range has expanded as far north as the Hutt River and as far east as Esperance. Although at present marron still exist in all the original rivers within the southwest, their distribution within these rivers has contracted. Poor water quality, salinity, low rainfall and environmental degradation in the upper and lower reaches have restricted marron populations.
Historically, management decisions in the Recreational Marron Fishery have been based on fishery-dependent CPUE data collected using a logbook survey and phone survey. A critical assumption has been that the fisheries-dependent CPUE values were proportional to abundance. However, raw or nominal fisheries-dependent CPUE effort data are seldom proportional to abundance and relative abundances indices based on nominal and even standardised CPUE data are notoriously problematic and often provide little useful guidance for management. Although, the fishery-dependent programs provide high quality data on changes in the fishery, in isolation, these data provided limited information on the effects of fishing and the impact of fishery regulations on marron abundance. Standardising the fishery-dependent CPUE data for just one (introduction of snare-only areas during the 1990s) of the numerous management changes illustrated the significant bias in raw, nominal CPUE data. The use of biased fishery dependent data as measures for Recreational Marron Fishery productivity was probably one of the contributing factors limiting the success of developing predictive models using non-fishery variables (e.g. rainfall, river flow).
After a thorough review of (historical) sampling methods, a new fishery-independent annual research program using inexpensive box traps was implemented in 2006. Trapping allowed technical staff to sample several sites (2-4) simultaneously instead of just one site per night. More importantly, traps were set late afternoon and retrieved the following morning, removing the serious occupational health and safety issues associated with the historical late night (18:00- 1:00) sampling trips using drop nets and scoop nets. Furthermore, trapping removed the high level of subjectivity (e.g. operator skill level) associated with the traditional methods, especially scoop netting. Trap data appeared to be the most suitable as an index of relative abundance of marron. Interestingly, comparing trap catches with density data obtained through visual surveys using scuba revealed that at least over soft substrate in dams, trap catches can be used as both a measure of relative and absolute (#/m2) abundance.
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2001-621
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
ORGANISATION:
Murdoch University
Improved performance of marron using genetic and pond management strategies
Project number:
2000-215
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$706,426.27
Principal Investigator:
Craig Lawrence
Organisation:
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) WA
Project start/end date:
9 Oct 2000
-
28 Aug 2008
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES
There is a need for marron aquaculture to follow the example of traditional agriculture and develop domesticated varieties, rather than continuing to rely upon unselected wild stock. In fact, current husbandry techniques on commercial farms, in particular harvesting practices, are likely to result in the selection of slower growing marron for future broodstock (i.e. through early marketing of fastest growing individuals with broodstock chosen from the residual population), as is the case in yabby farming (Lawrence et al. 1998).
Investment in marron farming has grown rapidly in WA and SA with medium term potential of 1000 t p.a. ($20 million) in WA and 250 t pa ($6.25 million) in SA, based on current investment (conservatively $15 million in WA), anticipated expansion at these farms, performance of better farmers, and site availability (marron are grown from Geraldton to Esperance). As volumes increase the current excellent ex farm prices for marron ($16-32/kg) may decline and necessitate improved production efficiency. Consultation with industry has identified growth rate and size variation as the main factors affecting profitability of marron farming. Industry’s belief in the need for this research is reinforced with significant cash ($9000 from WA) and in kind contributions.
There is a need to i) compare production of farm stock with that of their ancestral populations to determine the effects of current farm management practices upon marron gene pools, ii) compare different wild stocks to identify the best marron strain for farming, and then iii) genetically improve the best strains
Just as traditional agriculture has increased growth rates of livestock and poultry by strain evaluation and selective breeding, there is a need to achieve similar gains with marron by developing a genetically improved strain which will result in greatly improved profitability for industry.
In addition, there is considerable debate amongst consultants and farmers as to what are the best methods for producing marron. While experimental trials have shown yields may be increased, demonstration and documentation of the "best practice" marron farming system has not been undertaken. There is a need for husbandry improvements that can both increase the quantity and improve the quality of farmed marron. The issue of improved quality is vital to farmers, as marron are exported alive but industry currently report mortality rates of up to 11%. Reducing mortality by ensuring marron being sent to market are in top condition will have clear and measurable improvements in profitability. With industry we have developed this proposal which combines the needs of industry with the proven freshwater crayfish expertise of Fisheries WA researchers along with facilities and expertise in animal breeding from the University of Western Australia. South Australian farmers and researchers are keen to extend such research activity and results to that state. To facilitate this the project involves SA industry, SARDI, PIRSA and the University of Adelaide.
1. Selection and genetic improvement to stock. This general objective will be achieved by completing the following specific objectives:i) Identify the fastest growing wild strain of marron,ii) Compare the growth of wild marron strains with a mass selected commercial strain,iii) Determine whether any hybrids have production characteristics that are superior to wild marron strains, iv) Use mass selection to develop a faster growing "domesticated" marron strain or hybrid,v) Decrease size variation of marron cohorts to increase the proportion of marketable animals,vi) Evaluate performance of the mass selected marron strain on commercial properties,vii) Investigate inbreeding effects by comparing growth of mass selected marron with farm stock.
2. Development of improved husbandry protocols. This general objective will be achieved by completing the following specific objectives:i) Compare the effect of aeration upon both production levels and product quality,ii) Determine whether increased numbers of hides can alleviate growth reduction due to high density,iii) Evaluate stocking tightly graded juveniles in commercial ponds upon size variation at harvest, iv) Evaluate stocking advanced juveniles into commercial ponds,v) Trial a non destructive condition index developed for yabbies on marron in commercial farms,vi) Compare the effect of regional variation upon marron growth and production.
3. Extension of results to industry. This general objective will be achieved by completing the following specific objectives: i) Manual of methods for managing marron ponds to improve husbandry and genetics of farm stock,ii) Exchange of information between WA and SA.
Final report
ISBN:
1-921258-01-2
Author:
Craig Lawrence
Final Report
•
2008-01-08
•
4.98 MB
2000-215-DLD.pdf
Marron (Cherax tenuimanus) are the highest valued freshwater crayfish farmed in Australia. This project addressed the need to increase the profitability of commercial marron farms by improving growth rates and pond management strategies.
The project evaluated progeny produced from wild populations collected from 6 river systems that had not been subjected to the broodstock selection processes on commercial farms. This demonstrated that current management of broodstock, whereby farmers sell the largest crayfish produced and breed from remaining animals, has resulted in slower growth of marron on commercial farms. Marron from all river systems grew faster than industry stocks. The best performing wild river strain, from the Harvey river, grew 82% faster than current industry stocks.
A simple mass selection selective breeding program improved growth rates by 86 -110% in two generations.
Consultation with farmers identified breeding objectives that were applied by researchers to develop a selection index for a more complex pedigree breeding program that permitted simultaneous selection for multiple traits based upon economic merit. This program also permits greater control of inbreeding than mass selection.
Husbandry experiments showed that current refuge densities were suitable for marron production. Paddlewheel aeration practices could be improved by increasing the duration of aeration. Relaying juveniles produced early in the year in northern regions did not improve final production. Size grading of juveniles prior to stocking ponds can, however, increase the average weight of marron harvested by 12 - 58% and decrease the proportion of below market size animals by 54%.
Marron with proportionately shallower abdomens grow faster than those with deeper abdomens. Combined with hide harvesting, this simple condition index can be applied by farmers to evaluate condition of marron in commercial ponds, calculate growth rates and manage feed rates.
Farms based in the more southern, cooler regions, have lower growth rates due to cool water temperatures. In this study the best region from a temperature perspective is Pinjarra, where lower water temperatures limit growth for only 0.6% of the year, compared to the least favourable region, where temperature limits growth for 33% of the year.
It is essential that commercial marron farms are correctly designed, constructed and professionally managed. Commercial trials involving 147,000 marron reared to market size in 44 commercial ponds over a 5 year period demonstrated the viability of current practices and the increased profit ($33,600/ ha) from farming selectively bred marron developed in this project.
An extension strategy that included open days, research seminars, field trials and open communication with industry was extremely successful. Most key outputs from this project have already been adopted by leading farmers with newer entrants to the industry following their example. As a result the husbandry strategies and software developed by this project have been rapidly adopted by industry and 18,000 elite marron produced from the selective breeding program have been distributed to industry in WA and SA.
The use of marron produced by the FRDC selective breeding program dramatically increases the profitability of farming. For a correctly managed and constructed 50 pond farm replacing industry stock with marron from the selective breeding program increases the IRR from 8.24% to 22%, return on capital from 4% to 40%, yields from 1.5 to 3 t/ha/year and profit from $20,722 to $189,130 /year.
Keywords: Marron, Cherax tenuimanus, genetics, husbandry, aquaculture, hides, aeration.
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