The Australian Shellfish Quality Assurance Advisory Committee (ASQAAC) is a volunteer organisation comprised of members including state regulators, industry representatives and associated stakeholders including researchers, Safefish, seafood importers and laboratories. As the program sets the requirements for market access in Australia through the Australian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program (ASQAP), and influences industry's ability to grow and further develop our low input, carbon friendly and job intensive industry. The ASQAP is best practice, and ASQAAC strives to include safe and appropriately innovative and validated measures to ensure market access is maximised - important for both COVID recovery and future proofing the national shellfish industry.
There is an on-going need to provide national guidance on ASQAP interpretation and delivery for our industry that has been highlighted by both the succession needs of the well-established programs in SA, Tas and NSW, and by the emerging shellfish industries in WA, NT, and Qld. The market failure for systemisation and training material and continuous improvement stems from the underpinning knowledge of this topic being niche and highly specialised.
In the words of the ASQAAC Chair Phil Baker: “The last decade has seen the exit of significant knowledge and history with long-term regulators being replaced with new recruits to the technically complex shellfish regulatory role. Currently there is little to guide them, particularly as ASQAP has transitioned to an outcome-based program. The vital knowledge required is often learned through experience.” This program aims to take advantage of the pool of experts that do exist in Australia, to the benefit of all existing and developing programs.

The 2018 Tasmanian state Election Commitment ‘Taking Recreational Fishing and Boating to the Next Level’ has provided $1.0M over the next two years to install artificial reefs in Tasmania. There is also an addition $450K for the installation and management of Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs). Both projects aim to provide new fishing opportunities for recreational and sport fishers (total $1.45M) and are aligned with the current development of the Tasmanian Recreational Sea Fishing Strategy – a 10 year strategic plan to address longstanding issues and maximise new opportunities. In Outcome 3 of the Strategy 'Making it easier for people to go fishing’, infrastructure projects to enhance fishing opportunities such as artificial reefs and FADs are identified as a priority.

Marine and Safety Authority Tasmania (MAST) has been tasked with implementing these Election Commitments on behalf of the Government, and Marine Solutions has completed feasibility assessments, including site selection, for the installation of both the artificial reefs and FAD: www.mast.tas.gov.au/artificial-reefs-and-fish-aggregation-devices-fads-in-tasmania. Marine Solutions is currently seeking government permits for two artificial reefs and five FADs in Tasmania, and installation will likely be open for tender in mid-2021. It is expected that installation at all sites will be completed towards the end of 2021. Upon completion, all equipment ownership and ongoing management will be transferred to Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE).

Currently, there is no pathway to determine the direct and in-direct benefits these resources may have for the recreational fishery and other multi-sector users. This includes the role these resources play for Tasmania's unique fish fauna, and their specific habitat and nursery requirements. It is vital that we invest into measuring these contributions to, ultimately, determine value and potential "success". Information can be used for ongoing management to ensure long-term benefits are maximised. This project is endorsed by RecFAC & will be carried out in collaboration with the recreational fishery (TARFish), MAST and DPIPWE.

Vibrios are an emerging food safety issue for the Tasmanian and broader Australian shellfish industry. The first reported Australian outbreak of gastrointestinal illness associated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus and local oysters was from Moulting Bay, Tasmania in 2016; followed by further cases reported in WA from oysters sourced from a single jurisdiction outside of state. Data collected following the shellfish related outbreak in Tasmania (FRDC project 2015-042: Assessing the Occurrence of Pathogenic Vibrio Species in Oysters from Moulting Bay) highlighted the risk in Moulting Bay, but also noted the paucity of information on the prevalence of these organisms in Australian bivalve harvest regions. There are no limits set for vibrios in bivalve shellfish under the Food Standards Code. However, the FSANZ Guidelines “Microbiological Examination of Ready-to-Eat Foods” suggests that levels of V. parahaemolyticus in food product 3 cfu/gm are satisfactory, 3-100 cfu/gm are marginally acceptable, 100-10,000 cfu/gm are unsatisfactory and over 10,000 cfu/gm are considered potentially hazardous. The classification under the FSANZ Guideline only considers total number of V. parahaemolyticus and not pathogenic strains, hence using a conservative approach. The Codex Alimentarius Commission Guidelines for the Application of General Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Pathogenic Vibrio (CAC/GL 73-2010) includes a separate Annex relating directly to control of these species in bivalve shellfish. The document recommends that monitoring be undertaken in harvest areas for levels of total and potentially pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus (based on the presence of the tdh and trh genes) and V. vulnificus to determine the level of regional and seasonal variation.
Understanding the prevalence of V. paraheamolyticus (total and pathogenic) and V. vulnificus in commercial shellfish and the risk to public health is crucial in providing the Australian bivalve industry and State Shellfish Control Agency the necessary knowledge and tools to mitigate risk to the consumer, ensure product integrity and market access for industry. The current proposal is in response to the nominated RD&E priorities identified by the TASRAC.