Project number: 1997-361
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $517,767.00
Principal Investigator: Steven Clarke
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 30 Mar 1998 - 28 Feb 2005
Contact:
FRDC

Need

This project is essential for the development of a cohesive research approach aimed at developing manufactured feeds for farmed SBT using limited resources. As stated previously, this project will:

1. Ensure that the minimum level of duplication occurs in the provision of research services.
2. Provide a focus for SBT farming research and ensure this attracts high quality research providers.
3. Address industry priorities by establishing a mechanism to empower industries involvement in their research.
4. Establish a framework to ensure that SBT farming research is both orderly and targeted.

In addition to the need for a coordinated research Sub-Program, the individual projects within the Sub-Program outline specific needs for aspects of the research. These include:

Project 2: Development and optimisation of manufactured diets for farmed SBT.

At present the SBT farming industry is almost entirely dependent on whole defrosted pilchards as a feed, with about 50% of the 15 - 20 thousand tonnes used in 1994/95 sourced overseas. The development of a suitable formulated feed (particularly fish based moist feeds which are likely to prove successful much sooner than other potential feeds) is a high priority with industry and government because:

a) international supplies of pilchards are variable in volume and quality (eg. Japanese supplies have declined markedly and the fat content of pilchards used in feeds varies from 1 - 22%);

b) manufactured feed can be better matched to the nutritional requirements of farmed SBT thereby enhancing growth and fish health, which translates into increased farm production levels;

c) manufactured feed will provide the potential for improved product quality (in particular fat content, colour and texture) as they are more stable in storage than pilchards and can be altered to better meet the requirements of SBT farming and the markets;

d) manufactured feed will reduce industry feeding costs as their generally lesser moisture content and better feed conversion ratio will reduce the quantities required and therefore costs associated with feed storage and transport;

e) manufactured feed will greatly reduce environmental concerns associated with the present use of pilchards, including: reducing the overall requirement for pilchards, minimising risks of importing and dispersing undesirable diseases and pests, and reducing organic wastes in the farm environment which can harbor and promote diseases as well as detrimentally effect water quality.

The development of manufactured feed has been clearly recognised as a high priority by the TBOAA (numerous scientific workshops), the CRC for Aquaculture (Tuna Research Review Task Force) and the national Task Force on the Importation of Fish and Fish Products. Participating feed companies are also supportitive as they will benefit from the desired outcome. The development of fish (eg. pilchard) based moist feeds, the subject of this application, offers the fastest method to achieve this.

The economic benefits of the development of a suitable formulated feed has been estimated (see B6 - Benefits and Beneficiaries) to be as high as $9.5 million/annum to the TBOAA and $5 million to successful feed manufacturers. Additional economic benefits would be expected to flow from ongoing research leading to further enhancements of feeds.

Project 3: Experimental analyses of the effects of ration and feeding frequency on thermodynamics, energetics, growth and condition of farmed SBT.

The rapid development of the SBT farming industry during the early 1990's coincided with very favourable Australian $ : Yen exchange rates which ensured a profitable return to industry even as they went through the steep learning curve involved in transfering from SBT fishing to SBT farming. However, as the quantity of SBT allocated to farming operations is stabilising at around 50-55% of the Australian quota, a significant re-adjustment in exchange rates means that the viability and economic growth of the industry will be critically linked to increased efficiency of farming procedures, product quality and the farmers' ability to meet market requirements.

Optimising the strategies used to feed farmed SBT is an area with great potential to both improve both the product quality and through efficiency dividends, and the viability of the industry. With over $20 million spent on food each year, even a modest improvement in efficiency would yield significant savings.

Improvements in feeding strategies and techniques would also reduce the environmental impact of SBT farming - a critical requirement for the long term sustainability of the industry.

By analysing the energy balance (input and output) of the farmed SBT optimal feeding strategies can be determined. The outcomes of this project will be easily adopted by industry because they are based on existing technologies and are achievable in both the short and long term.

Project 4: Effect of husbandry and handling techniques on the post-harvest quality of farmed SBT

The SBT farming industry uses procedures for harvesting and post-harvest handling based on methods developed in the wild capture fishery. At various times, problems with the quality and in particular the flesh colour have resulted in poor prices on the Japanese market: the only viable marketing option for these SBT. Some of these problems may relate to the feeding, harvesting and post-harvest handling of the farmed SBT. Further processing of whole SBT into loins for export has been proposed, but this requires good stability of the attractive red flesh colour during storage and transport to market. Research is already under way to see if introducing manufactured feeds has any consequence for the quality of the SBT flesh. To complement this ongoing work, and because of the importance of flesh colour to the SBT market, a study of the effect of alternative handling conditions or procedures on SBT flesh quality in whole or dressed fish is needed to determine whether a new system of pre-harvest preparation, harvesting methods and post-harvest procedures should be developed specifically for farmed SBT.

Objectives

1. To provide a coordinated research program investigating the development of manufactured diets, energetics of SBT, and harvesting techniques that will optimise growth and product quality of SBT respectively.
2. To optimise the use of the limited resources provided by the TBOAA Tuna Research Farm in Port Lincoln by coordinating a series of experiments that will provide data for projects 2, 3 and 4.
3. To initiate and coordinate Steering Committee and Scientific Advisory Committee meetings on SBT farming research during each year.
4. To communicate the research outcomes to the SBT farming industry and participating feed manufacturing companies in order to commercialise suitable feeds and subsequently enhance the sustainability of commercial SBT farming operations.

Final report

ISBN: 0-7308-5320-9
Author: Steven Clarke
Final Report • 2005-02-21 • 579.57 KB
1997-361-DLD.pdf

Summary

The Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT), Thunnus maccoyii, Aquaculture Industry has undergone rapid expansion since it commenced in 1990. In 2002/03 the industry was Australia’s third largest export fishing industry (ABARE, 2002) with most of its value coming from aquaculture. In this year the industry produced about 9,100 tonnes (whole weight) worth approximately $267 million (Knight et al, 2004), employing over 2000 people directly and indirectly, particularly in the Eyre Region of South Australia.  

In recent years, however, production has levelled off, with nearly the entire available quota going into aquaculture. The value of the industry has also been affected by increasing competition on the Japanese market (the largest importer of Australian SBT) from overseas supplies of northern bluefin tuna (NBT), the fluctuating Japanese and Australian currency exchange rate and world health and terrorism events.  More than ever there is a need for well prioritised and coordinated R&D to address key issues that will maintain or enhance the industry’s competitiveness.

In 1997 the coordination of the Subprogram commenced as part of ‘Project 1: Implementation and coordination of research experiments conducted with caged SBT, to access manufactured diets, feeding regimes and harvesting techniques (FRDC No: 1997/361)’. In 2001 this role was formalised in the current, more focused project (FRDC No: 2001/250). The objectives of this project were to provide a cohesive approach to R&D aimed at meeting the priority needs of the industry; to provide a management structure to oversee the active research projects and ensure that they achieved their desired outcomes; to manage and coordinate the infrastructure and activities associated with SBT research in Port Lincoln, and to provide a focused strategy for disseminating research results to industry, obtain feedback and set research priorities.  The Subprogram has also been successful in providing a focus for all SBT research projects in Australia, in particular with the Aquafin CRC Programs: Production; Value Adding; Health; Environment and Education and Training, which have all been run through the Subprogram.

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