To date there has been only limited development carried out in relation to accommodating the specific requirements of abalone in situations of long distance transport.
The proposed research/development seeks to identify these requirements and then design a transport module accordingly.
The transportation module will be used to expand marketing opportunities for product captured in remote locations particularly the south and south-west of Western Australia. This will allow a full range of markets to be exploited and improve the chance to maximise return on this valuable resource.
Final report
The intent of this WAFIC grant project was to undertake trials and develop methodologies that would provide the abilities to transport roei and greenlip abalone live from remote catch or fishing areas to the live export shipping point. The pr.imary project target was to demonstrate that abalone could be maintained in a viable live state for shipment to South-East Asian markets. The transport distances between the catch area and the live export point can exceed 1500kms.
To this end design, development and construction of what has become known as the RTU (Road Transport Unit) was undertaken. The RTU mounted on a flatbed truck can be seen at in the photo at right.
