Project number: 1998-306
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $313,217.00
Principal Investigator: Sabine Daume
Organisation: Deakin University Geelong Waterfront Campus
Project start/end date: 29 Aug 1998 - 18 Mar 2004
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Abalone farming can be improved in Australia. The profit will be increased and the cost of production reduced:

· increased knowledge of the settlement process and development of a better settlement system resulting in low cost juvenile abalone is essential for both integrated abalone farms and for the supply of seed to growout farms;

· the development of a practical settlement protocol for abalone requires a greater understanding of microalgae requirements and their culture and reduces the cost for abalone at the growout stage;

· the project will be integrated into the abalone aquaculture sub-program and has extensive industry involvement in developing the practical aspects;

· the aquaculture industry in Victoria is developing into a major growth area and investment opportunity and production is intended to triple by the end of 2001;

· the success of the Australian abalone aquaculture industry is dependent on developing methods that reduce costs in labour and growout time;

· the project will deliver information that can result in technically advanced culture methods that will maintain the competitive edge over low labour cost countries.

Objectives

1. To test performance of different settlement inducers at both the laboratory and commercial scale.
2. To improve the rate and consistency of abalone larval settlement.
3. To compare different microalgal diets for their nutritional value in terms of digestibility and growth.
4. To quantify the suitability of different microalgae for their ease of use, both for maintaining mass cultures and ability to recolonise settlement surfaces.
5. To increase growth and survival for the first two months of post-larval life at a commercial scale.

Final report

ISBN: 1-877098-34-5
Author: Sabine Daume

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