The salmon industry is one of Australia’s largest aquaculture industries and produced approximately 16,000 tonnes of farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, in 2001/02 at an estimated farm gate value of $170 million. The industry is a major regional and youth employer and is based in Tasmania with a fledgling industry in South Australia. Fish are farmed towards the upper thermal limit and growth rates are extremely fast, with production taking around 30 months.

World production of salmon is now over one million tonnes. The Australian market for Atlantic salmon has been affected by world events including a global oversupply. As a consequence the majority of Australian salmon is sold on the domestic market, with only a small portion exported overseas. Tasmanian growers estimate that production costs over the past four years have risen by as much as 50%, exacerbated by significant increases in feed prices and poor growing conditions, caused by low rainfall and high water temperatures.

The rapid growth of the salmon industry during the latter half of the 1990’s and the poor growing conditions have resulted in a series of challenges that currently threaten the sustainability and profitability of the industry. These challenges include the cost, control and management of disease, particularly AGD, jellyfish and algal blooms in some seasons; the high cost of providing year-round supply of fish to the markets; the interaction of cage aquaculture on the environment and the cost of monitoring and compliance of managing seal predation; the increasing cost of salmon food; and global changes in sea water temperatures. The industry meets these challenges by combining together through the Tasmanian Salmonid Growers Association (TSGA).  The TSGA has an MOU with FRDC that provides a greater certainty of intent in relation to the planning, funding and managing of R&D and the adoption and commercialisation of results.

In 2000 the FRDC established a managed Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture Subprogram (ASAS) as a vehicle for the MOU. The objectives were to address risks, improve technology transfer and improve industry communication, all integral to Industry achieving its full potential. The ASAS has provided a high level of research service and has been able to address key production issues in support of industry’s strategic plans. The ASAS provides a service to the Atlantic Salmon Industry both in Tasmania and the other mainland states. It represents a focal point for a range of other salmonid research projects and programs in all states. Programs currently run by the FRDC outside the Aquafin CRC (e.g., Aquaculture Nutrition Subprogram and Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram), Aquafin CRC, CSIRO, TAFI and DPIWE are all linked through the Subprogram.

In 2001, the leverage of industry research funding was enhanced through the CRC for Sustainable Aquaculture of Finfish (Aquafin CRC). The Aquafin CRC, will contribute an additional $17million in support of the salmon and tuna aquaculture sectors in Australia over 7 years. The FRDC is a major participant in the Aquafin CRC. Overall the ASAS has achieved a leverage of approximately 1:4 TSGA funds to externally funded research funds over the life of the Subprogram. When the in-kind component of all projects is included, the leverage is approximately 1:12 with a total of around $4 million being spent annually on research and development.

Keywords: Atlantic salmon, aquaculture, cage culture, Tasmania, Subprogram, Aquafin CRC, FRDC, R&D.