Project number: 2000-257
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $387,864.00
Principal Investigator: Richard Bentham
Organisation: Flinders University
Project start/end date: 16 Oct 2000 - 29 May 2006
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Profitability
Productivity
Market Opportunities
Management
Funding &Amp; Investment
SPECIES
Oysters

Need

1. 2nd highest priority (environment) of Aquaculture industry sector in SAFRAB 5 year R & D Strategy, development of analytical methods to enhance shellfish quality assurance.

2. 6th highest priority (quality assurance) of Aquaculture industry sector in SAFRAB 5 year R & D Strategy, assessment of suitable sites for coastal aquaculture.

3. National Research Priorities for Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture; program 2: Environmental Management, sub-program D: Pollution - impacts of terrestrial inputs.

4. National Research Priorities for Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture; program 3: Aquaculture Development, sub-program A: Aquaculture and the Environment, improved site selection issue.

5. FRDC's program 3 - Industry Development, Aquaculture Development, Market Development, and Quality.

Objectives

1. To develop sensitive tests using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect a range of viruses of direct significance to human health directly from shellfish. The range would include hepatitis A virus, Norwalk virus, Astrovirus, and Adenovirus.
2. Assessment of coliphage concentrations, and indicator microorganisms as reliable tools for assessment of faecal contamination (Clostridium spp., Bacteroides spp. coliforms) in oyster tissues, and harvest water.
3. Assessment of faecal origin and contamination of oysters and harvest water by Gas-Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis for faecal steroid profiles.
4. To adapt developed biochemical markers in blue mussel (M.edulis) to oysters as indicators of stress from adverse environmental conditions of microbial and chemical origin.
5. Combination and correlation of the above analytical techniques to provide a comprehensive assessment of the extent of contamination of oysters and their harvest waters by pathogens of faecal origin. These techniques would be more reliable than current faecal indicator techniques and allow accurate determination of closure safety zones.
6. Identification and validation of reliable, cost effective monitoring tools for quality assurance of farmed oysters, leases and closure safety zones applicable to South Australian waters.
7. To develop methodologies for quality assurance with national applicability to the oyster farming industry.
8. Assessment of the correlation between the presence of enteric virus nucleic acid with coliphage determinations from shellfish tissue and harvest water.

Final report

Author: Richard Bentham
Final Report • 2006-03-07 • 731.46 KB
2000-257-DLD.pdf

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PROJECT NUMBER • 2022-133
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Sponsorship of World Aquaculture 2023

1. Support organisation of World Aquaculture 2023
ORGANISATION:
Associated Advertising and Promotions Pty Ltd