Project number: 2001-093
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $284,064.00
Principal Investigator: Mark S. Crane
Organisation: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF)
Project start/end date: 29 Jun 2001 - 15 Aug 2004
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Overseas experience demonstrates how diseases reduce profitability, sustainability and competitiveness of aquatic animal industries (for references see ATTACHMENT 6). Despite a rapid and continuous expansion in aquaculture, Australia has not experienced significant disease emergencies in farmed aquatic animal populations. However, pilchard mortality events in 1995 and 1998 have provided warning signals and demonstrated the need to increase our capability to respond to – and preferably prevent – aquatic animal disease outbreaks.

Since 1992, the FRDC as the biggest research investor has contributed more than $11million to over fifty projects related to aquatic animal health. Due to project diversity and cross-linkages to several FRDC Programs and existing Subprograms, well-facilitated project management is a fundamental requirement to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in delivering and extending results and would be facilitated by a dedicated Subprogram with its leader and supporting infrastructure.

With the development of a strategic R&D plan for aquatic animal health as a highest priority task, the Subprogram would contribute to preventing duplication of research, increase cooperation amongst researchers and thus achieve one of AQUAPLAN’s key priority objectives. It would thus underpin stability in aquatic animal health research and provide a greater level of service to research output beneficiaries.

The FRDC Subprogram would not only manage traditional R&D projects, but also develop Program Activity Plans and deliver projects under an AFFA/FRDC Agreement ([…] for the delivery of Program Activities under the Building of a National Approach to Animal and Plant Health program). FRDC will be advised by FHMC’s AQUAPLAN Business Group (ABG), chaired by ASIC and NAC, fulfilling the role of the Subprogram steering committee. Thus, the national approach can be developed in tandem to the R&D strategy, and guaranteeing links among the two. Significant components of the AQUAPLAN Workplan could be achieved.

Objectives

1. Coordinate the FRDC Subprogram Aquatic Animal Health (project applications, workshops, communication) including the Program Activities funded under the AFFA/FRDC Agreement (Agreement between Commonwealth of Australia and Fisheries Research and Development Corporation ABN 74 311 094 913 for the delivery of Program Activities under the Building of a National Approach to Animal and Plant Health program).
2. Set strategic directions for aquatic animal health R&D in Australia.
3. Facilitate the dissemination of information on, and results from, aquatic animal health R&D.
4. Develop and implement a dedicated communication strategy for aquatic animal health R&D in Australia.

Final report

Related research

Blank
Environment
Industry