Oyster farmers are increasingly trying to diversify their crop by purchasing hatchery-sourced oyster spat, in addition to wild-caught oysters. In order to take full advantage of the increase in commercially available hatchery spat, farmers want to be able to purchase seed directly from hatcheries, in addition to purchasing seed from land-based nurseries. Currently, hatchery-produced spat is held in a land-based commercial nursery for up to 6 months until it reaches a size that can be handled (>4mm) by oyster farmers using conventional trays, baskets, and tumblers. Floating Upweller Systems (FLUPSY) are a proven technology that provide farmers overseas the infrastructure required to grow delicate nursery stage oyster seed at a significantly faster rate than sock/tray and land-based nursery methods. By enhancing the husbandry of nursery oysters, growers will cultivate a more robust crop and will reduce the cultivation time, increasing profitability. FLUPSYs can also be solar powered which is a practical, affordable and sustainable technology that would significantly benefit oyster farmers with limited land-based access that wish to diversify and grow their businesses. There is a need to bring an expert to Australia to assess the feasibility of FLUPSYs in Australia, including the application and construction of FLUPSYs in Australian systems. FLUPSY technology has been pioneered and developed extensively among oyster farms in the USA and Canada, supplying an increasingly affordable, sustainable and accessible technology for oyster businesses of varying scales. Therefore, current information about the application of FLUPSYs will be well received within the Australian oyster industry.
Project number:
2008-328.20
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$8,961.33
Organisation:
Select Oyster Company Pty Ltd
Project start/end date:
31 May 2014
-
29 Oct 2014
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES
1. • Knowledge transfer of the applicability and benefit of FLUPSYs in the Australian Oyster industry via a series of interstate workshops
2. • Identify specific uses of FLUPSYs as a means to 1) efficiently cultivate single seed oyster spat than current sock/tray methods
2) diversify business techniques
3) improve handling techniques and spat condition.
3. • Build-up collaborations between Australian and USA oyster industries
4. • Long-term industry intention to increase use of hatchery-sourced spat as a result of uptake FLUPSY technology
5. • Development of a comprehensive, user-friendly FLUPSY manual, specific to Australian environmental systems
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2023-113
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
Implement genomic selection within the National Pacific Oyster breeding program
Commercial in confidence
ORGANISATION:
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) Hobart
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2023-103
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
Detecting paralytic shellfish toxins in oysters - initial assessment of AquaBC rapid test kit
1. Review & identify different PST profiles that may be encountered in TAS, SA and NSW oysters.
ORGANISATION:
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) Hobart
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2023-070
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
The feasibility of a financial safety-net: Investigating financial mechanisms to protect oyster growers from disease outbreaks
1. By October 2024, obtain insights into potential financial support mechanisms, and their suitability for implementation in the NSW oyster industry.
ORGANISATION:
NSW Farmers' Association