This consultation concludes that there is a distinct need for further extension to the Smith and West 2009 biofloc research.
The consultation has determined that the Australian prawn farming industry has the capacity to develop the technical resources and appropriate infrastructure required for biofloc technology system adoption. However it is clear that, despite the acknowledged benefits of biofloc technology in P. monodon production to the value per hectare of $65,000 as demonstrated by Australian Prawn Farms, over a third of industry operators do not yet feel that they have enough understanding of biofloc dynamics to confidently commit the financial and operational resources required for system trials and subsequent adoption.
Pertinent key findings from the consultation were:
• To date, 16% of prawn farm operators (n=3) have committed to incorporating biofloc technology as a production method in full or in a hybrid form. Another 26% (n=5) are trialling biofloc technology whilst the remaining 58% (n=11) of operators are not incorporating or trialling biofloc systems.
• The main problems encountered during implementation of biofloc technology are associated with algal blooms and floc stability (68% of responses) and cost of implementation (16% of responses)
• The principle motivator (33% of responses) behind not incorporating biofloc technology is a lack of operator / staff knowledge.
Critically this consultation has indicated that development of an appropriate extension program requires a dual focus; firstly to raise awareness through delivery of the principles underpinning biofloc technology. This will form the foundation from which individual operators can validate biofloc as a viable production system and determine the feasibility of integrating such an approach within their existing business structure. Secondly, extension activities need to facilitate operator access to resources to enable successful on-farm trials to be confidently and sustainably up-scaled and incorporated into existing farm management protocols.
Final report
The objectives of this project were to design, develop and deliver a targeted series of extension activities on the mechanisms, methodology and management of low‐water exchange, microbial floc prawn production for Australian prawn farmers. This project produced an impressive number of outputs which can be downloaded from www.apfa.com.au and include:
- A plain English summary and a start-up guide based on the Smith and West 2009 research report
- A two day Advanced Pond Management training course incorporating critical water chemistry elements and associated biofloc dynamics
- A webinar support series for industry to provide targeted information on biofloc technology implementation
- A unit of competency on biofloc for inclusion in the vocational education and training system
- An online directory to host information on algal species, behaviour and management
