September 2008

Volume 22 No 3 – September 2008

King Salmon research efforts Aust Bight Abalone’s huge plans Victoria’s mussel hatchery initiative Bluewater Barra’s overcomes adversity Tropical polyculture farm’s big range New technology a first for pipis Condabilla Native Fish’s raceways Thailand’s shrimp certification

P RI NT P O S T A P P ROVED NO 768108–00002

I SSN 0818– 5522

Contents

www.AustasiaAquaculture.com.au

03 Editor-in-chief Dr Tim Walker

42

Regular contributors David O'Sullivan John Mosig Dave Field Subscription/editorial Austasia Aquaculture PO Box 658, Rosny, Tas. 7018 Ph: 03 6245 0064 Fax: 03 6245 0068 Email: AustasiaAquaculture@netspace.net.au

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Advertising Megan Farrer Design/typesetting Coalface Production Pty Ltd Prepress & Printing Geon Group Copyright © by Austasia Aquaculture.

Contents cannot be reproduced without permission. Statements made or opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Turtle Press Pty Ltd (ABN 98 506 165 857).

Austasia Aquaculture magazine (ISSN: 0818 552) is published by Turtle Press Pty Ltd (ABN 98 506 165 857) for the promotion of aquaculture in the Australasian and Asian regions – inclusive of farming in marine, freshwater, brackish and hypersaline waters. Reader's contributions are encouraged on the clear understanding they will be subject to editorial control and, if accepted, will appear in both printed and online versions.

Cover photo A montage of photos taken from stories contained in this issue. Captions and photo credits as per the details inside.

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F E AT U R E

FA R M P R O F I L E S Huge research effort underpins King Salmon’s NZ harvest Australian Bight Abalone moves from success to success Observation, experience and diversification key to making money from cod

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Aussie Trade Delegation scrutinises Thai prawn safeguards

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Thailand leads world in shrimp culture and certification

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Victoria’s mussel industry initiative to seed a big harvest

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16 NEWS

Bluewater Barramundi grows strong through adversity

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Abalone Virus

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Small farm, big range – a look at tropical polyculture

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Great potential in mine lakes aquaculture

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New Technology First for Pipis Industry

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TECHNOLOGY

Many levers to pull & push to produce top oysters

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Partitioned raceway a success at Condabilla Native Fish

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Bass a reliable moneyspinner for Qld hatchery

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Pumpable ice the best chiller

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Clyde Estuary remains open more often

64

Tooltech continues to innovate

64

Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 1

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Advertisers Index

AGK Technology / Fresh By Design AirEng Ajay & Duraplas Tanks AMC (Australian Maritime College) Aquaculture Supplies WA AquaFauna Biomarine Aquahort Aquasonic Aquaspex Aquatic Diagnostic Services International AQUI-S Austasia Aquaculture – subscription page Austasia Aquaculture 2009 Trade Directory BGB M arine – Underwater Light & Vision BST Oyster Supplies ECDC (Eastern Cape Development Corp) Elders Fisheries & Aquaculture Brokers Griffs Design & Drafting Hanna Instruments HR Browne & Sons Ice and Ovens Technologies Intervet Murray Darling Fisheries Namoi Valley Aquafarming Oblomov Trading Plastic Fabrications Quinntech P/L Seapa SED – Shellfish Equipment Silver Water Technology Skretting Superior Fibreglassz Technolab Marketing The Market Place – classified ads Tooltech P/L Uarah Fish Hatchery Ultra Violet Products (Aust) 2 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

31 63 63 63 37 39 63 Inside front cover 19 39 51 45 Outside back cover 27 13 17 25 37 23 63 57 19 52 12 15 27 26 22 43 44 32,33 8 41 Inside back cover 9 8 37

FA R M P R O F I L E

Huge research effort underpins King Salmon’s NZ harvest N

ew Zealand King Salmon’s genesis goes back to 1996 when two struggling companies – South Ocean Seafoods and Regal Salmon – amalgamated resources. The company now spawns, grows, processes and markets 6,000 tonne of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) annually. With two hatcheries and five marine grow out sites on the South Island, it is one of the largest aquaculture operations in New Zealand.

Salmon acclimatisation began in New Zealand, with mixed success, in the late 19th Century with ova imported from California. This led to the South Island becoming a successful recreational salmon fishery. With fish-farming, the original philosophy of the 1970s was to breed the salmon on shore and liberate them to the ocean, harvesting them on their return to their breeding grounds. When this proved unviable the hatcheries built to integrated growout operations.

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Southern Ocean Seafoods – based at Takaka in Golden Bay – found that whilst the magnificent hatchery water from the world famous Waikoropupu Springs came through the farm at a stable 12°C, it was too cold for economic production. So a facility at Tentburn near Southbridge, 40 minutes drive south of Christchurch, was built for growout. The outcome is that King Salmon has copious space to hold broodstock and smolt waiting to be stocked into sea cage sites in the Marlborough Sounds. The company has also been able to undertake a visionary breeding program involving 90 family lines, an extraordinary project considering the size of the company and the industry in New Zealand.

Hatchery management is a demanding undertaking. The success of the downstream operation depends entirely on the quality of the output of the seedstock. In this regard the outstanding, and evident, esprit de corps that exists at King Salmon is a vital ingredient. Jon Bailey, the company’s Freshwater Manager and site manager at Takaka, emigrated from England with his young family seven years ago and is a true company man, fully committed to the genetics project. Likewise Graeme Davidson, the site manager at Tentburn.

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King Salmon produce Chinooks because they’re the salmon available in NZ. Jon worked with Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Scotland and is well-qualified to pick the differences between the two species. Whilst the Atlantics have a better feed conversion in salt water, he reckons the Pacific salmon to be to easier to handle in freshwater and have a wider smolting window.

“With Atlantic salmon you have to get them out into the sea cages in a reasonably tight seasonal period. Chinooks smolt at around 15g and can be transferred at any time after that, assuming seawater temperature is not too high, Therefore, we can hold them back until they are ready for them in the sea cages. On the other hand, precocious maturity is more of a problem with Pacific salmon.”

1. The discharge from Wiapupu Springs is considered to be the purest water in the world.

2. How would you like this water coming onto you farm? The inlet at the Takaka hatchery.

3. Some of the broodstock in their holding raceway at Takaka.

Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 3

FA R M P R O F I L E 1

Water supply Water for the Takaka hatchery is diverted downstream from the Waikoropupu Springs through, as Jon puts it, a convoluted system of channels and raceways until, after going through the settlement pond, it rejoins the river 500 meters downstream from the farm. Regarded as some of the purest water in the world, the licence is 4,000L/sec (4 cumecs). The whole farm is gravity fed and no supplementary aeration is required.

Jon is well aware of the gift of a marvellous resource and takes every care of it. Seals swimming up the Waikoropupu River were a problem and the farm had to be fenced on that side. The margin between the fence and the river was planted out with native trees, which helped consolidate the river bank and enhanced the ambience.

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Reflecting the evolution of the establishment over the last 30 years, the Takaka facility consists of 128 ponds and raceways ranging from 100m3 to 300m3 (5m x 60m) with ponds going up to 500m3.

At Tentburn the water is pumped up into the farm which uses two cumecs (2,000L/sec) at full capacity. The stream flows two to three cumecs in the winter but the summer flow can fall away to <2cumec. If need be, water can be recirculated. With such reliance on power, the farm is back-up by a 230Kva generator. Water temperatures range from 8°C to 15°C.

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As water quality can vary during heavy rain there is access to bore water at 12°C-12.5°C. This warmer water is extremely useful to boost growth rates, particularly during the winter months when stream temperatures are at their lowest. While this is close to the upper critical limit for spawning, there are advantages in pushing along growth rates for the young fish.

Operation of the Tentburn hatchery has been adapted to the original growout layout of the farm. Raceways are bird netted and their bottoms cleaned individually with a vacuum system that runs the length of the farm; effluent from this goes to a settling pond. The self-feeders on each pond are controlled in banks of ten so that feed rates can be remotely adjusted as the salmon grow. Water is delivered via a central channel, flows out the back of the ponds and returns to sea. Flows can be adjusted to suit the requirements of the particular raceway.

1, Believe it or not, this is actually a channel of water so clear that it seems invisible to the camera. Only the incline of the aquatic weed betrays that there is a flowing body of water in this photo of the outlet channel at New Zealand King Salmon’s Takaka facility 2. Broodstock management is ongoing.

Shown here the team at Takaka monitoring growth and condition.

3. Once the details of the broodstock are recorded they are graded by eye and returned to the raceways.

4 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

There are 60 raceways each 5m x 35m x 1m deep. A transfer channel surrounds the farm and can be used to move stock from one part of the farm to another without having to remove them from the water. Fish are moved in this way to the grading shed where they are pumped up, graded and moved to the next section of the farm.

All the company’s egg fertilising is carried out at Tentburn due to the requirement of the breeding programme to target selected males and females. Unfertilised eggs are transported down to Southbridge from Takaka for crossing with the males (some of which have been transported live from Takaka). Once incubated the eggs are split between Takaka and Southbridge for raising to smolt.

FA R M P R O F I L E

Breeding program In the wild, Pacific salmon spawn only once and die. So broodstock replacement is on-going. Fish held back for breeders will reach 7kg to 15kg in three years and will produce 6,500 eggs on average during the mid-April to end-May spawning season.

Selection of fish for breeding highlights specific traits that assist in creating a year-round harvest. It also enables Graeme and his team to maximize the facility at Tentburn. Currently the two facilities are able to keep the sea cages stocked; in fact there is spare capacity for future expansion.

The females are killed and the eggs stripped. Each spawning season up to 10 million eggs are fertilised. This is way above present requirements but it provides security. As Jon puts it, in NZ you can’t hop on the phone and ring around the industry if you run into a problem. Seventy percent of these will survive allowing the luxury of culling out 50% of the fry and fingerlings. There is relatively little cost per tail at this stage and poor performers are identified and removed from the production system before they go out to the sea cages where the cost of underperforming escalates.

Each female carries a micro chip (PIT tag) which has to be recovered and taped to the bowl containing her eggs. Similarly the male sperm used over those eggs has to be recorded. To maintain the family lines, the fish used have to be replaced.

This is an extremely onerous process and one that keeps the team of a dozen full time staff and the half dozen spawning season casuals on their toes. Graeme says during spawning they work one day maintaining feminised family lines and the other day producing smolt for the growout farms.

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Milt from the predetermined male is collected and chilled and the tag number recorded so it can be mixed and matched as per the joining program. Only one-on-one crosses are performed – milt from one male fertilising a single female’s egg batch. Most males are used on average for five to six crosses although very good males with highly ranked characteristics can be used for up to 15 crosses.

Some milt lasts only an hour, other milt lasts all day. Monitoring spermatozoa motility and ensuring the right family line is being used is an on going task.

The upper critical limit (UCL) for incubation is 12.5°C. Graeme finds mortalities to increase at the rate of 10%/degree above that. Optimal temperature for spawning is 11°C. While this may be higher than that used in most Atlantic salmon hatcheries, it works for the Chinook with no additional impact on survival or quality of fry.

Graeme, like Jon, doesn’t overplay the benefits of the breeding program, pointing out that there’s been a marked improvement in the farm operation right through from from husbandry techniques to cage design, feeding regimes and diet.

1. Working under the ideal conditions found at King Salmon’s Takaka hatchery would make anyone smile. Hatchery Manager Jon Bailey is no exception.

2 and 3. An overview of the Takaka facility.

Boosting growth was the initial target of the selection program.

This has now changed. “We now have a marketable fish all year round and have no problem selling it. Other issues such as feed conversion are moving to the top of the list.”

Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 5

FA R M P R O F I L E 1

All the broodstock are micro-chipped using PIT tags. This enables the hatchery to keep track of the 90 family lines held on the farms. The two hatcheries carry the same family lines and follow the same breeding program as a security measure.

All offspring are female. Jon explains: “We created all-females 15 years ago and since then only produce all-female offspring. The males come from a small number of eggs set aside each year that are exposed to testosterone and become masculinised.”

While they take on the typical ridgebacked and hooked upper jaw of males and produce milt, this milt carries the xx chromosome so all-female offspring are the result.

Every season a proportion of eggs for sex-reversed males are produced from each of the breeding families.

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One male is bred over one female so that the breeding is specific to one genetic joining. A group of each separate line is reared in raceways for evaluation. The same line is reared in a sea cage for comparison; Jon says there’s a strong correlation between the two.

Around 3,000 broodstock of each year-class is held at Takaka and a similar number at Tentburn. Only 40% are used each season. They are selected to avoid in-breeding and at the same time to improve their growout performance and marketing qualities such as fat content, colour and most importantly, consistency in size.

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1. Tracking of 3,000 broodstock takes meticulous care. The computer and accompanying software are an integral part of the management protocol at King salmon.

2. Looking down on the inlet pumping station at Tentburn 3. Looking down the raceways at King salmon’s Tentburn hatchery.

Graeme says: “Each season we produce from 90 families. We start off with a high number initially then cull down to our requirements at tagging to 75 per family. From the 75 females per family a large proportion of these stock are reared in an evaluation sea cage. This provides valuable data on what families to breed from. The remaining females and males are reared both at Takaka and Tentburn. During their life in freshwater they go through two year old selection processes where matures are normally removed, then pre-spawning silver (non maturers) are removed. At spawning we carry a large number of backup broodstock to make sure we have the best eggs incubating at the right time.”

Jon notes the huge number of broodstock handled. “There are culls/selection throughout the three-year life cycle of a broodstock to reduce from 11,250 to 3,000 at spawning. We will actually spawn from approx 2500 of these. At any one time there are three year-classes of broodstock growing at the hatcheries.” The ‘evaluation’ stock that Graeme refers to are an additional 7,000 that are tagged and reared in a sea cage to compare their performance against their freshwater siblings.

He suggests there are probably a dozen similar genetic programs of this nature going on around the world but they are usually the domain of large corporations or government funded research. The breeding program at King Salmon is funded and operated totally by the company.

An onfarm broodstock data technician monitors the progress of the various family lines as they pass through the on-shore and off-shore farms. When the fish are processed the carcasses are evaluated for fat levels and flesh quality as well as the perform-

6 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

FA R M P R O F I L E

ance of the fish under farmed conditions – food conversion efficiency, growth rates and general vigour. The data is processed by an independent company which meets with Jon and Graeme prior to the next spawning season to determine the best crossing combinations.

Production cycle One spawning season has to satisfy the market-driven production demands of the growout sites in the Marlborough Sounds.

Spawning takes place during April and May; between them, the two hatcheries produce up to 10 million eggs. From that pool, they will select 1.5 million each to go out the cages. The balance is discarded. This is well below full capacity with production limited by the needs of the seacage growout. Obviously King Salmon has the seedstock production capacity to vastly increase production should the need arise.

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Once eyed, the eggs are put through an egg sorter and the dead eggs removed; they are counted and go into either a chilled incubator where they are held back at 6°C (so they can be brought on later to fit in with the farm’s stocking regime) or are placed in a hatching incubator designed on the farm.

Dubbed the Kiwinger, it consists of layers of plastic mesh over a perforated tray set in a flow through box. Each Kiwinger can accommodate 100,000 to 150,000 eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the alevins remain in the layers of mesh where they live on their yolk sacs for 25 days.

The fry take their first feed in June and July. The photoperiod is manipulated for some stocks to stimulate growth and, during the early feeding phase, the lights in their raceways are left on around the clock. The smolt are reared for up to 12 months in the two shore based hatcheries before being moved to the sea cages at between 50g and 200g. The Takaka hatchery, having the constantly colder water, is more able to hold growth back to suit the stocking regime. The smolt at the Tentburn hatchery are usually pushed ahead and are transferred to sea after eight months (>90g). They are graded and split amongst the available space in October and, at Takaka, again in January. The last fish are loaded into tankers and onto the barges at Picton and taken out to the farms by May.

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The fry held back at Takaka have an excellent food conversion efficiency ... 0.8:1. However, because the diet is restricted to manage growth rates, average specific growth rate is in the region of 1.2% to 1.4%. At Tentburn, where the fish are fed to satiation, the FCRs are similar if not slightly better, but the SGR is between 1.5% to 2%. The first fish will be going out to the farms at 45g in October.

The fish grow fast once in the cages and reach 3.5kg in 12 to 18 months, depending on the market schedule. Jon attributes a good deal of this growth to the genetics program given that when it started the average harvest live weight was 3.0kg. Now fish over 4.0kg come out of the water consistently. Other factors such as husbandry and nutrition play their part too in the improved performance.

1. The incubation room at Tentburn.

2. The loading bay. Notice the water table after heavy rain. This part of New Zealand is like a giant sponge.

3. The fish pump at Tentburn

Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 7

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Feed Alitec starter rations from Chile are fed in the hatcheries and Skretting salmon grower pellets from Tasmania in the sea cages. The nursery feed is a slow sinking one which gives a good uptake and minimises the amount of pond sediment.

Loading the fish for the cages runs smoothly. The fingerlings are graded and the tankers filled from two standpipes, one fresh one saline, that is mixed on the farm using sea salt. The fish are pumped up into the tankers in a non-stop operation. The salt in the tanks (7ppt ) is not designed to acclimatise but rather to de-stress the fish.

On the trip out to the farms in the barges they are introduced to seawater

by pumping it through the holds so they are in full-strength salinity by the time they reach the cages.

King Salmon’s breeding program is visionary and forward planning and good people management is readily evident. With the world food shortage beginning to really bite, the company is set to ensure that New Zealand has a reliable supply of healthy fish at affordable prices.

By John Mosig Jon Bailey can be contacted by email on jon.bailey@kingsalmon.co.nz.

Graeme Davidson can be contacted by email on graeme.davidson@kingsalmon.co.nz

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2. The incubation trays are stacked with a flow through system. Spring water at 9.5°C is used to advance incubation.

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3. A microchip and reader.

4. A close up of the locally designed ‘Kiwinger’ hatching box.

5. Graeme explains the workings of the ‘Kiwinger’.

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FA R M P R O F I L E

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FA R M P R O F I L E

ABA’s Chief Executive Officer Andrew Ferguson (left) with Director Ken Bascomb at the ABA site at Ellison.

Australian Bight Abalone moves from success to success Being the best, cleanest and largest are all aims of a unique floating abalone farm off South Australia’s west coast. The company is very savvy when it comes to obtaining third party certification of its well developed systems and processes. The company is also prepared to try new markets, with a recent agreement to sell abalone into the USA.

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outh Australian aquaculture company Australian Bight Abalone (ABA) operates off Waldegrave Island, Anxious Bay, near Elliston on the Eyre Peninsula using novel floating ‘reefs’ technology.

The species cultivated is the high value Greenlip Abalone (Haliotis laevigata). As a substantial part of its business the company runs managed investment schemes (see Insert).

ABA claims to be the largest offshore abalone operation outside of China with more than 360ha of farming areas; currently 60ha is being used. The first 10 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

stage of operation has cost over $40 million to date; another $250m will go into building it into the world’s largest abalone aquaculture producer (by 2016). The project’s first 100-tonne harvest is currently in progress, just three years after the company first began insea operations.

An important factor in the good growth rates being achieved is the farm’s location in an area renowned for abundant wild abalone. Salinity is fairly constant with no rivers or other sources of significant surface water runoff with water

temperatures (at 8m, the depth at which the abalone are grown) ranging from a wintertime low of 14°C to 18°C in summer – that’s the full 12 months within the optimal range for greenlip abalone (10-20°C). Given the seasonal fluctuation in water temperatures and natural algae growth, actual growth rates of the abalone will vary over the year; however, the expected growout time to market size is over three years from stocking.

The water flow is good providing well oxygenated seawater with currents aver-

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aging 0.4 knots (range 0-1.2 knots).

ABA’s patented Abalone Aquafarm™ system creates a secure ecosystem for the abalone, which feed on natural algae that grows well on the floating reefs. The system consists of 50m diameter floating rings, the same used for the floating pontoons for Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) or Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi).

The grid mooring system – which can accommodate 60 pontoons – is fixed to the seabed by one tonne Dansforth sand anchors, each with a holding power of 12 tonnes. ABA inspects the entire mooring system every three months.

Suspended below the pontoons are specially designed and patented Abtrays® bases attached to the Aquafarm™ nets.

Each of these Aquafarms™ stock over 132,000 abalone; the abalone are separated into 600 Abtrays® baskets designed to maximise the surface area on which algae can grow. The stocking rate is 220 abalone per basket at 61 per m2. The average length at introduction varies between 16-28 mm equating to a weight of approximately 2.5-4.0 grams each and a total initial pontoon biomass of 495kg (considered low compared to onland culture systems).

Potential abalone predators, such as crabs, starfish (Coscinasterias sp.), whelks (Orbita sp.) and sea hares (Aplysia dactylomela) are individually removed by divers when encountered and are not viewed as major concerns.

The pontoons, cages and Abtrays® are cleaned and maintained by divers to ensure good water flow.

possibly the first in the world.”

put of major suppliers and contractors.

Dr Moore says the data collected during the audit was based on internationally recognised standards and was analysed using systems approved by the Australian Greenhouse Office, with carbon credits purchased from forests grown in NSW under the NSW Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme.

ABA Chief Executive Officer Andrew Ferguson says ABA is close to being the world’s most environmentally friendly aquaculture farm. “We run an integrated management system including ISO 14001 environment, ISO 9001 quality, AS/NZS 4801 safety and HACCP,” he explains.

“Considering its size and scale of operation, ABA was fairly lean in terms of carbon generation to begin with,” Dr Moore says. “But it has now been accredited as a Zero C company. Based on my research, ABA is certainly the first aquaculture company in Australia to obtain a Zero C rating, and quite

Staff education and training seminars are held on a monthly basis and ABA constantly liaises with peak industry bodies and the relevant government departments to ensure their husbandry and biosecurity protocols and response policies exceed industry best practice standards.

ABA’s abalone rings, as shot from the air at Anxious Bay, near Elliston.

An ABA dive boat at the Elliston site.

The system uses no chemicals or artificial feeds, opening up the opportunity for an organic classification of the ABA product. In addition the ‘low tech – low input’ approach has enabled the operation to become the state’s first - and possibly a world’s first - aquaculture project to achieve an official carbonneutral rating. Balance Carbon’s auditor, Dr Tim Moore, examined a variety of factors including wastes, fuel usage (including transport to markets), equipment operation, travel and office lighting, heating as well as the carbon outAustasia Aquaculture | September 2008 11

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Management Metrics Key Management Decisions for Australian Bight Abalone include: • Innovative and unique floating ‘reef system’ • Development and implementation of comprehensive Biosecurity Policy and Plan as well as a Disease and Emergency Response Strategy designed to ensure high levels of husbandry and health management • No use of chemicals or artificial feeds could open opportunity for Organic Certification • Focus on third party certification in ISO 14001 and other environmental and quality standards • Development of non trad ional markets for Australian abalone.

Three Hatchery Sources ABA’s integrated biosecurity system begins with site selection specifying superior water quality as the primary selection criteria. It continues throughout the breeding, seeding of the culture units and growout to market size.

ABA is seeking approval to build its own hatchery and onshore nursery facility at Elliston. It has been purchasing abalone seed from three hatcheries near Port Lincoln and will continue to do so even after it builds its own facility.

Under strict biologist supervision broodstock for each year’s spawning is collected by experienced divers from the area around Elliston. The divers identify the healthiest animals with high meat to shell ratios and obvious significant growth (identifiable by growth rings on the animals shell).

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) include: • Culture System utilised: floating reef system • Growth rate (from stocking to market): 36 months (4g to 225g) • Survival rate: 85% from first stocking to sale size

ABA divers also collect the fastest growing company stock, which are kept separately in a broodstock nursery system at the floating farm. This system allows the company to identify and monitor faster growing family lines.

Greenlip Abalone – these animals are around 4 years old.

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The selected broodstock are transported to a quarantine holding facility at the hatchery and held there for 8-12 weeks prior to spawning. During this period they are tested for any notifiable diseases and are closely observed to ensure only the most highly conditioned stock is used for spawning.

Prior to spawning the spawning tanks are thoroughly disinfected with a chlorine-based disinfectant and chemically treated to ensure biosecurity. The broodstock is then spawned and eggs fertilised with the sperm. Fertilised eggs hatch after 18 to 24 hours and become free-swimming larvae for two to four days before settling as juveniles on plastic plates where they graze on natural algae. Those plates are held in flowthrough tanks inside greenhouses for increased temperature and light control.

Water flowing into the nursery tanks is pumped directly from the ocean and not reticulated from any previous pumping or growout area. No fertilisers used to increase algal production.

Throughout the nursery process biolo-

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An ABA diver with just harvested product ready for market.

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FA R M P R O F I L E

ABA’s abalone AquatraysTM are suspended beneath large pontoons that float on the sea surface.

gists observe and monitor the seed growth and health on a tank-by-tank basis. Runts are removed and the presence of natural algae for feed is maintained by ensuring low stocking densities on the plates.

Intra hatchery biosecurity measures are maintained. For example any visitors to the hatchery are required to undergo a chlorine wash, spray and shoe/boot dip.

The same requirement exists for staff whenever they move between different sections of the farm.

Three weeks prior to any stock movement, seed from each tank to be transferred is tested for notifiable diseases (such as the herpes-like virus Ganglioneuritis) by Gribbles veterinarian laboratory in Adelaide. The veterinarian results are forwarded directly to ABA and PIRSA simultaneously.

Under Operations Manager Bill Bascomb’s supervision all seed for transfer is graded, runts removed and the remainder measured and weighed. Seed is transferred in self-contained biosecure 14 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

transfer tanks with specially designed water reticulation systems for the two hour journey by road to Elliston.

Upon arrival in Elliston the relevant transfer documentation is processed, checked and then forwarded to PIRSA as required under the Aquaculture Act (S.A.) 2001. A final check by Bill is made prior to transfer onto boats for transport to the in sea nursery cages some 20 minutes by motor boat from Elliston Harbour Sea nursery and growout systems After transfer into the sea nursery cages there is an 8-12 month nursery period, when the seed is monitored closely, including daily seed sampling for laboratory testing and a monthly inspection by an independent veterinarian including testing for disease.

After the final health check, including disease free certification for notifiable diseases, the abalone are transferred by divers to a specific investor’s Abtrays™.

These trays have been pre-conditioned.

Around 3-4 months prior the Aquafarm™ net and Abtrays® are attached to the ring pontoon to allow colonisation and growth of algae. Two days prior to seeding divers prepare Abtrays® for the small abalone, followed by re-attachment to cage.

Due to their unique design the Abtrays® allow natural migration across their surface to allow the abalone to eat the abundant natural algal growth.

Stock theft is not envisaged to become a problem until the abalone are near harvest size (115-120 mm). Even at this size the stock is 25-30 mm below legal size and should pose less of a temptation to thieves than wild stock. Regardless, ABA has employed a boat and skipper to conduct on-site surveillance at night, and at all other times that there are no ABA personnel present.

There is also onsite 24 hour radar and infra-red surveillance.

As part of its comprehensive Disease and Emergency Response Strategy, con-

FA R M P R O F I L E

tinuous testing both internal and independent, is undertaken to check growth and condition (eg. abnormalities, skinny meat, blisters, abnormal faeces), escapees, identify trends in mortality within single baskets, net sectors and throughout whole cage. The monitoring also includes phytoplankton counts, macro algae productivity and benthic transects and samples.

Quarterly submissions of stock samples are made to the Gribbles’ veterinarians for testing for notifiable diseases or any other abnormalities. To date no disease problems have been found in the stock and no diseases have been reported from abalone in the surrounding areas.

ABA has a quarantine plan for stock under suspicion of disease, including the quick removal of mortalities, isolation of culture units and treatment as required including slaughter. Mortality collection, holding and disposal procedures assist in disease prevention or control.

An Animal Welfare policy specifies that the well being and quality of life for all abalone farmed should be considered in all procedures and strategies undertaken.

Excellent growth and survival has been reported. “Growth was expected to be around 2.5mm month,” explains Andrew, “However, actual growth was more than 2.8mm in all year classes. At present we need around 30-33 months for growout of 25 to 28mm (3.5 to 4g) individuals to market size of 115 to 120mm (203 to 225g). Our target mortality rate was initially set at 22% for growout but has now been reset to 15%. For the 2005 spat the actual mortality rate has been 10.9%, while for the 2006 spat, which were larger when transferred to grow out, this has been as low as 4.6%.

“We have targeted a much larger harvest size for our abalone than the other aquaculture operations which usually harvest at around 80-100mm or 60-100g. As our abalone feed on natural algae they are identical to the wild caught product. We wanted to produce a larger abalone to take advantage of the massive weight gain which occurs between 100–120 mm.

For harvest of Abtrays® divers take

ABA’s investment structure • ABA is a fund manager with more than 800 investors holding units in managed investment projects.

• All growers’ produce is pooled for sale at harvest.

• All growers obtain quarterly reports on their stock that is held together in batches (‘projects’) in specified culture units = for batches are currently in the water.

• Fully licensed by the ASIC with Australian Tax Office product rulings for each of its projects (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008).

• The Australian Bight Abalone Project 2008 is a “third generation” Managed Investment Scheme (MIS) closed mid June 2008.

• Returns are set at 3, 5 and 7 years.

• The project structure affords the investor (grower) limited liability, with future costs associated with the project linked to harvest proceeds.

• ABA receives its cash profit after the investor has received the projected return.

• In this way, the remuneration of ABA is linked to the interests of the investor, and therefore the success of the project.

• ABA plans to raise an additional $35-50 million in subscriptions in 2008.

abalone by hand and transport them in bags to the harvest vessel where deckhands (under biologist supervision) sort by size, leaving slow-growing stock.

Market-size animals are sent onshore for processing. A rolling harvest regime is undertaken over a 6-12 month period with an estimated harvest volume of between 22.5 and 25 tonnes per pontoon.

U.S. Sales ABA has finalised a five year contract to export up to 400 tonnes/year of farmed greenlips to the U.S. with the final contract being executed on 24 May 2008.

Andrew says the deal is worth over $100 million in the first five years, with the first shipment expected in early 2009.

“The U.S. was one of the world’s largest abalone markets before the Californian fishery closed in the 1990s,” he explains.

“Until now, not much Australian abalone has been sold into the North American market with most of that going to Canada. Now ABA product will end up on plates in some of the most exclusive restaurants on America’s west coast.”

The abalone to be exported to the U.S. will be slightly larger than those ABA currently exports into Asia. So they’ll need to be grown out for an additional 18-24 months.

to clinch the deal in America was the quality of our abalone – which matches that of wild stocks – and our ability to guarantee consistency of quality and supply,” Andrew continues.

“This is a direct result of the unique Aquafarm™ system and the pristine waters around Elliston. As a managed product, the abalone can be harvested at any time to meet demand and maximise returns.”

By Dos O’Sullivan.

For more information contact Andrew Ferguson, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Bight Abalone, First Floor, 205 Greenhill Road, Eastwood SA 5063.

Ph: 08 8377-7805 or 0408 725-584, Fax: 08 8377-7799, Email: info@australianbight.com.au Web: www.australianbight.com.au

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“The significant factors that allowed us Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 15

FA R M P R O F I L E

Observation, experience and diversification key to making money from cod

1

A

lex Youmans’ history in farming Murray cod goes back to August 1988; he decided that because he couldn’t catch them he’d grow them!

After looking everywhere for a place to start – out west, along the coast – one day he flew over what looked like a giant blackberry patch near Guyra in the New England Highlands of NSW. It had the right fall and double frontage to the Moredun Creek. It was also the site of the Moredun Dam that held back the water for the Tingha tin mines. Built in 1926 and burst – never to be repaired – in 1965, it took 20 years for the blackberries to strangle the valley and another 20 years for Alex to restore it.

2

The farm Aptly named ‘Moredun Ponds’, the farm covers 40ha and consists of 40 ponds totalling 8.6ha. The fry rearing ponds range from 0.1ha to 0.3ha and are 1.5m deep whilst broodstock, growout and yabby ponds are deeper (2.4m) and range from 0.4ha to 0.8ha. All ponds are bottom draining and the production ponds are aerated.

1. Pond water levels are controlled by simple stand pipes. Note the solid stepping stones to get down to the harvesting sump.

3

2. One of the multi directional hydrants. Water can be sprayed over the surface to increase aeration as well as replace evaporation.

3. Alex injects a 25kg female.

16 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

Water is harvested as run-off from the 800mm of annual rainfall with the head waters of Morton Creek visible from the farm which has a 66ML pumping licence. Evaporation is 1m annually.

Water has never been an issue for Alex.

The header reservoir holds 6ML, the water from which is reticulated by gravity over the whole farm via a 150mm underground delivery line.

Water temperatures are ideal for cod.

Being elevated, the winters are cold with the peak of nearby Ben Lomond having a dusting of snow in most years.

The average winter minimum is 6°C although Alex has recorded 4°C. During the summer the temperatures rise to 26-29°C. The growing season spans six months, from the time the water rises above 20°C in October to when it falls below that level in April.

While the temperature range is too cold for silver perch, golden perch and Murray cod thrive in it. Alex has found that the most profitable species to be the cod on which he now concentrates.

It’s often been said that site selection is paramount in aquaculture. Get that wrong and you’re beaten before you start. Moredun Ponds has taken aboard the first criterion of site selection and that is water quality. Situated in the head waters of the creek it has early use of the water and given the severe winters that Alex believes breaks any cyclical pathogen build up, disease has never been a problem.

Diversification When Alex took on the challenge of bringing the land back into production there were more than one or two who told him he was mad. But he could see a future in the resources on the property. He runs several operations. As well

FA R M P R O F I L E

as the cod hatchery and growout he grows yabbies, turns off 500 pigs a year and runs a tourism business. The tourism business consists of a fish out, a group function facility and four cabins that sleep up to 10 each. The property is surrounded by bushland and Alex shares the environment with a wide range of wildlife. This diversity has given Moredun Ponds a multiple cash flow which, every fish farmer will agree, is a distinct advantage.

Each operation is connected to the other. The pigs are fed seconds from the pet food industry and their manure spread over the property as fertilizer.

The fertility of the soil keeps the place looking fresh and green for the visitors.

The grass is mown and fed to the yabbies as part of the detrital food web.

Harvested yabbies over 60g are sent down to Sydney – some reach 200g.

The others, along with those missing claws and with damaged shells, are fed to the cod. Fishing for cod and yabbies is part of the attraction to the visitors.

Nothing is wasted. No opportunity is

missed. While no one operation stands alone, each supports the other and Alex combines a healthy business with a healthy lifestyle.

Spawning Alex learnt from hands-on experience.

Only that is, as he says, the ‘real McCoy’. Alex induces spawning with hormone injections based on the development stage of the eggs once pond temperatures reach 20°C. Males are not injected. He hand strips the eggs rather than collecting them from nesting boxes. Once stripped they are fertilized and spread out on mesh for hatching.

Water flows across the eggs at around 3L/min.

He prefers females less than 15kg for their egg quality.

Fry ponds are prepared when the eggs are fertilized. A phtyoplankton and zooplankton bloom is stimulated with a fertilizer and hay mix. Again, experience is the key to judging the amount of fertiliser. “You can work out of the book if you like,” Alex says. “But ferti-

Part of the natural production ecology at Moredun Ponds.

Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 17

FA R M P R O F I L E 1

liser costs money and over-fertilisation costs fish.

“I keep the ponds ticking along so there’s no diasters and we still get a crop off.”

Larvae are stocked at 50,000/ha and harvested 12-16 weeks later.

The longer period in the ponds does mean the crop is reduced by attrition but Alex’s concern is quality, not quantity. By harvest time the cod are 100mm and 50g. Nothing leaves the farm under $1.00 with the main markets being re-stocking groups and farm dam stocking.

2

Fish that aren’t sold in the autumn are stocked over winter and Alex is amazed at their growth. However, relying on natural feed has its draw backs. Stocking at 500/ha to 1,000/ha (depending on the numbers of fish on hand and the natural food in the ponds), the growth variation experienced is not dissimilar to that found in tanks where manufactured diets are fed. Alex has pulled fish from such ponds after 12 months that have been 700g whilst others in the same situation have barely grown to 200g.

Other ponds where the nutrition or stocking density are limiting have seen harvests where 50% of the fish are just 100g. This is not seen as lost production – as it would say in a recirculation system – because it isn’t costing anything to produce the fish under natural conditions.

Alex has noticed however that these slow growers, once stocked in their own pond, soon start to grow. He believes that once the smaller fish fall behind they become intimidated by the larger fish and spend as much time ‘keeping their heads down’ as they do moving around the pond looking for a feed.

3

Carp and cod Alex is a keen observer of nature and thinks about what he observes. He believes the European carp have been a huge benefit to Murray cod populations. “When the carp got going you couldn’t catch a cod in the Barwon because there was no cod there to catch. About 10 or 15 year ago the cod got going. I can go out and catch a dozen cod now without any trouble at all and the only carp you catch now are big ones.

“Even the silvers and catties are coming back. There has to be food. The European carp may turn out to be the best thing that ever happened for the cod,” he says.

1. An aerial view of the extensive layout of Moredun Ponds.

2. Looking across the ponds from the hatchery to Moredun Creek.

3. One of the four cabins on the property.

Marketing Whilst there’s the fry pond and broodstock capacity to produce a million fish, Alex finds it’s easier to market larger fish. Operating the farm by himself, the extra labour required to manage a larger volume and more ponds. would eat into the margins to the point where it is just not rewarding financially. What doesn’t sell becomes part of his fishout stock.

Apart from the returns from tourism and the piggery, Moredun Ponds sells fish from the fishout. Originally the punters just wanted to catch (and return) a Murray cod, but it was becoming too hard on the fish. So the rules are now that if you catch one you keep it. Alex charges $15/kg live at the pond.

He doesn’t have organic certification, but he says the fish are “as good as”.

18 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

FA R M P R O F I L E

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no comparison between pond grown fish on natural tucker and those grown in tanks. People have got to understand that. These are wild grown fish and you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get better.â&#x20AC;?

Those yabbies that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find their way into the broodstock and growout ponds are sent down to the Sydney Wholesale Fish Market. The constant harvesting also keeps the ponds productive. Yabbies are harvested from November till May and are sent down ungraded.

Coming from clear water they are dark in colour and cook up a deep red.

Alexâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s buyer has to source product from elsewhere during the winter and is always glad when the Moredun Pond yabbies come back on line.

He believes that selling small cod is wrong on two counts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Getting them up to a kilo is the hard part. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll more than double that in the next year. One batch of broodstock Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d put aside were around 4kg. When we got them out the next spring they averaged a 2.7kg weight gain. On top of that, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a better flavour and the flesh is firmer.

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing yourself and the customer

a disservice selling them under a couple of kilosâ&#x20AC;?, he says.

healthy population of tadpoles youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got good healthy water quality.â&#x20AC;?

The future Alex believes the future will be good for those with secured water. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The cost of water is a big issue. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got secured water and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top quality. But I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like to be buying it in now.

Moredun Ponds is an example of how a combination of diversification, economic common sense and a keen sense of observation can make an aquaculture venture viable. The product is top quality and the management relaxed. There has to be a lesson there.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The markets look good. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re flogging the seas and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more and more people wanting seafood. We should be getting more for our fish and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signs that thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to happen.

By John Mosig Alex Youman can be contacted on (02) 6779 4500.

He sees a growth for those who have established themselves in the industry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s money to be made but youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to have a fair bit of money to start.

A lot of people went into fish farming without enough money to see it through; to gain enough experience to make the right call at the right time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Getting to know water quality takes time. You should be able to tell the quality of water without instruments.

You can tell by the behaviour of the fish, by looking at the water. Dead tadpoles will give you a clue. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a good

22! )64

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Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 19

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2

Bluewater Barramundi grows strong through adversity Barramundi farming continues to expand across Australia, with a variety of culture methods. Cage farming is proving to produce high quality fish and succulent large (2.5kg) fish are back in the market place from Bluewater Barramundi after the company’s great recovery from troubles with production losses.

A

30 minute boat journey south of Cardwell marina lies Queensland’s only – and Australia’s oldest – offshore cage barramundi farm, Bluewater Barramundi.

Bluewater was established in the 1980s and has since gone through many transformations, upgrades and alterations; some planned and others imposed by government regulations or natural disasters. It’s not been easy sailing for Bluewater but it persisted and is once again going strong.

Co-General Managers of Bluewater Barramundi are Justin Goc and Kerry Briggs.

Justin has been with the company for many years. “I was originally employed at Bluewater’s hatchery where I remained for about four years before changing over to the growout operation,” he recalls.

“Apart from a year off to study in Tasmania, I have pretty well been with Bluewater for 15 years.” Kerry has been with Bluewater for eight years and brings with him extensive aquaculture experience from Tasmania and Queensland.

20 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

Environmental monitoring Due to its location next to World Heritage-listed Hinchinbrook Island, Bluewater’s 12.4Ha operations have been under great scrutiny by non-government environmental organisations as well as state and federal regulatory authorities (QDPI, EPA, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, etc). Such close and constant scrutiny has motivated Bluewater to develop and maintain best practice management techniques focussed on economic and environmental sustainability.

“Obviously we are located in a sensitive area with a high environmental value,” Justin explains. “Not only do we incorporate best practice management systems and protocols, we’re also stakeholders / partners in a research study (see below) that independently monitors our farm in relation to our surroundings. This has a major bearing on the future of seacage aquaculture in Queensland, so it’s vital we look after the waterways in which we operate.”

In 2003 and 2006 Bluewater entered into research programs with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) and the Queensland Government, to investigate the environmental effects of sea cage aquaculture in tropical environments (northern Australia and Indonesia). Specifically AIMS is conducting system-orientated research to understand the effect of the cage operation within Hinchinbrook Channel with a focus on the mangrove environment. It is hoped that the findings will enable Bluewater’s managers to set up accurate improved environmental monitoring regimes and associated management practices, which may become industry standards.

Results of the study to date have been encouraging, with strong tidal currents (present in all of north tropical Australia) being the primary mechanism of aquaculture waste dissipation. So there is little accumulation of wastes under the fish cages and only localised effects

FA R M P R O F I L E 3

5

4

1. Co-manager Justin Goc hand feeding one of the growout cages. Hand feeding provides a good opportunity to assess the fish, and can give an early indication of a potential problem.

2. Justin Goc observing a harvest. Fish are first crowded then transferred to the tender vessel via a net controlled with a Hiab crane. Fish are released from the net through the cod end into an ice slurry.

3. Bluewater’s nursery cages are attached directly to the support building that acts as an office, laboratory, feed storage and night manager’s quarters. Growout cages are spaced to allow for water movement and provide good access for feeding, maintenance and harvesting.

4. Bluewater’s nursery system has been designed for ease of stock management and general maintenance. Note the predator netting across the top of the cages.

5. Bluewater Barramundi, located in the complex mangrove systems of the World Heritage Listed Hinchinbrook Island and Channel system.

in the water column. More information on the study can be found on the AIMS website (www.aims.gov.au/), and findings have be presented at the Skretting 2008 Australasian Aquaculture Conference (August 3-6, Brisbane).

“It will be interesting to see the responses that are generated when the results are officially released. I am sure they will generate a lot of discussion and debate on the validity and sustainability of sea cage farming in tropical Australia.”

Fingerling suppliers and inoculation The devastation caused by Cyclone Larry when it crossed the Queensland coast at Innisfail on March 20, 2006, was felt first hand by Bluewater. “Our hatchery located at Mourilyan Harbour was hit fairly hard and basically destroyed. Due to a number of internal and external factors, we decided not to rebuild the hatchery and we sold off the site.”

In a bit of good fortune, 18 months before Larry struck, the long serving manager of Bluewater’s hatchery – Dave Borgelt – had established his own hatchery (Jungle Creek) to concentrate on breeding specialised aquarium fish native to Queensland and Northern Australia.

Although barramundi were not part of that original brief, Dave stepped into the breach and commenced supply of fingerlings in November 2006 to Bluewater and other customers.

Bluewater have continued to purchase 50% of their yearly requirements (30mm+ fingerlings ) from Jungle Creek, sourcing the remainder from Paradise Aquafarm in Gordonvale. “Our suppliers produce high quality fingerlings on time, so we are very happy with both.

However, it is important with something as critical as fingerling supply that we not be solely reliant on one supplier.”

When the fingerlings arrive on farm they are transferred into one of twelve 2m x 5m x 5m nursery cages (30,000

fish per cage). Whilst in the nursery they are are graded heavily, with the interval between grades dependent on specific growth rates of each batch.

When the fish have reached 100-120mm (approximately 3 months) they are transferred to growout cages.

“We normally expect a survival rate through the nursery of 80%,” Justin says.

At this point, the managers have introduced a vital step to boost economic viability of the growout phase. “Before fish enter the growout cages we vaccinate against Streptococcus (a tropically endemic bacterium that multiplies rapidly when fish become stressed),” he continues.

“Although this has added an extra step and cost to our operation, the overall economic benefit is very positive. Prevention is always better than cure and, given our location, the standard techniques used to treat infections are not always suitable for us.”

Once the fish reach 100mm in size they are anaesthetised and inoculated with a Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 21

FA R M P R O F I L E

Management Metrics Key Management Decisions for Bluewater include: • Vaccination against Streptococcus.

• Use of Ridley Aquafeed sinking diet.

• Moderate stocking densities (less than 30kg/m3).

• Research and Development investment.

• Single grading during growout.

• Use of specialised 3rd party packer.

• Fingerlings sourced from two high quality suppliers Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Barramundi include: • Growth rate (from stocking to market): 24 months (30mm to 2kg+) • Survival rate: 80% from first stocking to sale size • Av. stocking density: 27.5kg/m3 or per culture unit (range is 25kg to 30kg/m3) • Annual harvest: Capacity is 300 tonnes • Production rate: 11,250kg per net (400m3) per harvest • FCR: 1.2/1.5:1 (number of kg of food to produce 1kg stock)

Streptococcus vaccine derived from a strain present at the farm in 2007. The fish pass over a tray specifically designed for the task and on average 15 thousand can be completed per day.

Bluewater has invested in much research and development for their own vaccine, which was developed in conjunction with Matt Landos and is produced by a commercial vaccine company.

After vaccination, each of the sized based cohorts is transferred to a growout cage.

There are 30 cages in total each 10m x 10m with an average depth of 4m.

While in the growout cages the fish undergo a final grade well before harvest when they are 300 to 400mm in length. “It is important to perform this grade just to make sure we have consistent sized fish at harvest.”

Growout Generally fish remain in the growout cages for a minimum of two years with growth rates being dependent on environmental conditions, seed stock and stocking densities. Harvest occurs at a minimum size of 2.5kg. “Over two years is a long time to hold fish but we believe there is a demand in the market for large, fillet fish compared with the smaller plate and banquet sized fish.

With the demise of Marine Harvest this has been even more apparent.”

At harvest there is usually 4,000 - 4,500 fish (@2.5kg) giving a final stocking density of between 25 and 30kg/m3, with expected survival through the growout stage of about 98%.

“When it comes to harvest, we simply crowd the fish within the cages and use a net on a hydraulic arm to scoop the fish out until the desired volume is reached,” says Justin. “Fish are released onto a sorting table for a final visual grade and those suitable are dropped directly into ice slurries. Presently we have no facility to perform a final “market based pack”, so this is performed under contract for us by a third party in Cairns.”

In nursery and growout phases management chooses to use Ridley Barramundi feed. “Ridleys have proven themselves to us over many years to be a very good

22 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

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supplier and although there have been some hiccups, these have always been rectified quickly. We have also found their service, general advice and technical backup to be extremely good.”

“We are one of the only farms using sinking diet so Ridleys have been very accommodating to our needs.” With an across the farm FCR ranging from 1.2 to 1.5:1, it is obvious the feed must be well suited to our particular situation and management style.

Predator control Bluewater is open to attack by a number of predators including crocodiles, sharks and dolphins. That lead to many experiments, including steel cages, with little or no success. “However, a few years ago we were introduced to Japanese-made net material supplied by Kikko,” Justin continues. “Since we have switched over to these new nets for the growout cages we have not had a problem with predators.”

Biofouling of nets remains an issue though as with any sea based cage culturing. “It is something we have to put up with. Our future aim is to investigate automatic net cleaning systems to reduce the impact of biofouling.”

Natural Events Although Cyclone Larry’s devastation caused headaches with Bluewater’s hatchery, the cage farm itself was left relatively untouched. “We were very lucky; I don’t know what we would have done if the cage operation had sustained major damage as well.”

However in February 2007, another major natural event did have an impact on Bluewater’s growout farm. Excessively heavy rains in the region and catchment area fed massive amounts of freshwater into the Hinchinbrook channel, dropping the salinity to less than 5ppm. “We have gone through this type of situation before, says Justin “ with no problems. But this time we experienced significant stock losses, especially those fish ready for market.”

Subsequent investigations have concluded that the influx of large amounts of freshwater, combined with an alteration of environmental conditions pro-

duced the perfect situation for Streptococcus to prevail.

As a result, Bluewater had to withdraw or drastically reduce sales until new cohorts had not only grown to market size but that stock levels were such to ensure regular volumes of good quality, consistently sized fish. That took until April 2008, with regular weekly harvests now of 4-6 tonnes (depending on orders).

Future Given the havoc wreaked by these major natural disasters of the last three years, Bluewater’s survival is just testament to Justin’s and Kerry’s tenacity and the owners’ belief. Not only has the company rebuilt itself but is investing in its future. Remarkable.

“Bluewater Barramundi’s many challenges stretched the company to its utmost,” Justin admits. “But through adversity we have developed a culture where we continuously strive to improve our procedures and refine our systems. Ensuring quality is paramount to not only Bluewater Barramundi but for the industry as a whole and our premium, seawater grown product achieves that aim.”

By Tim Graham Contact: Justin Goc, PO Box 313, Cardwell, Qld 4849. Tel/Fax: 07 4066-2077 Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Mobile: 0417 087-715, Email: bluewaterbarramundi@bigpond.com.au

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With the declining volumes of wild caught fish due to zone closures and increased costs, Bluewater’s struggle through adversity will position them well. Moreover, sound management techniques, a willingness to invest in research and development and committed staff will ensure continued growth into the future.

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Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 23

FA R M P R O F I L E

Small farm, big range – a look at tropical polyculture Dave Wilson has been fascinated by the attraction of aquatics and the water environment for many years. For some time he managed the Territory Wildlife Park aquarium, a Northern Territory feature drawing tourists by the thousands. In 1995 he started up a pilot project on his property at Howard Springs, a quiet village about 30km south of Darwin. Dave was interested in producing water plants for the aquarium trade, and eventually was drawn into producing frogs – a form of aquaculture called ranaculture. In 2001 Aquagreen opened up and he began to make a little money from his efforts. Now, ornamental native fish are being produced.

Dave Wilson and Magnificent Tree Frog bred as an ornamental species.

W

hen Dave Wilson was looking to buy a property to live on, he didn’t have any plans to start up an aquaculture operation. His requirements were simple; he was looking for a small acreage which was aesthetically pleasant and had a good bore water supply.

However, the two hectares he purchased is suitable for his current purpose. It’s flat, with a well-drained lateritic soil.

There are no issues surrounding the land since all of the farm activities take place in tanks above ground.

The water supply is via a 50 metre deep bore drawing from the Giraween Basin, supplemented by rainfall. The bore water emerges at 31°C, is soft, rich in iron, with a neutral pH and a total dis24 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

solved solids content of 20ppm. These characteristics make the water good for many, though not all, aquatic plants.

There are no concerns over access to infrastructure. Product is shipped via Air Express where delivery is not local.

An application to have the facility licensed for export is currently underway. The Stuart Highway, is just five minute’s drive away, and an entire week’s production will usually fit into a family car. Yet in terms of value, a small quantity of fish can provide a good return. Dave points out that if his fish were actually being sold by weight, one species he produces would be valued at $2,750 per kilo.

Environmental issues The business has an environmental management plan in place, supervised by the Northern Territory Government.

The only concerns raised were potential problems with pest species and waste discharge. In practice the water management system is self-contained.

There’s no discharge because of the small scale of the farm.

Species Aquagreen produces 150 species of plant, 30-40 fish species, 10-15 invertebrate species and frogs. Lists of the farm’s inventory and product availability can be accessed on its website (www. aquagreen.com.au) which also carries

FA R M P R O F I L E

Otto Campion Bullmaniya, his wife Christine and their two nieces holding a bag of Blyth River banded Rainbowfish. Pic by David Wilson.

Dave has drawn on his long-term experience in aquatic collection to develop such a range and is well-known for his skill. In fact staff at the Northern Territory museum named a fish species after him. He collects several ornamental species from Aboriginal land by arrangement with the local communities.

The offspring produced by this broodstock are sold under names linking them with the appropriate community.

Producing the goods The business operates year-round ... with so many species there’s next to no seasonality in terms of workload, although plant growth and fish breeding are slower in the dry season (when it’s a little cooler at night). Effectively there’s always something booming. In fact the ornamental trade is rather like the fashion industry – a species becomes trendy, commanding a high price, then along comes something else.

There are opportunities for trend-setting

with native species being poorly known as aquarium subjects but quite attractive as ornamental species.

Apart from those market openings there remain the ‘bread-and-butter’ lines, such as plants for shops. Aquarium plants can be speeded up or lowed down to meet market timings, by modifying the water quality.

There are few aquaculture operations providing such advantages of diversity, year-round production, and production flexibility.

Plants are produced in pots placed in shallow tanks in a recirculating system.

Fertilizers are added to the pots into a space under the substrate. There the plants get first contact with the nutrients, an

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Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 25

FA R M P R O F I L E

attempt to stop excess nutrients leaching into the water where algae can take over quite quickly if not inhibited. Carbon dioxide is injected to provide a carbon source and support good growth. The plants are cultivated under water. The tanks are under shadecloth which allows sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis but not enough sun to let the shallow water get too hot.

1

Fertilisation of aquatic plants is different to terrestrial plants, with the ratios of the different nutrients adjusted to favour vascular plants, but not algae. Even though most of the nutrients are added into the substrate they do leach out into the water.

Under an aquaculture licence, native fish are grown with the plants in a polyculture process, using native broodstock collected from the wild. Non-native broodstock are sourced through the aquarium trade.

The fish and invertebrate ponds that are not part of the plant growing recirculating system are started off with a pond fertilization schedule adjusted to the conditions. Then some broodstock are added when suitable plankton abounds.

The ponds produce a good number of small fish which are grown out and sold when they reach the required size. The pond is harvested and restarted over a period ranging 6-12 months depending on the type of organism and the demand.

Because of the fickle nature of the trade, occasionally there are ponds of fish that get put ‘on special’ to move the contents. Any plants overproduced go into a compost bin, but the soil remains in case there are seeds surviving.

Staff Aquagreen staffing is uncomplicated, partially because there’s no large volume of product to move around. Dave’s wife Robyn puts in one or two days each

2

1. Dave Wilson harvests Rotala mexicana, an aquarium plant sourced from a stream near the Pine Creek township.

2. The Dinosaur underwater plant food range.

3. Porochilus obbesi – Australia’s smallest catfish, bound to be very popular when bred in numbers and introduced to the aquarium trade.

Pic by Dave Wilson.

Healthy Stock = Healthy Profits

Certified surface area: 14075mm2 per unit

26 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

3

ly ent nd epe ured y d In as or me borat a la y b

Bio Filtration

QUINNTECH PTY LTD Trading as Quinn Plastics Ph: 08 8262 6460 Fax: 08 8262 6461 Email: quinnplastics@senet.com.au

FA R M P R O F I L E

week, while assistant Greg Miles works for two days.

Aquagreen Assistant Greg Miles in characteristic headware.

Problems The poor understanding of the ornamental trade and its significance in the aquaculture world remains a problem. Bureaucratic interference, probably associated with that poor understanding, is another issue. The ornamental trade is restricted by regulation and cross-jurisdictional differences. Dave believes there should be an overall plan for Australia, established under Federal control.

This is currently being attempted via ‘A Strategic Approach to the Management of Ornamental fish in Australia’ but he’s concerned the different jurisdictions are unlikely reach a consensus.

Outcomes Dave Wilson points out that one doesn’t get rich from selling ‘wildlife’. He says he makes enough money for a quiet lifestyle. To flesh things out he sometimes takes on contract work such as working with the Northern Territory Fisheries Division and supporting film crews with the ABC and BBC. His farm operation is low-cost, with minimal technology, yet blessed with great product variety and lack of seasonality.

work out more detail on the breeding requirements of our native freshwater fishes and write a detailed account of their life histories. Currently such details of the fish we don’t consume are poorly understood.

By Dave Field For more information contact Dave Wilson on ph 08 8983 1483, email aqua.green@bigpond.com, or check out www.aquagreen.com.au.

Looking ahead There are plans for more diversification with moves into producing freshwater snails and periwinkles. The native freshwater snails will be a welcome addition to the ‘clean-up crew’ used by aquarium keepers hoping to use invertebrates to keep uneaten food and algae minimised.

Another variation is a budget range of fertilizers for the hobbyist attempting to grow a pleasing underwater garden. The range consists of three types of fertilizers for aquarium plants, based on the procedures used on the farm. The three variations are humorously named Dinosaur Pee, Dinosaur Dung and Dinosaur Spit. Dinosaur pee is for in-water fertilization, Dinosaur Dung for under-substrate fertilization, and Dinosaur Spit is a liquid form of carbon for plants. All are designed to help the underwater gardener achieve the results desired.

If he had the money, Dave would like to Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 27

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New technology first for pipis industry In South Australia pipis or cockles have been consumed by people since the Aboriginals of the area first found them to be a significant food source. With the increasing demand for this shellfish in local, interstate and export markets, the harvesting industry has had to develop new technology to prepare higher volumes of the shellfish for packaging and transport.

P

ipis, also known as cockles, inhabit the South East coastal region of Australia, stretching from the South Australian border, through Victoria and Tasmania and up into northern New South Wales.

The species that is harvested from the Coorong fishery in South Australia is Donax deltoides, the largest of the six Donacid species found in Australia. D. deltoides is the most common large bivalve living in the surf zone in Australia where they filter feed on diatoms present in the water column (see also insert box).

Pipis harvested for human consumption in South Australia must be taken from the ‘Coorong Classified Area’, which is located between a point 2km south east of the centre of the Murray River mouth and a point 62km down the coast towards Salt Creek. A quota system was introduced in November, 2007 to control the commercial harvest from the area with this year’s volume being set at 1,150 tonnes.

The season extends from November to the end of May.

duct random tests on water in shellfish holding facilities.

Pipis are known to emerge from the sand and use the surf to migrate up and down the beach with the tide changes.

They reach sexual maturity at approximately 13 months of age, spawning in September/October and are generally in excess of 30 mm in shell width at its widest axis at this time. They are harvested on the incoming tide, with fishers using a variety of ways to dislodge the sand and then use a collecting net which catches the pipis but filters out the sand with the outgoing wave.

The shellfish are then commonly transported in heshion bags, which keep them cool until they can be placed into a holding-purging facility. Here, they are purged of the sand that they take in while filter feeding and remain in filtered clean water until they are ready to be packed for market.

In this harvest region the environmental conditions, such as bacterial counts related to human health, are monitored by the South Australian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program (SASQAP). This program also has the authority to con-

Old holding system limited One of the leading companies, Coorong Cockles Pty Ltd was first established in 2002. Towards the end of the season last year it became apparent at that its AusMarine tank system designed for holding crayfish was not the best for the pipis.

“There were quite a few problems,” says

Once the system was constructed, the cages were brought in and fitted into place, ready for the cockle harvest.

The design makes use of rotating arms to distribute the incoming water evenly over the biofilter surface, so that no ‘dead spots’ occur.

28 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

owner Tom Robinson, “We couldn’t get the volume of pipis through that we wanted although we had the sales. The system also required a lot of cleaning with sand constantly blocking the pumps and filter beds, and this in turn affected the water quality.”

There were also issues with occupational health and safety. “With the old system, we were constantly bending up and down to pull the racks in and out for processing and this was just inefficient in time usage as well as being a concern for people’s backs.”

Already a customer of Aquasonic Pty Ltd, they approached Lindsay Hopper in the aquaculture department to help them design a system that would resolve these problems. With a constant relay of conversations and ideas over four months, Tom and Lindsay gradually came up with an innovative design.

During the off season, the AusMarine system was sold to a rock lobster holding facility in Victoria and the space was cleared for the new equipment to be constructed. “It didn’t all go to plan,” Tom says, “The original tank design didn’t work out that well so we had to get another one constructed. But, apart from that, it all came together!”

This view of the plumbing system shows how the water from the biofilters returns to the main tanks under gravity flow.

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Multicyclone Units extract the water directly from the bottom of the tank, removing all the sand the cockles spit out.

The view from the main tank shows how the foam fractionators fit between the tank and the biofilters.

The Multicyclone Units use a centrifugal effect to spin the sand and any large particulate matter out to the wall of the unit, after which it settles into the container. The debris is easily removed by opening a valve, making ongoing maintenance much simpler.

Filter technology used in a new way It was decided that the best way forward was to install two complete recirculation systems (RAS) at Coorong Cockles’ shed located at Port Eliot. Filtered seawater is purchased and delivered from SAARDI (South Australian Aquaculture Research and Development Institute) when required.

Each RAS has a holding tank measuring 3m long x 3.2m wide x 1.75m high; the two tanks are separated by a common wall, making the overall length of the holding tanks 6m. The bottom of each tank slopes, to help move the sand that the pipis spit out to the centre of the tank for easy removal. For additional circulation each tank has a LZS129 Link Pump that has an intake point, posi-

Tom’s cage design allows maximum flow of water around the cockles to ensure as much sand as possible is washed away and an increase in water quality.

Each biofilter has a foam fractionator attached to it, to remove excessive nitrogenous compounds from the seawater.

tioned at 400mm above the tank bottom (this height avoids excessive sand from being picked up) and an outlet point at approximately two-thirds of the way down the tank depth (as this area was identified as one of low water circulation in other designs).

delivers the water to WaterCo Multicyclone Units; these separate out the sand and large particulate matter using a centrifugal process. To remove the sand, the unit is turned off and a value opened. The system loses just 15L of water during this cleaning process.

Water circulation is further aided by the inclusion of two parallel 15mm PVC pipes with drilled holes that circulate water, and consequently sand, into the centre of the tank. “To enhance the quality of the product as much as possible we had to enhance the water quality.

This in turn would have beneficial results for the consumer in regards to shelf life and the end cooked product.”

“In other systems, these Multicyclone Units are mainly used in front of sand and cartridge filters to reduce the need and frequency of cleaning and to reduce backwashing,” Lindsay explains. “I believed the successful incorporation of these units to collect the sand from the pipis was the best course of action. For this set-up, removing the sand in an easy and manageable way was one of the most difficult hurdles to overcome, but also one of the most necessary.”

The sand and water are collected from the tanks via an 80mm suction line that

Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 29

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Management Metrics Key Management Decisions for Coorong Cockles include: • Increasing volume of shellfish handled by holding system.

• Improving occupational health and safety standards.

• Decreasing the amount of time spent on maintaining holding system.

Tom agrees, adding: “The amount of time that it takes for daily maintenance on the system has been dramatically reduced, simply because the sand isn’t going right through everything in the first place.”

From these units, the water is split two ways. One pipeline takes water to the two foam fractionators. Ozone (including an Oxygen Concentrator) is also applied to help maintain water quality and is controlled by the ALPHA560 ORP Monitor Controller. The other pipeline flows to Aquasonic/Aqualogic Chiller Units that are vented through an external wall. Once cooled (the exact temperature to which they are cooled is a ‘trade secret’) the water then passes through an Emperor Aquatics Ultraviolet Steriliser, before being delivered to the biological filters (Aquasonic BN1000D Trickle Biological Filters).

The system has a split level approach with the two biofilters sitting on a metal stand with a stair going onto a walkway at the end of which is a raised platform that gives access to the foam fractionator cups for cleaning. The stand’s platform extends beyond the biofilters at every side for easy access and maintenance. The biofilters are rated to two

Call Megan on 6245 0064 to register your business in the Austasia Aquaculture 2009 Trade Directory?

30 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

Pipis A common equal-valved bivalve found around coastal Australia. It can reach lengths of 60 mm, although smaller animals (35mm) are more common. Its shell is very strong and has a triangular, wedge shape. The sculpture of the shell is the result of many fine radial striations. Its sharply beaked posterior end is shorter than the rounded anterior end.

The outside colour varies and can range from bluish - white, to yellow or pink/red. The interior of the shell is dark usually a dark purple or mauve, although it can have a pink tinge.

Donax deltoides live a few centimetres under the sand and use their muscular foot to burrow, with the larger individuals burrowing a little deeper than the smaller individuals.

Source: http://www.anu.edu.au/BoZo/ KioloaEcyclopaedia/metazoa/mollusca/ bivalvia/MolluscaDonax_deltoides.htm

tonnes of pipis each using Aquasonic’s Ovi-Flo II bio-balls as a substrate.

The incoming water is distributed over the surface of the filters using a series of rotating arms. The biological filters receive three-quarters of the water, which is returned under gravity through the 150mm mainline pipe that splits into three 80mm inlet manifolds at the back of the tanks. To increase water flow around the shellfish, these inlets are directed at the three main gaps between the holding trays in the cages.

The filtration system as a whole achieves a water turnover of approximately four times per hour, with the holding facility holding a total of 40,000L. “There has been no problem with the quality of the water,” Tom says. “With no (measurable) ammonia or nitrite levels the stock can be be held in perfect condition for shipping.”

Lindsay gives Tom the credit for the racking system that holds the pipis saying “The trays and floating cages were a well thought out design, and complemented the system really well!”

There are four floating cages that can be removed and replaced using a fork lift.

They are designed to ensure the easy

flow of water and have a system of smaller racks inside that can easily be pulled out of the cages before being placed on the conveyor belt for weighing and packing. Each cage measures 3.3m2 and is made of food grade plastic.

They were constructed from Tom’s design

by Adelaide Plastics in South Australia.

With a daily harvest of up to three tonnes, the RAS has to be able to handle up to 6,000kg Pipis per day, as they are held in the system for 24 hours whilst being purged of sand and food particles.

Orders are sent out daily, which requires the cages to be lifted out, the trays selected, and placed on a conveyor belt to be packed by hand. Live pipis can be shipped using 5kg polystyrene boxes while others are frozen in 1kg plastic bags. Tom has also marketed a product called “Cryvac”, which consists of cockle meat only. This has an ‘ultralong’ shelf life and is able to be packed to customer requirements.

Tom employs 12 people during the busy harvest season and believes that the recent interest in pipis as a ‘new’ shellfish will intensify market opportunities for the expansion of his business and the industry as a whole.

The rapid development of this market has in recent years led to questions as to whether or not the pipi stocks can survive long term from both the scientific and ecological perspective. However, the introduction of the new quota system and the involvement of the industry with state government regulators to work on issues of compliance arrangements as well as research and monitoring programs, should ensure that the Coorong Fishery remains viable into the future.

By Louise Willis For more information contact Tom Robinson.

Coorong Cockles Pty Ltd, 50 Hill St, Port Eliot, S.A. 5212. Tel: 08 8554-6584, Mobile: 0427 262-553, email: tomandvic@coorongcockles.com, website: www.coorongcockles.com Lindsay Hopper, Aquasonic Pty Ltd, Tel: 61 2 6586-4933, Fax: 61 2 6586-4944, email Lindsay@aquasonic.com.au, website: www.aquasonic.com.au

FA R M P R O F I L E

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Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 31

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FA R M P R O F I L E Prime juvenile oysters approximately 12 months old and within 6 months of reaching market size.

Many levers to pull & push to produce top oysters The Turner family are well known in the Pacific oyster industry through Geoff’s involvement in the development of the intertidal BST adjustable long-line system, now used for growing oysters around the world. Son Simon is also making a splash, managing almost 50ha of leases at Cowell in South Australia. He ‘works’ a series of management levers to ensure his oysters grow quickly to a premium quality for market.

S

imon Turner grew up in an oyster farming family and has been working in the Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) industry for more than 11 years. In addition to being involved in all aspects of the farm Turner Aquaculture (located in Franklin Harbour at Cowell on the east coast of the Eyre Peninsula) he has also undertaken a degree in Small Business Management. So it was just reward when he was made Senior Bay Manager for Cowell for AqaOysters (AAM 21.4 Dec 2007, page 38-44) in late June 2007.

“AqaOysters has two bays in Tasmania (St Helens and Pitt Water) and three 34 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

here (Cowell, Coffin Bay and Ceduna),” Simon says. “Our family company sold into AqaOysters in June 2007 as did five other farms in Cowell. Now AqaOysters has 49ha leases, all developed with BST lines, although some have 9mm diameter lines and others have 10.5mm lines. We are now integrating all the leases so that all the lines, baskets, end caps, clips and bags are the same. This should be completed by December 2009.”

Since its introduction in 1999 the BST basket has undergone several metamorphoses. It is now 700mm long with a

double slip-on both end caps and a slightly flattened bottom (giving the cross section a flat pear shape). The mesh size – ranging from 3mm to 6mm, 12mm, 16mm and 20mm – is varied to suit the size of the oysters, allowing the stocking of seed (5mm) right through to finishing the oysters for market.

According to Simon the total numbers of oysters in Franklin Harbour has been reduced over the past five or more years as farmers realised that the waters could become food limited if too many oysters were stocked. “Even now we struggle to get the oysters to condition

FA R M P R O F I L E

(through the build up of glycogen reserves) so we often ship the oysters down to Coffin Bay (some 2.5 hours south near Port Lincoln) for fattening.

We have a contract with a semi-trailer driver who takes 10 tonne loads of oysters down to Coffins twice a week.

“We find that our oysters grow quite quickly here but you need to slow down the shell growth and allow the meat time to catch up in size and then fatten.

So we move our oysters around the leases here as well as down in Coffin Bay. Overall we get the oysters through to market size in less than 20 months.”

Management Challenges Simon lists five main challenges he has to manage and “pushes and pulls management ‘levers’” to get his oysters through to market:

the whole production cycle, including a grade for market. We are hoping to be able to reduce this further to two grades by moving the baskets from site to site.”

The land-based facility – on the aptly named Oyster Drive – houses the grading and processing equipment. In a bid to improve efficiency, an automated grading and counting machine has been developed so that the required numbers of graded oyster drop directly into the culture baskets. Even the culture baskets have been designed to minimise the time required to open and close them. Finally, the computerised stock control allows Simon and his staff to know how many oysters of a particular size are in what locations on the farm.

Barnacle fouling can be the most expensive problem to manage when it occurs.

“Fortunately we have a lot of history on the bay and so we know we can have one large and two or three smaller barnacle spawnings each year. We know when they would normally settle, usually around a week after spawning. We know the water flow patterns of the bay and can lift the oyster baskets high on the lines to reduce their exposure to the settling larvae. This is especially important in areas of high water flow as that means more larvae would be hitting the oysters and the baskets.

“By managing basket height we can reduce the fouling but we will never eliminate it. Generally weed and other

Launching oyster punt at ramp at Cowell.

• Working with the characteristics of the various lease sites, particularly numbers and sizes of oysters that can be stocked in that area; • Reducing handling and grading operations whilst not jeopardising oyster quality; • Preventing and combating barnacle fouling; • Adjusting height in the water to influence access to food or protection from hot weather, and • Recruiting, training and developing staff.

Simon says that each site has variety of characteristics which you need to know and manage to ensure your oysters grow quickly. These can include: • Water flow rates (which directly affect food availability); • Exposure to barnacle fouling, and • Prevailing current and winds that influence exposure to wind and wave action – high energy sites can reduce shell growth but they also knock off barnacle fouling and assist the oyster in forming the a deep cupped shell prized by the market.

A 6mm BST Endcap Bag which houses around 250 oysters, each approximately 10mm long.

“We used to bring in the oysters and grade up to ten times. However, over the past few years we have put a lot of work into reducing this expensive and stressful (for the oysters) operation.

“Now we only do five grading through Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 35

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Key Management Decisions for AqaOysters Cowell include: • Amalgamation of leases into one large company for economies of sale • Making all the culture systems he same to allow easy integration and stock movement • Set, well established grading and quality control system • Markets around Australia as well as overseas.

of that sort of fouling is easy to burn off.

With the barnacles, however, the baskets have to be brought in, the oysters removed and then the basket put through a high pressure water spray under a rotating head of brushes. They have to be done one at a time so we employ a contractor to do them; he can do one every 20 seconds.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) include: • Culture System utilised: BST fence system with clip on baskets with end caps and varying mesh • Growth rate (from stocking to market): <18 months (5g to 80g).

Although the operation has significantly reduced the stocking density of oysters in the bay and on its AqaOysters sites, Simon predicts further reductions.

Management Metrics

Harvesting oysters with typical punt.

“Height is the main tool we have to ‘sculpture’ our oyster shells and meats.

If the oyster is lowered it’s in the water for longer periods, has longer to feed and developes a shell that grows long rather than deep. If the oysters are lifted then they are exposed to more sun, wind and wave action. We call this high energy exposure and that forms the deep cuplike shape preferred for oyster shells.

“With young oysters you want to leave them down low so they get plenty of food and will grow quickly, particularly their shells. We then lift them up in 4cm increments over a 12 month period.

This increase in height (less time in water and lower food levels) triggers the oyster to change by putting energy away from shell growth into backup stores such as glycogen in the meat.”

Like many parts of South Australia, there is a dodge tide in Franklin Harbour which can cause troubles – in the past there have been some major oyster kills. “A dodge tide will occur every two weeks and basically it means no tidal flow – the water just remains at the same height. If there is no wind and it is really hot, – we can have weeks with air temperatures above 40°C, – then the oysters need to be dropped down out of the hot surface water so they can have open up and have a sip of cool water.

“When you have over 100,000 baskets in the water at any one time like us, you understand why we need between 17 and 25 people working full time on our leases.”

Bagging oysters after being graded for size to then go back onto the farm for further growing and conditioning.

36 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

Like all oyster growing areas in South Australia Franklin Harbour is classified under the national Australian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program. Monitoring and testing to ensure the strict require-

FA R M P R O F I L E

ments are met at all times is the responsibility of SASQAP – the SA Shellfish Quality Assurance Program. Headed by Ken Lee, the testing facility, located in Port Lincoln, is a joint initiative of state government (PIRSA) and industry.

Samples, both water and shellfish, are taken frequently by independent collectors and tested in Port Lincoln to monitor that the area maintains its ‘Approved’ status.

Precautionary closures may occasionally occur as has happened recently when a novel compound was discovered in oysters across SA. Industry funded research is continuing to characterise this substance so future closures do not occur.

Skilled staff shortage Simon says that when AqaOysters purchased the ten farms all of the staff were retained. However there has been a slight crew reduction over the ensuing 12 months from economies of scale reaped during lease integration. Nevertheless, 75% of the original staff are still on the books.

“We are lucky that we have a few ‘seadogs’ who love working on the ocean, their

driver is not money. However, an iron ore mine will be opening only 9km south of Cowell within the next 2-3 years and that will need hundreds of employees.

“People from the oyster industry will be attracted by the set working timetables and higher pay offered in the mining industry. We will be looking to train new staff and add to the skills of our existing staff and find other incentives to keep them happy.”

It is part of Simon’s job to manage the monitoring and then selection of the oysters to be harvested. The oysters are transferred into poly material bags that hold around 20 dozen oysters which are then shipped via refrigerated transport to capital cities along the east and west coast as well as Adelaide. AqaOysters also sells a small but increasing per centage of their harvest to Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

“AqaOysters is quality driven so we have a system of three oyster grades based on size (top shell length 50-60mm, 60-70mm or 70-85mm) as well as glycogen coverage (A is Full Glycogen coverage with no gut showing, B is Semi

Glycogen coverage with a little gut showing and C is minimal glycogen with mostly gut showing).”

The last 12 months have been the busiest Simon has ever had. “It is mind blowing. I have certainly been going through lots of growing pains in the change from managing one farm to integrating five companies with a total of 49Ha. I thought I was busy with Turner Aquaculture with sales around two million oysters a year. But now we’re doing five times than that!”

By Dos O’Sullivan For more details contact Simon Turner, AqaOysters Cowell, P.O. Box 34, Cowell, S.A. 5602. Tel: 08 8629-2062, Fax: 08 8629-6080, Mobile: 0427 296-057, Email: sturner@aqaoysters.com.au For information on the South Australian Shellfish Quality assurance Program contact Ken Lee, SASQAP Manager, Lincoln Marine Science Centre, Kirton Point, Port Lincoln SA 5606, Tel:08 8683-2533, Mobile: 0429 809-980, Email: lee.ken@saugov.sa.gov.au

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Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 37

FA R M P R O F I L E

Partitioned raceway a success at Condabilla Native Fish In the search for better ways to grow freshwater native fish, many technologies are being utilised around Australia. A company in SW Queensland believes that partitioned raceways are the way to go citing many advantages over pond based systems and cost advantages over recirculating tank systems.

I

n 1999, Rob Bartley and his family, looking to diversify their Queensland cotton and grain operations, decided to have a look at the World Aquaculture Conference in Sydney. Rob, brother Andrew and father Keith attended an aquaculture engineering workshop there which examined a number of innovative production technologies.

Later that year they travelled to another – this time on the east coast of the USA – and visited a number of facilities including Prof Tom Losordo’s Fish Barn.

fish, allowing stock management, predator protection and water management to be closely monitored,” he explains.

“A large water wheel arrangement keeps pond water continuously circulating allowing the natural elements of the pond to handle wastes, and keep dissolved oxygen levels up. Individual water quality controls for specific races within the system are easily monitored and action taken if and when needs arise, such as deployment of paddlewheels or other aeration devices.”

And they came away convinced that the best way for growing freshwater finfish was the Partitioned Aquaculture System (PAS) developed by the Clemson University, South Carolina (refer insert box).

According to Rob the PAS was originally designed for Channel Catfish (Ictarlus punctatus). “That industry is the biggest freshwater aquaculture industry in the westernised world so they must be doing something right. The PAS was producing four times as much catfish as the same area of earthen dams. We did some sums and decided that the PAS could be adapted for low cost growing of Australian native species. For exam-

In the September 2007 issue of the Aquaculture News (www.dpi.qld.gov.au) DPI&F officer Rod Cheetham describes the PAS as essentially a series of permanent concrete raceways set in a much larger pond. “The raceways house the

Table 1: Summary of production over the past four years at Condabilla.

Financial Year

Species

Tonnes

Total tonnes

t/ha/yr

2004-05

Mixed

8

NA

NA

2005-06

Silver Perch / Murray Cod

12/30

42

NA

2006-07

Silver Perch / Murray Cod

30/20

50

7.6

Silver Perch / Murray Cod

NA

2007-08*

* predicted

38 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

50+

NA

ple, for the same cost of bird netting which might only have a 10 year life, we could build a PAS of the same area, intensify production and cover it with shade cloth for bird protection and produce fish for many more years.

“We decided we didn’t need to reinvent the wheel, just make some changes for the specific Australian environment, notably using aquatic plants rather than herbivores to remove nutrients. So we decided in 2000 to build a PAS at our 500ha property ‘Condabilla’ which is on the banks of the Condamine River near Chinchilla, in south-west Queensland.

Staged development The farm currently has 9.4ha of raceways, each 6m wide, 1.25m deep and are made of 1.5cm thick concrete. Construction has been staged by the Bartleys to maximise research developments as they were received or showed applicable results: • The first production raceway of 3.3ha was stocked in August 2001 and has 6hp of paddlewheels • Two years later a dedicated a 0.6 ha R&D system was added with 1hp of paddlewheels • A second production raceway (5.5ha) was started up in November 2005 and this has 6hp of paddlewheels.

“The staged approach and the R&D dedicated raceway have allowed us to trial a number of construction techniques as well as production systems before building them at a larger scale,” Rob continues.

“We started with Silver Perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) and Murray Cod (Maccullochella peelii peelii) and have produced a number of crops of both. One hurdle was the nutrient removal. We didn’t have herbivorous fish species like the

FA R M P R O F I L E

Tilapia used in the U.S. so we took a different track. We added shallow (50cm deep) areas we called ‘ponded pastures’ for growing floating mats of a number of fast growing tropical grasses (such as Paragrass) which can be used for feeding to cattle, a secondary part of our farm’s overall operations. These plants act as nutrient strippers and take up to 1,000kg/ha/day of nitrogen out of the system.”

The earthen ponded pasture system (2ha) has been in operation for almost three years. Cattle can graze on the edge of ponds or on hand cut grasses.

“Water flows through the ponded pasture in conjunction with the fish production to maintain a well balanced system in the raceways and there are some natural algal blooms. Thus there aren’t a lot of wastes to collect or remove. So our farm is designed to have zero discharge, all water and wastes are retained.”

Rob knows that the PAS are more expensive to build than earthen ponds.

However the benefits become apparent with time. “Remember that to net 5.5ha of ponds (to exclude predators) costs more than $200,000, whereas for our area it is many times cheaper. The PAS is much cheaper to run with much higher production rates and when this taken into account then the overall cost of production is lower.”

Nursery, quarantine and purging areas have also been added.

Operations in full swing The Bartleys are now ‘tweaking’ their system to get the best out of it. “The raceways take around two years to reach full production potential,” Rob explained, “So the last raceway is still settling down. So far production tonnages (Table 1) in the farm’s life have increased significantly each year.”

Now all of the raceways produce high quality fish with an annual harvest capacity of 50 tonnes. “We predict we will eventually produce around 10 tonnes per hectare per year equating to an annual harvest of 94 tonnes with the ponded area we have now.”

more suited to the PAS than silver perch. “We have silver perch at stocking densities of up to 20kg/m3, whilst growth is still good in Murray cod even up to 75kg/m3. With reliable fingerling supply we will be able to lift the stocking rates.

“We feed the Silver Perch pellets from Select Nutrition and use Growbest barramundi food for the Murray cod. Noone seems to know the low end for protein content in Murray Cod feeds: the lowest we have used is 45% with a sinking pellet. We use floating pellets for the Silver Perch.”

Rob said that the fish are fed by hand twice a day. “We prefer to do it this way as we get a chance to look at the fish although we do have a couple of autofeeders. We like to feed the fish to just under satiation.”

Water quality control is minimal due to the design of the system. “As mentioned earlier, the ponded pastures and the algal blooms remove a lot of the nitrogenous wastes. Due to the high carbonate hardness (300mg/L) of the water we don’t get large pH swings; it is usually around 8.8 to 9.0. The main thing we need to do is to increase or decrease water flow through the raceways.”

There are no predator problems due to all raceways being covered by shade cloth.

Fish health management is also made easier by the PAS. However, Rob said that they do have problems with both fish species. “Chilodonella is the main issue with the MurraycCod, whilst Saprolegnia is the problem with the silver perch.”

Due to the larger Murray cod being cannibalistic on smaller fish, grading is

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Rob has found that Murray cod are Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 39

FA R M P R O F I L E 1

Partitioned Aquaculture Systems For an excellent summary paper go to http://aquanic.org/publicat/usda_rac/efs/srac/4500fs.pdf Here are some extracts: The major advantages of pond fish culture are the low capital cost of earthen ponds and the reliability of pond fish production. Disadvantages are the need to continuously manage pond oxygen concentration and other fluctuating water quality varia-

2

bles, prevent off-flavour, control predators and disease, and provide labour for harvesting. These management difficulties, combined with land, water and environmental constraints, have driven the search for technological improvements in pond aquaculture.

The Partitioned Aquaculture System (PAS) developed at Clemson University (USA) combines the process control advantage of recirculating aquaculture with the lower cost of pond aquaculture. Many of the management problems of conventional pond culture are linked to the daily diurnal cycles of oxygen production and the longer

3

term waxing and waning of uncontrolled algal photosynthesis in ponds. The continuous nutrient enrichment of a pond drives photosynthesis; however, unmanaged algal populations in conventional ponds typically yield only 2 to 3g C fixation/m2 per day. Algal carbon fixation rates can be increased with low energy paddlewheel mixing of the bulk pond water. This technique (often referred to as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;high rate algal pondâ&#x20AC;?) can sustain algal yields of 10 to 12 g C/m2 per day. With this increase in algal photosynthesis comes a similar increase in the rate of pond water detoxification (ammonia removal) and a solar-driven oxygen production system.

The PAS superimposes a water velocity field upon the pond (with the use of low rpm

4

[1- to 3-rpm] paddlewheels), making it possible to reconfigure the pond into separate, controllable compartments for the processes of fish culture, gas exchange, algal growth and waste treatment. A high rate of photosynthesis makes possible a solar powered biological waste treatment capacity that is sustainable (unlike fossil fuel systems). The PAS adapts algal production to produce a sustainable, low impact, high-yield, and more controllable fish production process. The PAS partitions pond fish culture into a series of physical, chemical and biological processes linked by computer-controlled, uniform water velocity.

1. The finished product: market sized Murray Cod. Photo by Condabilla.

2. A view of the partition system (under the blue shadecloth) and its location in the greater pond.

Photo by Condabilla.

A solids settling basin at the discharge (end) of the fish raceway is where solid waste and/or flocculated algal solids are removed. A relatively shallow (1.5-foot) algal culture basin enhances the rate of photosynthesis, thus increasing fish annual production. The PAS technique (at the highest yields) depends on the co-culture of

3. An inside view of the concrete partitions showing the shadecloth netting on top and a walkway allowing access to all raceways for feeding and other husbandry activities.

filter-feeding fish, shellfish or detritivores. As these species continuously harvest

Photo by Condabilla.

makes nutrient removal environmentally friendly and sustainable, while yielding a

4. The steel paddlewheels used for water movement and aeration of the system.

Photo by Condabilla.

algae they control the age of algae, the total standing crop of algae, the rate of algal respiration, and the rate of oxygen production. Co-producing filter feeders secondary fish crop.

Over 15 year the PAS have been continually improved; one of the important modifications has been the use of a second paddlewheel system to independently control raceway water quality (i.e., independent from the algal reactor). This arrangement allows for more precise computer control of dissolved oxygen, ammonia and carbon dioxide concentrations in the fish raceway.

40 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

FA R M P R O F I L E

important. “We stock at 1g and do another grade at 10g as well as several more before final harvest (at 1-1.2kg after about 12-18 months of culture).

For the silver perch it takes 18-24 months to get them through to 600g+.”

Management Metrics Key Management Decisions for Condabilla Fish Farm include: • Incorporated of the PAS for higher stocking densities and higher water quality.

• Focus on staged expansion as issues or systems are established.

• Testing a number of species as well as strains for the best growth and survival performance in the system.

• Only selling top quality fish, selling in the round allows the buyer to obtain a better view of the quality of the fish

The Bartleys harvest once a week using a crowd net to hold a number of fish before using hand nets (soft weave) to take out 2-3kg of fish at a time. “We use AQUI-S to give a rested harvest as the anaesthetised fish don’t damage themselves. The harvested fish are laid on a grading table before being chill killed in ice baths.”

Market as we don’t want to be like some other producers and use the action floor as a dumping floor. Thus we are receiving good prices; the silver perch have been averaging $12/kg, whilst the Murray cod have been $22/kg. We use the prices we get at the Market as the benchmark for pricing with our other customers.”

All of the fish are sold whole as Rob believes that the buyers aren’t prepared to pay for any post harvest treatments such as bleeding, gilling-gutting and so on. These whole chilled fish are packed in foam boxes for refrigerated transport.

Future expansion The Bartleys have a licence for 41ha of raceways. “We have plans this year for another pond (6.6ha) to double farm’s capacity. As the PAS is so water efficient, the main losses are through evaporation and so our annual water requirement is only 10ML/ha. Thus we have plenty of water in our reservoir for our plans.”

The fish are sold into Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, and some have been exported to Singapore.

“It is important to treat the fish with respect and ensure you only sell good quality fish. We have only been putting in small amounts onto the Sydney Fish

Other species are under trial including golden perch (Macquaria ambiqua) and Australian bass (Macquaria novemaculeata).

“We used Lake Eyre strain golden perch and these grow really fast. Depending on what species or strains we need, we source stock from a number of different hatcheries, including Noel Penfold, Bruce Sambell, Dale and Lisa Cockerton and Max Cluff.”

By Dos O’Sullivan.

For more information contact Rob Bartley, Condabilla Fish Farm, Mail Service 423, Chinchilla Qld 4413.

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Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 41

FA R M P R O F I L E

Bass eggs 36 hours after fertilization. Photo: SEQ Fish

Newly hatched. Photo: SEQ Fish

Bass a reliable moneyspinner for Qld hatchery

S

outh East Queensland Fish is based in the hinterland of the Gold Coast on the upper reaches of the Albert River.

Given a sub-tropical climate is ideal for breeding Australian warmwater native species, the company produces a range of species for the ornamental and re-stocking markets. Australian bass (Macquaaria novemaculeata) are mainstay. Others in the catalogue include golden (Macquaria ambigua), jade perch (Scortum barcoo) and silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus).

The farm consists of 28 x 0.2ha and 12 x 0.1ha ponds, a hatchery and packing facility, quarantine and climate control room and an office. Water is pumped up to a header tank and reservoir from the Albert River. From there it is fed by gravity to the ponds. Drainage water gravitates to a 50ML settlement pond and can be used as a back up should the need arise. A high river pumping licence allows them to almost pump at will due to reliable flows in the Albert River, even during the recent prolonged dry spell. Water has never been a problem

stock are selected for egg quality and spermatozoa motility. Being protandrous hermaphroditistic they change from males to females, usually happens after their third summer. But it is size dependent and may take four summers says Hatchery Manager Matt Johnson.

He has found females to be at their most productive in their maiden season and selects fish between 800g and 900g.

The males also tend to be precocious and the same rule of thumb is used in the selection. Anything over 500g is usually found to have good milt quality.

Matt says they tend to lose quite a few females during spawning and many others cannot be used more than once.

So broodstock are continually replaced under a broodstock collection permit used for water catchment impoundments. Given Matt’s a keen angler, this combines business with pleasure.

Bass are autumn and winter breeders whereas all the perch spawn over the spring/summer allowing SEQ to make maximum use of ponds and hatchery.

Spawning The fish are anesthetised and injected with chorulon: the males receive 500iu/ kg and the females 800-1,000iu/kg depending on the stage of the ova development. The fish are then moved from fresh to salt water.

As the water temperatures fall to 20°C towards the end of May, the Bass brood-

SEQ Fish get 6,000L of salt water delivered to the farm in each shipment. It’s

42 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

taken from the breakwater at nearby Southport at full tide. The water isn’t sterilised as experience has shown there’s a risk of leaving chlorine residues. It’s less trouble to simply allow the water to settle for a couple of weeks and filter it through a 1 micron filter before use.

The fibreglass spawning tanks are 2,000L with a conical bottom for easy cleaning. 300W submersible heaters hold the water temperature at 22°C. After 36 hours the fish are checked for ovulation before removal from the tanks, anaesthetising and, if the eggs can be expressed freely, being stripped into a 500ml basin. A good female will fill the basin.

Males are milked and 10ml of milt is set aside. Matt says they don’t bother with icing the milt (as some older publications suggest) as it has proven both unnecessary under their working conditions and tends to reduce the motility of the spermatozoa.

After a couple of expressions of eggs from the female into the basin, 0.5ml of milt is injected and swirled for 10 to 15 seconds with the eggs in the basin before continuing. This is repeated until the female is spent. The now fertilized eggs are slowly poured into a 20L

FA R M P R O F I L E

Bass eggs at fertilization. Photo: SEQ Fish

The development stages of bass from egg to larvae. 3 days after fertilization.

Photo: SEQ Fish

bucket of salt water to acclimate them before they are introduced to the salt water in the 2,000L hatching tanks. The water is gently aerated to keep the semipelagic eggs buoyant.

In the dark hatchery the eggs hatch in 40 hours. Once this has been completed the biofilter (having been preconditioned several weeks beforehand) is turned on at a low rate of exchange: four to five hours per turnover. The water is screened to 150µm to remove spawning debris from the tanks.

Larval development The larvae live on their yolk sac for three to five days. After day three

they’re checked two or three times a day. Once their jaws have developed and are ‘snapping” they collect zooplankton from a green plankton pond that has been fired up prior to spawning. The green pond water is pumped through a series of screens starting at 500µm and going down in stages through 250µm, 100µm to 63µm. This way the screens don’t get totally clogged.

Anything that goes through the 63µm is fed to the larvae. Matt likes to start weaning them before the yolk sac has been completely depleted.

Matt says the secret is to dribble in a little first and coax them onto the food.

He introduces a minuscule amount until the larvae move onto the feed.

Once they can be seen attacking the plankton he feeds the balance out slowly. There are an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 larvae per tank and he would only be feeding 150ml/day during these early stages. He checks the feed uptake by examining the larvae through the microscope to make sure they are eating and to help estimate how much he can increase the feeding rate.

As the water is full-strength seawater, the freshwater plankton have a short life span in the tanks: three to five minutes.

Swim bladder inflation occurs about the time of feeding. Once the swim bladder is inflated the feeding activity increases

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FA R M P R O F I L E

dramatically and the feeding rate is increased to match the increase in appetite. The majority have inflated their swim bladders by day 10. Those that don’t inflate by then, quite simply, don’t make it.

By day 10 the larvae are big enough to take artemia nauplii. The nauplii are fed immediately after hatching, without enriching. Size is the issue here. The larvae are still very small, and it’s seen as much a supplentary ration as anything else.

Whilst the farm did operate a ‘green room’ producing marine rotifers, Matt says the ponds produce better results for less work.

Top: A male and female bass anaesthetized awaiting injection.

Bottom: A typical Australian bass.

By day 21 the fully-developed larvae begin a 3-4 day acclimation to fresh water process, after which they are ready to go out into plankton ponds that have been fired up ten days previously. They are monitored every couple of days for parasites and general condition.

The farm is 50 km as the crow flies from the coast at the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. Matt says it’s amazing how the climate changes inland from the moderating influence of

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the coast and the East Australian Current. Onsite water temperatures can fall to 10°C and 12°C is the winter norm.

The prolonged dry spell has had an impact with the clear skies accompanied by a big chill. Matt says he can normally find nymph and dragon fly larvae in the pond weed throughout the year. But last winter the ponds were barren. The fish were so hungry they even turned to backswimmers, a dietary option they’d normally avoid. It put the whole season back three months. Still, good rains over the summer had the season coming back on track.

Marketing The bass don’t grow much over winter but by August they’re up around 45mm.

A very popular recreational stocking fish, they’re a prized, excellent-eating angling fish that’ll take baits and lures as well as a wet or dry fly.

Matt says the growth rate of the fish varies tremendously. He’s seen some 12 month old males at 100mm while others from the same pond and from the same cohort were 250mm long.

Matt has built up a client base of dedicated anglers who come back every year to restock their dams. “They come to the farm to collect their fish. We show them how to transport and liberate the fish and what to do to make life better for them; like preparing hides in their dams and generating natural feed.

While it’s a bit time consuming it has paid off. We have customers who have been coming back for years,” he says.

We believe there are numerous benefits for the aquaculture industry.

While bass haven’t demonstrated a future as an aquaculture species, they do have a solid following as recreation fish. Equally, whilst a bit more work than perch, they’ll go straight out into plankton ponds as soon as they’re ready to feed. And despite their premium price, SEQ Fish has no trouble selling all it can produce.

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44 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

not will rm ha h fis

Matt Johnson can be contacted by phone on (07) 5546 4462, or by email on sales@seqfish.com.au

www.AustasiaAquaculture.com.au

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F E AT U R E

Main pic above: Final product QA includes visual inspection. Photo by Brett Patience.

Right: Part of the Aust Trade Mission being shown around a prawn farm. Photo by Royal Thai Embassy.

Aussie Trade Delegation scrutinises Thai prawn safeguards H

osted by the Royal Thai Government’s Department of Agriculture (AgriThai), a delegation of ten Australians associated with the seafood industry undertook an intensive eight-day fact-finding tour of all sectors of the cultured shrimp industry in Thailand.

The delegation was led by Seafood Australia’s Norm Grant and included the seafood buyers of three of Australia’s largest food wholesalers and importers 46 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

including Alan Davis (Countrywide Australasia Ltd), Colin Plowman (NAFDA Pty Ltd) and Brett Patience (Bidvest Pty Ltd) as well as major shrimp importer Vincent Lee (Oceanic Foods Pty Ltd) and well known Sydney Fish Market retailer Nick Georgouras (Nicholas Seafoods).

Media representatives included Dos (AAM), Christine Sheppard (Food Editor for Woolworths’ Fresh magazine),

Anna Phillips (Cooking Teacher & Food Consultant) and Roland Sullivan (BlinkMEDIA cameraman).

Norm introduced the delegation to more than 20 different industry and government groups, pointing out there had been an 80% drop in the trade of imported uncooked prawns since September 2007 when interim quarantine restrictions were introduced.

“The subsequent inconsistency in supply,

F E AT U R E

and all the negative press on imported prawns in recent years has killed demand right across the category,” he explained. “Australia was potentially a prawns market of 50,000 tonnes a year, but now it can’t handle a fraction of that. The price of processed uncooked prawns has doubled due to extreme shortages and we estimate lost sales by local food service and retail businesses are in the order of $400 million annually.

“At the same time, demand for cooked prawns has plummeted – including for premium fresh local prawns. Imports aren’t to blame for that (as is often cited) – cooked prawns import volumes are also down significantly this year, in response to the lower demand.

One of the 27 shrimp testing laboratories established by the Department of Fisheries; here a technician is preparing samples for pathological examination.

Photo by Brett Patience.

“The fact is, all the anti-import rhetoric on antibiotics and viral disease risk has rubbed off on consumers and delivered a category ‘king-hit’ to everyone. It will cost us all a lot of time and money to repair the damage – effort that should have been going into moving prawns into the staple food category to protect them from cuts in discretionary spending in times of high interest rates.”

Well-known food consultant Anna Phillips agreed that any negative talk about one product killed demand across the category. “The consumer often can’t easily discriminate between products: for example wild versus cultured, or between different species or between local and imported product. Education of the consumer is important to set a strong foundation for their food choices.”

One of the well-equipped laboratories which test for a wide range of antibiotics and diseases. Photo by Brett Patience.

Meanwhile, the Biosecurity Australia (BA) Import Risk Analysis on Prawns and Prawn Products has stalled midway while the new Federal Government conducts a review of Australia’s biosecurity system. However, Norm said that, in a recent development, the Seafood Importers Association of Australia (SIAA) has given evidence to BA that the exotic strain of IHHNV is present in local farmed prawns – based on positive samples from the two labs accredited for this testing.

have already had shipments rejected.

“It’s a bit rough when BA won’t accept their own screening tests,” said Norm, “but it lets shipments be rejected on that basis, costing some Australians hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue – especially when the risk from commodity prawns (i.e. frozen dead prawns for human consumption) is known to be extremely low.

BA is now waiting for the entire genome to be sequenced before confirming the discovery – angering importers who

“All this has to be seen in the context of serious impending food shortages in Australia, driving food price inflation

(except for products that have been negatively promoted) over 4%, which is why we have to free up trade in both directions - prudently but sensibly.”

In another recent twist, those hurting from the quarantine restrictions include local prawns producers who have sent product to China for processing and repackaging and now have problems reimporting that product.

By Dos O’Sullivan

Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 47

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As part of the Good Aquaculture Practice (GAP) aeration and water quality control are managed to maintain healthy conditions for the prawns.

Photo courtesy of Department of Fisheries.

Thailand leads world in shrimp culture and certification Thailand is one of the world’s major seafood producing and exporting countries with a seafood export volume of nearly 2 million tonnes valued at US$5.8 billion. Shrimp are the major seafood product; in fact, Thailand has been the world’s number one exporter of shrimp for more than 15 years. Using a comprehensive ‘from farm to table’ certification approach, the quality and safety of shrimp production has been the focus of the Thai’s attention over the last decade. A recent Australian Trade Mission found there was much to learn from the Thai farmers, hatchery operators, processors, scientists and regulatory personnel.

A

ccording to FAO data, around 4.5 million tonnes of shrimp (prawns) were produced in 2007 of which 45% was from aquaculture. Over 90% of this cultured product came from the eastern hemisphere, mostly Asia. The major producing countries were Thailand (530,000 tonnes), China (480,000 tonnes), South America (395,000 tonnes), Indonesia (285,000 tonnes), India (265,000 tonnes) and Vietnam 48 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

(145,000 tonnes). In the same year Australia produced around 3,500 tonnes of cultured product and 20,000 tonnes of wild catch shrimp.

As China consumes much of the shrimp it produces domestically, Thailand has been by far the major shrimp exporter for more than 15 years. There are three main production areas along the Thai coastline – eastern, central and

southern.

Since early 2000, there has been a major shift in the species produced.

Previously the major species was the Black Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus monodon) but now production is dominated by the White Shrimp (Liptopenaeus vannamei) (Table 1). The slow down in the predicted production for 2008 is due to a glut in shrimp production on the

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world markets and a subsequent drop in prices.

Quality Assurance and Health Certification The implementation of National Thai Quality Shrimp Program has been underway since 1997 ensuring that Thai farmers and processors are producing excellent quality and safe to eat shrimp for the world market.

Dr Somying Piumsombun, DirectorGeneral of the Department of Fisheries (DoF) explained to a recent Australian trade mission (see accompanying story) the quality assurance program of ‘Q-Mark’ underpinned the Thai Quality Shrimp Program.

Operating since 2003, products labelled with the Q-mark qualification must come from certified hatcheries and farms (GAP/CoC, see below), been fed only registered feeds and have been handled by certified (GMP or HACCP) brokers, post harvesters, processing plants and factories.

The DoF is the competent authority for certification of exported fishery products and is recognised by food safety control authorities in various countries including EU, Japan, Canada, Australia, Korea, China, Middle East, Russia and South Africa.

For shrimp, the DoF have established 23 coastal aquatic animal diseases diagnostic and PCR laboratories to screen for disease-free PLs for stocking. Each crop of shrimp is tested three weeks before harvesting for drug and chemical residues analysis.

In order to ensure quality and safety of shrimp and other aquatic products, DoF has developed a traceability system called Fry Movement Document (FMD) and Movement Document (MD). The system was officially implemented in 2002. FMD is the document that DoF issues for identification of sources of shrimp post larvae or other aquatic animal seed.

The farmers must keep this FMD and show it to DoF when they harvest their shrimp in order to get a MD. The MD

Succulent and tasty Thai prawns with world class quality control to ensure they are safe to eat. Photo courtesy of Department of Fisheries.

of each batch will accompany the shrimp all the way to the processing plant. MD is also an obligated document for issuing a health certificate or any certificate from DoF. With an EU grant the DoF is developing a computerized traceability application called “TraceShrimp”. Originally established according to EC 178/2002 standards, the program has been expanded for use in other markets. Checks for residual chemicals in raw materials and other shrimp production inputs occur at the hatchery, farm and processing plant stages of production. The compulsory “Movement Document” (MD) and the product code enable the tracing back to the farm of origin. The stakeholders involved in the production of shrimp may voluntarily use the TraceShrimp program for modernizing and re-enforcing the effectiveness of their traceability system.

Some of the processors or big groups of farmers have developed their own internal traceability system. Some of these private systems are computerized and very modern.

tional standards such as the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries Article 9 on Aquaculture and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems. At processing level, they have also successfully implemented international Codex and HACCP standards in additional to their Good Manufacturing Practice or GMP program.

To implement these standards, shrimp farmers have to comply at least with the GAP program which focuses on the sanitary and safety requirements to ensure drug and chemical-free (or at levels below those considered harmful to human health) shrimp for consumers.

This goal has been achieved by training shrimp farmers throughout the country and building the capacity of the Thai trainers and inspectors for regulating This Antibiotic Screening Test Kit for use by farmers is an integral part of the Thai Government’s measures for the elimination of antibiotics contamination in prawn products. This is backed by significant laboratory testing of prawns and a traceability program for all raw materials.

Photo courtesy of Department of Fisheries.

The DoF has implemented two quality shrimp standard programs – the Good Aquaculture Practice or GAP program (see Box Insert) and the Code of Conduct for responsible marine shrimp culture or CoC (see Box Insert). These two quality shrimp farm standards have been developed on the basis of internaAustasia Aquaculture | September 2008 49

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and welfare and socially responsible production, as well as a quality and safe production. The program has been helped by the valuable knowledge and certification practices gained from the French EU experiences, not only for farming operators but also for other stakeholders in the shrimp industry supply chain. Some CoC shrimp farms are also now in the process of getting certified as organic shrimp farms by organic certification bodies – either Naturland or DoF.

The Thai Quality Shrimp Farmer Training Program has resulted in almost 40,000 farms being certified for Good Aquaculture Practice in 2007. Photo courtesy of Department of Fisheries.

and certifying shrimp farms all year round.

There are over 25,000 shrimp farms in Thailand of which 20,802 were GAP certified (May 2008) and 175 CoC certified. Over 70% of the farms have a small production area (less than 10ha of ponds), another 20% have pondage of up to 50ha and 10% are larger farms with over 50ha of production ponds.

The preferred market size for White Shrimp is 16.5g which gives 60 pieces per kg (whole weight). This can be achieved in 110 days stocking at PL10 (7-8mm in length) at a rate of 60 PLs/ m3. This allows two and a half crops a year, including a 30-45 day drying out, disinfection and maintenance period for the pond soils. During this time organic sludge from the ponds is scrapped out, stored for period of time and then checked it is safe to use as a fertiliser and land filling.

There are over 500 hatcheries turning out over 50 billion PL annually. Of these 50% or so are being monitored for important pathogens/diseases including Yellow Head Virus (YUV), Taura Syndrome Virus (TSV), GAV, Infectious Hypodermal Haematopoietic 50 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

Necrosis virus (IHHNV), Monodon Baculavirus (MBV), White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) and Vibriosis. The main hatcheries are operated by CPF, Thai Union Frozen, Sy Aqua and Grobest.

In excess of 700,000 tonnes of shrimp feeds are produced by some 40 feed mills. The major shrimp feed manufacturers are Charoen Pokphand Food (CPF), Thai Union Frozen, Grobest and Thai Lux. Major shrimp producers include CPF and Thai Union Frozen; these operations are all fully integrated with hatchery, nursery, grow out and processing facilities as well as feed mills and distribution centres.

Surapon Foods, and its affiliate Surat Seafoods located at Surat Thani, is one of the biggest shrimp processors but it buys from contract farms. Surapon was the first publically listed processor in Thailand and Surat Seafoods specialises in the Australian market. The company’s motto is “In food safety … we care.

In food traceability … we know.”

The Code of Conduct program is operated on a voluntary basis, developed by the DoF to achieve a higher standard of environmentally-friendly, animal health

The DoF also provides shrimp disease surveillance and monitoring programs for disease inspection including PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing specially for shrimp viral diseases in broodstock and PLs to ensure high health of shrimp before stocking. This program includes shrimp farm visits by 22 mobile shrimp health monitoring units, each of which covers approximately 16 farms a week across the 22 coastal provinces. It provides the basis for shrimp health advice for farmers and other stakeholders involved in the handling of live shrimp, as well as accurate international health status reporting including certification of freedom from specific diseases at the broodstock, PL and preharveted prawn.

Elimination of antibiotics For the last five years a major thrust of the Thai effort has been directed toward educating farmers, shrimp distributors, feed manufacturers, and processors about the importance of eliminating antibiotic residues in shrimp. A team of more than 500 fishery officers works very closely with all stakeholders particularly with the shrimp farmers. Several government agencies have also worked together to drastically reduce the importation of prohibited antibiotics.

The elimination of antibiotics contamination in shrimp products has been implemented aggressively. There are 28 well equipped and staffed monitoring laboratories each containing sophisticated equipment such as liquid chromatography-mass mass-spectrometry (LC/ MS/MS for Nitrofurans and Malachite

F E AT U R E

Green), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC for Oxolinic acid and Oxytetracycline), ELISA for Chloramphenicol and PCR /RT-PCR for viral detection. These labs have been established to enable nation-wide monitoring of the contamination of antibiotics such as nitrofurans, chloramphenicols, and others both at the farm and processing plant level.

Antibiotic Screening Tests Kits for farmers have been developed and are in use.

In March 2007 a DoF Mission had a meeting with USFDA at Washington D.C. during which it was noted: â&#x20AC;&#x153;During the last three years through the inspection USFDA did not find any prohibited antibiotics contamination in shrimp products from Thailand to the United States.â&#x20AC;?

The ultimate aim of these QA and associated programs is to ensure that the Thai shrimp products are certifiably sourced from high quality, environmentally-friendly production and are safe and free of banned antibiotics. And the purpose of all this is, of course, is to guarantee them access to fastidious western markets.

So good are these systems that the DoF is now recognised as a regional expert of FAO and has provided training for neighbouring countries on fish inspection and certification, shrimp culture standards and traceability. Through the DoF, Thailand is a lead country for the ASEAN Shrimp Alliance.

Table 1: Thai culture shrimp production. Source: CPF May 2008.

Year

Species

Total MT.

% Growth of Vannamei

Black Tiger

Vannamei

2002

260,000

3,900

263,000

Na

2003

185,000

185,000

370,000

4644%

2004

75,000

285,000

360,000

54%

2005

19,000

361,000

380,000

27%

2006

10,000

490,000

500,000

36%

2007

5,300

524,000

530,000

7%

2008 Est.

10,000

470,000

480,000

-10%

Table 2: Destinations of Thai shrimp exports in 2005-2008. Source: CPF May 2008.

Quantity (MT.)

Consumption kg./person 2007

Market

2005

2006

2007

EST 2008

%Diff 08-07

US

158,185

197,885

184,373

160,000

-13%

2.3

Japan

49,410

54,010

59,431

60,000

1%

2.6

EU

11,685

20,700

31,985

40,000

25%

1.7

Canada

14,741

16,848

25,860

26,000

1%

2.1

Korea

13,286

15,533

14,678

15,000

2%

1.8

Australia

10,421

9,349

8,993

9,500

6%

1.9

Others

22,467

24,095

29,344

29,500

1%

Total

280,194

338,420

354,664

340,000

-4%

Exports Thailand consumes around 10% of its own shrimp harvest; the remainder is exported around the world. Whilst the largest market is the USA, sales to EU are increasing (Table 2). Fresh and frozen (uncooked) is the major product type (Table 3) although cooked and preserved is also important. Valueadded and ready-to-eat products such as breaded and battered prawn, dumpling, spring-rolls and wontons are also produced in large quantities.

Mr Rachane Pojanasuntorn, DirectorGeneral of the Department of Export Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 51

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Table 3: Types of Thai shrimp exports in 2005-2008. Source: CPF May 2008.

Quantity (MT.)

% Diff 08-07

Product

2005

2006

2007

Est. 2008

Fresh and Frozen

158,445

179,046

194,980

186,700

-4%

Cooked and Preserved

121,199

158,619

159,355

153,000

-4%

Others

540

754

329

300

-9%

Total

280,194

338,420

354,664

340,000

-4%

Promotion, said that the Thai industry prided itself on exporting good quality shrimp to the world. So the Thais are somewhat perplexed about the Australia’s restrictions on the import of uncooked Thai shrimp. If they are OK for the US, the EU and Japan, why not Australia?

Speaking on behalf of the Australian trade mission, Norm Grant of Seafood Australia said the group – comprised of major wholesale buyers and journalists – were very impressed with the high standards of production, processing, traceability and certification they saw.

Indeed, Mr Rachane suggested that Thai Trade Minister Ming Kwan would be seeking bilateral talks with Australian counterpart Simon Crean to find a solution.

Funds have been authorised for promotion of Thai shrimp in Australia focussing on Thai quality and food safety.

“The compliance with the international standards such as ISO (including ISO9001, ISO14001, IEC 17025 and ISO/IEC 17020), OIE, Codex and the FAO Environmental Sustainability Code is world-leading. The facilities we have seen are far better equipped than those we have in Australia and the Thai’s adherence to QA systems shows genuine dedication from the farm managers right through to factory production supervisors and lab technicians.

Murray Darling Fisheries Reliable supplier of Murray Cod Golden Perch Silver Perch Call 02 6922 9447 M: 0419 600 926 • F: 02 6922 9448 E: mdfish@ozemail.com.au 1795 Old Narrandera Road Wagga Wagga NSW 2650

“That’s not surprising given their dependence on ever more fastidious western markets. However, the Thai’s have a culture of not complaining but quickly addressing each new challenge as the bar is lifted higher. In fact, many Thai companies simply see new market requirements as a potential competitive advantage if they can meet them first.”

Mr Sorapol Therapathana, Secretary General of the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS) said that the links between the Thai national food safety and quality standards to international standards was being taught to farmers and processors. He was proud to say that the Thais were becoming recognised as ‘the kitchen of the world.’

This view was supported by Mr Udom

52 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

Chariyavilaskul, Vice-President of the Thai Frozen Foods Association, the peak body of frozen food exporters. Mr Udom said that their mission was to become a world leader in frozen food exports through their systems of quality, standards and environmental protection.

He stated that the TFFA would be able to comply with any technically viable standards that are set; they just needed to be told actually what monitoring or certification is needed As Australia was the TFFA’s fifth largest customer, Mr Udom is keen to see the establishment of an Australian testing facility in Thailand, fed by processing plants with specialised HACCP for the Australian requirements. Issues of the chain of custody would need to be addressed, but the systems can be put in place to satisfy the Australian requirements.

Government and industry representatives were keen to see technology transfer between the two counties. Thailand’s many years of production of Black Tiger Shrimps means there is much knowledge that might assist Australian farmers. Likewise with the testing, monitoring and certification systems for antibiotics, chemical or toxin residues and pathogens or viruses.

Such assistance seems imperative as the Australian economy is not self sufficient in food production. The result has been the move of Australian from a net exporter of food to one of a net importer – our annual imports of seafood have increased to 200,000 tonnes with CSIRO predicting further rises to over 500,000 tonnes in 10-15years.

By Dos O’Sullivan For more information on the Thai prawn industry, QA and certification process, contact Sawanit Phongprapai, Minister Counsellor (Agriculture), Office of Agricultural Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy, 10 Bulwarra Close, O’Malley, Canberra, ACT 2606. Mobile: 0412 244-267, Fax: 02 6286-8847, Email: agrithai@bigpond.net.au

F E AT U R E

Thai Code of Conduct Guidelines The CoC is a systematic approach to

• Harvest and transportation: Shrimp

manage shrimp production to achieve

fry delivery, shrimp harvest and

international quality standards and to

transportation must be planned and

manage the environment for the whole

carried out quickly to keep the

production line from farm to processing

product fresh and ensure minimal

plant to maintain a sustainable marine

residues, verified through monitoring,

shrimp culture industry and to produce high quality and safe shrimp for the

prior to harvest.

• Social responsibilities: such as

consumer.

economical use of local resources

To achieve the CoC guidelines, the

should be carried out to create a

following eleven criteria for shrimp

good relationship with local

hatchery and farm must be followed:

communities, improve degraded

• Site selection: farming area must meet the requirements of the laws and be located outside mangrove areas away from pollution sources.

• General farm management: good farming practices with emphasize on animal welfare / good health and energy saving.

• Shrimp stock density: the density, quality and age of shrimp fry released in ponds must be considered

mangrove and minimise further environmental impacts.

• Farm grouping and training: develop support groups and provide training to improve the exchange of shrimp culture information.

• Data collection: all data records must be maintained and updated. Both PL source and shrimp purchasing are record either for manual or computerized traceability.

Good Aquaculture Practice (GAP) GAP is a guideline to produce good quality and safe marine shrimp for consumers; shrimp farms must be standardised, clean, sanitary and generate no environmental impacts.

Furthermore, shrimp health management must avoid use of therapeutic agents and chemicals that lead to residues in shrimp.

To facilitate GAP shrimp farms must start with internal farm management such as appropriate area use, buildings and structure and good water quality and quantity for shrimp culture. In addition the internal farm management and culture plan including culture methods, culture period, feed quantity, required water transfer volume, capital cost and harvest plan is required to plan.

Finally there should be testing for presence of prohibited shrimp chemical residues.

to achieve production capacity of each pond with the least stress to the shrimp..

• Feed: must be high quality, newly produced, stored in a good hygienic condition and produced from appropriate natural ingredients.

Feeding must be efficiently managed.

• Shrimp health management: must be carried out together with pond water quality determination.

• Therapeutic agent and chemicals: application must follow the DOF guidelines and 16 prohibited therapeutic agents and chemicals never are used. Proper culture management is required to prevent occurrence of disease.

• Effluent and sediment: must be treated properly without causing

On farm quality control on a crop of prawns.

Photo courtesy of Department of Fisheries.

environmental deterioration.

Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 53

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Victoria’s mussel industry initiative to seed a big harvest 1

2

3

4

T

he unreliability of wild spat collection has, to now, checked the growth of the Victorian mussel industry. But this bottleneck is to be removed with a government initiative to securely provide mussel spat and improve the productivity of the mussels through a selective breeding program.

The Department of Primary Industry (DPI), on advice from international and local specialists, has fitted out a shellfish hatchery to state-of-the-art standard. It will be leased to an industry consortium – Victorian Shellfish Hatchery Pty Ltd (VSH) – who will staff and operate the hatchery. DPI and VSH will equally share the costs for a three to five year period, by which time the program will be reviewed.

The program The program has two components. First, it will provide a reliable alternative to the current practice of wild spat collecting.

Secondly, researchers led by Primary Industry Victoria’s Dr Brett Ingram, will further develop reliable, cost-effective technology for blue mussel seedstock production as well as evaluate the performance of the spat post-settlement.

2. The 5,000L spat settlement tanks. The larvae are liberated in the tanks once they show signs of seeking to settle on the growing ropes provided by the marine farmers.

3. A range of algae cultures are kept on hand to manage the needs of the developing larvae.

4. Victorian Shellfish Hatchery spokesperson Lance Wiffen (R) tells John Mercer and Agriculture Minister Joe Helper (L) how it is.

54 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

The Flinders Aquaculture Fisheries Reserve (AFR), situated at the mouth of Westernport, has a more oceanic climate. Water temperatures range from 12-20°C. Growers from that AFR would benefit from a genotype selected specifically for that region.

Fisheries Victoria’s Aquaculture Manager, Anthony Forster, says: “The DPI’s role over the next 3-5 years is to work with industry to breed and grow high quality mussels, build reliability up and drive costs down. At the end of the period, industry can decide whether to build their own hatchery and expand or accept the status quo.” He reckons this collaborative agreement, forging a productive working relationship between industry and DPI, serves as a model that can be explored with other industry sectors.

Port Phillip Bay (PPB) has an area of 2,000km2, half of which is less than 8m deep. It holds 25km3 of water with tidal exchange through a relatively shallow 2.7km wide entrance (but 30m deep at the narrow 200m wide shipping channel). With limited water exchange, bay water temperatures range from 10-23°C.

The facility The program will be undertaken at the DPI’s new Marine Science facility at Queenscliff. Situated on The Narrows, a strip of land between Swan Bay and Port Phillip Heads, the hatchery takes its water through a 700m long 200mm pipeline with the inlet set 7m down in the notorious tidal flow of The Rip. This ensures a supply of good quality highly oxygenated seawater. Incoming water temperature can be adjusted to suit the requirements of the hatchery. It is screened to 30µm. The outlet water goes through a settlement tanks and biofilters before being returned to the Rip. Most system components are duplicated to cover any break down or should they require overhaul.

Blue mussels have always been highly regarded as a seafood item and the genetics program will seek to develop a genotype building on some of these characterises.

Genetic material from Western and South Australia, NSW and Victoria will

DPI’s John Mercer, Aquaculture Policy Officer (Marine) says: “While the parts of the hatchery aren’t unique, the way they have been put together is. Here at Queenscliff we have a world class facility that has a life beyond the current

The performance data collected – such as growth rate and meat condition – will provide a platform upon which a selective breeding program can be based.

1. Algologist Jessica Thomas monitors the pasteurisation parameters that play an integral role in water quality and bacterial control.

be used to establish the genotype currently in Port Phillip and Westernport.

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mussel breeding project. The wild spat collection window is 2-3 months. We should be able to condition mussels to spawn over a six month period. Each successful spawning translates to $1m worth of marketable product. There’s no foreseeable reason the hatchery can’t generate six successful runs a season”.

The industry production team is Hatchery Manager Michael Williams and algologist Jessica Thomas. Dr. Ingram’s research team is geneticist Emi Sherizon Abrahim, on exchange from Malaysia, and technician Nathan O’Mahoney.

John Mercer provides management and technical support to both teams.

There is conjecture whether the mussels in Australia are Mytilus edulis, M galloprovincialis or a separate or hybrid variety. One of the aims of the project is to establish the species as well as provide a hatchery and husbandry manual for industry based on environmental and economic sustainability. This is relative to the hatchery techniques employed.

Galloprovincialis spawn at slightly higher temperatures than edulis. At this stage they have spawned mussels at 19°C. There is also a gap of around six weeks between the natural spawning seasons of the two species. Over the period of the program the optimum spawning methodology will be established and made available to industry.

Pasteurization One of the innovations has been the inclusion of a continuous algal production system, which was developed in the UK by John Bayes over the past 30 years. This system was installed by Rod Grove Jones from South Australia. John says the system is relatively simple but the trick has been balancing all the environmental parameters.

The water for the algae room is screened to 30µm and put through a 10µm bag before being raised to 65°C. It is then dropped to 21°C after 40 minutes to pasteurise it. He estimates the pasteurisation reduces labour costs by 75%. “ “Daily water replacement in the algae bags is between 20% and 30%. A similar batch system would require the algal bags to be replaced every two weeks. By pas-

teurising the water the metabolites and bacteria are removed and any build up in the bags is flushed out. The life cycle of the algae bags is extended to two months or more ... a huge labour saving.”

1

Breeding cycle The partially conditioned mussels from PPB and Westernport will be chilled to 10°C in seawater tanks and fed for up to six weeks. The temperature will be raised slightly (1-2°C) over a couple days. The mussels will then be removed from the tanks, allowed to dry off and placed on shallow (100mm) spawning trays where they will be subjected to thermal shock at between 19-20°C to trigger spawning.

Fertilized eggs, placed into incubation tanks for hatching, rapidly go through the development stages – from a blastula, gastrula and trochophore to D larvae takes 48 hours. The 90-100µm larvae are collected on 45µm screens as the 5,000L hatching tanks are drained and then graded. Any undersize animals are discarded with the hatching debris that is also screened off at this point.

The selected larvae are divided equally into twelve conical larval rearing tanks.

Over the next two to three weeks they will be constantly fed a diet of flagellates and diatoms. The tanks will be drained and cleaned regularly. There will be a constant flow through of filtered and UV treated water at 19°C. John says the optimum temperature for edulis is 18°C and 22°C for galloprovincialis.

2

3

4

Initially the trials will start at the lower end of the temperatures range to minimize bacterial issues while the “bugs in the system are ironed out”. John says the larvae have survived at the lower temperatures quite comfortably but the larval development period will be a few days longer.

At the end of this stage the larvae are 225-240µm and ready to settle with an eye spot and a foot. The tanks are drained and the mussel larvae graded over a 215µm screen before stocking in 5,000L tanks in the green houses where the mussel ropes are introduced.

1. John Mercer with racks of mussels being conditioned for use in the breeding program 2. The comical larvae rearing tanks at the facility.

3. Mussels brought in from the farms as part of the breeding program. Photo: Emi Sherizon Abrahim 4. Fertilized eggs. Photo: Emi Sherizon Abrahim

The 18mm x 5m mussel ropes are placed horizontally for a month in the Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 55

F E AT U R E 1

2

3

4

tanks which have a continuous flow of filtered seawater and food and are vigorously aerated. By the end if this period the spat will be 1mm and settled on the ropes. These will then be supplied to the VSH farmers for stocking on their farms. In the second year twenty percent of the production will be made available at commercial rates to growers who opted out of the scheme.

With a 75mm to 90mm mussel spawning five to 10 million eggs at a time, the scope for mass production and rapid generational improvement is high. John says initially they will do mass spawnings to ensure the farms are fully stocked. Once there is sufficient data upon which to select family lines the breeding will become more selective.

Cost saving Currently the two wild spat collection zones are in PPB. Spat collected on ropes from Port Phillip must be immersed in freshwater for two hours and then air dried for 24 hours before the spat can be socked in Westernport. Such quarantine measures have come about due to the collection of exotic pests that have been introduced to PPB in the ballast water of international shipping.

Hatchery supplied seed won’t pose that problem since the ropes will not be exposed to those pests. That’s a key cost saving..

The jury is still out on whether to use new ropes conditioned in the tanks during the settlement phase or to use old ropes.

Old ropes have been shown to be the better settling in natural spat collection but in a hatchery situation the bacterial load of old ropes could be an issue.

John says new ropes, after a soaking in clean water to remove the oiliness, have proven reasonably proficient.

1. John Mercer proudly describes the sophisticated delivery system that controls water flow, quality and temperature.

2. The pump room at Queenscliff. Every system that can cause havoc by malfunction is duplicated.

3. Jessica Thomas and Emi Sherizon Abrahim outside the laboratory.

4. John Mercer and Hatchery Manager Michael Williams in the algae room.

56 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

VSH spokesperson Lance Wiffen is one of the pioneers of mussel farming in Victoria; his company Sea Bounty is an industry leader. “Our spat fall has been getting later and later each season and becoming more unreliable,” he says.

“We trialled hatchery spawned spat produced at a local abalone farm a few years back. By having our socked ropes in the water by November we were get-

ting colossal growth; faster than Tasmania and South Australia and as fast as anywhere in the world.

“We were harvesting 70-75mm and better mussels in magnificent condition, getting yields of 40kg off 5m ropes.

“That’s a huge advantage. Late socked ropes aren’t ready for harvest before the onset of winter and take a good part of the next growing season to get to size and build up condition.”

Mussels just the beginning The mussel breeding program has been developed over more than two years.

The hatchery has been fitted out by the Victorian government and the facility made available to industry at commercial rates. Industry and the Department will share the cost of the research and development. This is a serious long term commitment from both parties which demonstrates the goodwill the common goal of sustainable industry expansion has generated between the two stakeholders.

At the expiry of the agreement, access to the facility will revert to DPI. While no firm plans have been drawn up for its use after the completion of the mussel breeding program, PPB once supported a thriving scallop fishery and using the hatchery to develop seedstock for commercial growout is a possibility that has been discussed. Native oysters (Ostrea angasi) have been suggested as an option as well as using the hatchery to produce finfish seedstock. It is obvious the initial investment has a life long beyond securing seedstock for the mussel industry and has the potential to drive expansion of Victoria’s marine farming.

By John Mosig Anthony Forster can be contacted by phone on (03) 9658 4375, and by email at Anthony.Forster@dpi.vic.gov.au John Mercer can be contacted by phone on (03) 5258 0218, and by email at John.Mercer@dpi.vic.gov.au Lance Wiffen can be contacted by phone on (03) 5257 1343, or by email at sbounty@bigpond.net.au

FA R M P R O F I L E

Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 57

NEWS

Abalone virus diagnostic test 1. A diseased abalone collected by divers from Victoria’s western diving zones at Murrel’s Beach.

Photo: Vic Gannon

3. Pictured here is what a healthy greenlip abalone should look like.

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balone is one of Australia’s most important fishery and aquaculture species. The annual wild harvest is worth over $200m. Production from the aquaculture sector, after a sluggish start, has been growing rapidly with a fourfold growth between 2003 and 2006 to just under $20m, This expansion has been put on hold with the outbreak in Victoria of a herpes virus that has seen two land based farms temporarily quarantined, two cage based farms monitored and, after consultation with the wild sector, the dive industry accept an increase in the legal size limit from 120mm to 130mm to allow stocks to recover from the impact of the outbreak while the situation remains volatile.

The search for management protocols to contain the current situation in Australia’s abalone industry and prevent further outbreaks of the disease are well underway. The program has been enthusiastically embraced by stakeholders including government agencies, the farming and wild harvest sectors, environmentalists and recreational users.

Background A disease became evident in late December 2005 affecting Haliotis Laevigita, H rubra and hybrids of the two species. Initial histopathology performed on moribund animals indicated a ganglioneuritis – infiltration of haemocytes in multiple ganglia and nerves. Examination by electron microscopy revealed the presence of a herpes-like virus in the pleuropedal ganglion. Preliminary transmission studies – carried out within the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) Geelong’s high bio-security facility – indicated that this 58 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

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emerging virus is highly infectious and can be transmitted to healthy abalone through the water column. In addition, the viral suspension remains infectious after undergoing a dilution up to 1 in 100. So far, the virus has not been grown in tissue culture.

The absence of a method of detecting an early outbreak of the disease has hampered on farm control. Mortalities have been recorded in wild abalone in the vicinity of one of the farms and there are concerns that if not managed properly this emerging virus has the potential to spread further causing economic loss and could even damage Australia’s clean green image for quality produce.

Consultation Following extensive consultation – between the FRDC Abalone Aquaculture Subprogram, DPI Victoria, Western Abalone Divers Association, other abalone industry sectors, international experts brought in by industry, DPI Victoria and other abalone and disease experts nationally – a collaborative project was agreed upon to develop a fast and reliable diagnostic test allowing farmers to isolate infected animals and confine the disease.

At this stage the extent of the disease is relatively limited compared to the abalone’s extensive range across southern Australian. Extending from south western Australia across the Great Australian Bight and covering the southern coast of NSW, the oceanic reaches of South Australia and all of Victoria and Tasmania’s marine waters, the affected section of the west coast of Victoria represents a very small area of that range. However,

2. The Project Leader, Dr. Mark Crane.

there is concern that the virus may be present in other parts of the abalone’s territory and that the Victorian outbreak was triggered by stress related factors.

Diagnostic kit Project Leader Dr. Mark Crane of AAHL says a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) diagnostic test has been developed and is in the process of validation and transfer to state diagnostic labs. “The states have collected hundreds of live animals from across their coastlines as targets for the tests. Not only will the tests validate the diagnostic protocol but valuable data will also be collected and collated.

Amongst the information will be the geographical range of the virus, which at the moment is unknown.”

Once validated, the diagnostic test procedures will provide the abalone farming sector and fisheries resource management agencies with a valuable tool in identifying and containing any future outbreaks.

DPI Victoria’s Aquatic Animal Veterinarian, Tracey Bradley, says: “The way all stakeholders recognized the gravity of the situation and moved cooperatively towards developing a diagnostic test has been heartening. It has only been 30 months since the previously unknown disease was identified to the development of a rapid diagnostic test that, once validated, will give farmers a frontline advantage should the need arise again”.

By John Mosig Dr Mark Crane can be contacted at AAHL by phone on (03) 5227 5188, or by email on Mark.Crane@csiro.au

NEWS

Great potential in mine lakes aquaculture The Collie Aquafarm.

Shanola Blurton harvesting silver perch.

Placing marron juveniles into a pond. L-R, Bradley Hart, Joshua Mears, Peter McGinty.

I

n April 2002 the Bunbury Herald reported that, as a part of an extensive mine site rehabilitation program, a research centre to be called the Centre for Sustainable Mine Lakes (CSML) was to be established. Providing a home for researchers from WA universities with interests and expertise in mining environmental research, one of several projects would be the Collie Aquafarm which was already performing research on the polyculture of marron and silver perch.

CSML was to be a focus for a range of community projects. For example, Tertiary and Further Education students would use the aquafarm for work experience and university student projects would also be taken on. Enthusiasm for aquaculture and other projects was bolstered by the availability of the Western Number Five open cut, which has lakes with a total surface area of 188ha, with depths of up to 75m. The largest lake, with 32 million cubic metres of water, was seen as offering opportunities for aquaculture, water sports and fishing. A

neighbouring lake, WOH5, was seen as a suitable site for aquaculture development.

Wesfarmers Premier Coal Limited, Griffin Coal Mining Company Limited and Sons of Gwalia Limited were key WA industry financial supporters of the Centre. The WA State Government and the Australian Coal Association Research Program provided substantial financial support and further funding came from the Collie community through the Shire of Collie and the Coal Miners’ Welfare Board.

In February 2004 CSML and a local company, Community and Corporate Projects Pty Ltd, announced a proposal for a marron hatchery at WOH5 and sought support for the project from the Collie Shire Council. There was also considerable interest in involvement of the local Aboriginal community in the project, Perceived by many as a lucrative and job-creating industry, it was suggested that the project had the potential to make the Collie area the marron hub of Australia.

(All photographs: Wesfarmers Premier Coal & Dr Louis Evans)

A first harvest of marron and silver perch was made in 2003. However in September 2004 plans for the hatchery development were slightly changed – a research hatchery would take first priority.

By early 2007 it was known that fish and marron showed excellent growth rates when grown together – though separated by nets – under research conditions. But funding for more work was required, requiring development of a strong research proposal and coherent business planning.

And so emerged the Ngalang Boodja Mine Lake Aquaculture Project, which became a reality in December 2007.

The basics The project’s intent is to assess the commercial viability of mine lake aquaculture, building on the previous work by CSML at the Collie Aquafarm and provide an enterprise development opportunity for the local Aboriginal community. The commercial entity owned by the Ngalang Boodja Council Aboriginal Corporation (NBCAC) – Ngalang Boodja Enterprises Pty Ltd – is engaging in the study.

Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 59

NEWS 1

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1. Aerial showing the farm against the mine lake.

2. Phillip Ugle weighing out fish feeds.

Managing the project The commercial entity is administered by representatives with appropriate expertise from NBCAC, the mining and aquaculture industries and educational institutions, who collectively have overall responsibility for the project. This Leadership Group is chaired by Dan Machin, Executive Officer of the Aquaculture Council of Western Australia (ACWA). The project is managed on a day-to-day basis by Dr Louis Evans of Dove Consulting Pty Ltd, previously Executive Director, CSML. A Farm Manager will be appointed by the end of August, initially for two years, taking responsibility for the dayto-day activities at the Collie Aquafarm and the on-site training of Aboriginal participants.

The Assistant Manager, NBCAC ‘s Phillip Ugle, will be trained in farm management by the Farm Manager during Stages 2 and 3 and is expected to take over the role of Farm Manager in Stage 4.

The company Aquatic Resource Management Pty Ltd will act as a consultant to the project and will oversee the hatchery and farm upgrade and provide on-going expert advice on marron aquaculture.

60 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

The goals • To assess the commercial viability of mine lake aquaculture by undertaking a 2.5 ha commercial pilot project.

• To build the capacity of the NBCAC to self-govern the commercial entity within 5 years.

• To build the capacity of local people to participate in an emerging aquaculture industry development cluster in the region.

• To develop long term ‘value to community’ solutions for existing mine voids.

Action plan and targets An economic feasibility study, combined with the previous research conducted

by CSML, has confirmed the commercial feasibility of marron aquaculture in mine lakes. Progressing the investigation, Ngalang Boodja community members will both rear marron in an expanded farm pond complex and conduct a training program in aquaculture and business management. Data gathered during the commercial pilot will be used to validate the economic study’s assumptions, to assess commercial viability at the end of Stage 4 (in August 2010) and determine whether to proceed to commercial scale venture.

Early stage activities included upgrading the Collie Aquafarm facilities, design and construction of 2ha of additional ponds, stocking of genetically superior marron juveniles in the existing six ponds (covering 0.5ha) and establishing the first phase of the training program.

The targets are quite clear: Production of a business plan for marron and fish production using treated mine lake water; achieving a return on capital of 10 per cent; production of marron for sale to local and overseas markets, and defined minimum numbers of Aboriginal trainees completing relevant TAFE certificate courses.

Training outcomes

By December 2007 four Aboriginal trainees successfully completed Certificate 1 in Leadership at Collie TAFE. These students, along with a further four students, are currently enrolled in a Certificate II in Rural Operations

majoring in aquaculture. By August 2009 at least ten Aboriginal students should have completed a relevant VET certificate course The Aboriginal training program is being conducted via a cooperative arrangement between NBCAC and the Collie TAFE. Project stage timing Stage 1: By the end of June 2008 – an upgrade of the Collie Aquafarm facilit, and a feasibility study on mine lake aquaculture.

Stage 2: Assuming the feasibility study is favourable, then by the end of August 2009 – 20 0.1ha ponds constructed and marron culture under way. First year marron growout completed. Preliminary business plan completed.

Stage 3: By the end of August 2010 – second year marron growout completed (that is, those not sold in year 1).

Assessment of commercial viability.

Stage 4: From 2010 for three years – given project viability, appropriate funding and long term tenure. The tenure issues relate to alternative use of the mine water, since there’s also the possibility of resumption of coal mining at the Collie Aquafarm site. Continued assessment of commercial prospects and determination of proceeding to a 10ha commercial venture.

Finding the money The project is sponsored at various levels through the stages by Wesfarmers Premier Coal, Collie Coal Miners Welfare Board, Dr Hilda Turnbull, Curtin University and State and Federal Government agencies. Stages one to three require total cash funding of $688,645.

Stage four is estimated to require in the order of $585,000 over three years, involving business arrangements linked with commercialisation.

Progress to date The recent milestones are as follows: • The first commercial fish sales were made in July when 61 kg of silver perch were sold into the Perth live fish market.

• Thirty silver perch broodstock were retained for the 2009 breeding season.

NEWS

• The aquafarm’s ponds and tanks were recommissioned.

• Some 11,000 pedigree marron from the Department of Fisheries FRDC marron genetics project were stocked into the Aquafarm ponds.

• The Ngalang Boodja Enterprises Pty Ltd (NBE) company was established.

• The Aquaculture Council of WA won a Federal Government FRDC Mentoring Scholarship for Mr Phillip Ugle and he was established as Assistant Farm Manager.

• Seven Ngalang Boodja Council members completed Farmbis Training.

• The Due Diligence process for the Collie Future Fund was completed - a funding decision is expected in August/September 2008.

• Negotiations commenced with the Department of Water and the Department of Environment and Conservation with respect to securing water & land tenure.

• The donation process of the Aquafarm’s assets from Curtin University to NBE is under way.

• Advertisements for a Farm Manager have been placed, aiming for recruitment by the end of August 2008.

Practical aspects and looking ahead Obviously there’s a great deal of water available, predominantly groundwater augmented by rainwater. No supplements are required; however the pH is raised from 3.3 to 6.8 using a reactor designed by CSML researchers.

There are no environmental issues and the farm will operate with approvals as required.

The site is well-located with respect to infrastructure and there are no limitations.

Commercial marron feed is used. Since the project is in its very early stages there’s as yet no information on food conversion rates. Production targets are 1700 kg/ha rising to 2200 kg/ha. The NBE leadership group is considering the feasibility of NBE becoming a marron farming hub, providing certified superior marron strains to the industry in

Tensioning the ropes. L-R Bradley Hart, Conan Ugle, JJoshua Mears, Peter McGinty.

general. When the issue of exports arises, NBE policy is that marron will be supplied to an AQIS registered marron processor. Polyculture is a possibility, and NBE is examining sandalwood production – integrated aquaculture - as an option. There could also be diversification into juvenile marron, redfin perch and silver perch fingerling sales.

The biggest challenge the project faces is attracting and retaining quality staff, an outcome of the WA resources sector boom.

An AWAC perspective “The Collie mine void precinct has the potential to create a temperate freshwater industry development hub, Dan Machin says. “This could enable the marron industry to create a critical mass, especially for marketing purposes.

The precinct will enable the industry to at least double in size, with the hub playing a critical role in the multiplication and commercialisation of the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation’s marron pedigree research, offering significant benefits to the entire marron industry.”

The community future In 2004, by taking on imaginative community-based programs to convert former

mining facilities into community assets, Wesfarmers Premier Coal Ltd won that year’s Banksia Award for sustainable development leadership in the minerals industry, gaining international accolades for its efforts in mine rehabilitation. As the major sponsor of the project, Wesfarmers Premier Coal will undoubtedly will look forward to witnessing the success of the Ngalang Boodja Mine Lake Aquaculture Project as it stimulates a commercially-viable aquaculture operation in the region, bringing new hope to Indigenous people.

There are significant opportunities to extend and diversify such a venture if it’s successful, given that the water resource remains available to the industry, and the extensive area of mine lakes.

Many people from a wide variety of organizations and agencies have put a great deal of cooperative effort into the project which is also being sustained by funds from many sources. Let’s hope the local communities – and WA – can realise on the investment.

By Dave Field For more information contact Dan Machin on mobile 0438 964 303, telephone 9492 8814, fax 9244 2934, or email acwadan@wafic.org.au.

Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 61

TECHNOLOGY

Pumpable ice the best chiller P

umpable ice cools fish more quickly and to a lower temperature than normal ice to boost quality and earnings, according to the UK’s Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish).

Seafood buyers say pumpable ice maintains fish quality better than flake or tube ice and fishing crews say the ice is easier to handle and catches earn more money.

Pumpable ice is a slurry of fine crystals or particles of ice in brine, which can flow around fish to envelop it in ice.

Heat is extracted quickly and efficiently, and there is little degradation of the catch. For simplicity, Seafish calls this type of ice “pumpable ice” because of the different trade names used by manufactures of this type of technology.

Pumpable ice has significant advantages over solid fresh water ice for maintaining fish quality: • Rapid initial cooling (resulting from contact with fish).

• Chilling to a lower temperature (because of the brine content).

• Its fluidity, which enables application where ordinary ice cannot be used.

• There is considerable potential for using pumpable ice from the capture

of fish through to its consumption.

This enables pumpable ice to open up new horizons for producing better quality fish, says Seafish.

• However, ice production, storage, distribution, installations and the ice application techniques all need to be correctly sized to achieve success.

• Significant improvement can be made at sea, as cooling fish as quickly as possible after capture is one of the most vital elements in slowing spoilage. If this element in catch handling is dealt with efficiently, then it means better quality fish. This paves the way for higher prices and a more valuable product for the consumer.

There are two main types of pumpable ice: Crystalline or Binary Ice – This is manufactured by cooling down the brine to form millions of ice crystals within a salty fluid, creating a slurry. It can be made in a specially designed refrigerated steel cylinder, with ice crystals forming on the inside and then being scraped off into the surrounding brine.

Ground Particulate Ice – This is made by grinding freshwater ice into tiny particles and then mixing it with the brine to form slurry. The particles in this type of ice are considerably larger than those in crystalline ice and can have different flow characteristics.

In addition to the two principle types of pumpable ice, there are three main characteristics of ice that need to be taken into account when considering its supply and use. These are: • the ice crystals/particles will try to float to the top of the slurry, • the need to be kept well mixed before use; and • the concentration of ice in the slurry affects its viscosity and suitability for use. For example, a 20% ice concentration is quite runny, while a 30% to 40% concentration is needed for icing fish in boxes. This much thicker consistency is similar to wallpaper paste and will stay among the fish.

62 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

Salty Brine Makes Colder Slurry The stronger or more salty the brine, the colder the slurry will be and the more important it becomes to allow brine to drain rapidly to avoid unwanted salt uptake and partial freezing of fish.

Crystalline ice production is probably best suited for use on fishing vessels, as seawater is obviously available for its manufacture. However, installation of a suitably sized onboard storage tank for the ice may be a problem on some fishing vessels.

For onshore operations, such as in a processing factory, fresh water is available, but the brine would normally have to be made artificially. Both crystalline or ground/crushed ice options may be suitable, depending on the operating conditions.

There is not much difference in cost between the two pumpable ice types, as both require suitable means of storage, according to Seafish.

For ground particulate ice, the ordinary ice needs to be stored in a silo before being converted into the slurry mixture, while the slurry crystalline ice also needs a storage tank with a suitable mixing arrangement in place.

However pumpable ice is more hygienic and, in many circumstances, easier to use than ordinary ice. Generally speaking, ground particulate ice can be produced quickly and in large batches at a time, whereas crystalline slurry is produced at slow, continuous rates. Production of both types of ice generally needs to be automatically controlled so as to achieve the required temperature, concentration and viscosity.

Ice & Oven Technologies Pty Ltd produce Flo-Ice. Please contact them at 11 Crompton Road, Rockingham WA 6168 Tel: +61 8 9528 7077 Fax: +61 8 9528 7011 Email: admin@iceandoventechnologies.com Web: www.iceandoventechnologies.com

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Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008 63

TECHNOLOGY

Clyde Estuary remains open more often O

yster farmers on the Clyde River on the southern NSW coast are an enterprising group. Wanting to make sure there was a science based approach to determining when their estuary was closed for aquaculture harvesting, they decided to monitor water conditions in their estuary so as to be able to correlate salinity with meat quality. Thus a salinity buoy from Data Acquisition Networks was purchased. Their determination and efforts have been rewarded with some outstanding results.

Historically, the Clyde River has been closed for aquaculture harvesting whenever salinity fell below 28ppt. After a period of monitoring and evaluation in collaboration with the NSW Food Authority, the Clyde River now closes for aquaculture harvesting when salinity falls below 25ppt.

During the month of May following this change the Clyde River was open for its farmers to harvest oysters an astonishing 43% more often that it would have been had the threshold remained at 28ppt!

The benefits to this outcome are obvious.

Clyde River is a more reliable supplier of oyster product and Clyde River farmers can be more certain about the quality and integrity of their product than ever before.

No-one in the oyster industry likes ‘closures’ so if they must happen when a rainfall event occurs then it is important to know there is certainty about the decision!

Data Acquisition Networks (DAN) has pioneered the use of remote water parameter monitoring for estuary aquaculture in NSW. DAN is an Australian owned and managed company that has an excellent international reputation for remote monitoring and data security.

Like all DAN monitoring solutions the product used for estuarine monitoring in the NSW aquaculture industry is simple yet effective. The DAN DM01 data logger is secured to a buoy and is solar powered by panels mounted on the buoy. The unit reports salinity every hour to the website and sends alarms immediately. Data can be retrieved by simply logging onto the internet or sent instantaneously to a mobile phone.

DAN never stops ongoing development of its product range and recent innovations have resulted in the use of wireless transmitters and receivers that can be supported by a smaller buoy and which send data wirelessly from many points on an estuary to a DM01 mounted in a farmer’s shed.

The use of wireless units has enabled DAN to develop a product that can take account of the variations in salinity at different points along an estuary. Variations in salinity can be caused by tidal and other factors and yet traditionally, a rainfall event anywhere in the area has resulted in a closure even though it may not have been a problem at points where oyster leases are located.

If your estuary committee would like to find out more about salinity monitoring please log onto www.danmonitoring.com or contact Aquasonic Pty Ltd (DAN’s representative to the aquaculture industry) on ph 02 65864933, fax 02 65864944, e-mail sales@aquasonic.com.au or web site www.aquasonic.com.au.

Tooltech continues to innovate B

risbane based company Tooltech Pty Ltd, specialists in product design, toolmaking and plastic moulding are well able to use the term ‘From Concept to Reality’ in regard to their involvement in the world’s aquaculture industry.

Their range of products on the market have been designed, tooled and moulded either from their own initial concept, or from close consultation with customers who have come to them for assistance with a special product need.

Apart from their well known and recently expanded Aquatray® and Aquapurse® Systems for shellfish grow-out, they are also involved in producing specially designed products for soft shell crab and scallop farming.

64 Austasia Aquaculture | September 2008

With the use now of 3D data based Fused Depostion Modeling (FDM) they are able to provide integrated manufacturing solutions using rapid protyping techniques to make a model to scale, before commencing expensive tooling, thus saving the customer, and themselves, both time and cost.

Metal tooling and polymer injection moulding is the most common process for producing complex or detailed product designs, economically in large quantites.

However this is normally at a some expense – particularly for the tooling, and unless there is a high volume requirement, this expense may not be recouped.

Therefore after the concept is established – normally as a result of detailed

consultation – and where it is then of advantage to the customer, Fused Deposition Modeling can be used to produce the time and cost saving prototype.

From then it is normally a straight forward process through tooling to moulding production, using the required domestic or engineering polymer.

Tooltech at all times welcomes inquiries seeking assistance in developing polymer made products.

For further information or assistance contact Reg Breakwell (Marketing & Export Manager) Tel. 07 3271 1755, Mobile 0408 740 883 Email: rbreakwell@tooltechservices.com.au or tooltech@tooltechservices.com.au

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Tailor made clips for pearlers, oyster and mussel farmers.

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