October/November 2005 by Tim Walker

Volume 19 No. 5 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; October/November 2005

Sleepy cod: species in waiting Barra farm builds R&D funding model Woodvale's yabbies endure drought Shipwreck Point's oyster update Kimberley's promising prawn prospects Limestone Coast's ornamentals Ocean trout favoured over salmon Eel farm converts to fingerling supplier

October/November 2005

www.AustasiaAquaculture.com.au

Editor-in-chief Dr Tim Walker 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 Advertising Megan Farrer Graphic design Beverly Waldie

FA R M P R O F I L E S Woodvale Yabby Farm endures drought and PrimeSafe

Shipwreck Point Oysters looking towards the future

Promising results for Prawn farming in the Kimberleys

Ornamental fish from South Australia’s Limestone Coast

Sevrup leads the way with Ocean Trout

New owners to expand production at South East Queensland Fish

Barramundi farm builds sustainable R&D funding model

F E AT U R E Sleepy cod: species in waiting

Weaning sleepy cod

NEWS Printing The Franklin Press 91 Albert Road, Moonah, Tas. 7009 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: A montage of photos taken from stories contained in this issue. Captions and photo credits as per the details inside.

Government Policies – are they destroying the Australian prawn industry?

RESEARCH Proving the worth of Aquaponics

MARKETING Sydney Royal Show Awards for farmed prawns

Emperor UV sterilizers now available in Australia

FROM THE NAC Seafood industry united on marketing

Dodgy Dealers Beware

Govt releases aquaculture protection plan

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October/November 2005

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FARM PROFILE

healthy pond bottom and each has 2hp of paddlewheel aeration per hectare. Water comes from a 14ML water right with Colban Water. Fortunately the Colbert’s location at the southern edge of the Whipstick Forest allows them to fill a 3ML storage dam from the run off that comes out of the forest reserve. All ponds are netted for birds even though the area isn’t a wetland habitat. Bernie reckons you can’t farm yabbies without anti-bird netting. He’s only had to replace it once but says it has been worth every penny spent on it. Whilst the odd tortoise finds its way into the ponds, the area is too dry for water rats.

Bernie is shown here inspecting a buried female in the 72 box hatchery.

Woodvale Yabby Farm endures drought and PrimeSafe Bernie and Lynne Colbert could lay claim to being Victoria’s oldest operating yabby farm. Situated just north of Bendigo, on Victoria’s central goldfields, they started farming in 1989 after hearing a radio broadcast on the ABC and attending a yabby seminar at Euroa organized by Australian Yabby Farms. Their first pond was 200m long by 25m wide with another two of the same

dimensions put in for the 1991/92 season. Each is between 70cm and 90cm deep. However they have since changed the design, dividing the original ponds into three, each 60m by 25m. This allows a wider range of production and harvesting options. The farm has 1.5 hectares under water. All the ponds had the topsoil put back in the base of the ponds to provide a

Production methods Production methods have changed over the years, particularly during the drought. “Our water allocation was halved,” said Bernie. “We have been able to keep the ponds topped up; that’s at the expense of draining them every year. We’ve had to change to a less regular cycle.” Before the drought the Colberts would start by flooding a dry pond in late October or early November when the water temperatures were over 16°C. The pond either had a crop of cereal growing in it or the bottom was covered with biscuits of hay at the rate of three small bales per pond (12 bales/ha). NPK fertilizer was added at the rate of a bag to the hectare in order to encourage a plankton bloom. Once that was underway and bacteria had colonized the hay or cereal crop, stocking with common age juveniles would occur. The first yabbies would reach a market size of 70g by Easter and the crop would be harvested through till mid to late winter. After that the ponds would be drained, limed and either sown down or covered with hay biscuits in preparation for flooding in the spring. Bernie believes, as they’re a flood plain animal, the best way to get yabbies off to a flying start is to emulate flood plain conditions. Woodvale Yabby Farm has always been renowned for the cleanliness, colour and size of its yabbies. Bernie puts it down to the turbidity caused by colloidal clay in the ponds and the farming methods. He reckons the yabbies seem less stressed in clay turbid

Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 3

FARM PROFILE

ponds. Now that the drought has cut back the available water Bernie and Lynne leave the ponds full longer. While this tends to produce a smaller yabby, Victorian government regulations, particularly food safety regulations, have made farming table yabbies sub-economic and the longer cycle produces more bait sized yabbies. Ironically, Bernie still gets inquiries for the larger yabbies from anglers chasing Murray cod.

The igloo at Woodvale Yabby Farm. The pondage is 22m x 7m and 75cm deep. The water is circulated through a filter box that removes ammonia. It holds 90m3 of water when full.

4 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

The hatchery The farm used to buy in the juveniles from the hatcheries at 10/m2. “In the early days, when the industry was strong, you could buy juveniles for $50/1,000,” Bernie recalls. “But as the hatcheries dropped out they got up to $120/1,000 and we had to breed our own.” So a second hand insulated box from a meat truck was converted into a hatchery. There are 72 breeding boxes, each 50mm x 30mm x 15mm deep. The bio-filter is 500m3 and the bacteria medium is bio-balls. The pump is run for two hours twice a day and temperature maintained at 20°C with an oil heater run mainly through the night to take advantage of cheaper power rates. The yabbies, stocked in the hatchery at two females and a male to a breeding box in mid July, take about three weeks to berry up – the success rate is about 60%. Once berried, the males are returned to the ponds and the females left to incubate one to a box. This takes another three to four weeks. The juveniles are held for another three weeks before being put out in the nursery igloo. Bernie prefers breeders less than 50g as they tend to do less damage to each other should aggression start. The average batch per female is 350 juveniles. Juveniles are stocked at 50/m2 in early September; after eight weeks they’re 30mm to 35mm long and weigh 5g. Recovery from the igloo pond ranges from 35% to 50%. Feeding is with Radford Park crayfish pellets. “It’s hard to know if you’re getting the growth rates unless you have an igloo you’re not feeding, but the yabbies are eating them and growing. It’s been one of the problems in the yabby industry for a long time: being able to compare diets,” Bernie says.

FARM PROFILE

The Colberts have found the Mullataga type traps to very effective. Bernie said he can set and leave them for days at a time.

Paddlewheels are the aerator of choice at Woodvale Yabby Farm.

The hatchery does two sittings a year. This is enough for the farm and a few are sold into NSW for bait and growout. Production Since the Colberts stopped drying the ponds and doing an annual cycle production has fallen away. To begin with they’d stocked at 10/m2 for a harvest of 1,500kg/ha (750kg per big pond). Dropping that stocking rate back to 5/m2 the biomass stayed the same but the yabbies were a size up and attracted a $2/kg premium. Under the drought regime, they’re not seeing any yabbies above 75g in the traps – formerly 100g+ was common – and yields have fallen back to closer to 1,000kg/ha. Now that self recruitment has taken over they’ve also dropped the stocking rate back to 1.5/m2 (1,000 juveniles per pond). Water is as much a problem as anything. They’re still on restricted water

allocation, 60% of their license. Bernie has looked at the economics of pumping water back up to the storage dam but the lift would make it uneconomical. Any drainage water he runs downhill to his neighbour’s dam, where it is gratefully received. Bernie is a great believer in natural food. He feels it’s the cheapest and the best. Plankton and detritus has been a big part of the food supply at Woodvale Yabby Farm but he doesn’t have anything against feeding a supplementary ration.

Education groups During a visit from a school teaching colleague, Bernie and Lynne were asked if they’d mind a visit from the colleague’s class. They cautiously agreed and it was a roaring success. Educational visits have since become a regular source of income for the farm. As Bernie says: “They tend to come in the warmer months; it’s seasonal. But the kids love it and it’s educational for them. Many teachers tell us it’s the best hands on experience they’ve taken them to. “There’s not enough in the job for a stand alone income”, Bernie continues. “We’ve had to drop the restaurant yabbies because of the PrimeSafe regulations, regulations that have somehow classified a live yabby as food. It might be if you’re a cormorant, but I like mine cooked. We have the education tours and we can still sell bait yabbies. Since the professionals have been restricted to carp and yabbies along the Murray the interest in cod angling has grown. This has helped move the bigger yabbies that are still coming through.” Markets Bait prices are good. Woodvale gets $4.50-6.00/doz. Cod bait are sold by the kilo. However the markets have also been hit by the drought with inland storages in many central Victorian reservoirs down to less than 10% and the caravan parks that make up the bulk of the

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FARM PROFILE

bait market either closed or not buying bait. Fortunately, in one sense, it has also hit the bait suppliers and the small market that is available isn’t over-supplied.

The ponds cover 1.5ha of water, but an integral part of the operation has become the tourism angle. Bernie feels this is the key to the survival of the Victorian yabby industry.

Bernie with a 120g yabby on display at the farm’s information centre.

The future For an industry that has always struggled to establish itself, the PrimeSafe regulations have taken the wind out of its sails. “It’s not the cost of the PrimeSafe license so much as the cost of the audits,” Bernie says. “At a meeting held at Heathcote, at which 60 Victorian yabby farmers turned up, the PrimeSafe officer had no idea how the industry worked. He couldn’t tell us how much the audits were going to cost other than it would be based on travel and time. With the nature of the industry, especially with the farm dam harvest dependent on season conditions, a grower could be faced with hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in audit fees and not have a yabby to sell.” Bernie continues: “Fisheries cost recovery policy has been another financial burden. The yabby industry doesn’t use any Fisheries services other than the issue of a license. What can that cost to issue? We’ve already had one refund from the department for the peak body levy that isn’t necessary now the Minister doesn’t collect and pass on the Victorian Aquaculture Council funds. We’re all hoping the next license fee for the yabby growers will show some common sense. The industry is made up of small operators working on limited turnover. There’s not a lot of fat there to play with. “The Victorian markets will be serviced from NSW. Once the markets have gone to NSW growers they will only get stronger as the Victorian industry gets weaker. The way it’s going there’ll hardly be a yabby grower left in Victoria. To survive, the industry will have to re-invent itself. It can’t continue the way things are now.” By John Mosig Bernie and Lynne Colbert can be contacted on (03) 5446 7525, or on email on colbert.lynne.lm@edumail.vic.gov.au

6 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

FARM PROFILE

Shipwreck Point Oysters looking towards the future Meet Tom Kennedy, a young inspiring oyster farmer at the forefront of encouraging the Tasmanian oyster industry – and his family’s 27 year old Pacific oyster farm – to move towards a more economical and sustainable future. Tasmania’s Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) farms first appeared in 1970’s. By 2004 the industry had grown to 100 or so farmers marketing 3.5 million dozen a year with a farm gate value of $20 million. And a generational change is underway with many pioneering farmers now passing on the responsibility for the farm to their children. Whilst these second generation aquaculturists still display the same commitment, ingenuity and passion they’re introducing new ideas and management techniques. Take Tom Kennedy for example. After leaving the University of Tasmania, he joined his father Frank and brother Patrick, at Shipwreck Point Oysters, the family’s 32.2 hectare lease at Smithton on Tasmania’s northwest coast. Tom’s dedication to the state’s aquaculture scene is evident by the number of ‘hats’ he wears: Manager Director of Shipwreck Point Oysters, Secretary of the Tasmanian Shellfish Executive Council (TSEC), Treasurer of Circular Head Oyster Growers’ Association (CHOGA), Director of the Tasmanian Oyster Research Council (TORC), Director of the Tasmanian Fishing Industry Council (TFIC) and (newly

appointed) Director of the Fishing Industry Training Board (FITB). Early Days It was in 1978 that Frank Kennedy, a local abalone diver, seeing the opportunity afforded by oysters, first obtained a 15ha lease in Big Bay. But from the beginning – like all oyster farms at the time – he was dogged by uncertain spat supply from the sticks in the Tamar River estuary that underpinned the industry. Given such variability in settlement rates, the farmers turned to Dr Trevor Dix to develop a reliable spat supply pipeline. Working from 1978-80, that endeavour culminated in a commercial spat production facility at Bicheno on the east coast. Along with the rest of the industry, Shipwreck Oysters could then flourish. Growing up living and breathing oyster farming, Tom has made a career out of it. “I graduated from the University of Tasmania with a Degree in Bachelor of Aquaculture and was lucky to have a father who listened to my wild ideas and theories on how we could better manage the farm both economically and sustainably.” The first thing Tom thought about

From top: The southern view over the farm shows a number of the rack and rail systems and the natural beauty of the area. The Oystek Automatic Grading Machine is capable of grading more oysters in an hour and a half than the previous machine graded in a day. The mature oysters are kept in baskets until they are harvested at sizes of 65mm or larger.

Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 7

FARM PROFILE Oyster baskets are now being used in preference to the French envelopes for ease of use and better product growth.

altering when he returned to the farm was the cost and dependability of spat from the commercial hatcheries (there are now four). “I started to investigate the possibilities of starting my own oyster spat production facility,” he recalls. “This all stemmed from a squeeze on spat supply in 2001. During this period, spat were difficult to produce commercially by production facilities and the industry was restricted in their numbers of spat available for ongrowing.” At that time the industry consensus on the cost to build a dedicated oyster spat facility (at least 10 million spat per year) was over $100,000. But Tom thought otherwise. “When I looked at what equipment was actually involved and the basics of algal production, I thought I could build a facility for at least one tenth of that.” It was an underestimate but nevertheless Tom built his facility over the next 12 months for just $30,000. “I spent a lot of time searching the internet and calling people looking for second hand equipment, which all works perfectly fine.”

The hatchery was built by converting a third of the 25m x 10m processing shed and adding a raised mezzanine floor for algal culture. Water is delivered to the hatchery via a 16,000L water truck and treated onsite. Broodstock collected from farms around the state are housed in a single 200L flow-through (5L/min) recirculated tank and fed with algae. The oysters are stripped, spawned and fertilized and the resultant larvae placed into one of four 1,000L tanks. Algae (Pavlova, Skeletonema) is cultured using standardised techniques up until carboy stages for batch production. When ready for harvesting, the algae is fed to the larval tanks as required. After approximately 14 days the oyster larvae reach the pedivelliger stage and are ready for settlement. Settling single oysters is brought about by treating the larvae with Epinefrene twice a day over a period of three days. The settled spat are continually fed with algae until they can not pass through a 1,000 micron screen (approximately 1 to 3 weeks post set). Then they are placed into 630 micron screen seed boxes and placed out in the more productive areas of the farm for maximum growth. Tom believes that having the hatchery has been a major asset to Shipwreck Point Oysters. “The hatchery has given us the freedom to really control our production levels. It has also taught us so much about the oyster’s lifecycle that I believe we are better farmers for it.”

8 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

Farm Expanded The farm now totals three leases (total 32.2 hectares) – all of them in the Big Bay area – containing approximately 12km of racking that holds 15,000 French envelopes (20mm mesh bags), 8,000 baskets (with a mesh size of 20mm) and 3,000 trays for juvenile production. “The French envelopes have been on the farm since we began but we are slowly replacing these and adding more baskets each year as they are easier to work and grow a better product,” Tom explains. The estuary receives a 3.5 metre tide which has very good flushing effects on the baskets. Water quality is quite variable with winter temperatures and salinity reaching 9°C and 20ppt respectively; during the summer temperatures rise to 24°C and salinity levels to 35ppt. Tom says the quality of the growing waters is closely monitored. “The industry has just signed with the Government to continue the Tasmanian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program (TSQAP) for a further five years,” he notes. “This is a major industry-focussed program to monitor the water quality and oyster meat quality around the oyster farms and has proven to be highly effective ensuring that all Tasmanian oysters are safe to eat.” During the summer months those oyster racks below 0.9 metres on a tidal height can clog very heavily with infestations of cunjevoi (tunicates or sea squirts).The Kennedys used to leave the fouled oysters alone and only wash them down when harvesting. However, this lengthened growout time and took considerable manpower – lifting the heavy baskets was a big Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) issue. Tom’s response has been to ensure all oyster baskets are raised just before summer to a minimum of 0.9 metres on the tidal height for three months. Above this height settlement of fouling organisms is greatly reduced. Initial results have indicated that whilst oyster growth reduces marginally over that three months, in the course of a year it saves the farm the equivalent of one worker fulltime for six months and alleviated the OH&S issue. “The oysters that we harvest now are really clean and easy to handle,” he says.

FARM PROFILE

images of an oyster and then deposits the oyster down a shoot into a hessian bag according to its size. Eight size grades are possible from 20mm up to 90mm. The grader can handle 1,200 dozen oysters an hour, superceding the previous hand grading that could grade between 1,500-2,000 dozen for a whole days work! Tom believes that with this machine and with better management of the leases, he’s saving the work and expenses of at least 1.5 workers a year. Once graded the oysters are packaged into 25 kg hessian bags and sold as either Plate (65-75mm), Standard (75-90mm) or Large (90mm +) live product to customers in every state in Australia. Farm production figures are certainly on the rise: from 50,000 dozen in 200304 to 70,000 dozen sold last season and an expected 120,000 dozen this season.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) To allow inter-farm comparisons, each AAM farm profile details a number of key performance indicators for different aquaculture systems. Except for the comments under ‘Key Management Decisions’ which are prepared by Dos, the information has been supplied by the farmer: • Key Management Decisions made at Shipwreck Point Oysters include: – Producing own oyster spat to be independent from external hatcheries – Adapting management practices to work with environmental issues (cunjevoi) – Minimising OH&S issues through mechanisation (new grader) and less fouling on baskets – Getting involved in the industry decision making process • Culture System utilised: rack, rail and mesh baskets, includes some mesh French envelopes • Growth rate (from stocking to market): 14 to 24 months • Survival rate: 85 % from first stocking to sale size • Annual harvest: 70,000 dozen but increasing

By Phillip Kerr with Dos O’Sullivan For more information contact Tom Kennedy, Shipwreck Point Oysters, PO Box 343, Smithton, Tasmania, Phone/Fax: 03 6456-6160, Mob: 0408 352-321 or email kennycasual@hotmail.com 1. An example of the rack and rail system used by the farm for the growing of the juvenile oysters.

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2. The hopper is used to feed the automatic grading machine at a rate of up to 1,200 dozen oysters an hour. 3. A truck is used to transport the punt to the shore for access to the farms oyster racks.

Harvesting The oysters from Tom’s hatchery grow for 14-24 months before harvesting. Over this time the juvenile oysters are placed on trays in 6 and 9mm soft mesh bags until they reach at least 40mm in length. They are then packaged into French envelopes until approximately 60mm at which point they are put into baskets until harvest size of 65mm or larger. That harvest takes place from November through to February using four people (fulltime) on two large punts. Tom is very pleased with their latest purchase, a South Australian Oystek grader. The grader works by taking four

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FARM PROFILE

Promising results for prawn farming in the Kimberleys In July 2003, the Kimberley Sustainable Regions Program initiated a focus on Penaeus monodon production in the Kimberley region. Two years onwards, AAM caught up with the Kimberley Prawn Company to discuss how its first harvest has gone and what the future holds for prawn production in the area.

KAAC Algal facility, Species cultured include C. muelleri, T. iso, P. lutheri, Skeletonema as well as benthic species for Trochus culture. Photo by Digby Fleming

In 1995, John Thomson and Ian Crimp – joint leaseholders of 2,000 hectares of land bordering on the King Sound at Derby, Western Australia – applied for a licence to farm (Penaeus monodon) prawns. Naming their venture the Kimberley Prawn Company (Aust) Pty Ltd (KPC), they later added Brown Tigers (Penaeus esculentus) and Banana

prawns (Penaeus merguiensis) to the licence. John anticipated 10 hectares were needed from the suitable mudflats to ensure the project could be both feasible and economically viable. But it wasn’t until 2002 that, after a lengthy process of dealing with Native Title and EPA issues, KPC was officially given the go ahead to trial prawn farming.

10 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

However without a commercial hatchery the prospects looked dim. Nevertheless John and Ian’s enthusiasm proved infectious. By 2003 the Kimberley Sustainable Regions Program (KSRP) sponsored a joint venture – to kickstart an evaluation of prawn farming in the region – between KPC, the Kimberley Aquaculture Aboriginal

FARM PROFILE

Corporation (KAAC), the WA Department of Fisheries, Tiger International (now part of Marine Products Australia) and Simpson Seafoods (George Simpson) The Department of Transport & Regional Services (DoTARS), through the KSRP, is contributing $660,000 in grant funding to the project, which KAAC administers, with equal contribution by the other project partners. The project is designed to develop the following objectives: 1 Establish a secure supply of broodstock for the P monodon industry in the Kimberley including determining the SPF status of WA monodon broodstock and post larvae (PL). 2 Standardise commercial production of PLs including broodstock maturation under Kimberley conditions. 3 Produce growth performance data for PLs grown under the harsh Kimberley conditions and collect environmental data on pond discharge water. 4 Enhance the capacity of stakeholders in the region, including indigenous groups, to take up prawn farming. 5 Establish a new primary industry in the Kimberley based on farming monodon prawns. Hatchery established KAAC had established a multispecies hatchery and tourism facility – the Manbana Aquaculture & Discovery Centre – in Broome in 2002. The hatchery’s first activity was to produce juvenile trochus (Trochus niloticus) for 19 indigenous communities along the West Kimberley coast. The foundations for a prawn hatchery were established in one of the Manbana production tunnels with the support of the Kimberley Development Commission’s Kimberley Aquaculture Research Project in 2002. Following the success of that project, KAAC’s Technical Advisor Dr Chan Lee brokered a deal for it to source prawn broodstock, undertake hatchery production at Manbana and supply juvenile prawns for grow-out. An extension to the current hatchery was completed and broodstock mon-

John Thompson and Vanessa Dombrowski inspecting the quality of harvested prawns in April 2005. Photo by Digby Fleming

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FARM PROFILE

Joe Triscari performing Bacterial monitoring. Photo by Digby Fleming

odon collected by (commercial fishing company) Simpson Seafoods from Joseph Boneparte Gulf were spawned in October 2003. A second successful spawning took place in Oct/Nov 2004 with similarly-sourced broodstock, the larvae of which were then stocked at the KPC grow out site in Derby. Water pumped from Roebuck Bay at the Broome port jetty into the Broome Tropical Aquaculture Park (BTAP) has varying levels of suspended solids due

to the large diurnal tides. Tenants of the BTAP are supplied water screened down to 50µm; any further treatment is conducted by the tenants who also have the option of using saline bore water pumped from within the site. The KAAC prawn hatchery filters water to 1µm and UV sterilises it before use. Due to high temperatures during the wet season the hatchery has had to implement strict management protocols – including bacterial monitoring –

12 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

in an effort to control pathogenic bacteria in the larval rearing tanks. A new algal bag culture system has also been added to boost algal quality and reduce the likelihood of contamination. The female black tiger prawn broodstock used for spawning range in size from 180g to 250g and up to 30cm long; each female can produce as many as 800,000 eggs though the average is 4-500,000 of which 60-80% will hatch into nauplii, the first larval stage of the prawn larval cycle. The hatchery comprises six 10-tonne parabolic larval rearing tanks. Nauplii are stocked into these tanks at 100/L and, if all goes well, survival at the end of the month long hatchery cycle will be 30-40% with 1.5-2cm long juvenile prawns ready to be stocked to the grow out site at Derby. Gill Associated Virus (GAV) has recently been detected in the population of black tiger prawns in the JBG and while GAV is thought to be present in waters from North Western Australia around to Queensland, testing carried out by WA Department of Fisheries Fish Health Unit has so far demonstrated negative results for GAV in populations of monodon in more southerly longitudes of WA. The KAAC hatchery, with considerable contribution from WA Department of Fisheries and commercial fishing companies is now conducting broodstock survey, collection and disease testing work with prawns in areas thought to not yet to contain GAV in an effort to develop a WA prawn industry free from GAV. Growout farm KPC’s first feasibility trial commenced in November 2004 with the stocking of 270,000 monodon post larvae (PL16) in two 1ha (100m by 100m) earthen ponds. The prawns were stocked at 18/m2 and 9/m2 per square metre (180,000 and 90,000 respectively) with each pond equipped with four 2hp paddle wheel aerators. “We ran the trial at this stocking density because we needed to know what the area was capable of as this is the first prawn farm

FARM PROFILE

Digby Fleming with filtration components. Water is filtered through a 10micron bag and a 5 and 1 micron cartridge filters then followed by UV sterilisation before entering the hatchery. Photo by Joe Triscari

in Western Australia; there is no other data collected for research,” John says. “The community-based (indigenous) projects are also more likely to run at lower densities than commercial operations,” Ian adds. Each pond was constructed using a scraper, dozer and backhoe and averages a water depth of 1.5 metres. “We used onsite bore water for the trial as we don’t want to start earthworks to supply local estuarine water until we can confidently say the operation will be viable,” notes John. There is a 6” PVC water supply pipe from the bore, and the ponds also get water through the 600mm of rainfall per year. In fact the bore water appears to be more than adequate given salinities of 16-24 ppt and temperatures of 28-33°C. No water exchange takes place; water was supplied only to top up losses from evaporation. Ian says each pond has a 1m wide monk outlet exiting through a 60cm

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Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 13

FARM PROFILE

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) To allow inter-farm comparisons, each AAM farm profile details a number of key performance indicators for different aquaculture systems. Except for the comments under ‘Key Management Decisions’ which are prepared by Dos, the information has been supplied by the farmer: • Key Management Decisions of Kimberley Prawn Company include: – Partnering up to establish the industry – Starting with a feasibility study first – Trialling different stocking densities to gauge possible production output – Using available bore water before altering the estuarine environment through inlet channels – Using an ‘open door’ policy to promote the industry. • Culture System utilised: 2 x 1 hectare earthen ponds • Growth rate (from stocking to market): <5 months (av. 38g,) • Survival rate: no records taken • Av. stocking density: 9 and 18 per square metre • FCR: 1:15 • Annual harvest: scaling up

drain pipe. “We used the green (reconstituted) pipes for that. The monks have 4 slots for screens and boards. The screens are made from 75% shade cloth.” Feeding is undertaken 3-4 times daily both by hand and using an aluminium 12’ punt with an electric outboard. Ian adapted a fertiliser spreader with a 12V cordless drill hooked up to a 12V battery. “The system only costs

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$300 total, including the outboard,” he says. “The drill spreads the feed around 3-4 metres from the punt, so it does a pretty good job.” Ian believes the prawns are learning to associate the sound of the outboard with feeding given that the prawns jump at the side of the punt whilst loading the feed in buckets onto the punt. Temperature, salinity, pH and DO are all closely monitored and the trial experienced no problems. “As the ponds were quite new and we used the bore water we didn’t have any problems with introduced pests through the water inlet,” says John. “When we first stocked the ponds we did experience some early mortalities of PLs though. We think this was more a handling issue rather than an environmental issue.” Predation by local birds and associated wildlife has been very minimal as John believes they don’t really realise what’s in the water yet. The farm currently employs one person in addition to the efforts of Ian – who runs the day to day operations of the farm – as well as hosting work experience students from Broome TAFE. After 140 days of growing, both ponds were harvested (in April 2005) using fyke, purse seine and throw nets to evaluate the growth and production outputs of each stocking density. A team of twelve people made up of KAAC, Manbana, Fisheries and KPC staff spent the weekend harvesting the two ponds. Approximately 4.5 tonnes of prawns were harvested - one tonne in the 9/m2 pond and 3.5 tonne in the 18/m2 pond. Prawns averaged 38.5 grams irrespective of stocking density. “We were expecting to hit about five tonnes but the results are looking as though we can go ahead with expanding,” says John. The prawns were sold as either green fresh or cooked frozen product at 1112/lb (26/kg). For cooking the prawns were steam cooked at Ricciardi Seafoods & Coldstores in Hamilton Hill near Fremantle and packaged in 10 kg boxes for distribution to local markets or interstate. Marketed as Pearl Coast Prawns the current retail price

14 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

for KPC prawns is $29/kg. KPC is planning to run two more growout trials until June 2006 as part of the KSR Program. KAAC can then transfer the technology learnt to community prawn farming projects throughout the Kimberley region. “The only way we can see a future for this industry to survive is not to hide behind closed doors, we need the (indigenous) community to embrace prawn farming as a positive thing for the area,” explains John. What does the future hold for KPC? The partners believe the future for their industry lies in sustainable production through best management practices and a close relationship with the local community. By 2007 KPC plans to be operating 26 x 1 hectare ponds and producing 250 tonnes per annum. By Phillip Kerr with Dos O’Sullivan For more information on KPC contact Ian Crimp or John Thompson, P.O Box 239, Cottesloe, WA 6911, Ph 08 9385-2550, Fax 08 9385-2551, or email: thommo1@arach.net.au For more information on KAAC/Manbana contact Jacynta Fong, PO Box 3494 Broome WA 6725. Ph: 08 9192-3844, Fax 08 9192-3944, or email: manbana@bigpond.com For more information on KSRP project contact Digby Fleming, P.O. Box 180 Broome WA 6725, Ph 08 9192-1482, Fax 08 9192-3944, or email: kaac.digbyfleming@bigpond.com Owner/Manager Ian Crimp receiving first PLs from KAAC Prawn hatchery manager Digby Fleming at Derby Growout site Nov 2004. Photo by Joe Triscari

FARM PROFILE

Ornamental fish from South Australia’s Limestone Coast The Siegmann family took over Limestone Coast Ornamentals nearly three years ago and are finally getting on top of things after a shaky start. This unique ornamental fish farm utilises warm artesian water allowing for a flow-through system, greatly reducing labour requirements and expenses over comparable farms in Australia.

A range of 5 cm plus goldfish that are ready for market. Photo by Luke Siegman.

Steven Siegmann had been working for BHP in Whyalla for 23 years when the opportunity to buy the Limestone Coast Ornamentals came along. Whilst the solid financials and the potential to grow the business were attractive, Steven and wife Norma also saw the opportunity for a bit of a ‘sea-change’ and a way of securing employment for sons Luke and Caise. However, the family’s knowledge of the aquaculture industry was very limited. Only Luke could call on some experience having completed six months of a traineeship on a Yellowtail Kingfish farm in Whyalla. But he didn’t finish. “I was very young at the time and my mind was on other things at the time. I really wanted to work with fish but the job I was doing was pretty boring and monotonous so I left,” he explains. Now somewhat older and wiser, he reckons the family’s decision to buy the business was a great one. “I’m really enjoying what I’m doing. Being passionate about the industry is vital for success. I guess committing to my own business made me step up and take on

more responsibility.” Still, it’s been a rocky road with the Siegmanns on a very steep learning curve over the past three years “We came into the business pretty green and I guess we still have a lot to learn,” Luke continues. “During the business takeover the previous owners stayed on for two months to train us. While this was a good help a lot more information could have been passed on. In hindsight, two months was not long enough for us to know the right questions to ask.” Trail and error have however led to many improvements to both the design and operation of the farm. Now the Siegmanns are eagerly looking forward to fulfill it’s maximum potential. “The farm was very under-utilised when we took over and some of the management practices, particularly hygiene, were quite poor. We have changed a lot of things like improved control over water flows and more frequent tank cleaning which have allowed us to increase stocking rates and growth rates,” Luke says.

Water and tank management Limestone Coast Ornamentals is located at Robe, some 3.5hrs drive south-east of Adelaide and 5.5hrs drive west of Melbourne. Originally a 33ha grazing property, it was turned into an ornamental fish farm in 1991. What’s most unusual about this operation is that it is a flow-through system courtesy of an artesian bore supplying water at a temperature of 30°C from a depth of 300 metres, a great temperature for production of tropical ornamental fish and other species (Table 1). The Siegmanns are doubly fortunate in that the water quality is also suitable

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Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 15

FARM PROFILE

1: The production tanks are made from steel rings that are lined with black plastic. These are easy and cheap to construct. Photo by

Luke Siegman.

2: The farm is based in a large colour-bond shed. The shed is not insulated as the bore water is around 30°C and the tanks are easily maintained. Photo by Luke Siegman. 3:Luke hand grading livebearers – a labour intensive but unavoidable job. Photo by Norma Siegman.

Poeciliidae Live-bearing Tooth Carps Members of the Family Poeciliidae produce fully formed fry rather than eggs and are classed as viviparous reproducers. The male has a modified anal fin called a Gonopodium, which is used during spawning behaviour to deliver sperm to the female’s oviduct to fertilise the eggs. These develop internally in the oviduct with food for the developing embryo obtained from the egg yolk. The eggs then hatch and further development of the embryo takes place within the female’s body until the fully formed fry are released. This mode of reproduction offers substantial protection and increased survival of fry over other reproductive methods. Consequently, fecundity rates are much lower but populations of these fish can increase rapidly due to the high survival rates. In general, livebearers are capable of producing fry every 28 to 35 days (depending on species) at a temperature of approximately 25°C. The number of fry produced per batch varies from ten for small guppies up to 300 for larger species.

16 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

– a pH of 7.5 and water hardness of 220 ppm, with no issues concerning dissolved carbon dioxide or high levels of dissolved metals such as iron. The bore is licensed but unmetered; a meter will be installed soon as as all bores must be metered by 2006. Only about half of the Siegmann’s licensed allocation currently used. Grow-out tanks are of a simple design consisting of a ring of galvanised iron sheeting sitting on the ground. The bottom of the tank is tapered towards the centre of the ring by a sand bed; at the centre of the ring is an outlet pipe. Heavy, water-holding plastic lines the tank with the water level maintained by an internal standpipe designed to draw water from the bottom of the tank. This extracts cold water, helping to maintain correct water temperatures. These tanks vary in size – 950L, 1,200L and 3,500L – with the smaller

FARM PROFILE

tanks generally used for breeding livebearers and larger ones used for growout of various species. Almost all are housed in an 80m x 9m shed although some others are located inside an ‘igloo’ covered with bird netting to prevent losses to species such as herrons. As the tanks are ‘flow-through’ – with water exchange rates of close to 100% per day – water quality management is very simple; monitoring is generally not required. Although the tanks do not run any filtration system, additional aeration is supplied to each one through a series of airstones to maintain dissolved oxygen levels. Solids, such as uneaten food and faeces that are not flushed by water flow are siphoned from the tanks on a weekly basis. Management of these tanks is also aided by growing the aquatic Mystery (Ampullaria sp) and Ramshorn (Planorbis albus) snails plus the aquatic plant Foxtail. The snails help to maintain water quality and clean the tanks by eating the faeces and uneaten food; the Foxtail absorbs waterborne nitrates and phosphates and provides shelter for juvenile livebearers from cannibalistic adults. By changing water flows, temperatures can be maintained from 12-28°C; they rise with increasing flow rates. The only aquaria not operated as flowthrough are those for Angelfish breeding and fry. These have air-driven sponge filters that act as both solids and biological filters to maintain water quality. Water changes are done on these tanks every week to maintain water quality. The facility uses around 100,000 litres of water per day with waste water sent to outside sumps and thence to settling ponds. Water not lost to evaporation seeps into two drain ponds before ending up in a swampy area. Husbandry The Siegmanns are kept busy with general fish husbandry duties such as feeding the fish, cleaning tanks, and sorting and grading fish. “Our biggest job is probably grading and sorting fish for sale and to maintain quality and even sizes in the tanks,” explains Luke.

Table 1: Fish, snails and plants cultured at Limestone Coast Ornamentals Common Name

Species

Varieties

Angelfish

Pterophyllum scalare

Black, Silver, Gold, Marble, Koi, Veil

and Short Tail Bristlenose Catfish

Ancistrus sp

Foxtail

aquatic plant

Goldfish

Carassius auratus

Guppies

Poecilia poeciliidae

Male, female in several colour varieties

Platys

Xiphophorus maculatus

Several colour varieties

Molly

Poecilia lattipinna

Several colour varieties

Peppered Catfish

Corysdoras sp

Mystery snails

Ampullaria sp

Ramshorn snails

Planorbis albus

Shubunkins, Comets, Red Caps, Orandas, Black Mohrs, Calico Fans

Another major job is the breeding of the various fish; the protocol differs for each species. The most work goes into the angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare), goldfish (Carassius auratus) and catfish (Ancistrus and Corydoras) as these are all egg producers. Broodstock must be conditioned up and pairs of fish ‘mated-up’ to spawn. While goldfish spawning is somewhat seasonal, angelfish and catfish are produced for much of the year inside a 5m x 2.5m x 2m high insulated breeding shed. This contains 41 aquaria (600mm x 300mm x 300mm) housing breeding pairs and future breeders. There are also 21 small (fry hatching) aquaria (250mm x 125mm x 190mm) in the room that’s heated – using a 2,200-2,400W fan heater (operated 24/7) – to maintain the water temperatures above 25-26°C. Livebearers are much easier to breed as they produce live fry rather than eggs (see insert box) with breeding colonies are left in large tanks and periodically harvested to remove the fry. Stocking densities vary with the age and species of the fish; densities of up to three fish per litre are used for fish in grow-out. Feeding is generally done thrice per day – at 0800, 1200, and 1600. Given the multitude of species, several different types of food are used. Freshly hatched Artemia nauplii are used to feed angelfish and goldfish fry. These fry are subsequently weaned onto Artemia replacement diets like Proton and NRD at about 2 weeks old. The fish

are finally weaned on to Skretting Aquarium Diet with the crumble size increased as the fish grow. Livebearers do not receive any Artemia or other livefood and are simply fed on a mixture of prawn and silver perch food. Luke grinds these feeds to a powder for the livebearer fry and mixes them together in a ratio of 2:1. Again, crumble size is increased as the fish grow.

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Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 17

FARM PROFILE

Performance Criteria To allow inter-farm comparisons, each AAM farm profile details a number of system performance criteria. Except for the comments under ‘Key Management Decisions’ which are prepared by Dos, the information has been supplied by the farmer: • Key Management Decisions at Limestone Coast Ornamentals include: – Use of bore water with water temperature of 30°C – ideal temperature for most tropical species. – Flow through systems used to maintain water quality which reduces maintenance and filtration needs. – Different tanks sizes for breeding, larval rearing and growout – Use of snails and aquatic plants to increase water quality; the plants also provide protection from cannibalism for the larval fish • Growth rate (from hatch to market): 3-6 months • Survival rate: 99% from hatch to sale size • Av. stocking density: 2 to 3 fish per litre • Water use: 100,000 L per day • Power use: around $8,000 pa (includes 2 onsite houses) • Productivity: approx. 50,000 fish (varying sizes and breeds) per Effective Fulltime unit (240 days, 48wk X 40hr)

Goldfish Ulcer Disease Free Certification Disease management is generally straight forward, relying on the provision of the best possible culture conditions. “We know what conditions the fish need to grow; it’s up to us to ensure we give the fish the right ones,” says

Luke. “When there is a problem it is because we have got our management wrong.” He believes that behavioural changes are the best way of picking up such problems. The two main diseases encountered are Columnaris (a bacterial infection) and Fluke (monogenic trematodes), both controlled by optimising culture conditions. Medications are rarely used. Luke nominates cold water and overstocking as the prime stressors; by avoiding them, disease is rare. Goldfish Ulcer Disease (GUD), caused by the bacteria Aeromonas salmonicida, has the potential to cause severe disease in salmon and trout. For this reason all goldfish sold in Tasmania must be certified as being free of GUD. The certification process is fairly long and expensive, consisting of quarantining the farm from new introductions, submitting to regular veterinary inspections and taking samples of fish to check for signs of disease. Currently just three Australian operations have this certification, two on the mainland and one in Tasmania. Luke hopes to use this distinction as a marketing tool in states other than Tasmania. “I think all goldfish sold in Australia should be GUD-Free certified. After all most states do have trout in their waterways and there is probably the potential for the disease to get into native fish as well. I think the responsible thing for the industry would be to encourage the sale of GUD-Free certified fish everywhere.” Marketing The fish are harvested at a market size of 4.0 - 4.5cm in total length (3-4 months of age). However, this depends on the breed and the customer’s requirements. Harvesting is generally done using hand nets and the fish then graded and sorted. Grader baskets are sometimes used but Luke prefers to grade and sort by hand. “With most of the species we produce there will be a mixture of different coloured fish, males, females and so on. It is just as easy to grade and sort the fish in one step than to use a grader basket to size

18 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

the fish then sort them into their varieties. I think this also reduces stress on the fish as well.” Orders for fish are generally placed by customers before Friday; the fish are harvested and sorted on Saturday for distribution on Monday. Fish for harvesting are not fed after Friday to allow for purging prior to transport. Packing is in plastic bags using standard techniques; these are then placed in polystyrene boxes for distribution. Luke’s fish are sold to a variety of retailers and wholesalers around Australia with the distribution method depending on customer and destination. Generally this involves a bus trip to Adelaide and air freight to regional and capital cities. It can be a hassle. “Transport logistics is a problem and I guess it will grow with increased production and more customers. We are looking at using more courier services for distributing our fish but they are more expensive and we need to remain competitive with other suppliers,” Luke adds. The Future Like many other ornamental fish producers, Luke reckons retail demand to be soft right now and that has been a drag on his sales. “We are selling all our fish varieties but the industry has been quiet for a few months now.” He puts this down to a squeeze on disposable income but still banks on a bright future. “We have plenty of more water we can use so there’s lots of potential to boost production.” The Siegmans are currently working to secure funds for expansion via the Australian Government’s Regional Development Network grants. Provided on a dollar for dollar basis that grant money would be used for a new hatchery shed – to boost production of angelfish and goldfish – plus a new storage shed and water storage tanks. By Shane Willis. For more information contact Luke Siegmann, Limestone Coast Ornamentals, PO Box 482, Robe, South Australia 5276. Tel/Fax: 08 8735-7235, email: steven.siegmann@bigpond.com

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FARM PROFILE

Sevrup leads the way with Ocean Trout Neville Rockliffe, one of the family that runs Petuna and Sevrup holding up a prized Trout, caught from their aquaculture nets on the Harbour. Photo by Nick Osborne

Light Smoked Petuna Ocean Trout served on a salad of avocado and asparagus. Photo by Nick Osborne

Sevrup, is a leading producer of premium quality Ocean Trout, Atlantic Salmon and the newly developed Saltwater Charr species. By locating it’s hatchery facility in the north of Tasmania and growout facilities on the blustery West Coast, Sevrup have been able to take advantage of remote and pristine conditions to produce abundant quantities of top quality fish. An aquaculture business of twenty years’ standing, Sevrup was acquired in 1991 by the Petuna Group, a highly successful Tasmanian seafood company. This venture into sustainable aquaculture has since seen Sevrup develop into the state’s leading grower of Ocean Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with an international reputation for quality fish. While a farmer of both Ocean Trout and Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar), Sevrup have chosen to specialise in the trout. “Exceptional quality Ocean Trout can attract a premium of ten percent above Atlantic Salmon,” explains Paul Lupo, Sevrup’s Aquaculture Manager. “There are three main areas to our operation, those being our hatchery, the marine farm and our processing facility at Devonport,” he continues “with each relying on constant feedback from other areas in the organisation to ensure the company goals are

being met. It is important that we all understand how we fit into the total picture of a high quality end product.” Sevrup’s hatchery is located at Cressy, 40 minutes drive south of Launceston. An ideal location for a hatchery, it accesses a consistent flow of cool water all year round from a nearby power station. Even during periods when the power station has been shut down there is still sufficient water to run the hatchery from natural catchment runoff; the hatchery can reduce stocking densities to suit. There’s even an informal early warning system in place for adverse events in the water supply. “We have a very good network with farmers (growing livestock and crops) in the area. It means that if anything does happen upstream or in

20 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

the area, they can give us a call and we can make alternative arrangements to ensure unsuitable water does not flow through the hatchery,” Paul says. Design and operation of the hatchery is based on the Danish system with the normal strip spawning, fertilisation, hatching and weaning operations taking place over the winter months. Stripping of broodstock is generally from May to July. A selective breeding program promotes fish size and performance, body shape and survivability. Approximately two thirds of the annual production is sold as whole fish. Photo by Nick Osborne.

FARM PROFILE

The fish spend just two to three months in the hatchery tanks at which point they are transferred to flowthrough earthen ponds gravity-fed with water from the Great Lakes in Tasmania’s highlands. Whilst water quality is of a very high standard, water quality parameters are still tested on a periodic basis. “We believe in being a passive operation the whole way through from hatchery to harvest,” Paul continues. “This means that stocking densities at the hatchery are managed at a lower rate than other farms, reducing the need for excessive fish handling and therefore minimising stress in the fish and the need for artificial oxygen saturated injection systems.” Hatchery fish are fed using a combination of hand feeding and feed blowers. All stock reared at the hatchery undertake a final grade and quality inspection process. Prior to moving the fish to the seafarms, each fish is individually inspected by the farm manager in a specially developed quality inspection station to ensure only the best fish are transferred. Paul says this quality inspection system is unique, setting Sevrup apart from its competitors.

Marine farm The marine farms are based out of Strahan, on Tasmania’s West Coast. With a reputation for cold, wet and generally wild conditions, not unlike the natural domain of ocean trout in the northern hemisphere, it’s little wonder the fish are so healthy and display impressive growth rates. Sevrup has access to six marine farming sites although just three are currently being farmed. The six sites cover areas from 10 to 100 hectares enabling the farm to spread out its cages and minimise stocking densities to take full advantage of excellent growing conditions. Fingerlings are stocked into the cages from March to September. At the hatchery the fish are loaded into a 20-tonne capacity, converted water tanker that’s driven to the marine farm; the total trip takes approximately four hours. During that trip, water quality is monitored to ensure dissolved oxygen is kept at a constant level, a worthwhile expense ensuring fish always arrive at the sea site in a healthy and stress free condition. As the farm leases are located up to 13kms from the company’s land base on the eastern side of Macquarie Harbour,

With product being transported both nationally and internationally the salmon are tagged with a product tag which promotes them as ‘better than salmon’. Photo by Nick Osborne

the tanker is loaded aboard a landing barge and taken out to the pens where the fish are released directly into 6080m (circumference) pens. “We use stocking rates of only a half to a third of what some farms do,” Paul says. The fish remain untouched from delivery to harvest; the only interactions the fish ever experience is feeding, divers doing regular checks and net changes. Net changes are generally

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FARM PROFILE

1. Smoked Trout displayed upon Huon Pine, a slow growing native tree of the West Coast of Tasmania. Photo by Nick Osborne. 2. Trout pens in the Macquarie Harbour, West Coast of Tasmania. The pristine environment provides ideal growing conditions for top quality trout. Photo by Nick Osborne. 3.Ponds at the Cressy hatchery are supplied with consistent flow of cool water with high flow rates all year round from the nearby power station. 4. Full Size Trout swimming in pens in nutrient laden, tannin waters of Macquarie Harbour. Photo by Nick Osborne

only required between the months of November to February; even during these periods each pen would only have two net changes. Although the nets have no anti-foulant treatment, Sevrup have found no requirement for net washing. By simply hanging the nets from very large timber poles at the land depot for a 5-14 day dryout (depending on the weather), the nets are ready to be reused with no detergent or chemical use required. This ensures minimal damage and maximum lifespan of nets. Paul says the fish are fed on a commercial diet produced by Skretting; an average of five tonnes of feed is used on a daily basis. “We use a 70/30 combination of hand feeding and feeding with feed blowers to ensure maximum observation of fish behaviour and feeding responses are maintained. By discouraging a feedlot mentality we’re ensuring minimal environmental impact, thus maximizing growing conditions.” Multiple layers of fresh and salt water

in Macquarie Harbour enable the fish to choose their maximum comfort zone, ensuring optimum growth and minimal stress. Given the excellent growth conditions, the fish grow quickly to market size. Fish are harvested twice a week with despatches to the mainland within 24 hours of harvest. Ocean Trout are harvested at 3-4kg (live weight) within twelve months of arriving on the marine farm site, Atlantic Salmon at 45kg (15-22 months) and Saltwater Charr at 2kg (7 months). All harvesting takes place on the lease onboard a harvesting vessel – MV Tasma. Previously used in Gove in the Gulf of Carpentaria for supplying outlying islands in the area, Sevrup converted it specifically for at-sea harvesting, making the vessel the first of its kind in the Tasmanian industry. Other farmers are now following suit with their own harvesting vessels. The fish are processed at Petuna’s export-accredited seafood processing

22 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

facility in Devonport. The Ocean Trout, Atlantic Salmon and Saltwater Charr are supplied to Petuna’s wholesale, retail and food service customers throughout Tasmania and mainland Australia with exports to countries such as the USA, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore. New Species Development Not content to rest on their laurels, Sevrup and Petuna have embarked on a project to pioneer the production and marketing of the trout species Salvelinus fontinalis, currently trademarked as “Petuna Saltwater CharrTM”. Saltwater Charr is also known as Brook Trout or Brook Charr when reared completely in fresh water, and as Arctic Charr in the markets of USA and Europe. Saltwater Charr is closely related to Ocean Trout, and Atlantic Salmon and, due to quarantine restrictions, is the only additional salmonid species currently available for farming in Tasmania. Within the strategy of tailoring prod-

FARM PROFILE

ucts to the needs of its customers (and increasing export sales), Sevrup and Petuna have selected this trout species because it: • Has an established market overseas, predominantly in the USA; • Continues the strategy of targeting high quality, in overseas terms ‘niche’ products for the high end ‘white tablecloth’ food service sector, where Australian products can compete; and • Builds on the two companies’ capability in seafood development. Last year, Sevrup/Petuna became the first company in the southern hemisphere to culture Charr in naturallyoccurring brackish water. We believe this achievement is a world first,” says Paul. “In the northern hemisphere, most of our competitors rear the fish in fresh water only although a few create an artificial brackish water environment by pumping fresh water (contained in a bladder) into a seawater pen. “Our aquaculture provides an immediate competitive advantage, because the flavour of Charr grown in brackish water is highly prized in the world market. The brackish environment enables us to promote the taste characteristics of sea-reared fish, which have a different muscle definition – this affects flesh texture and oil composition, an advantage freshwater-reared Charr do not have. “The unique product is readily differentiated from other salmonid fish, attaining a high price. Being clearly different from existing products in the market, its culinary specialties will be promoted in domestic and export arenas to discriminating markets. These markets demand uniqueness and a point of difference (top end food service markets) and products which appear to be grown in a more natural way (or in a natural environment) rather than a feedlot.” By Andrina Fay with Dos O’Sullivan For more information contact Paul Lupo Sevrup, PO Box 146E, East Devonport Tas 7310. Tel: 03 6427-9033, Fax: 03 6427-9743, email: pfl@petuna.com Web: www.petuna.com/html/petuna.html

One of the products offered by Petuna is the trout cutlets. The superb flesh colour and texture confirm the high quality nature of the fish. Photo by Nick Osborne.

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UARAH FISHERIES • Intensive pond & recirculation production of Murray cod table fish since 1991 • Producers of F1 generation Murray cod fingerlings • Suppliers of Murray cod, silver perch and golden perch fingerlings to industry & government “The best fish grow in the sunshine”

Grong Grong N.S.W. 2652 Ph: 02 6956 2147 Fax: 02 6956 2245 Mob: 0428 696 927 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 23

FARM PROFILE

New owners to expand production at South East Queensland Fish A group of investors have recently acquired a facility originally set up to produce eels for the export market. Its focus has now switched to production of a range of native fish fingerlings and plate sized fish such as silver perch. The new owners are looking to maximise their investment and expand hatchery production in a sustainable manner. South East Queensland Fish Pty Ltd has only begun operations this year on a site that has been used for aquaculture over 20 years. The new owners took over in May 2005 and the directors have a diverse range of backgrounds, including David Sproule (metallurgist and mine owner) and Philip Chamberlain (consulting veterinarian). While their experience of this industry is limited, they are confident that their business skills can be used to grow the farm over the coming years. And they have retained the established

Part of the hatchery and fingerling purging area. Fingerlings are harvested from ponds and purged in above ground tanks before transit. Shade cloth is used to reduce sunlight over these purging tanks to reduce stress and to help prevent bird predation. Photo by B. Brookman

Earthen ponds are used for semi-intensive production of a range of fingerlings. Bird netting over the ponds is needed to prevent predation and each pond is aerated with a paddle wheel. Photo by B. Brookman

skills of the farm’s manager, Ben Brookman (8 years) and hatchery manager, Dru Absalom, (3.5 years). The farm, located approximately half an hour south of Brisbane and north of the Gold Coast, is built on 32ha of cleared land bordering the Albert River. The gently sloping ground has good clay soil with minimal seepage and is ideally suited for aquaculture. At present there’s about seven hectares of production water with an additional 3.5 hectares of settlement and storage water on the farm. This leaves plenty of scope for installing new ponds and expanded production in the near future. The farm is divided into 30 ponds of 0.2 to 0.25 ha each, another two of 0.08ha, eight ponds of 0.05ha each and a further two measuring 0.03ha. Well designed and built to make the most of gravity water flow, all ponds are bottom draining with the pond floor sloping towards the corner of the pond containing the harvest pit where fish concentrate during draining. Effluent water flows under gravity to the settlement pond during draining. New water is introduced to the ponds via a 150mm standpipe and gate valve in each pond. The ponds are aerated with a one or two horsepower paddlewheel. Each pond also has a jetty used to observe fish during feeding. The 2.5m high hatchery building measures 9m by 7m and is built from 100mm thick freezer panels. Temperatures are controlled to 27°C with a 1.5 hp air-conditioner. It holds several different systems used for exclusively for spawning and larval care. These include eight 1,000L conical tanks and three 1,000L flat bottom broodstock

24 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

holding tanks. Other tanks used for holding fingerlings are outdoors – they include three 2,500L tanks with four 3,000L tanks All tanks have screened centre pipes to prevent fish from escaping, with external standpipes used to maintain water levels. Some tanks are operated as flow-through and are provided with additional aeration from side channel blowers. Four hatchery tanks are set up as individual recirculation with 200L biofilters with bioballs, biomats and a foam fractionator. There is also a purging system – used mainly for silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) fingerlings – consisting of four 3,000L tanks, a swirl separator and an air-driven biological filter. The other major system on site is from Australian Aquaculture Systems (AAS); this high technology, high density recirculating system will be used for weaning large numbers of fingerlings. The system includes oxygen concentrators, a trickle filter, a drum filter for solids separation and has various alarms for low DO, temperature, low pressure and loss of power. Water source and artificial wetlands The main water source is drawn from the Albert River via a 20 inch mainline and 185kW Warman pump. The water from the river is an excellent source for production of a range of native species with a pH of 7.0-7.5, water hardness around 100ppm, 0 ppt salinity and temperatures ranging 12-28°C. While the river is a great water source, Ben re-uses as much water as possible “We are able to draw from the Albert River as required but we try and recirc

FARM PROFILE

most of our water as it is generally of good quality and creates and instant bloom in the fingerling ponds,” he explains. “We also recirculate water during rainy periods while the river is turbid.” Water re-use is facilitated by collecting and processing effluent water in artificial wetlands. After passing through the wetlands, the processed water can be pumped back to the ponds by a 75kW recirculating pump. The artificial wetlands consist of two sections with all effluent water from the ponds and hatchery flowing into a 1ha settlement pond for settlement of large particulates. It then flows out into the 2ha artificial wetland densely planted with aquatic vegetation to facilitate nutrient stripping of the water before it is released to the river. These plants are all found in local waterways with lots of sedges, reeds and many other species. “We felt this was important as we did not want to transplant any aquatic weeds into the local waterways,” says Ben. Residence time of water in the artificial wetlands depends on the number of ponds being drained but it can be up to four weeks. Water only flows out of the wetlands when ponds are discharged but this is minimal due to the high rate of re-use. While the wetlands were an EPA requirement, Ben thinks that its installation was worthwhile and is a useful management tool. “We use the wetlands to clean up the water so that we can re-use in the ponds. We’ve found that this water is great and we can sometimes have a bloom going in the pond within a couple of days which helps us better manage preparation of ponds for stocking.” Farm operations The farm, operated by four staff – the manager, hatchery manager and two technicians – does produces plate-size fish but the main focus is on fingerling production. This includes silver perch and golden perch ((Macquaria ambiqua, Murray-Darling strain) plus a range of other native species such as jade perch (Scortum barcoo), sooty grunter (Hephaestus fuliginosus), catfish (Tandanus tandanus), Australian bass (Macquaria novemaculeata), sleepy cod (Oxyeleotris

lineolatus), redclaw (Cherax quadricarinatus). Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) are brought in as larvae and grown on. Catfish and sleepy cod are stocked into the smaller ponds with 4-5 pairs per pond and are left to spawn naturally. During the spawning season (October to April) nest boxes are checked regularly and egg masses removed and hatched in the hatchery. Spawning for the remaining species is done in the hatchery using natural spawning or hormone induced spawning. The resultant larvae are stocked at around 150-200,000 per 0.2 ha pond. All these ponds are prepared by fertilising with both organic (lucerne chaff) and inorganic (super-phosphate or NPK fertiliser) fertilisers; all ponds are sampled for sufficient plankton prior to stocking. Only a small proportion of the silver perch are graded and stocked at low densities for ongrowing. The rest (and all the other species) are harvested at 50mm, purged and sold. The methods have been adapted from Stuart Rowland’s (NSW Fisheries, Grafton) Silver Perch Manual which has been used extensively to develop production protocols at the hatchery. The amount of aeration the ponds receive depends on stocking densities and the condition of the algae bloom with aeration being the heaviest during summer. While zooplankton are a major food source initially, the fingerlings begin to deplete these after a couple of weeks at which time weaning is

required. Fingerlings are generally weaned onto Ridley’s Native Fish Crumble 3-4 weeks after stocking although Ben has found that jade perch may be ready to wean by as little as two weeks. The weaning process consists of feeding twice daily in the warmer months and once in the cooler months with rates varying between 1 to 10% of body weight depending on size. Australian bass are the only larvae that are intensively reared in the hatchery; they are maintained in individual recirculating systems for four weeks after spawning. During this time they are fed four times per day on a mixture of Rotifers and Artemia. The bass larvae start off at a sea strength salinity, which is gradually reduced over the four week cycle so that the fry can be stocked into prepared ponds after their time in the hatchery. Once the bass fry (12mm) are stocked into ponds their management follows that of the other species. Bird predation from species such as cormorants has previously been a significant problem at the site. Now most of the ponds have been netted. Constant surveillance and human activity generally also helps to keep the birds away. Marketing Harvesting of the ponds is generally accomplished by either crowding fish into a corner with a seine net or by forcing fish into the harvesting basin by draining the pond. The crowded fish are taken from the pond by a 6m Pescalator, a fish pump with an Archimedes

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FARM PROFILE

Performance Criteria To allow inter-farm comparisons, each AAM farm profile details a number of system performance criteria. Except for the comments under ‘Key Management Decisions’ which are prepared by Dos, the information has been supplied by the farmer: • Key Management Decisions for South East Queensland Fish Hatchery include: – Sales of live plate size fish to local wholesalers – Customers pick up own live fish – Focus on fingerling production better due to short production cycle and better utilisation of ponds – Reasonable size (20 t/pa) production of food fish to gain some economies of scale – Examining the production of ornamental fish (higher per unit price). • Growth rate (from hatching to harvest): silver perch shooters 10-12 months, average 15mnths • Survival rate: silver perch 80-90% larvae to fingerlings; other species around 80 % • Av. stocking density: 150 – 200,000 fry per ha for fingerling, 50-100g at 30,000/ha for growout • Production rate: harvest around 50-100,000 fry per 1,000m3 per year • Power use: 30 kW per year • FCR: high reliance on zooplankton for larvae, 1.2:1 for smaller Silver Perch and 1.5-1.7:1 for larger fish (i.e. over 400g) • Productivity: 5 tonnes and 250,000 fingerlings per Effective Fulltime unit (240 days, 48wk X 40hr)

Screw mechanism driven by the tractor. The fish or fingerlings are then transported to the hatchery where they are purged in holding tanks. Around one million fingerlings are sold annually with good mix of all the species making up the numbers. These fingerlings are generally sold as 50mm (1-2g) or larger as required at a price of varying from $0.20 to $1.00 each depending on the volume of the order. Large orders get substantial discounts. The fingerlings are sold to a variety of markets including restocking

groups, growers, public sales and the aquarium trade. Large consignments are delivered by road via a fish transporter (1,000L Nylex plastic bin supplied with oxygen, mounted on the back of a utility). Smaller consignments of fingerlings are packed into plastic bags with water and oxygen and shipped in polystyrene boxes by couriers or airfreight. These two different transport methods allow South East Queensland Fish to distribute fish anywhere in Queensland or New South Wales quickly and effectively at minimal cost to customers. Ben feels that quick and efficient transport is vital. “When distributing live fish it is important that the fish get to customers as quick as possible to ensure live delivery and also the health of the fingerlings. The longer the transport time the more likely the fingerlings will be stressed and the health and survival compromised.” As well as silver perch fingerlings, South East Queensland Fish also produces larger plate size silver perch of between 600g and 1kg. The farm produces around 20 tonnes annually, maximising the value of this production by marketing the fish live for local markets including Brisbane-based wholesalers and restaurants. The fish generally sell for around $9-10 per kg with customers picking up and transporting their own fish. “It’s great that customers come and pick up their own fish. This wipes out our delivery costs and reduces our risk of anything going wrong during transit; it is the customers responsibility once the fish are loaded,” says Ben. The sale of plate size Silver Perch is a good steady income for South East Queensland Fish with a stable, reliable market for the product. Ben puts the strong market demand down to being close to the city of Brisbane and the Gold Coast with a population of around 2.5 million people. He said, “This large population on the doorstep of the farm means that there is a good market for our fish. We haven’t really looked at other markets because the distance to them would mean a lot of risk and cost in transport.”

26 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

Ben also thinks that while the plate size fish market is lucrative, fingerlings are a better proposition due to the reduced labour and running costs and fast turn around for the ponds. The future Ben is busy getting the farm ready for the upcoming season which he hopes will see a record production of fingerlings. “We will be concentrating on silver perch but will expand production of jade perch and Australian bass. We hope to produce at least 1.5 million fingerlings this season.” He is also working on future developments such as expanding their production capacity with new ponds and assessing the potential of breeding ornamental fish, attracted by high prices and strong market demand. By Shane Willis with Dos O’Sullivan. For more information contact: Ben or Dru, South East Queensland Fish Hatchery, 1044 Beaudesert-Beenleigh Road, Luscombe, Queensland, 4207. Tel: (07) 5546-4462, fax: (07) 5546-4862, email: eelsqld@bigpond.com

Silver Perch fingerlings ready for sale. The fingerlings are sold at around 50 mm total length and already weaned onto pelleted feed. Photo by B. Brookman

A plate size Silver Perch destined for the live fish market in south east Queensland. Photo by B. Brookman

FARM PROFILE

Barramundi farm builds sustainable R&D funding model

A home grown Barra Cod at 350 grams ready for a Hong Kong Christmas dinner.

When the directors of Good Fortune Bay Fisheries sat down in late 2003 to review applications for a general manager, one name stood out. Neil Hallagan’s work history made no mention of aquaculture. But what a track record. A civil engineer by training and managing director of companies since the age of 27, he’d worked in Australia, New Zealand and the US. As the owner of a business acquired by CSR, he’d even gone on to become a director of CSR America. So why had Neil applied? “At the bottom of the ad was a line that said: ‘Aquaculture experience not required’,” he recalls. “I looked at it and thought: ‘My goodness. Someone with the insight to know that it’s a business that needs to be run, not a research and development project’.” And that’s precisely why GFB Fisheries is making good progress on the vision – to commercially culture reef fish – of the defunct Seafood Online. The vision remains clear but it’s

become the hard-headed goal of a cashgenerating business. Seafood Online sought to fund its entrepreneurship with a stock market listing. And when the money ran out, so did the business model. Having bought Seafood Online’s site and facilities, GFB’s directors set their first task as building a recurring income stream. That way the company could fund the R&D on a sustainable basis. In so doing they’ve built – with Neil’s team of aquaculture experts – one of the nation’s largest barramundi farming enterprises. This year the company’s Bowen site will produce 500 tonnes of plate-size fish from its raceways. Up in its Kelso property’s ponds, another 400 tonnes of cagereared, 2.5-3 kilo fish will be harvested. Whilst substantial infrastructure came with the Seafood Online purchase, much still needed doing. In place were the seawater intake channel – all three kilometres of it – and associated pumping facilities, the hatchery,

brood stock tanks, half the nursery and 24 grow out raceways. What remained to do was completion of the nursery, lining of the raceways with welded HPDE and installation of all the alarms and equipment to ensure full redundancy of operating systems. In an operation of this size, failure of power, pump or oxygen plant (for example) could be catastrophic. All up, this consumed another $A8m. But the benefits are becoming clear. Over the 18 months Neil’s been in Bowen, he’s overseen an explosion in value of fish in the raceways from $100K to several million dollars. And he plans to keep up the pace of development, bolstering his team, their methodology and the farm’s sales as and when the opportunity presents. Experienced team GFB’s barramundi farming expertise marries the experience of the former NQ Barra operation with the technical

Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 27

FARM PROFILE

Growout occurs in 24 concrete raceways, each stocked with 50,000 fingerlings.

The three-metre deep raceways are lined with HPDE that has a life of 20 years.

talents of a team of experienced managers and technicians from diverse aquaculture backgrounds. A recent coup has been the signing of the highly-credentialed, scientist Dr Shannon McBride from Queensland DPI’s Northern Fisheries Centre and Bribie Island. Her appointment has led to significant advances in the GFB hatchery with a big boost in rotifer throughput already evident. Now she’s over in Belgium at the larval rearing conference talking to researchers working with tropical reef species. “She has already worked many of her counterparts from the Philippines and Indonesia through the programs run by DPI,” Neil says.

“It’s a good example of how we’re staying at the forefront. These countries have succeeded in getting through small, noncommercial numbers of fingerlings. Our intentions are definitely commercial so to remain at the cutting edge we need to employ the right people. Sterile hatchery Everything about GFB is big. So it’s no surprise to find that its broodstock holding facility is probably Australia’s largest outside of the salmon industry. Comprising twenty-four 50-tonne tanks, it’s divided into six modules of four tanks each. There are two modules each of barramundi and barramundi

28 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

cod, one of coral trout and another containing Queensland grouper. “The grouper are around 35 kilos each but they’re still juveniles!” Neil says. “We hope to breed from them next year.” The hatchery itself is housed in a huge sealed shed containing 60 fivetonne tanks. It shuts down in the dead of winter – June/July – but opened this season in the first week of August with the inducing of the first barra broodstock. And by early September over 600,000 fingerlings were ready for transfer to the nursery. Those numbers are up on last year due to doubling of rotifer production following the introduction of artificially-enriched, centrifuged algal concentrates of Japanese Chlorella. “It was Shannon who suggested we try the Chlorella paste,” Neil explains. “So we sent our Hatchery Manager, Ben Lawes, up to Glen Schipp at the Darwin Aquaculture Centre for training in their barra hatchery.” Prior to this development, standard algal cultures were grown in ten-tonne, sterile tanks. The new paste has worked a treat. “The hatchery now can do about three million fingerlings,” says Neil. Over that week in early September, the fingerlings were transferred into the nursery which has a capacity of a million fingerlings. Transit times in the nursery will be nine to twelve weeks depending on water temperature. New Nursery Manager, Matt Stone, who hails from Saltas in Tasmania, will have his hands full with over 1 million fingerlings in the nursery by October. The nursery building is just ten metres away, but completely separated from, the hatchery. The fingerlings first are housed in a foam-roomed structure until they reach 50mm. Then transfer occurs to tanks contained in an igloo. At 80mm a further transfer occurs to tanks under shadecloth. At 115mm, the fingerlings move to the growout raceways. Fingerlings enter the nursery fullyweaned onto pellets. As they grow, crumble size increases to 4mm and then to 6mm, through 8mm to the 10mm Ridley pellets fed in the raceways. Whilst the hatchery water is fullysterilised (ozone-treated), the nursery

FARM PROFILE

The farm's seawater intake channel runs for three kilometres

receives a constant flow of untreated water. The whole farm (including the raceways) uses 60 mega litres a day. Each of the nursery’s 68 ten-tonne tanks have 0.7 mega litre pumped through per hour – a complete exchange every two hours or so. Every three days the tanks are cleaned as the fish are graded. “Barra are cannibals,” Neil notes “so if you don’t keep them all the same size they very quickly work out where lunch is.” The smaller fingerlings are processed through a box screen grader; once over 50mm, grading occurs in a recentlypurchased Italian bar grader. Raceway culture The three-metre deep, HPDE-lined raceways each measure 50m x 10m. “Basically we grow the fish in 24 Olympic-size swimming pools,” Neil continues. “Each raceway is stocked with 50,000 fingerlings. Then, when they reach a size of 500 grams – a biomass of 25 tonnes – we start harvesting.” Growout Manager Tony Salisbury

has a team of six permanents and extra casuals are brought in on the two harvest days for processing. These harvests are for the plate-size market, taking fish within the range 400 grams to a kilo. Time to first harvest is dependent on water temperature. “In Bowen we can get temperatures in the low 20s for 3-4 months,” Neil explains. “So the time to harvest depends on how long they’ve got before the cold weather strikes. The ones we’ve had sitting in the nursery over winter will be on somebody’s plate by February.” The liners have worked out well. They’ve got a 20-year life and, being welded, if one gets damaged it’s not a big job to fix it. Each pond has five submerged Force Seven aerators of which two use injected oxygen. Air feeds into the aerator down a venturi. The five machines are spread down each raceway and angled in such a way that they boost flow within it. Water flow is such that raceway volume is replaced twice a day. Fish are harvested by crowding them

into a corner with a net and extracting them with a US-made fish pump. They’re put over a grading table, sorted into sizes, placed straight into an ice bin and sent to the packing shed. Once core temperatures have stabilised at 3°C – which takes a couple of hours – they are packed whole chilled for sale to wholesalers in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. “We’re not doing cutting of any sort,” says Neil “as we’re not planning longterm to grow the barra business. Over time we’ll begin replacing barra with reef fish so will stay with packing whole chilled product.” Reef fish will go out as live export product. The company’s name – Good Fortune Bay – was advisedly chosen. The name strikes a cord with Chinese buyers. Kelso growout Those fish that aren’t, or can’t, be sold into the plate-size market are sent by live fish transporter to GFB’s Kelso farm, two hours away. Transferred at a size of 700 grams or so, they are grown out in pond-based, floating cages to a harvest

Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 29

FARM PROFILE

The nursery phase is in three stages. In the middle stage the 50mm+ fingerlings are housed in an igloo.

The broodstock room contains 60 five-tonne tanks in a flow-through system.

size of 2.5-3 kilos at 21 months of age. “That’s where the demand is,” says Neil. “There’s a limited market for plate-size fish.” Each of the farm’s 40 (30m square) ponds contains two fish cages, although the current season will see trials of three per pond. The cages are made by stitching together oyster trays into a structure 5m x 5m x 3m deep inside a floating pipe frame. Kelso manager Rod Pelling has experimented with a number of cage designs over time and this one has proven to be very successful at excluding predatory birds and water rats. The tops are wire-netted. A four-paddle aerator is sited at one end of the cage, maintaining excellent water flow. That’s also where hand feeding occurs; any uneaten feed is pushed by the current into feed-catching nets set around the back end. The cages are accessed by floating pontoon.

Harvesting is simple. The cage is partially lifted and one of the oyster trays swung down as a door to allow access to the fish. After each growout cycle, the pond is emptied and dried out. An excavator scrapes out the bottom – waste is collected for use in fertilisers – and it is then limed before refilling from the large onfarm water storage. During culture, water continuously flows through the ponds before being sent back to the dam. Losses from evaporation are topped up in the dam with bore water. Nutrient buildup in this closed system is minimised by the good feed and pond-preparation practices as well as the cabungi reeds that line the banks of each pond. The reeds are harvested every so often, removing nutrient from the system. This farm has zero discharge and excellent water quality. Seven people run the Kelso farm. They’re all available Monday to Thursday for harvest and shift-work the rest to ensure someone is always available for the myriad of tasks. At Bowen the complement is 28, including full-time maintenance staff such as an electrician, a fitter and his apprentice. Reef fish Including Technical Manager Dr Shannon McBride and Hatchery Manager Ben Lawes, the Bowen hatchery keeps 6-7 employees very busy. Each year, once the raceways have been filled with

30 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

barramundi, the focus turns to reef fish. That effectively equates to half the year. Significant progress has been made – and big things are expected of the coming season – but Neil’s best guess is that commercial harvests of reef fish are still at least five to ten years away. Last year 100,000 barramundi cod fingerlings were produced. These were placed into numerous husbandry trials. By implementing the lessons of trials in Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines, improved survival rates are the current focus. Coral trout are proving more problematic but hopes are high that some fingerlings can be produced this year. The lure of the reef fish is its higher farm gate price. “Fishermen get $40 a kilo for the smaller coral trout compared to the $8-9 for barra,” Neil explains. “Given that the coral trout will take twice as long to grow to size, that’s still (say) $20/kg compared to $9/kg for basically the same growout costs. “The few barra cod that have been produced and sent to Hong Kong have fetched $80. “So that’s where our future lies.” Maybe so, but R&D rarely conforms to a timetable. That’s why Good Fortune Bay’s business model is so impressive. It’s built for the long haul. Innovators take note. By Dr Tim Walker

F E AT U R E

Sleepy cod: species in waiting For some years after Bruce Sambell established fingerling specialist Ausyfish at Gympie on Queensland’s midcoast, he commuted regularly between his suburban Sydney retail aquarium shop and the new farm. “We had two sleepy cod that were apparently a pair in the shop,” he recalls. “Lo and behold, one time I’m down there the female lays some eggs, the male looks after them and they hatch. Suddenly we had all these babies swimming around the aquarium.” That was twelve years ago. And apparently the first time they’d been bred in captivity … even if it was by happy chance! Bruce was so delighted he soon replicated the result in the Ausyfish hatchery. “I used the same formula that we use today to produce other native fish fingerlings: spawn the sleepy cod in the hatchery using several pairs and put the larvae out into a half-acre plankton pond. “So we were also the first to produce commercial quantities of sleepy cod.”

Sure the aquarium trade could sell a few – perhaps a thousand a year (they have a habit of swallowing their tank mates). But not commercial quantities. Bruce’s original market for sleepy cod fingerlings was instead the recreational fishery stocking groups along the Fitzroy-Dawson River basin, the only eastern drainage, he says, in the midsouth Queensland coast with native populations (apparently there are more populations in western-draining rivers). At the time the silver perch growout sector was beginning to develop as was interest in other Australian native fish. Particularly attractive to growers and marketers alike was sleepy cod’s avoidance of any off-flavours, regardless of growing conditions … a huge plus. And for a relatively small fish, they have a very thick fillet of chunky, flaky flesh. Bruce sees similarities to the texture of reef fish. He also sees a ready market. “In Asia there’s a fish very similar to our sleepy cod known as the marbled or sand goby (Oxyeleotris marmoratus). Asian sleepy

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cod are grown throughout South East Asia, particularly in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. They’re the highest priced freshwater fish in Asia, fetching over $A30/kg at the farm gate in Taiwan and $A45 at retail in Malaysia and Thailand.” In Australia he says sales have been achieved at $30/kg whilst noting recent reports of $17/kg for fish of 350 grams and $25/kg for fish of 800gms. “The bigger fish are much preferred.” Why the stellar prices? Sleepy cod have arguably the best eating quality of all Australian freshwater fish,” he reckons. Certainly he’s in no doubt. “The first one I ate had been caught in a (licensed) gillnet in the Dawson. It was cooked on the bank on the open flames in one of those wire frames you cook chops in. “When it was cooked through I just peeled the scale and the skin back and there were big chunks of the whitest of white flesh. Sensational! “But it is very important – as with all native freshwater fish – to cook it thor-

F E AT U R E

oughly. None of this pink rubbish in the middle. That makes it horrible and mushy. Cook it well and you have a feast.” Given the high prices being paid for a very similar fish on Asian markets and the developing aquaculture of Australian natives, it was no surprise that sleepy cod caught the eye of a few experimental growers. It quickly emerged that the species was not well suited to open ponds. “Put bluntly, they’re an ambush feeder that eat each other,” Bruce explains. “Like Murray cod they need to be kept in crowded conditions where the territorial instinct is subdued and there’s no competition for food.” So sleepy cod are best in tanks. But Bruce explains there are differences to Murray cod growout. For a start, Murray cod grow to “bloody big fish”. “A Murray cod of 800 grams is a 50th of its genetic size. So, as a baby in a hurry, it grows to that 800 grams quickly. “The same goes for barramundi. “However a 1.5 kilo sleepy cod is a monster in its own right. So 800gms is half-grown. It’s only natural that grow-

ing to this size will take more time and that it will need to be rewarded with a higher price.” Given that it growing out sleepy cod is going to take more effort, it’s even more vital that the “wrinkles” in its culture are all ironed out. And that’s where some of the sleepy cod pioneers came unstuck. Without a blueprint on the growout process, and with less access to capital and expertise than larger growers already in fullycommercial, turnkey operations, they struggled. Success with this species – as with all other developing sectors – requires a strong focus on nailing all aspects of growout … a degree of commitment that Bruce has not yet seen. “Because it’s been a bit of a sideline, a bit of a hobby, it’s not been as important as churning out a harvest of barra every week.” he says. But he’s very hopeful that big advances are not far away. “One hurdle any committed grower has had so far is reliable supply of fingerlings,” he says. “And the performance of the hatchery sector has, to be fair, been bumpy as far as sleepy cod is

concerned.” In other words, promising fingerlings and delivering them are not necessarily connected events. Sleepy cod are, in fact, one of the time consuming species for fish hatcheries/nurseries, with comparatively low larval to fingerling survival rates. Still, Bruce has been in the fish farming game for 18 years and once he puts his mind to it, he’ll eventually find a way. As he reckons he’s done with sleepy cod. “I can now confidently say that we can supply, within reason, whatever sleepy cod fingerlings people want.” It means an end to the erratic fingerling supply. Growers can now take on the species in the knowledge that they

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Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 33

F E AT U R E

Sleepy cod’s attributes Bruce Sambell says this species has all-round aquaculture appeal because it’s: • the best eating quality of all Australian freshwater fish; • extremely easy to transport at high densities; • got high flesh recovery; • possible to keep and grow in high densities; • free of muddy flavour, and • ideal for growing in recirculating systems.

will be able to fill their tanks with fish. Shipping live, market sized sleepy cod, should prove to be relatively unchallenging. “They do seem to live up to their name, “sleepy” and lay

motionless in shipping bags,” says Bruce. “This means their use of oxygen is minimal and production of ammonia is low. Many large fish should be able to be packed in an absolute minimum amount of water.” The very same attributes will allow them to be stocked very heavily into the live fish tanks of Asian restaurants. “They can be stacked up in the tank and not be the slightest bit concerned.” Marketing, then, is the next hurdle. Bruce reckons it’s been very haphazard to date, hampered by sporadic supply and small harvests. “The wholesalers are able to say that, to take on a new species and promote it, they need some room on price. And for a fella who’s got only a tank or two of sleepy cod and 20 of barra, it’s not a hard decision to make.” Even so, Bruce predicts the same steady progress on market positions as demonstrated by silver perch over the years. “I can remember all the knockers saying you can’t go around promoting something if you can’t supply it. And I say the whole point of promotion is to

34 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

build up a pent-up demand. If there’s never quite enough supply, the price stays up. “What the NSW Silver Perch Association has done – and what we have done here in Queensland – is to tease out extra demand by doing little bits of promotional work as production has steadily, and sensibly, grown. So you put a stall up at some event and give out bite-size pieces. If it’s good, a few people will remember and will buy when they see silver perch on a menu or in the shop. “It doesn’t happen in a hurry but it’s not boom and bust either. We’re looking for sustainable growth. And the price has held up pretty well I reckon.” So Bruce has high hopes for sleepy cod. Sure it costs a bit more to grow and longer to harvest, but the farm gate price is commensurately better and Asian markets love it. With excellent attributes for aquaculture, he’s convinced the experienced and committed grower will find just reward for effort. Plus it’s another string to an developing array of native fish favourites adorning restaurant menus, shop dis-

F E AT U R E

play cabinets and home kitchens around the nation. “People talk about the silver perch industry, the barramundi industry, the Murray cod industry and so on. They’re not industries,” Bruce asserts. “Native freshwater fish is the industry. You don’t see a whole row of silver perch from different suppliers at the fishmongers. You see some silver perch, Murray cod, perhaps some jade perch or golden perch. You see a range of native fish, a range of seafood. That’s the industry.” Similarly he has no time for government bureaucrats bemoaning that silver perch hasn’t filled its potential. “What they don’t understand is that silver perch was the first species off the rank and it’s doing its job. Other species are coming in and maintaining the momentum. It’s the sum of the species that’s important. “We’re talking about a product that was all but unknown. Twenty years ago you didn’t find native freshwater fish in city shops. Now you do. “But at the same time you could buy smoked salmon and barra fillets. So when these were grown in aquaculture there was a ready market. “Given that we first had to educate people to could eat freshwater fish, we’ve done a good job on the whole. “And sleepy cod is the latest in this line of species. I think it has a great future.” By Tim Walker For more information go to http://www.ausyfish.com or contact Bruce Sambell at Ausyfish, PO Box 324, Childers QLD 4660. Tel: 07 4126 2226; Fax: 07 4126 2221.

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F E AT U R E

Sleepy cod culture Stocking densities. The Murray cod industry is generally working in the 50-150 kg/m3 range (ie min-max density). We believe this is a good guide that should be followed for sleepy cod. It must be stressed, that many of the good operators, (Murray cod growers) are using oxygen generators to increase DO saturation to above 100%, this, along with high densities, is part of the recipe to successful growing of cod in general. Temperature They are very temperature tolerant. We have recorded temperatures in our ponds with brood fish, and small fingerlings, as low as 9°C and as high as 35°C. (We do not recommend handling them at low temperatures.) At Ausyfish we routinely have broodstock in ponds during winter at temperatures as low as 14°C and sometimes as low as 11°C. During these cold times we are not able

to handle these fish and do sometimes experience some minor losses. At temperatures above 14°C we do not experience any difficulties. We only stock Fitzroy/Dawson strain. Colour The colour of sleepy cod can change according to environmental conditions. No research has been conducted to determine how to manipulate their colour but it will be possible to provide fish to the market in a preferred colour once some trials have been carried out. Temperature and light will most probably be the factors that effect the fishes colour. They are capable of changing colour within a few minutes. Weaning Fingerlings are easily weaned. Our fingerlings are not weaned as we believe it is better to ship the fingerlings soon after harvesting when they are in peak condition. They are raised

36 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

in plankton ponds where they feed on natural food. We also believe that when weaned, then shipped, the stress results in a loss of confidence by the fingerlings in eating artificial food. They then need to be re-trained on to artificial food. The natural diet of sleepy cod is carnivorous. They feed on fish, freshwater shrimp and freshwater crayfish. They will therefore do best on a high protein diet similar to barramundi. Culture method The sleepy cod is not suitable for free-range pond culture as they are highly carnivorous and cannibalistic, as well as very territorial. They are able to eat other sleepy cod fingerlings up to half their size. It is necessary to grade fingerlings regularly. It is also possible for the fish to stop feeding on the artificial diet if they are in an open environment. By Bruce Sambell

F E AT U R E

Weaning sleepy cod Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the method used with great success by fingerling supplier Ausyfish to wean fingerlings onto artificial aquaculture feeds. It requires some frozen blood worms and a sinking pellet food of suitable size, about 2-3mm. The culture area should have subdued lighting, similar to dusk, as the sleepy cod is most active at this time of day. Step 1. Place the fingerlings in a small glass aquarium or in a floating cage in a recirculating system or pond. Be sure to have good water flow through the cage, or very good aeration if in a glass tank. The fingerlings should be very crowded. If possible they should crowd up in one area facing the open water within their enclosure. The crowding is necessary to suppress the territorial behavior of the fish and encourage a competitive feeding environment.

gerlings to become exposed to the supply of food for the longest possible time. Movement of your hand and body should also be as slow as possible to avoid scaring the fingerlings. You should approach the enclosure slowly. At first only a few fingerlings will investigate the food but eventually they will start to eat. Each time you repeat this process more fingerlings will take

food. Eventually most of the fingerlings will eagerly eat it but some may still be a little shy. You can choose to continue to feed frozen blood worms until all are feeding well but this can become expensive. This step in the process will take a few days â&#x20AC;&#x201C; about 3 to 10 days â&#x20AC;&#x201C; depending on factors such as lighting, activities around the tank and the hunger of the fish. It may be a few days before the fingerlings are hungry

Step 2 Defrost enough frozen blood worm to give each fingerling a good feed. To defrost the blood worm place the frozen cubs in a jug of water taken from their tank. This is important as the smell of the food should not be contaminated by water taken from another source. Mix the defrosted blood worm gently enough to separate the particles without breaking the individual worms up too much. Frozen blood worm is about 1cm long, an ideal size for fingerlings. Do not expect them all to feed. The relative large amount of food is to allow the fingerlings to become exposed to the smell and movement of the blood worm as it passes them. Slowly pour the contents of the jug into the enclosure where the fingerlings are. You should pour the contents so it passes in front of the crowded fingerlings. The movement of the sinking blood worms will encourage an attack by the bolder fingerlings. The action of these bold ones will encourage those that are more timid to also attack the sinking food. There is also a competitive component to this method as they will try to get to the food before each other. The contents of the jug should be poured very slowly to allow the finAustasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 37

F E AT U R E

enough to try this new food in strange surroundings. Once you are satisfied enough of the fingerlings are settled in to their new surroundings and are feeding, move to step 3. Step 3 Mash some defrosted blood worm into a paste. Add some water to the paste to make a watery suspension. Place enough pellet food to feed the fingerlings on to a long, thin, flat surface, such as a plastic ruler. You may need to use several rulers to hold all the food. Slowly pour the blood worm suspension over the pellets. The pellets must absorb the liquid. The aim is to have the pellets smell similar to blood worms and be soft to the touch. It is important the pellets are soft to the touch but not disintegrate once in the water. Hold the ruler over the fingerlings and push some of the pellets into the area the fingerlings are used to being fed. If you have placed the soaked pellets in a bowl they will break up too easily when you try to add them to the water. It is easy to keep them from disintegrating if you push a few at a time off the ruler. The rest of this step is much the same as step 2. Repeat the process for as many days as necessary.

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Step 4 Once the fish are feeding on the soft pellets soaked in blood worm, begin reducing the amount of blood worm used to soak the pellets. The aim is to have the pellets soft, but with no blood worm. This will not take long; about 2-3 days. Once the fingerlings are taking the pellets with out blood worm, move to step 5. Step 5 Begin using less water to soak the pellets until the pellets are completely dry. The weaning is complete. By Bruce Sambell For more information go to http://www.ausyfish.com or contact Bruce Sambell at Ausyfish, PO Box 324, Childers QLD 4660. Tel: 07 4126 2226; Fax: 07 4126 2221.

NEWS

Government Policies – are they destroying the Australian prawn industry? The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) is considering removing the anti dumping duty (9.45%) for Thailand’s shrimp industry. The review stems from the devastating effects of the December 2004 tsunami on the Thai coastline. Such a decision could flood the US market with more imported white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) with a cascade effect on other markets. AAM caught up with Bill Izard of Cairns Live Prawns (Australia’s largest broodstock supplier) and industry veteran Frank Roberts of Tru Blu Prawns to discuss what the future holds for prawn farming in Australia. Apart from parts of Indonesia, the main impact of the deadly tsunami on the 26th of December, 2004 was on the Thailand’s western shores. Thailand is among the world’s top four shrimp exporters, shipping about 250,000 tonnes annually, with such exports accounting for almost 70 percent of the country’s seafood production. Aquacultured shrimp (mainly Penaeus vannamei) is exported to the US, the European Union, Japan and, more recently, Australia. Some reports have estimated the

damage to Thailand’s shrimp industry at US$500 million. The tsunami is thought to have killed 100 hatchery workers, levelled farm buildings, washed away equipment and dispersed shrimp raised in hundreds of seaside man-made saltwater lagoons. About 30% of the breeding stock and hatchery industry is says to have been destroyed and restoring it will apparently take more than six months. Thousands of fishing boats were reportedly damaged. Again this damage is taking months to repair. The net

Repairing damaged boats at Krabi. Photo courtesy by Bill Izard

result is a harvest tipped to plummet by up to 80,000 tonnes this year. But not everyone is buying this story. Bill Izard of Cairns Live Prawns has been supplying monodon prawn (Penaeus monodon) brood stock to Australian prawn hatcheries since 1987. Last year he supplied approximately 80% of the monodon broodstock to the aquaculture industry. Bill has returned from a month-long trip to Thailand (27th December 2004 until the end of January 2005) with first-hand reports from the west coast

Thai fisherman repairing nets. Photo courtesy by Bill Izard

Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 39

NEWS

Vannamei being processed for the market in Thailand. Photo courtesy by Bill Izard

Thai Fishermen repairing the nets. Photo courtesy by Bill Izard

regions of Krabi, Sikao, Phangnga and Phuket as well as Songkhla on the east coast, “While in Thailand, I visited several shrimp hatcheries and grow out farms, and met a lot of the shrimp hatchery owners,” he says. “The reports that over 4,500 fishing boats were damaged is correct; however they forgot to mention that this is from a fleet of almost 80,000 boats. In fact, the tsunami hit during a non-production period, indicating that minimal stock was lost and infrastructure is still relatively intact. The responses I received from a lot of farmers were that the industry is not having great difficulty repairing itself.” So what are the reasons for the reports of significant damage? Bill has his own views. “The Thai Government has used this tsunami to try and convince the USITC to remove its antidumping duty and give its economy a financial boost. “But if this is achieved, the prawn market in America will saturate and this will ultimately have a flow on affect here in Australia as more imported prawns competing with local product. “In fact, in the last two years there has been a marked increase of imported prawns onto the Australian market,” he continues. “The USITC should be looking at the Australian prawn industry first as an example of why tariffs need to be put in place. Australia has a rather relaxed approach to anti-dumping tar-

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NEWS

iffs and the increase of imported prawns in the last two years has been detrimental to the local industry. We have had a serious lack of Government support and imports are driving both fisherman and farmers into financial ruin.” Such challenges come on top of other Government actions which Bill says are proving detrimental to industry. He points to an Ecofish initiative begun in 2003 where within the prawn fishery developed a Code of Conduct and Code of Practice. Gear size restrictions were implemented to to move the fishery towards environmental sustainability (see AAM issue Vol 17 No 4, JuneJuly ‘03) and an Environmental Management System (EMS) was also developed for the fishery. A preassessment for certification of the fishery (as well managed and sustainable) through the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) was conducted and plans for a full assessment drawn up. If successful, Bill says that the north Queensland prawn fishery would have been the first worldwide trawl fishery to achieve MSC certification. However in July 2004, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Representative Areas Program rezoned the marine park and the prawn fishery north of Cairns lost 90% of its fishing grounds. Up until the rezoning, all broodstock that Bill supplied in 2004 were caught north of Cairns. Now these grounds are off limits. The fishing grounds remaining (10%) are south of Cairns … remote, difficult to fish and well known for low prawn stocks. This will impact the prawn farms as well as the prawn trawlers as the hatcheries depend on the supply of wild broodstock. The northern grounds that Bill has worked for 18 years supplied almost 75% of his broodstock prawns from August to October (when the catch rate in southern grounds usually drops dramatically). Now those prawns are off-limits and those broodstock he can source from the more remote and difficult to fish areas will unavoidably be more expensive. Worrysome as this is, however, he does rate the threat of imported prawns

Thai Hatchery owners with Bill Izard (left). Photo courtesy by Bill Izard

as the more serious. Prawn farmer Frank Roberts is in full agreement. Longest running prawn farm Tru Blu Prawns – located on the banks of the Clarence River near Yamba, in northern NSW – is the longest operating monodon prawn farm in Australia. A family business, Tru Blu’s founder Frank Roberts set about in the early seventies converting a 40 hectare sugar cane farm into a 100 to 130 tonne production prawn farm. The farm consists of 30 ponds ranging in size from 0.5 to 1.2 hectares and 1.5 metres deep. Water is fed via four China pumps (1 x 26 inch, 2 x 16 inch, 1 x 14 inch) from the Clarence River with clean saltwater ranging from 25 to 35 ppt and temperatures during the growing season peaking at 330C. In 2003 a 1,100 square metre hatchery, housing twenty 20 tonne tanks was constructed and used to spawn prawn broodstock (supplied by Bill Izard) during August and early September. Juveniles (PLs) are stocked at 45 animals per square metre into fresh filled outside ponds at the beginning of September and fed a pelleted diet twice a day until harvesting from February to April. Processing and packaging occurs on

site as either medium (20-24 gram), large (25-40 gram) or extra large (4180 gram) grades. Prawns are generally sold as ten kilo green or cooked chilled boxes to wholesalers around Australia for between $12.50 and $16.50 a kilo and straight from the farm gate at $18 a kilo. Business was progressing quite nicely for the farm until the introduction of imported white shrimp (P. vannamei) in 2002. This season (2004/05) Tru Blu’s production figures have taken a real hit to the detriment of business, it’s employees, the community and industry. “Due to the imported prawns flooding the market we have had to scale back our production and focus on a

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Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 41

NEWS

Fishing village at Phuket. Photo courtesy by Bill Izard

higher quality product than quantity,” Frank explains. “Australian monodon prawns are selling for approximately $25 a kilo in the supermarkets whereas imported white shrimp (P. vannamei) can be had for $13.” In fact, he says the farm’s stocking

densities have been lowered to 10/m2 this year – 35 animals less per square metre than the previous season – resulting in a two-thirds reduction in harvest to 36 tonnes per season. “By lowering our stocking densities we have been able to produce a solid, good

42 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

looking quality product but to the detriment of both income to the business and our employees.” In the previous season Tru Blu prawns operated with six fulltime staff and eight casuals. Now there are just two full-timers and the eight casuals are employed for a shorter growing and harvesting season. “We will make about 25% profit on this year’s total income which equates to 21% on Capital Invested,” says Frank. He is frustrated that the government has allowed the imported vannamei prawns to enter the country. “Currently we can harvest five tonne per hectare of monodon whilst the imported prawns can be harvested at 25 tonne per hectare. The Australian industry cannot compete with those sorts of figures.” The countries exporting these prawns (Thailand, China and Vietnam) are generally classified as non-market economies in which farmers do not pay for land; have very cheap labour, subsidised electricity, no environmental regulations and no food safety standards. This serves to constrain costs well below those achievable on Australian farms which must pay for all of them. “Is it fair that, as an industry, we are governed by strict environmental and food safety regulations – costing the industry thousands – whilst farmers who have no (or little) such requirements have open access to our domestic markets?” Bill asks. Frank agrees. Both reckon the government can do much more to regulate the imports. And both think the government has a role to play in the marketing of Australian product. “To survive in this industry I need to look at other ways of helping my Australian monodon prawns stand out from the imported product,” Frank says. “The Australian prawns are of far better quality than imported prawns but how do you entice customers to spend the extra money for that quality.” As to the future of the industry, Frank asserts: “You’d have to be a goose to buy a prawn farm at the moment. The lack of communication and con-

NEWS

– Development of own hatchery to ensure ready supply of post larvae that are produced in waters similar to what they will be grown in • Culture System utilised: Earthen ponds with aerators and water flushing, one crop per year • Growth rate (from stocking to market): <6 months (0.1g to 25g), focus now on larger prawns (up to 80g) • Av. stocking density: 45 PL/m3, recently reduced to 10PL/m3 • Annual harvest: 30 tonnes (low stocking densities) to 110 tonnes (high SD) • Sale price: $10.50-$11.00 / kg, larger prawns should receive a premium price

Trevor Purkis’ boat which is used to collect P. monodon broodstock in North Queensland. Photo courtesy by Bill Izard.

sultation between government and industry has really shown through over the last few years. In my time in the game I’ve seen a move from almost no regulatory requirements to a tough enforcement of rules from both old and new government departments and agencies. It seems the government is too caught up with Research and Development for a future industry than helping current farmers develop an

already established and once thriving one.” Both Bill and Frank believe fishermen and farmers alike need to come together and discuss the future … or lack of it. “Perhaps conferences such as September’s Seafood Directions in Sydney this September provide the best opportunity for industry from all states to consider key strategies and develop a course of action,” they suggest.

By Phillip Kerr with Dos O’Sullivan For more information contact Bill Izard, Cairns Live Prawns, PO Box 7107, Cairns, Qld 4870. Tel: 07 4057-7412, Fax: 07 4057-7217, Mob: 0412-793-450, email: wizardprawns@bigpond.com OR Frank Roberts, Tru Blu Prawns, 371 School Road, Palmers Island NSW 2463. Tel: 02 6646-0196, Fax: 02 6646-0342, Mob: 0418 666-308, email: froberts10@bigpond.com

Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 43

RESEARCH

Proving the worth of Aquaponics Aquaponics could revolutionize the way we produce fish in closed systems. Further evidence of its utility comes from the PhD work carried out by Wilson Lennard at RMIT under the supervision of Brian Leonard. When he left Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in 1992 after completing an honours science degree, Wilson found there weren’t that many jobs out there for scientists. So after a stint in freshwater ecology, he decided to do a PhD on marrying aquaculture and hydroponics. With a stipend, $3,500 a year for consumables and some assistance from the university – which included valu-

After 21 days the lettuce are ready for harvesting

The contented cod. Note the shelter and the submersible pump. (above and below).

able temperature controlled facilities in one of the RMIT fish rooms – Wilson and Brian set up the trials to collect data on the hypothesis that the nutrient build up from fish production could be used in plant production to deliver commercial outcomes. The work was carried out at RMIT’s Bundoora campus over three years. Run indoors to achieve maximum environmental control, the trail setup consisted of 12 replicate trays (50cm x 50cm) filled with 8mm hydroponic gravel to a depth of 150mm. The water level came to within 4mm of the top to avoid algal growth at the surface. Each tray sat above a 100L fish tank and a 20L biofilter (with polystyrene beanbag balls). The trays took another 15L of water making each aquaponics unit a 135L system. A 400w metal halide UV light was positioned at the interface of each two trays, making a total of six lights. Lighting was set at 10 hours a day. Experimental design Moved by airlift pumps that ensured saturated DO levels throughout the system, the water ran constantly, passing through the bio-filter at 250L/hr. About 15% of the flow passed through the hydro trays. Water was taken from the tanks where the nitrate level has built up through the nitrification of the biofilter. The gravel beds also acted as a medium for nitrifying bacteria. Given just a kilo of fish per tank (10kg/m3) the nutrient supply in the water was relatively stable. The fish were fed once per day with Skrettings salmon diet (Classic SS) at the rate of 1.5% of their body weight a day. With an air temperature of 24°C, water temperature was kept in the range 22-23°C, considered to be in the optimum range for both the Murray cod and the green oak salad lettuce produced. Humidity varied between 50% and 60%. Cod were chosen because they presented an attractive market option and the lettuce variety because

44 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

it could be grown in the cod’s temperature range. Plants prefer a more acid condition than is conducive to efficient nitrification so the system was run at a pH of 7, providing a balance for both systems. TAN levels never exceeded >0.25mg/l and nitrite levels were nil. Wilson has heard of recirculation systems that run at nitrate levels of 400mg/L. At no stage during the trials did the NO3 levels exceed 60mg/L. “What people don’t seem to realize is that it has to affect fish health, and you’re putting yourself in a position where, if your bio-filtration process reverses for any reason, you can have huge releases of nitrite or ammonia,” he says. “Murray cod don’t like nitrite at all. They get brown blood disease very quickly. Where growers use salt in their systems it masks the presence of nitrite. They may have nitrite in their system all the time. We can’t use salt. The plants hate it”. The minimum number of replicates was three, so Wilson could run four trials at a time. There was always a control tray that had no plants but received the same flow of water as the experiment. Each trial was over 21 days; the time it took the lettuce to mature from a three leaf seedling. Some controls measured the amount of nutrient the plants were stripping from the fish water. In other trials Wilson used an optimum hydroponic nutrient solution to measure the plants’ growth against the fish water. These latter trials showed no difference in the growth rates of the lettuce. For consistency, all readings were taken at 9.30am. As the lights came on at 9am, this allowed the day system to kick in. The lowest DO levels recorded, 5.8mg/L, were at 5am. In the strictures of the laboratory, there was some UV influence on the water but this was limited to a slight green tinge. However, Wilson pointed out that in a commercial situation the fish would be in a separate shed to the plants and UV would

RESEARCH

have a limited direct influence on the nutrients in the water. Unfortunately, no taste trials could be carried out as ethics protocol prevents the human consumption of living organisms used in scientific experiments. However, from the colour and texture of the lettuce, it was accepted that they were normal and healthy in every way. The economics The whole operation encompassed 14 different trials which basically showed that the nutrient output from a kilo of fish would produce 20 marketable green oak lettuce plants in 21 days from a three leaf seedling, while at the same time leaving the fish water nutrient neutral. “The environmental parameters stayed the same all the time,” Wilson continues. “I didn’t have to compensate for different inputs. The purpose of the exercise was to concentrate on removing the nutrients from the system as much as possible while at the same time achieving maximum plant growth. The plants, while they’re good for removing nutrients, are a good cash crop and a quick cash flow as well, especially on a fish farm where it could be 18 months before the first crop of fish is ready.”

free fall. As sodium is not good for plants they looked at potassium and calcium based buffers to see what it did for the plant growth. Not only was sodium build up neutralized but the plants responded to the variation. “The fish assimilate what they want from the food and expel the rest, 80% of which comes across their gills and is dissolved in the water. Most of it is nitrogen and phosphorus based. The fish food also has all the micro nutrients the plants need. There are only two things that are really missing from the system in terms of nutrients the fish food provides after it’s been through the fish … and that’s potassium and calcium. There just wasn’t enough of either for good plant growth. The change in the buffering method made up the shortfall.” Hydroponic method Although the trials were run using gravel beds to deliver the plant nutrients, Wilson feels that while they worked in the small system he devised to collect the data for his PhD, they could accumulate solid material and become clogged. Nutrient film tech-

Samples of three methods of nutrient transfer through hydroponics using different techniques. From the left - lettuce grown using fish waste plus hydroponic nutrients, hydroponic nutrients alone, and fish waste alone.

nique (NFT) is an option that avoids the labour involved in gravel beds. It consists of growing the plants in openings cut into a PVC pipe through which the nutrient enriched water passes at 10% of the depth of the channelling. The other 90% is used to deliver oxygen to the plants. However, this method has been shown to be 10% to 15% less efficient than gravel beds. The method Wilson would use for his DO saturated fish tank water to grow the plants is to set them in a polystyrene raft that floats on 150mm deep aqueduct. Whereas the NFT system is up to 15% less efficient than the gravel

Oxygen for plants With a background based in aquatic science, Wilson had to teach himself how to produce plants using hydroponic methods. He noticed in the literature that growers using a gravel bed medium gave the plant roots a feed for ten to fifteen minutes every hour. For the rest of the time the pumps were idle. He felt that the plants would benefit from elevated oxygen levels at the root zone, so tested a constant flow model against the conventional power saving model and found a constant flow worked better. Buffering Buffering was another area in which these two scientists moved away from conventional thinking. Most recirculation systems use a sodium based buffer (sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydroxide) to prevent pH going into Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 45

RESEARCH

Above left: The fish tank with the bio-filter. The return line from the lettuce trays can be seen in the right of the photo.

bed system, the floating raft system of hydroponics is comparable in output to the gravel bed method. Trays can be pushed along the flotation tanks as they grow, removed for harvesting and trays of seedlings inserted into the space created in the chain. One benefit Wilson sees is the volume of water per kilo of fish. “The thing I like about it is the supplemental volume in the system. You might have 60kg/m3 of fish in the tanks, but that works out at only 30kg/m3 because the other half of the water is in the hydroponic part of the system”. Fish production

Above right: The lettuce trays at the five leaf stage – day three after planting.

Fish mortalities during the trial were negligible. Of the 60 to 70 fish used per experiment, only one fish died and that was because it jumped out of the tank, probably during an altercation with a neighbour. This led to the introduction of PVC hides, which eliminated aggression from the trials. The fish were used to generate the fish waste and the production data is not really relative to commercial outcomes. The fish were 150g to 200g when the trials commenced. Wilson wanted small fish so he could ensure that each tank had around a kilo of fish in it. By the end, some were over a kilo. FCRs were under 1:1, with the best

coming in at 0.7:1. Growth rates were generally around 25% for the three week lettuce cycle. These figures compared favourably with work done at Snobs’ Creek by Dr Brett Ingram. “In relation to the fish data, all we needed to do was show that the inclusion of plants in the system doesn’t adversely affect the fish growth or food conversion, he said”. “Most people would say that’s a given, but now it’s been shown scientifically”. Interestingly, when the fish were in a flow through situation – as they were when held in the University’s main fish room facility between trials –signs of hole-in-the-head syndrome (choronic eurosive dermatopathy) could appear. Once in the recirculation system the symptoms disappeared. Wilson offers little comment given that it’s “outside his field” but his personal belief is that it’s a nutrition deficiency, probably an amino acid deficiency. Lettuce production The emphasis of the trials was on the plant production which achieved commercial growth rates using the recycled fish water. More to the point, the fish water trials produced growth and yields statistically equivalent to the hydroponic nutrient solution system. However there was a need to add a little bit of iron chelate to the fish water; the plants need it to build chlorophyll. Without the supplement the plants were a little bit yellow, despite the abundance of nitrate in the water. The multiple benefits Towards the end of the trials Wilson and Brian did the same experiment that they started with to see if they had improved the system … and they had. “We can remove 100% of the nitrogen, but depending on the plant, there can be a phosphorus debit. The lettuce is a case in point. If we remove 100% of the nitrogen, then we need 140% of the amount of phosphorus, because plants use more phosphorus than is produced by the aquaculture system. However, we found that basil doesn’t have as high a phosphorus requirement as lettuce. So, by picking the plant crop, in this

46 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

RESEARCH

case basil, we can remove 100% of the nitrogen and phosphorus from the system without compromising production,” Wilson says. As these are the two major nutrients generated as by-products of fish production, aquaponics has been shown to remove the need to flush water from a recirculation system to maintain safe nitrate and phosphorous levels, which can be 20% a day in high density systems and 5% in low density systems. During the short 21 day cycle trials the only water consumption was losses to evaporation and transpiration through the plants. Wilson pointed out that while the daily exchange of 0.2% may be a bit artificial in the laboratory, it was an indication of the low water use in an aquaponic system. Conductivity was also in balance. In the short cycle trials organic solids were negligible and were removed manually. However, towards the end of the project a rotational harvest trial was run over 12 weeks, where a crop of lettuce was taken out every week and replaced with seedlings. This enabled evaluation of the performance of four different size classes and the operation of the system under a commercial timetable. In this case the organic solids were removed using swirl separator, which provided efficient passive solid removal (PSR). The water was given a final polish through a filter pad. The plants also pull out other molecules, including colour. “Plants are really good at filtering out large molecules: taste, flavour, smell. It’s basically passive filtration. They’re transpiring water to get at the nutrients, and at the same time they pull those flavour and colour molecules out through their roots. Like the fish, they use what they want and get rid of the rest through their leaves,” Wilson says. “The water is top quality”, Wilson said. “And the fish love it”. The sludge removed from the swirl filter can be aerated for a few weeks until it breaks down into organic plant food, or the same ouitcome can be achieved in a dry composting system. This by-product too has a market value. The benefits keep coming. “In hydro-

ponics, elevated carbon dioxide levels have been shown to increase plant production,” Wilson continues. “In aquaponics we’ve got the best source of carbon dioxide in the world. We just vent the CO2 from the biofilter into the polyhouse and we’ll boost our CO2 levels by 200ppm to 250ppm. This is enough to increase plant growth by 10%. It’s another product from a recirc system that everyone sees as waste that is actually a commodity. “Eventually we hope to be able to run the whole operation off solar energy. I’ll be using anything I can get for free. The aim of this whole project is to show that fish farming doesn’t have to be such an expensive exercise.” Wilson’s aquaponic system operates on one pump, a gravity fed trickle biofilter, a swirl filter and a solid screen filter. There was no expensive, power consuming bells and whistles. His next project is to set up a commercial pilot that will demonstrate the knowledge gained in the trials can be profitable. While a build up of solids in the system can draw down on the oxygen reserve, it can also be a source of nutrients as the solids mineralise. Depending on the circumstances, Wilson may only flush the swirl filters twice a week. This further minimizes water consumption. The system is not without it’s compromises. Plants are subject to the same optimum temperature ranges and nutrient profiles as the fish and, while

Wilson’s trials have shown that the system works, there is room for much fine tuning at commercial levels of efficiency and for mixing and matching the species of plants and fish to take advantage of market trends. Economic projections that have been made on a commercial one tonne Murray cod system being fed between 1.5% and 2% of their body weight a day show that between 5,000 and 6,000 basil plants may be harvested each week in a rotational crop system, or 20,000 to 24,000 basil plants may be grown every four weeks. Conservatively the cod would pay for the operation of the system and the basil would provide the profit, a very healthy return on investment in infrastructure and operating costs. Wilson says whilst the current trend in recirculation systems is get big for ‘economy of scale’ savings this is forcing the small budget operator out of the industry. An aquaponics system such as his is ideal for those who want to get into farming at a cottage industry level. It’s a relatively low cost entry providing a quick cash flow from the plants while at the same time reducing the operating costs substantially.

Wilson Lennard can be contacted by phone on (03) 9486 3995, or by email on willennard@gmail.com

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Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 47

MARKETING

Some of the top quality prawns submitted for judging. Photo courtesy of Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Sydney Royal Show Awards for farmed prawns Once again the high quality of Australian Farmed Prawns was demonstrated at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show. This year 17 medals were awarded to a total of six prawn farms. The Champion Prawn Exhibit was awarded to Gold Coast Marine Aquaculture. Each year since 2001 some of Australia’s best quality products are sent to be judged by Australian and International invited food experts at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show. Australian prawns and oysters are ‘magnificent’ according to the compiled results of the 2005 Show. The last edition of AAM (Vol 19 No 4, August-September 2005) covered the oyster results; now it is the turn for prawns. Judging is held in two stages to reflect the seasons of the aquaculture produce. In the Farmed Prawn class, the entries could include: • black tiger (Penaeus monodon)

• kuruma (Marsupenaeus japonicus) • school (Metapenaeus spp.) • banana prawns (Fenneropenaeus meguiensis). For the past few years cooked black tiger and bananas have been offered. The judging criteria for these cooked prawns include: • Flavour (taste, sweetness, after taste, strength) • Visual appearance (anatomy, uniformity of sample, colour and smell) • Texture (vein) • Shell hardness (peel ability) • Aroma and • Freshness

48 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

Champion Prawn Exhibit Chairman of Judges of the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show, Grahame Latham singled aquaculture out as the highlight of the Show, with judges awarding a massive 11 Gold Medals. “Consumers are the real winners because all of these products are available to buy,” Grahame said. “Farmed prawns were particularly strong, which is to be expected because the (growing) conditions are controlled. We encountered what I consider to be the perfect prawn.” Gold Medals were awarded to most entries in the Prawn Class with six Queensland operations – Crystal Bay

MARKETING

Prawns® (Seafarm Pty Limited, Cardwell), Coral Sea Farms (Macknade), Pacific Reef Fisheries (Ayr), Gold Coast Marine Aquaculture (Woongoolba), Prawns North (Kirwan) and Bullock Creek Prawn Farm (Donnybrook) – and one New South Wales based operation – Ballina Fishing Park (Ballina) – acknowledged for their high quality product. The Champion Prawn Exhibit was awarded to Gold Coast Marine Aquaculture Pty Ltd for cooked black tiger farm prawns. Owner Noel Herbst was ecstatic about the win. “We have been a great supporter of the Fine Food Show from when started in 2001. We see it as a great marketing tool,” he said. “In 2004 we won the Award of Outstanding Excellence which had never been won before. We also won the Champion Prawn Exhibit and received two Gold and one Silver medal. This year we again were awarded the Champion Prawn Exhibit and we also got another Gold and another Silver medal.” Noel said that they chose the prawns from our daily harvest. “We select

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Noel and his fine array of awards from the Royal Show. Photo courtesy of Gold Coast Marine Aquaculture

prawns that are of uniform size, with good general appearance and colour, with all feelers and legs intact. The prawns are cooked in our HACCP approved processing facility. The facility also has ISO9001 certification and is registered by AQIS ready for export. The onsite processing plant has done

up to 13 tonnes in a day, but normally we process 5-6 tonnes per day.” “Harvest starts around mid-February,” he added, “It continues until mid May so we are able to meet the Easter peak demand. Feeding is suspended about 12 hours before harvest so the prawns feed tract (vein) in empty.

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MARKETING

The panel of experienced judges recording their thoughts on which were the best of the succulent cooked prawns. Photo courtesy of Sydney Royal Easter Show.

“We have to wait until the water temperatures rise to around 22 to 23°C before we can stock the ponds, which is usually around early October. This year things were very difficult because we experienced a very cool summer in SE Queensland. Temperature fluctuations made matters worse, with water temperatures in December down to 21°C

then rising to 30°C for a few days before falling back to 24°C. Moult cycles and feeding are effected by water temperatures so unstable water temperatures are not good for prawn growth.” Noel said that despite these problems survival was pretty good although total production was down due to the lower average weight of the animals. The

50 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

average weight achieved this year was only 26-27 grams compared with averages in other years of 34 grams. “This year we put in entries for two size categories; 10-15s (number of prawns per pound) as well as 16-20s. We were awarded the gold for the larger prawns (10-15s) and the silver for the 16-20s. We received the Championship for the second year for the larger prawns.” Noel said it was great to see that the numbers of entries for the prawns was up this year. Also other farms being awarded medals augured well for the amount of quality farmed prawn products out on the Australian markets. The awards won by Noel and his team are often loaned to various customers to display in their shops or restaurants. Peter Michaels, owner of Peter Michaels Seafoods, one of Cronulla’s retail icons said that they display the awards on the wall near where the customers pay for their goods. “I have been selling Noel’s prawns for the last 10 to 12 years. A few customers ask for Noel’s prawns by name. The awards reinforce the customer’s view of the product. I have always been happy with Noel’s product and think the prawns are better than most others. It gives me confidence to know that other people have a similar opinion.” Peter believes that the awards are beneficial for the whole industry in the longer term, including the wholesalers and retailers. “Having ‘award winning’ prawns in my shop is great as I am pushing quality constantly. I have found Noel’s prawns to be very consistent in grading, an area that people will complain about. From the first prawn taken at the beginning of the season to the last prawn at the end of the harvest, it is important to have consistent grading. “For example with some suppliers a 30/kg grade will have some prawns that are very small (20-23g) and others very big (38-40g) and others (in between) so the average is 33g. Customers don’t like that; you must have the prawns all at a uniform size of between 25 and 35g. Noel concentrates on quality and consistent grading so his presentation is very good. Customers like consistency in taste also.

MARKETING

“It is the same as with McDonalds; if you like the food then you will get the same meal whatever shop you go to. With prawns the customers like to know what taste they are going to get.” Dennis Poulos Jnr from Poulos Bros, one of the leading seafood wholesalers in Sydney said although the awards give them confidence in the product, the main criteria remains customer satisfaction. He said that some customers ask for the Gold Coast Marine Aquaculture prawns by name. “The awards show that Noel knows how to take care of their product, with the harvest, cooking, icing and shipping. Prawn production is not like a batch of wine where you know that all of the bottles will be pretty similar. Prawn quality can change due to environmental conditions, so producing a good prawn is not easy.” Other Winners The six other farms which won medals provide an interesting and exciting cross-section of the industry, extending from one of the largest farms to one of the smallest and covering both tropical and temperate regions. One thing they all have in common is their interest in wanting to promote their products and their industry. All see the Fine Foods Show as a great way to do this. Despite Prawns North being only into their third year of production, the operation managed to win one gold (16/20) and one silver (10/15). And Sales Manager Rod Tome said are pretty proud of their win. “Although we only have frozen product at present, we were at a Trade Show in Townsville last week (mid May) and we had our certificates on display,” he said. “The show was attended by a number of hotel chains and other food buyers who were interested in us as the awards showed we are selling a good product. When we start selling our boxes of chilled and fresh product again (around November) we will be using the emblem on our boxes.” Rod said that next year they will also try a 20/30 grade which means they will have entries for their small, medium and large grades. “We process the product in our $1 million HACCP and AQIS

certified processing shed. We are only new and we are still learning all the time so our quality can only get better.” With their silver medal for 16/20 and a bronze for 21/30 entries, Pacific Reef Fisheries are using the awards as a measure of their position in the market. According to Manager Trevor Anderson they have identified what they need to do to improve the quality of the entry. “Our customers see our prawns as excellent, but even so we are using this (the Fine Foods Show) as an additional way of obtaining a third party comparison on how we are going. The Show is a good thing for industry as we can all get together and have a look at each other’s product and see what is out there. It gives us something to aim for next year.” Coral Sea Farms, one of the newest entrants to prawn farming, presently sell the majority of their prawns to the Fish Market in Sydney. A couple of years ago, one of their buyers, who is also a judge at the Fine Food Show, commented on the quality of their product and suggested they enter their prawns into the competition. According to Agnes Vas, Marketing Director, in 2004 they received two silver medals which encouraged them to re-enter. "This year we were awarded a gold (10/15), a silver (16/20) and a bronze (21/30). We were very pleased at this result considering we had planned to hand pick the prawns for the entries. However, as we were right in the middle of a busy processing run we only had time to just grab some of the prawns we had destined for the market. We were particularly happy to get the gold for the large grade, 10/15s as that is the most sought after size from buyers. Agnes said that the Fine Foods Show provided a great opportunity to promote their product. "The industry needs more of this type of event. “We will be looking to work with the RAS (Royal Agricultural Show) to use their logos for future promotional material. Our product is of a consistent high quality with a good strong colour, firm texture and most importantly it taste good. In the short time that we

have been farming we have been lucky enough to build up a loyal clientele. Awards such as the RAS Fine Food Medals help to further endorse our product in our customer’s eyes.” Banana prawns were used by Seafarm for their entries using their Japaneseorientated grading system – which works on prawns per kilogram, not per pound (halve the per kg grade the get the approximate prawns per pound). They were awarded three golds (35/40, 40/45 and 45/50) as well as one silver (30/35). According to Sam Gordon, Sales and Marketing Manager, they were pleased with the results. “We have been winning medals since the Show’s inception,” he said. “The main reason without doubt for our involvement is the leverage for marketing, both domestic and international. We put the medals on our promotional materials, brochures, posters, web site. For the overseas market we use them to help differentiate our product in the market. We see it as an independent verification that our prawns are good quality.” Sam said that Crystal Bay Prawns would continue to support the Show.

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Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 51

FARM PROFILE

“We are the only ones putting in banana prawns so, as long as the judges are aware of the difference between the species (such as a lighter colour and a softer shell for the bananas when compared to the black tigers), we will be happy with the results.” Bullock Creek Prawn Farm, located on the Sunshine Coast, is a small farm with only 3ha of ponds. Nevertheless, owner-operators Peter and Judy Spindler have been winning medals at the Show for the past four years. “We only put in one entry each year,” explained Peter, “But we have won two gold (including this year) and two silvers. We just take from what we have, so the sizes we have entered have varied from 11/15, to 16/20 (this year’s gold) and even 21/25. We harvest on a daily basis during our season from the end of January until early May. People come to our farm gate store to get fresh juicy prawns. Over Easter we could sell 3-4 tonnes!” Being small seems to be an advantage for the Spindlers as all of product is sold fresh at the farm gate. This achieves both good prices and instant feedback. “People can even watch us cooking the prawns. We won’t sell anything frozen and we are picking up

more and more business. The local media are great for us and being able to have a gold medal helps our story even more.” Another small operation that has had to look at non traditional ways of increasing cash flow is the Ballina Fishing Park, located in northern NSW. Owner-operator Noel Porter has split his farm in half, turning one part into a fish-out operation which is regularly stocked with a number of hatcheryreared finfish species as well as mud crabs. “We are still producing prawns but we only have a small harvest. Our main time is during March and April so the February judging is too early for us to harvest large prawns. We got a silver medal for our 16/20s this year, but I don’t think we’ll be able to get up to a gold standard as the season is not right. We need to get around 80kg of harvest so I can select the 2kg. On the larger farms they have better grading setups and a lot more product to choose from.”

•

• •

Aquaculture Pty Ltd, Marks Rd, Woongoolba, Qld 4207. Tel: 07 5546-1361, Mobile: 0418 453-281, Fax: 07 5546-1492, Email: gcmh@ion.com.au. Agnes Vas, Coral Sea Farms, PO Box 84, Macknade QLD 4850. Tel: 07 4777-2797, Fax: 07 4777-2793, email: info@coralseafarms.com.au web:www.coralseafarms.com.au Sam Gordon, Seafarm (who grow Crystal Bay Prawns), Tel: 02 9356-1056, Mobile: 0417 234-208, Email: sgordon@toga.com.au Rod Tome, Prawns North, Mobile: 0429 474-650, Tel: 07 4770-7332, Fax: 07 4773-3443. Peter and Judy Spindler, Bullock Creek Prawn Farm, Tel: 07 5498-8659, Fax: 07 5498-8399. Noel Porter, Ballina Fishing Park, Tel: 02 6686-8149, Fax: 02 6686-8445. Dr Trevor Anderson, Pacific Reef Fisheries, PO Box 2200, Ayr 4805 QLD. Tel: 07 4783-6068, Fax: 07 4783-6069, Mobile: 0427 329-332.

By Dos O’Sullivan For more information on award winning prawns contact: • Noel Herbst, Gold Coast Marine

For more information on the Fine Foods Show call Diana on 02 9704-1299 or email dcaruso@rasnsw.com.au, www.sydney.royalshow.com/find-food.html.

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52 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

the system pump. The UV body end caps are removable for easy lamp and quartz sleeve servicing. UL listed, one year warranty, 240V, 50hz models. is the way the UVs are sized for actual application. They’re rated by providing a suggested and also maximum flow rate (LPH) for algae and bacterial applications (based on a 30,000uWs/cm2) – and also separately protozoal applications (based on a 90,000uWs/cm2). These flow rates represent 60% of the bulb life and 80% transmittance into the water, sensible factors to take into account for our aquatic applications. For supply, assistance or questions on Emperor Aquatic’s UV’s, please contact Aquasonic Pty Ltd web: www.aquasonic.com.au, email: sales@aquasonic.com.au Ph 02 65864933 or fax 02 65684944

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FROM THE NAC

Seafood industry united on marketing Fisheries Minister Senator Ian Macdonald said on 16 August that the creation of a single, dedicated organisation responsible for marketing and promoting Australian seafood was a step closer. Senator Macdonald said the Fisheries R&D Corporation (FRDC) has approved a $129,000 project to develop and implement a business model for the proposed organisation. "The joint Australian Seafood Industry Council (ASIC) and National Aquaculture Council (NAC) project will help resolve a number of important issues," he said. "That includes deciding exactly what form this organisation will take whether it becomes a corporation or some other business entity - its roles, how it will be financed and its corporate administration."

Senator Macdonald said the organisation's final make-up would also be influenced by a range of legal and marketing considerations. "But regardless of the option industry ultimately decides upon, the new promotional organisation has the potential to do for seafood what similar campaigns have done for other foods, such as lamb, beef and pork," he said. Senator Macdonald said; however, that its success will require the entire seafood industry's support and involvement. "Fortunately, with the joint backing of ASIC - the peak body for Australia's $2.3 billion seafood industry, and NAC - which represents the majority of Australia's aquaculture producers, we are well on the way to achieving industrywide support for the initiative," he said.

Dodgy Dealers Beware A toll-free hotline has been established for consumers to report shonky traders who are mislabelling seafood in a bid to gain a better price for an inferior product. Launching the new 1800 737 147 number in Brisbane on 29 July, Australian Fisheries and Conservation Minister Senator Ian Macdonald said the move would give consumers more choice and confidence while purchasing seafood. "While there is a market for imported fish, those who want to support locally-produced seafood deserve to get what the ticket says it is," Senator Macdonald said. "If people are paying for barramundi, they expect barramundi, and not a fillet of Nile perch. "One of the biggest problems facing industry is retailers who sell cheaper imports without labelling them as imported, and labelling low-grade fish as high-grade fish.

"This toll-free number is an ideal way for consumers to help stamp-out the handful of cowboy retailers who are trying to dishonestly make a quick buck at the expense of Australian consumers and fishermen." Senator Macdonald said the 1800 737 147 service would report mislabelling to the appropriate State and Territory authorities, which have responsibility for enforcing seafood labelling. The service would also compile and publish information on mislabelling and the subsequent action taken by those agencies. "It will name and shame rogue retailers," Senator Macdonald said. "Consumers will become the eyes and ears of the commercial fishing industry to ensure that mislabelled product becomes a thing of the past."

54 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

Senator Macdonald said the new organisation would complement the promotional efforts of individual companies, as well as those of the broader industry. "It will also develop links with programs at the regional, State and national level to ensure they incorporate an overall national focus," he said. "The Australian seafood industry has a well-deserved reputation - here and overseas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for producing tasty, healthy, and responsibly produced products. "Having a single, dedicated marketing and promotional company will help turn that reputation into better prices for our fishers and aquaculturists. "It'll also mean more people will be enjoying some of the best seafood in the world."

Govt releases aquaculture protection plan The Federal Government has released a plan to ensures Australia's aquatic animals are protected from diseases and kept healthy. Australia's aquaculture industries are fortunate to be relatively free of the diseases that affect overseas farms and the revised Aquaplan for 2005 to 2010 aims to keep it that way. Simon Bennison from the National Aquaculture Council says while there is some focus on disease control in wild fisheries, most of the plan is for farmed animals. "The aquaculture industry is being seen as the one that's more at risk, particularly with imports, because they do have animals obviously in high concentration and therefore are more susceptible to any incursions by disease," he said.

FISHENEWS

ABALONE

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ABALONE FARM STORM DAMAGE CONCERNS RAISED While abalone farm operators Australian Bight Abalone describe recent storm damage to their operation as minor, abalone divers and conservation groups have expressed concerns that baskets containing juvenile abalone have broken away with the possibility of fish stocks from elsewhere being introduced into the local genetic population. The company advises the juveniles are sourced from locally-taken broodstock, also noting that the farming operation was continuously being fine-tuned to improve reliability. It's been alleged that feeding baskets containing juveniles have washed up in Anxious Bay. The company insists the farm withstood 35-knot winds with loss of only a small number of baskets. The farm now has 14 of 24 rings stocked and employs up to six full-time and 10 part-time workers. Conservationists are querying why Primary Industries and Resources SA has given approval for expansion of the farm when the first stage approved was using unproven and experimental methods. Source: Stan Gorton in the West Coast Sentinel (25/8/2005).

ACCIDENT – UNION CALLS FOR 'DESTINY QUEEN' INSPECTION An injured crewman was airlifted from the floating abalone farm 'Destiny Queen' recently following a facial accident with a pair of pliers. Unions are now calling for an independent inspection of conditions on the ship to determine compliance with SA occupational health and safety laws. Unions claim the original crew of the vessel was sacked, the ship reflagged, and Ukrainian and Chinese crew brought in to work under lower pay and conditions. Source: AAP Newswire (30/8/2005).

FIRST WA ABALONE FARM HARVESTS Bayside Abalone Farms is the first WA farm to make a commercial harvest of farmed abalone, collecting 40 kilos from the Bremer Bay facility. Owner Barry Hall advises it's now expected some 750 kilos of greenlip abalone will be harvested each week – most for export to Asia to return a much greater price than the local $50 per kilo. The farm has been more than five years in development following on considerable time addressing bureaucratic requirements. There are nine abalone farms in WA. It's expected a neighbouring venture, WA Abalone Ltd, will begin harvesting next year. A spokesman for the Aquaculture Council of WA predicts annual harvests of abalone in the state could reach 300 tonnes in five years – equivalent to the wildcatch take by commercial divers. Source: Cathy Bolt in the West Australian (1/9/2005). Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 55

FISHENEWS

FEDERAL MP PETER GARRETT QUESTIONS ABALONE FARM Federal MP Peter Garrett has asked in Parliament why a large abalone farm has been approved despite evidence it could harm threatened species. Other Federal MPs had already joined the discussion. Source: Independent Weekly (21/8/2005).

NINE YEARS IN THE MAKING The Port Fairy abalone farm operated by Southern Ocean Mariculture (SOM) is set to return dividends to investors following nine years of development. The operation is currently expanding to lift production from 30 tonnes annually to 50 tonnes in 2006 – with medium to long-term plans to reach 100 tonnes. Some 15 investors – all of them involved in the abalone wildcatch industry – have supported the venture without returns for a long time. Their intent was to create a sustainable industry. SOM has proved to be a national leader in the genetic development of farmed abalone, producing lines of blacklip and greenlip fish with desirable attributes, and a very fastgrowing blacklip/greenlip cross. The company can also produce a small-size uncut abalone which meets an Asian market requirement – almost the entire SOM harvest goes to Asia. Source: Everard Himmelreich in the Moyne Gazette (11/8/2005).

BARRAMUNDI BARRAMUNDI NOW ON THE 'FINE FARE' LIST The Sydney Royal Fine Food Show has introduced two new categories to this year's competition. One is beef – the other is barramundi. The event recognises the finest produce the nation has to offer. Farmed barramundi will feature for the first time. Winners receive promotional packaging as a stamp of approval, and recent market research shows consumers are 60 per cent more likely to purchase products carrying the Sydney royal badge. Source: Karina Dunger in the Daily Telegraph (31/8/2005).

APPEAL FAILS, WITH INTERESTING ARGUMENTS Hundreds of protected birds were shot because they were eating barramundi fingerlings on a north Queensland farm. The company was fined $35,000 and the farmer was placed on a good behaviour bond. In a bid to have his guilty plea set aside because he had been given incorrect legal advice, the farmer took his case to the Court of Appeal. The appeal failed on a 2-1 decision. However the dissenting judge of the three brought up the question of whether the farmer had pleaded guilty when the allegations in the complaint may not have disclosed an offence. He said the complainants had not proved the circumstance the birds were not taken in a protected area as an element of the offence. The farmer had argued the Nature Conservation Act could not apply to activities on freehold land and the place of the alleged offences was not established as a protected zone. He also submitted that a search warrant was unlawfully obtained. His claim was dismissed by the Supreme Court and he subsequently appealed 56 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

the decision to the Court of Appeal. The Appeal Court found there had been no miscarriage of justice and dismissed the appeal Source: Mark Oberhardt in the Courier Mail (27/8/2005).

NO JAIL TERM FOR CON ARTIST Following an appearance in Maroochydore Magistrate's Court, Andrew Phillip Duncan has avoided a jail term after having pleading guilty of luring 123 investors and businesses into a plan to create a barramundi breeding and fishing venture at Bli Bli. He left his 'clients' thousands of dollars out of pocket. Mr Duncan pleaded guilty to four charges of carrying on a business under an assumed name while bankrupt, one charge of obtaining an amount of $3,000 or more by promising to render services while bankrupt, and one charge of knowingly signing a false declaration in relation to a statement of affairs. He was illegally involved with the Queensland Saltwater Barramundi Farm Pty Ltd while bankrupt. Mr Duncan was convicted and sentenced to three months jail on each charge – to be served concurrently – and the sentence wholly suspended for two years. The property, which has 3.5km of Maroochy River frontage, is on the market. Source: Gordon Clark in the Sunshine Coast Daily (10/8/2005).

AUSTRALIS AQUACULTURE DELIVERING BIG FEEDS The barramundi farmer Australis Aquaculture states that production delays at its US plant are partly caused by US customers demanding larger fish. American restaurateurs are ordering 650gm fish rather than the 350-400gm size enjoyed by Australian diners. This adds 65 days to the growout time, and the plant is 90 days behind schedule. Other causes for the delay include refurbishments to the farm and problems with fingerling counting. Australis flies Australian barramundi fingerlings supplied by three sources to the US for growout. The company sold $324,000 worth of fish for the June quarter and plans a $200,000 marketing campaign for September. There are predictions of the sale of 412 tonnes of Australis barramundi in the US next year, with 700 tonnes in 2007 – there are concept plans ready for a 2000 tonne capacity plant. The company's shares closed unchanged at 58 cents on 29 July, with managing director Stewart Graham noting that while the break-even on cash expected by Christmas was delayed slightly, the company expected to be profitable by the end of the financial year. The company's shares have lifted 190 per cent since listing in July 2004. Source: Jamie Freed in the Age (29/7/2005); The Australian (29/7/2005); Cathy Bolt in the West Australian (29/7/20050); Tim Boreham in The Australian (3/8/2005).

BARRAMUNDI BLUE DISCUSSES THE 'LEVEL PLAYING FIELD' Geoff Orpin and Cynthia Taylor, owners of the highly successful Barramundi Blue Aquaculture venture, made a few cogent points in a recent letter to the editor of the Herbert River Express. The business has recently begun regularly shipping barramundi to China, and one of the reasons for this is that the Australian retail industry is more interested in passing on cheap fish imports to consumers than supplying

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quality Australian produce. It's a question of profits, not supplying good, clean, safe Australian produce. Orpin and Taylor cite an instance in which sea bass (barramundi) was imported from Thailand to Cairns at $2.10/kilo, then gilled, gutted, filleted and shipped to southern Australia as 'value-added' product and sold at either $17.80 or $28/kilo – taking advantage of a legal loophole surrounding value-adding which means the Federal Government cannot intervene. They point out that while Australian producers must meet stringent Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service requirements for their exports, overseas product is allowed in for sale by supermarkets unchallenged, often without a 'country of origin' statement. Where, they ask, is the 'level playing field' in this situation? The pair urge people to query the source of fish when they visit supermarkets and restaurants, and if it's not available, to ask why high-quality Australian product is not on offer and being actively promoted. Orpin and Taylor also commented on the work done by fish stocking groups, especially the Hinchinbrook Fishcare Restocking Group, which assists both recreational and commercial fishers. Barramundi Blue recently supplied 3000 100-125mm barramundi to the Group for dispersal along the Herbert River. Source: Herbert River Express (2/8/2005); Geoff Orpin and Cynthia Taylor in a letter to the editor of the Herbert River Express (2/8/2005).

GOOD FORTUNE BAY FISHERIES Good Fortune Bay (GFB) fisheries is located at the old Seafood online site, around 40k north of Bowen. The business produces five tonnes of plate-sized barramundi each week for Australian markets. Additionally the operation transfers 500gm fish to its freshwater growout farm at Kelso, and supplies fingerlings from 20-120 mm to the Australian barramundi industry. GFB is a land-based facility, pumping seawater three km in from the coast to the previously seafood Online site. Some 30 staff are employed. The fish spawned at the company's hatchery are produced by GFB's own barramundi broodstock. There are approximately 80 broodstock fish, each around 4-5 kilos and 1-1.2 metres long. The facility's unusual in that, rather than using ponds, 24 plasticlined cement raceways are employed, each 50m by 20m by 2.4m. GFB is moving into other fish varieties and has already commenced research into a breeding program involving barramundi cod, Queensland groper and coral trout. The longer-term intent is to move into live exports to Asia. It's likely GFB will eventually be primarily a barramundi cod farm in around ten years. Source: Eve Reitmajer in the Bowen Independent (22/7/2005).

F I S H H E A LT H NATIONAL PLAN FOR FISH HEALTH Australian Fisheries Minister Senator Ian Macdonald has launched AQUAPLAN 2005-2010. It's a joint government/ industry initiative to help maintain the disease-free status of the country's fisheries and aquaculture industries. Copies of the plan are available by contacting aah@daff.gov.au or by visiting www.daff.gov.au/aquaplan.

MARKETING AUSTRALIAN BRAND IDENTITY Funded by the Australian Government and the seafood industry, over the past few months a national brand has been developed to help sell Australian seafood to premium seafood consumers in Australia, Japan and the United States. The intention is to boost the aquaculture industry from $750 million turnover annually to $2.5 billion by 2010. Source: Adelaide Advertiser (25/8/2005).

NEW MARKETING AND PROMOTIONAL BODY Grahame Turk, deputy chair of the Australian Seafood Industry Council, advises there's a new marketing and promotional organisation to be created to boost sales and lift the industry's image. The new entity will be known as the Australian Seafood Marketing and Promotion Corporation (ASMPC). It could be operational by the end of this year. Source: Foodweek (5/8/2005).

MUSSELS A MUSSEL MAN TELLS A TALE Mussel man Glen Dibben came into the industry as a worker on a mussel farm in Port Phillip Bay in Victoria. He was 14. In 1988 he applied for one of the first mussel farming leases in WA, in the Cockburn Sound. The mussel spat used on his farm is still collected naturally, on bare ropes. The ropes catch in too great a density, in one of the richest catching grounds in the country, and would never grow out to a decent size. And so the spat catch from one rope is spread across 10 ropes for the best growth. Glen points out that the mussels eat algae, helping to address an algae problem in the Sound, and they also present as a biological indicator for pollution problems. In terms of marketing, Glen notes the local market is saturated, and with a shelf life of only six days, live – and not very expensive – mussels present a problem as an export product. He's hoping something in a frozen format can be developed. Source: Griffin Longley and Glenn Dibben in the West Australian (16/7/2005).

O R N A M E N TA L S ORNAMENTALS GROWN IN SALINE ARTESIAN WATER Carnarvon pastoralists Di and Jamie Morrison are successfully growing ornamental fish in saline artesian water which flows onto their farm, Wahroonga station. There are currently 20,000 fish on their farm which uses water cooled from the 42°C when it emerges to the ground to 26°C. The Morrisons recently sent off their second shipment, of 2,700 fish. The business will be considered economically viable when sales reach 40,000. Source: Jennifer Eliot in the West Australian (19/8/2005).

Source: Torres News (17/8/2005). Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 57

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O T H E R C R U S TA C E A N S THE COCKLES ARE HERE In a national first a 1.5ha cockle farm has been approved for placement 10km off the coast of Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula. However critics say it will increase the chance of disease spreading into local shellfish populations. Streaky Bay Council also opposed the development, suggesting it would affect the business of wild cockle harvesters. Source: Sunday Mail (28/8/2005).

BUG FARM – COMMUNITY OPPOSITION PERSISTS John Murray is the president of the Banora Point Residents Association. Speaking about the approval of a Moreton Bay bug farm at Chinderah, he described the step as the most dangerous and careless environmental decision in the Tweed ever made by the State Government. The government's approval for the $18 million proposal has been condemned by cane farmers, Tweed Shire Council staff, and former councillors, all arguing that Planning Minister Craig Knowles should not have granted approval without first requiring an environmental impact statement – and for ignoring local community wishes. Apparently the only organisation in favour of the development is the Kingscliff Chamber of Commerce. Des Ireland, president of that body, describes the venture as one of the biggest and best commercial developments on the Tweed in the last 20-30 years. Possibilities of a legal challenge to the venture are being held back pending consideration of the 110 conditions placed on the development, yet to become public information. The Tweed Shire Council has been scathing in its criticism of the State Government's handling of the project. Opposition is based on issues including the effects on nearby agriculture, flooding, visual impact, stormwater runoff, traffic issues, waste management, acid sulphate soils and waste water discharge. The development is to be built in three stages and will eventually cover 45ha, producing more than 3000 tonnes of Moreton Bay bugs each year. Seawater will be drawn from the ocean, while wastewater will pass into the Tweed River. Community concerns have been exacerbated because none of some 200 letters sent to Minister Craig Knowles has stimulated a reply from his office. The company behind the scheme, Australian Bay Lobster Producers Pty Ltd, plans to lease back half its 120ha site to the NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative to counter concerns about losses to the cane industry of potentially productive land. Source: Colleen Davis in the Tweed Sun (7/7/2005); Tweed Mail (15/7/2005).

BUG FARM – TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES Establishment of the bug farm on the Tweed Coast is likely to provide for research and training opportunities at Kingscliff TAFE and Southern Cross University. Operators Australian Bay Producers Pty Ltd have expressed strong interest in development of a specialist TAFE course to support training of as many as 200 workers. There are plans to pursue the training and research options with the TAFE and University. Source: Tweed Mail (15/7/2005).

58 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

BOWEN MUD CRAB FARM DELAYED Construction of the mud crab farm near Bowen has been stalled for a few months by what's been described as 'unavoidable red tape' regulations. Project manager Vance Painter explains the problem has arisen because of differences between the New South Wales Building Service and the Queensland Building Service, which required a building contractor on site during the work. The land for the venture has already been cleared. The first stage of construction will include the crab farm, water treatment system, administration complex and work areas. The second stage will develop a 50,000 tonne barramundi farm and processing factory. The red tape issue is described as a minor internal one. Source: Bowen Independent (15/7/2005).

O T H E R F R E S H W AT E R F I S H METHODS UPDATE FOR MANILLA HATCHERY Following a visit by a delegation from the Manilla hatchery to the Narrandera Hatchery, the Manilla hatchery will update its methods. Discussions revealed that, while the techniques used at the Manilla hatchery were not incorrect, there have been changes which can be taken up. These will be instigated and should help improve harvest sizes of yellowbelly and resolve some problems with cod breeding. As with all hatcheries, Manilla will incur expenses over the next 18 months in order to attain government quality standards. This is necessary to allow the hatcheries retain their permits. The delegation's trip was financed by the North And North West Anglers Association. Source: Thommo in the Manilla Express (9/8/2005).

OTHER MARINE FISH SPANISH SCIENTISTS ACHIEVE TUNA PROPOGATION The overseas publication Fish Farming International has reported that scientists at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography have experimentally bred northern bluefin tuna, using a more reliable method than that exploited by Japanese workers. Scientists from seven countries were involved in the Spanish studies. The fish were brought into their breeding cycles by divers, who used special spear guns to inject them with hormone implants, after which sperm and eggs were collected and used to produce juveniles. In Australia Hagen Stehr is the only voice in the finfish industry advocating breeding southern bluefin tuna. Most Australian farmers are opposed, concerned that their quota will lose value if commercial tuna breeding becomes viable. Source: Port Lincoln Times (1/9/2005).

PORT KEMBLA AQUACULTURE TRIAL The Wollongong Aquaculture Aboriginal Corporation is to commence an aquaculture trial at Port Kembla. In the first year the economic benefits will be investigated. During the first two years, seven people will be employed to raise 20,000

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bream and mulloway fingerlings in 12 pens off the northern break wall, producing 20 tonnes of fish. In the third and fourth years production will increase to 150 tonnes with a long-term goal of producing 1000 tonnes annually, employing 50 indigenous workers. Source: Gabrielle Dunlevy in the Illawarra Mercury (23/8/2005).

SA PILCHARD FLEET BANNED OVER DOLPHIN DEATHS Port Lincoln tuna farmers have been squeezed into a tight spot following the SA Government's ban on operations by the 14 pilchard fishery operators. The farmers rely on supplies from the pilchard fleet and have only six days worth of stocks to feed the tuna. The pilchard fleet was banned following revelations 19 dolphins were killed by being trapped in nets during the course of pilchard-fishing over the past five months. Licence holders are required to develop a code of practice to prevent further dolphin deaths, and the industry will not reopen until the draft code is implemented. The pilchard industry is valued at $28 million annually and has a quota of 51,000 tonnes. In later news the Government has authorised the limited reopening of the industry. Two vessels will go fishing carrying observers, following the modification of gear to allow dolphins to escape. Most tuna farms have almost completed their harvests, which means the ban on pilchard fishing has been minimal. Source: Michelle Wiese Bockmann in the Australian (26/8/2005); Port Lincoln Times (1/9/2005).

OPPONENTS OVER TUNA FARMING TENSING UP MG Kailis Pty Ltd and the lobby group Vive Le Recherche are distanced over the issue of a trial tuna farm near Remark island. The company has declined to meet with the lobby group directly, instead suggesting they apply to join a community reference group the company is establishing. The community reference group will be chaired by local member Graham Jacobs and will include 12 people spread equally across public positions and community and business representatives. The community and business representatives include the Shire, Esperance Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Goldfields Esperance Development Commission. However Vive Le Recherche's Elaine Siemer believes the group will be tokenistic and allow the company to tell the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) it has consulted the community. She also observes that social and economic issues are not allowed to be considered as part of the company's submission to the EPA, leaving only scientific issues. There will be no scientists in the community reference group. Ms Siemer advises her group will instead read the company's proposal once submitted to the EPA, and respond to it. The proposal is for 4 to 6 circular pens each 40m across and 20m deep to be trialed off Remark island about 22k from Esperance. If the trial is successful, the company will shift its entire tuna farming operation to Esperance from Port Lincoln in SA. Opponents of the venture claim it will aesthetically damage the archipelago, cause pollution and attract sharks. Supporters say it will occupy only a small area, not be visible to most people and pollution would be negligible. Source: Louise Bettison in the Esperance Express (30/8/2005).

CRAB FISHER INVESTIGATES CULTURING Peter Jecks is the managing director of Abacus Crabs, a crab fishing business. Based on observation of a huge increase in demand for crab meat he's investigating building a soft-shell crab processing plant based on technology developed in Queensland. Such a plant might be the answer to the restrictions imposed by the wildcatch harvest industry which is unsustainable and labour-intensive. The new technology fully automates soft-shelled crab production from egg to plate within six months. Each crab is checked every twenty minutes, feeding is managed and the animal processed within minutes of shedding its exoskeleton. Mr Jecks advises establishment of a plant in Carnarvon is still in the embryonic stage. However investors have suggested it could bring $100,000 to $200,000 into the Gascoyne community. Bringing the new product to market could take up to five years. Carnarvon has the advantage of warm water, but a lack of infrastructure coupled with its distance from Perth. Source: Jennifer Eliot in the West Australian (22/8/2005).

NO ESCAPES SINCE FEBRUARY Primary Industries and Resources Aquaculture executive Ian Nightingale advises there have been no reports of fish escapes from farms since February. Recreational fishers suggest catches and sightings of small mulloway in Spencer Gulf this year could be a new phenomenon linked with their introduction as farm species. The issues will be included in a comprehensive overhaul of the State's aquaculture regulations, expected to be gazetted later in 2005. Source: Eyre Peninsula Tribune (28/7/2005).

TUNA HARVEST 50 PER CENT COMPLETE A little over half of the tuna has now been harvested from Port Lincoln's farms against a background in which the value of the product is being eroded by the rising Australian dollar. Brian Jeffriess, spokesman for the industry, is predicting the export business will collapse, though the tuna industry is, he says, better placed than some others to survive the resulting pressures. On the other hand the quality of the Australian product is good and this year's climatic conditions will encourage farms to keep their fish in the water longer. Delays in signing contracts have resulted in four Japanese freezer ships arriving later than is usual, and all at the same time. Source: Port Lincoln Times (4/8/2005).

WE COULD DOUBLE THE INDUSTRY'S VALUE Hagen Stehr is the managing director of one of SA's most successful aquaculture and fishing businesses â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Stehr Group. He has a plan which could lead to a doubling of the State's $200 million tuna-farming industry. The Group is developing an on-shore tuna breeding plant at Arno Bay on the Eyre Peninsula and intends to close off the tuna breeding cycle â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which means tuna could then be artificially bred for growout, leaving the wildstock tuna untouched. Hagen Stehr expects the advance will double the southern bluefin tuna catch in a decade, and make Australia a world leader in the tuna export market. The Stehr Group has an enviable reputaAustasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 59

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tion for expertise and innovation in tuna fishing and farming, and has also made considerable advances with kingfish and mulloway via its subsidiary, Cleanseas Aquaculture Hatchery. The Stehr Group is a major sponsor of seafood and environmental training and was a driving force behind the founding of the Australian Fisheries Academy at Port Adelaide. The greatest threat to the aquaculture industry, says, Stehr, is a shortage of skilled workers.

OYSTER INDUSTRY TO BE PUBLICISED There's to be a regional forum publicising the oyster industry, to be held in Bateman's Bay on 30 September. The forum, entitled 'Your Water, Our Oyster$ will be held at the Tigers RLFC building at McKay Park, beginning at 10 o-clock. The intent is to raise the profile of the industry and its water monitoring activities, and seek long-term support from stakeholders. Source: Eric Wiseman in the Narooma News (31/8/2005).

Source: Tracie McPherson in the Adelaide Advertiser (6/8/2005).

OYSTERS LEVY ON OYSTER SPAT ENDORSED The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has given special permission to the oyster industry for a levy on oyster spat to help fund industry research and development. The South Australian Oyster Growers Association sought introduction of the levy, set at $1 per 1000 spat. Growers who don't agree to pay the levy could have their supply restricted from the four producing hatcheries. Source: Eyre Peninsula Tribune (18/8/2005).

NAVIGATIONAL PROBLEMS!' SAY LATE PROTESTORS Earlier this year Gosford Council advertised two development applications for Akoya pearl cultivation in deep water leases on Brisbane water. One is on the western side of Rileys Island, the other on the north-western side of Wilsons Island. Now Davistown Progress Association has submitted a late objection, on the basis the leases could restrict access to the waterway. There are also concerns over provisions for maintaining leases and cleaning up them up when no longer used. An Association spokesman advises more consultation is needed – there's not much information available. Source: Heather Pillans in the Central Coast Express (31/8/2005).

NSWSP COSTS FARMERS Local oyster farmers have spoken about the impost and possible consequences of being forced to pay costs for the NSW Shellfish Program (NSWSP). At a recent meeting of the Tuross Coila Lake Estuary Management Committee, it was suggested farmers could decide to leave the industry rather than pay the fees – and this would in turn increase the costs incurred by the remaining farmers. Michael Taylor, an oyster farmer and secretary of the Tuross Lake Shellfish Program, advised the meeting estimates were the costs of the program to growers would be approximately 13 per cent of their annual turnover each year, increasing if farmers left the industry. He expects his first bill to be $6,000. Farmers, who want excellent water quality, are angry they are expected to pay for services which provide a benefit to the entire community. They believe there should be public funding for NSWSP. The committee decided to record support for the oyster farmers and to ask the State Government for an independent review of the program. Source: Eric Wiseman in the Narooma News (31/8/2005).

PORT STEPHENS PEARLS WINS CASE The Land and Environment Court has given consent for operation of a 34ha pearl oyster farm in Salamander Bay following a lengthy legal battle with the NSW Planning Department. There'll be a farm lease at each of Wanda Head, Pindimar and Mambo Creek, with an administrative base at Cromartys Bay. Some 500,000 Akoya pearl oysters will be harvested annually, providing up to 50 jobs. There are 31 conditions on the approval. The consent effectively overturns former planning minister Craig Knowles' rejection of the proposal in August 2004. He rejected the plan despite recommendations for its approval by the Department of Planning, a commission of inquiry and an audit of the environmental impact statement. His reasons were: the possibility of a marine park being declared in the area; environmental risks; too many locals didn't like it – the court dismissed the three arguments. The Japanese-backed company Port Stephens Pearls had spent $7 million over 12 years to develop the project. Some community groups have expressed regrets at the court's decision, having fought long and hard to prevent the development for a wide range of reasons. It's expected the operation will come under intense scrutiny by those opposed. There's a chance the farm could be operating by December this year. Source: Melissa Chain in the Newcastle Herald (16/8/2005); Tim Dick and Darren Goodsir in the Sydney Morning Herald (20/8/2005); Tess Campbell in the Port Stephens Examiner (18/8/2005).

WALLIS LAKE Oyster production at Wallis Lake is at maximum capacity with $11 million of activity last year, according to Estuary Management Committee member Richard Ellery, of Barclay Oysters. Source: Port Macquarie News (19/8/2005).

CORAL SEA PEARLS A GOER After three years of dealing with bureaucracy, former commercial fisher Dave Williams has won strict environmental approvals allowing him to grow pearl oysters on a farm in the centre of the Great Sandy Strait off Hervey Bay in Queensland. He recently completed a test harvest and is happy with his results, with pearls showing excellent lustre and colour. The Coral Sea Pearls venture has four sites each covering 22.5ha on which both Akoya and Maxima oyster varieties are grown. Mr Williams described the process of establishing the operation as 'so difficult he probably would not have started if he had known just how hard it would be'. Source: Glenis Green in the Northern Territory News (17/8/2005).

60 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

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GOVT TO BE CHALLENGED OVER PEARL FARM DECISION In August 2004 New South Wales Planning Minister Craig Knowles rejected a development proposal for a 34ha pearl oyster farm. The Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Natural Resources had recommended approval, there had been a commission of inquiry and also an audit of the environmental impact statement. The company behind the proposal is now challenging the decision in the Land and Environment Court. In later news, the hearing closed on 2 August, after involving sessions at the local court, site inspections and submissions to the court in Sydney. A decision is expected in coming weeks. Source: Newcastle Herald (27/7/2005); Port Stephens Examiner (4/8/2005).

IGNORING THE PROBLEM? MAYBE Oyster farmer Mark Sheppard says he feels let down by the Port Stephens Council. He suggests the Council was advised eight years ago of the health risks posed to Tilligerry Creek by approval of the installation of septic tank systems. In 1997 oyster farmers first took their concerns over evidence of high coliform readings in the creek to the council. More than 100 additional septic tank systems have been installed under council approval since that time. Almost half of Tilligerry Creek was recently closed to oyster harvesting when tests showed human viral contamination in oysters. The contamination came from septic tank systems on 470 properties close to the waterway. The problem is affecting 15 oyster farmers. Septic tanks are to be inspected, while stakeholders and agencies are to meet to discuss the matter. Long-term options include expensive upgrades to septic tanks, pumping services and, even more expensive, installing sewers. In later news it appears residents in the area will be forced to pay up to $6,000 each for septic tank upgrades – even though many systems met legislative requirements when they were installed. Financial assistance from the State Government will not be considered, and householders unable to pay for the upgrade at once may be asked to initially pay for installation of chemical toilets. Tank upgrades are considered to be a short-term solution intended to minimise pollution. Meetings to discuss the problem with oyster farmers continue.

PRAWNS NEW PRESERVATIVE FROM ZYCHEM TECHNOLOGIES Gold Coast company Zychem has developed a new product to preserve prawns. Called Zydox, the material was used in a demonstration over three days at the World of Food Asia trade show in Bangkok in May, resulting in firm orders from more than 100 customers. The demonstration showed that green prawns kept chilled in ice treated with Zydox remained edible, while prawns in ice without the treatment didn't survive the first day. Zydox kills bacteria and fungal growth, and is recognised by food safety bodies worldwide as one of the most effective and safest food sanitisers. Source: Patrick Lion in the Courier Mail (27/7/20050.

REDCLAW AN OUTBACK REDCLAW FARM There's a redclaw farm operating in the Queensland outback, about an hour out from Julia Creek. Redclaw are grown out in ponds using artesian water and interested people can book a tour of the farm culminating in afternoon tea including redclaw. More information is available at the Julia Creek Information centre. Source: Western Sun (27/7/2005).

SALMON HUON AQUACULTURE GROWS The Huon Aquaculture Company has taken over the Adelaide-based business Springs Smoked Seafoods and in doing so has become Australia's large 'gate to plate' salmon operation. Springs Smoked Seafoods sell in 700 supermarkets, reach more than 30 export customers and feature in Qantas in-flight meals. The expanded business will have annual sales exceeding $70 million. Huon is a 20-year old operation at Hideaway Bay and will this year farm 4800 tonnes of salmon at the mouth of the Huon River, employing 100 people. Springs processes more than 1400 tonnes of raw fish, employing 110 people, Source: Burnie Advocate (20/7/2005); Michelle Paine in the Hobart Mercury (20/7/2005).

Source: Gabriel Fowler in the Newcastle Herald (15/7/2005 & 22/7/2005).

TROUT

SOLDIERS POINT OYSTERS STOLEN – A HEALTH PROBLEM Some 20 dozen oysters were recently stolen from Michael Chamberlain's farm at Soldiers Point and could be headed for the black market. However the farms in the area had been put into quarantine by the NSW Food Authority because of excessive rainfall in the Karuah River catchment area. Heavy rain washes animal wastes and other contaminants into the waterways. Anyone eating the oysters risks catching a range of serious diseases or, with luck, only a gastric upset. Mr Chamberlain observes thieves are striking regularly at Port Stephens oyster leases. He also believes the Point Stephens oyster industry is being destroyed by over-development.

TROUT GO INTO LAKE HAMILTON In June 3000 rainbow trout were stocked into Victoria's Lake Hamilton under the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) stocking program. Two thousand brown trout will go to the lake later this year. All fish are produced at the Snobs Creek hatchery. The lake doesn't provide good conditions for breeding trout and must be restocked annually. The life span of fish in the lake is two years for Rainbow trout and three years for brown trout – stocking annually provides a variety of catch sizes for anglers. DPI stocks 1.3 million salmonids and native fish into Victorian waterways each year at a cost of a little less than $1.3 million.

Source: Port Stephens Examiner (21/7/2005).

Source: Hamilton Spectator (18/8/2005). Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 61

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G E N E R A L A Q U A C U LT U R E A MINEFIELD OF DELAYS Former NSW Minister for Fisheries Bob Martin – who is also the former MP for Port Stephens – has described the aquaculture approval process across Australia as 'a minefield of delays and uncertainty'. He made the comment while speaking at a conference of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Mr Martin offered the controversy over the Port Stephens Pearl farm as an example. Source: Port Stephens Examiner (25/8/2005).

LANDCARE GRANTS There's 1.5 million available from the national Landcare program's Natural Resource Innovation Grants. They'll meet half the cost of projects encouraging better land management practices, production techniques, technologies and products – and that includes aquaculture. For more information, check out www.landcare.gov.au/nlpinnovations. Applications close on 7 October. Source: Country Leader Tamworth (29/8/2005); Chinchilla News & Monitor (1/9/2005).

MAKE A NOTE OF THIS NUMBER! Don't forget the new toll-free number to call where shonky fish-selling's detected. It's 1800 737 147. The number's been set up to help protect both consumers and the Australian fishing industry. It works, too. Since its introduction a few weeks ago, 46 calls have been made from all over Australia. Four were from the Gold Coast – the highest number for any single region. Several Gold Coast seafood retailers are currently under investigation for deceiving customers. Allegations relate to misleading consumers into believing imported prawns were produced in Australia. Source: North West Telegraph (24/8/2005); Christine Flatley in the Gold Coast Bulletin (26/8/2005).

ON TRACK TO REACH $2.5 BILLION TARGET With significant benefits delivered by the Aquaculture Industry Action Agenda, the aquaculture industry is on track to triple production to $2.5 billion and create 29,000 new jobs by 2010. The benefits include: the National Aquaculture Policy Statement; the National Aquaculture Portal (http:www.australian-aquacultureportal.com); the Indigenous Aquaculture Unit; endorsement by the Primary Industry Council of a paper on how to encourage best practice in aquaculture development; AQUAPLAN 20052010; reports on key issues; a report providing better understanding of the benefits of premium branding. The Federal Government has provided $3.5 million over the past two years to support implementation of the Aquaculture Industry Action Agenda. Source: North Coast Town & Country – insert (29/8/2005).

GAS GUNS BANNED A long-running battle by Seelands residents against the use of bird-scaring gas guns on the Sunnybrook Australian Native Fish farm has been won – by the residents. After seven years the Clarence Valley Council determined that use of the guns was not permitted under the development application for the property. The farm operator must submit a development application for use of the devices, 62 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

and their impact on residents would be considered while the application was being assessed. One resident advises the guns were in use on average each five minutes for up to nine hours a day every day. Source: Clarence Valley Review (19/8/2005).

CUMMINSCORP TO EXHIBIT AT AG SHOW Cumminscorp Limited will exhibit its C-box recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) at P74 at the Ag Show. Following five years of research and two years of trials the company believes it's developed the most advanced portable RAS in the world. Inventor Ian Cummins – the company's founder – discovered that most problems with aquaculture related to environmental issues. The outcome of his work is the C-box, which has a simple and efficient filtration system and is completely portable. The C-box can be transported to any location worldwide. The company was incorporated as an unlisted public company in January 2003, and believes it has no rivals in the RAS sector of the industry. Source: Rural Weekly insert (26/8/2005).

WATER RESTRICTIONS FOR SOME – BUT NOT AQUACULTURE Aquaculture is one of the industries not to be affected by underground water supply restrictions applying from September 1. It's the fourth consecutive year the restrictions have been applied to Darling Downs irrigators as a result of the falling supplies. The restrictions apply for an indefinite period. Source: Amanda Gearing in the Courier Mail (31/8/2005).

WOMAN COULD BE FINED AND IMPRISONED FOR FISH-SMUGGLING Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service officers have allegedly found three small fish and a quantity of marine aquarium plants during a search of a woman's luggage at Brisbane International Airport. The three tiny fish were hidden in a cosmetic jar. Scientists will attempt to identify the fish which have since died, though this could be difficult as they are less than 10mm in length. The plants will be destroyed. The passenger did not reveal the origin of the fish or plants. She may be charged under the Quarantine Act, the Environment Protection Act, the Biodiversity Conservation Act, and because she made a false declaration. The maximum penalty for smuggling wildlife is a fine of up to $110,000 and imprisonment for up to 10 years. The laws are in place to protect Australia's environment and aquaculture industries. Source: AAP Newswire (1/9/2005).

CATTLE WASTE CONVERTED TO FISH FOOD The Environmental Biotechnology Cooperative Research Centre (EBCRC) and the South Australian Government have launched a $4.5 million project illustrating how to convert products from the wastewater of intensive rural industries into useful materials such as fish and livestock feeds, safe recycled water and biogas. The South Australian Research & Development Institute (SARDI) has a crucial role in the new technology development. SARDI already has world-renowned expertise in creating useful products from waste. Bacterial

FISHENEWS

systems and processes, are ideally suited to waste conversion and will be employed. A commercial-scale wastewater management system will be developed at the Roseworthy Campus, University of Adelaide to demonstrate the success of the technologies. It will recycle nutrients from wastewater for fish and plant production in aquaculture systems; re-use nutrients in wastewater; convert carbon waste into biofuels; eliminate disease-causing organisms from treated wastewater; reduce water pollution from intensive rural industries. EBCRC also collaborates in research with the Universities of NSW, Queensland, Macquarie and Murdoch. The work is sponsored by the Australian Meat Processor Corporation, Meat & Livestock Australia and Ecowise Australia Pty Ltd. Source: Australasian BioTechnology (1/8/2005).

SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE: REALITY OR OXYMORON? Some 30 interested participants recently attended a TAFE forum with the theme 'Sustainable Aquaculture: Reality or Oxymoron?' Discussion ranged over a number of issues, one of which was the anticipated massive growth of the industry in SA. Another area was the policies surrounding and management of the industry. Others included food safety and low mercury levels in southern bluefin tuna, and striving for best practice standards. Ian Nightingale, executive director of Primary Industries and Resources South Australia Aquaculture, pointed out that while SA was recognised as an industry leader, 61 of 128 new applications were rejected outright. He also observed that the aquaculture industry was probably the most regulated industry. From another perspective, the issue of the depletion of pilchard stocks to provide feed for farmed tuna was canvassed. There was some discussion on the issue of offal and blood produced as a result of tuna farming, with that industry acknowledging some farmers could do better. Recycling the material was considered the best option. Environment and Protection Authority (EPA) investigations have shown that the Japanese freezer boats meet licence requirements and attention thus turned to the local tuna fleet. The EPA will meet with the industry to discuss introduction of more land-based facilities to collect bloody water produced during harvesting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; local recycling companies have reached capacity. Now farmers are freezing gills and guts, having nowhere to dispose of them. South Australian Marine Industry Products' Peter Laughton has established a waste recycling venture and advises he's close to finding major buyers for the liquid fertiliser he produces. He's confident that eventually he could process the entire 1500-2000 tonnes of waste produced by the industry. Source: Stan Gorton in the Port Lincoln Times (25/8/2005).

MOST POPULAR Renee Florent, an aquaculture student studying for her PhD at the University of Tasmania, has been voted Most Popular Tasmanian Young Scientist by her peers. She's working on oral treatment for amoebic gill disease in trout. Source: Martin Stevenson in the Launceston Examiner (26/8/2005).

BULLOCK ISLAND AGREEMENT East Gippsland TAFE and RMIT University have signed an agreement to share the Bullock Island Research and Education Centre with the intention of enhancing research and education. The facility offers TAFE courses in aquaculture, fishing and maritime studies, VET in schools, and graduate and post-graduate studies in environmental sciences. RMIT is currently researching finfish and crustaceans at the Centre for potential as aquaculture species. Black bream, Australian bass, estuarine perch and the eastern king prawn are on the list Source: Lakes Post 31/8/2005).

CELL AQUACULTURE SELLS COASTAL PROPERTY Cell Aquaculture is selling its 10,000sqm coastal property at Hamilton Hill for $2.6 million, which will be used to supplement other funds recently raised by the company during an initial public offering. Cell Aquaculture will enter a lease agreement with the purchaser for use of the land for three years with options for extending. Plans for building a fish hatchery on the site were not confirmed by the company. In July Cell Aquaculture announced a joint venture in Holland to produce 59,000k of fish annually. Source: Fremantle Gazette (23/8/2005).

WHEATBELT FISH Dr Gavin Sarre, developer of inland saline aquaculture at C.Y. O'Connor College of TAFE, recently spoke at the ABARE Regional Outlook Conference at Toodyay, describing how inland aquaculture is now a reality. Using a semi-intensive floating tank system (SIFTS), the team took advantage of the salinity of Wheatbelt soil to produce saltwater fish. The system allows waste to be vacuumed from tanks by airlifting, which also aerates the water. The SIFTS farms now produce 27 tonnes per hectare of barramundi, trout, snapper and mulloway. The project is the first funded and planned attempt at inland saltwater aquaculture in WA. Source: Avon Valley Advocate (31/8/2005).

OCEAN CURRENT SPEEDS UP, WARMS UP, GROWS HIGHER Dramatic evidence of climate change in the South Pacific has been discovered by scientists. Australian and New Zealand workers have found that, over the past ten years the South Pacific sub-tropical gyre has increased its speed by 20 per cent, increased in temperature by 0.25 Celsius, and risen in height by 120mm at its centre. The study's authors state it provides worrying evidence of potential long-term climate change in line with Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation work on greenhouse warming. The warmed gyre will take nutrient-poor warmer water further south along Australia's east coast, leading to an expected decline in fisheries and aiding the spread of marine pests â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with implications for the aquaculture industry. It's possible Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 63

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there could be a permanent reduction in rainfall for southwest Western Australia, parts of south Australia and Tasmania.

ed public company in January 2003, and believes it has no rivals in the RAS sector of the industry.

Source: Matthew Denholm in the Weekend Australian (13/8/2005).

Source: Toowoomba Chronicle (17/8/2005).

ACCUSATIONS OF MISHANDLING OF FEDERAL FUNDS In a 150-page brief to the Crime and Misconduct Commission, Federal MP Bob Baldwin has alleged that Douglas Shire Mayor Mike Berwick has mishandled $7.4 million in Federal Natural Heritage Trust funds to benefit his far north Queensland aquaculture business. It's claimed he benefited financially as part of a two-year harassment campaign against another fish farmer who owns a property at Wonga Beach north of Mossman. Allegations include the mayor voting to back zone his competitor's resort property to rural and pushing a scheme to build a sewage plant next to his competitor's fish farm. Councillor Berwick counters by saying he is being targeted by pro-development interests and had no influence over the person who received the Federal money. He claims he's been under vicious attack for 15 years. And, he points out, the other fish farmer isn't a competitor because they both sell to a global market, not locally. However the most serious charge against Councillor Berwick relates to the alleged misuse of the $7.4 million which was allocated or committed to an unlisted public company called FNQ NRM Ltd. The Mayor is chairman and director of the company. Documents allege the funds were to be to used to pay for vegetation mapping of the Wet Tropics bioregion north of the Daintree River. Instead the survey examined south of the river and Wonga Beach Aquaculture, alleged to be a competitor to Councillor Berwick's operation, was identified as 'an area of state significance'. Speaking for Wonga Beach Aquaculture, director Jeff McCloy states the listing has turned the operation into a wetland and rendered it useless. He estimates the business has lost around $5 to $8 million in clashing with the Mayor. Councillor Berwick notes the survey wasn't limited to south of the river and many areas of significance were identified. He's been accused of ignoring advice given by the office of the Queensland Ombudsman in November 2004 and casting the deciding vote to back zone the Wonga Beach Aquaculture property. Source: Tuck Thompson in the Courier Mail (17/8/2005).

CUMMINSCORP LTD INTRODUCES THE C-BOX It's taken five years of research and two years of trials, but Cumminscorp Limited believes it has developed the most advanced portable recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) in the world. Inventor Ian Cummins â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the company's founder â&#x20AC;&#x201C; discovered that most problems with aquaculture related to environmental issues. The outcome of his work is the C-box, which has a simple and efficient filtration system and is completely portable. The C-box can be transported to any location worldwide. The company was incorporated as an unlist64 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

INCONSISTENT LEGISLATION BEDEVILS LOCAL PRODUCERS Bob Katter, the Member for Kennedy, claims the border protection measures of the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) and Biosecurity Australia (BA) place Australia's environment and economy at risk by putting free trade ahead of quarantine. The issue is that local producers must meet strict export standards, while importers from other countries do not have to meet similar standards. In recent times, because of this regime, local farmers have been forced to examine international markets. Australian Fisheries and Conservation Minister Senator Ian Macdonald advises Australian consumers can choose which products they purchase and suggests that, given a choice, Australians will buy Australian produce because of its better quality. He also observed that Australia produces only 40 per cent of the seafood demanded by Australian consumers. Senator Macdonald claims that restrictions on free trade would have a devastating effect on Australian exports. Source: Kathleen Skene in the Herbert River Express (6/8/2005).

MARINE SCIENCE COURSE AT UTAS In 2006 the University of Tasmania will introduce a degree course in marine science for the first time. James Cook University in Townsville is the only other Australian university offering a similar course, and specialises in tropical marine science. The two bodies have signed a memorandum of understanding which will enable student exchanges to facilitate studies in both tropical and temperate marine programs. Source: Phil Beck in the Hobart Mercury (11/8/2005).

GROWING WA INDUSTRY Fisheries Minister Jon Ford has announced he'll form a committee to investigate how to grow the aquaculture industry in WA. It'll be chaired by Collie MLA Mick Murray and includes aquaculture industry representatives, with Fisheries Department officers. Formation of the committee follows on from conversion of a former Collie mine site to an aquaculture precinct. Recent work has involved reducing acidity in the lake and trialing the farming of marron and trout. In the longer term the committee will examine methods for commercially viable aquaculture, addressing processes to reduce legislative barriers and to attract investment. In doing so the body will work alongside the Aquaculture Development Council, which administers a $600,000 fund arranged to attract expertise to local industry. In related news stage one of the Collie River Salinity Recovery Project will direct up to 1.5 gigalitres of highly saline water into the disused Chicken Creek number four open cut mine every year from the east

FISHENEWS

branch of the Collie River. The move is to trial for determination of optimum flows and timing to maximise salt transfer from the river to the mine and reduce the flow of saline water into the Wellington Dam. A spokesman advises the salinity level in the void may reach 4,000mg/L which probably isn't salty enough to allow breeding of saltwater fish. However it may be of value for the culture of salt-tolerant species. The east branch of the Collie River has a varying salinity depending on the time of year. The Chicken Creek number Four void will hold 4.5 gigalitres of water, making it an attractive asset for aquaculture. Source: Trevor Paddenburg in the South Western Times (4/8/2005); Collie Mail (11/8/2005).

WATCHING CELL AQUACULTURE Cell Aquaculture entered the stockmarket on 25 July to have its shares drop from an initial value of 20 cents to 15.5 cents, closing at 17 cents. More than 1.7 million shares changed hands. Source: West Australian (26/7/2005); Henry Byrne in the Australian Financial Review (26/7/2005).

SUITABLE FOR AQUACULTURE For anyone with $300,000 to spare there's a little over 12ha of land available near Wolvi described as suitable for aquaculture. There's a shed with shower, toilet, rain water facilities, threephase power – and underground water close to the surface. Details from Sullivan Livestock and Rural Services Property Sales. Source: Gympie Times (30/7/2005).

FSANZ INFORMATION Details of food safety standards established by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) are available at www.foodstandards.gov.au. There's the Primary Production and Processing Standard for Seafood, the interpretive guide and other materials. Also a Fact Sheet 'What is a Primary production and Processing Standard?' Source: Food Australia (August 2005).

RIRDC SEEKS GOOD IDEAS The Federal Government's Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) is once again seeking to support innovative ideas from the rural sector, including the aquaculture area. The Corporation currently funds around $25 million worth of projects annually. Those considering applying should consider whether one or more of the words or phrases 'diversification', 'new industry development', 'competitiveness', 'sustainability', 'farm health and safety', 'capacity-building', or 'international trade' could be applied to their project. Those interested in pursuing research funding will find more details, including a free copy of the RIRDC Research Priorities and guidelines for the application process, at www.rirdc.gov.au. Applications close on 16 September. Source: Gympie Times (3/8/2005).

TOLL-FREE HOTLINE TARGETS FISH FIDDLERS Fraud amongst fish traders will become a risky business with the introduction of a toll-free hotline established under a Federal initiative. It will allow access to report cases of mis-labelling to the NSW Food Authority, which will follow them up. Penalties for fish substitution and mis-labelling have been increased ten-fold, with corporations facing fines of up to $275,000 and individuals $55,000. The number is 1800 737 147. the Federal Government is following on the actions of the Northern Territory Government, which introduced a food safety hotline in 2004. the Northern Territory number is 8922 7377. Source: Daily Liberal (1/8/2005); Maitland Mercury (1/8/2005); Sunday Territorian (31/7/2005).

COMMUNITY OPINION ON THE EYRE PENINSULA The Bureau of Resource Sciences has available the results of a survey of the opinions of 273 Eyre Peninsula residents on various types of fish farming. Details are available at www.brs.gov.au/social_sciences. Briefly, the study shows that 81 per cent of those surveyed approve of the industry, though some sectors are more trusted than others. Sixty-eight per cent believe the industry should pay more attention to the community, though there was little interest in community involvement in planning. Community knowledge of industry and government processes was evidenced as low, especially for the mussel, kingfish and abalone sectors. In terms of trusting government decisions with respect to aquaculture, local governments rated 54 per cent, the State government 41 per cent, and the Federal Government 34 per cent. The oyster industry was the most trusted to make good decisions (71 per cent) followed by the abalone industry (51 per cent). Kingfish and tuna industries rated only 28 per cent. Sixty-one per cent of respondents considered the kingfish industry as a 'great risk', while 41 per cent rated the tuna sector at the same risk level. Females where more concerned about the impacts of aquaculture than males. There were also links between education levels and awareness of taste differences between farmed and wildstock fish – also limitations on industry growth. There's lots more – and results of a similar survey in Victoria's Port Phillip Bay – at the website. Source: Stan Gorton in the Port Lincoln Times (26/7/2005).

LESS GOVERNMENT FUNDING, BUT GOOD REASONS Officials at Primary Industries and Resources SA (PIRSA) advise that, because some one-off expenditures went ahead last year, and since contributions from industry are growing, the State Government will reduce its spending on the industry by $1.2 million in the 2005-2006 financial year. Aquaculture Council chairman Bruce Zippel states the industry considers PIRSA's aquaculture division to be adequately resourced. Source: Port Lincoln Times (26/7/2005).

Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005 65

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SA CHASING PRODUCTION OF ONE BILLION IN FIVE YEARS Using a target developed by the Aquaculture Council, the State Government is seeking to triple the value of aquaculture production, reaching $1 billion annually in five years. However, it's acknowledged this could be difficult due to external factors such as the value of the Australian dollar and zoning complications. The billion-dollar target is based on $650 million in fish sales from farms and $350 million in valueadding. Although the biggest sector in the industry is tuna farming, it's expected growth will occur in other marine finfish areas such as mulloway and kingfish, marine abalone farms, some oyster farming and inland aquaculture. There's also the possibility of value-adding in the mussel industry.

Netherlands and India. Based on the 20 cent share price, Cell Aquaculture will be valued at more than $20 million. Source: Australian Financial Review (23/7/2005); West Australian (22/7/2005).

VENTURE CAPITALISTS TO BE HOSTED The Great Southern Development Commission is to host a group of venture capitalists, private and institutional investors later this year, providing for them to consider a range of medium to large commercial proposals in the area. Tours will bring together regional business operators and major State and national investors and financiers. The event will begin on 18 November and run over three days. Major centres in the Great Southern will be visited. The Regional Investment Group is interested in proposals from a wide range of industries including aquaculture.

BIG BUSINESS HORIZON IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA South Australia now claims nearly 40 per cent of the nation's aquaculture production, with some sectors now being considered as 'big business'. Ian Nightingale is executive director of the Department of Primary Industries and Resources (PIRSA) Aquaculture division. He states, "The industry is starting to take a more corporate approach to its development, attracting new types of investors, and leading the way with innovative aquaculture projects." One good example of economic potential is the pilot inland aquaculture project operating under the auspices of the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI). The project aims to utilise the 30 million litres of saline groundwater pumped each day to the Stockyard Plains Disposal Basin. The water, with half the salinity of seawater and at 22 to 24 degrees Celsius, is ideal for aquaculture. Species such as brine shrimp, mulloway and oysters are under investigation. A SARDI spokesman advises the intention is to establish an inland aquaculture industry in the Riverland worth $20 million by 2013 – and observes the water available could provide for production of 10,000 tonnes of mulloway annually. In another area Australian Bight Abalone is growing the soughtafter animal on a floating artificial reef on an experimental farm. Given success, there are plans to extend the operation – and the average export price of the abalone is $50 per kilo. What's more, there's no artificial feeding, with claims of no environmental impact. Speaking in terms of investment, the Australian Bight Abalone people suggest investors and growers can expect a 16.3 per cent pre tax internal rate of return. SA's aquaculture industry already shows farmgate sales of $300 million each year. The industry's action plan promotes significant growth in the next five years, with the SA Aquaculture Council expecting the state's aquaculture will be valued at some $650 million to $1 billion by 2010 – and with $350 million in value-adding. To put that in perspective, ten years ago, aquaculture in SA was worth $2.5 million annually. Interestingly, the SA industry expansion isn't concentrated in one area or species.

Source: Kellie McPartland in the Great Southern Herald (3/8/2005).

Source: Nigel Hopkins in the Australian Financial Review

CELL AQUACULTURE JOINS THE MARKET Cell Aquaculture joined the Australian share market on 25 July following an over-subscription to the 20 cents per share initial public offering. Seeking $5 million, the company managed an impressive $5.2 million. The funds will be used to build barramundi hatcheries in Australia – fingerlings will be sold to overseas joint venture parties. Currently there are heads of agreements with four facilities, in the USA, the

(14/7/2005).

Source: Port Lincoln Times (26/7/2005).

LUPINS PROMOTED AS AQUAFEED Speaking at the Grains West Expo, Fisheries Department aquaculture nutrition manager Brett Glencross observed that WA lupin growers could dominate the world aquafeeds market if they began producing premium lupin varieties. Mr Glencross leads the Aquaculture Feed Grains Program. He said lupin kernel meal is a preferred aquafeed because it's well-digested, high in digestible protein, durable – and fish like the taste. Some 24,000 tonnes of WA lupin kernels were used in fish diets worldwide in 2004, and the figure for 2005 is expected to increase by 20 per cent. In Norway, lupins with a 36 per cent protein content sell for the same price as soybeans which have a 48 per cent protein content, because lupin meal has significantly more benefits. Source: Farm Weekly (28/7/20050.

66 Austasia Aquaculture | October/November 2005

LINCOLN MARINE SCIENCE CENTRE TO EXPAND Following extensive negotiations between the Kirton Point Caravan Park lessees Eyria Investments and the Port Lincoln City Council, the Lincoln Marine Science Centre will expand onto adjacent caravan park land. Flinders University will pay a one-off fee of $330,000 to the council for loss of the cara-

FISHENEWS

van park land. The changed use of the land will be subjected to a period of public comment before the change can be made. The centre has stretched to capacity, with two transportable buildings set up in the car park. The expansion will allow for Marine Innovation South Australia, an initiative of Flinders University and SARDI, to invest $4 million at the site in support of marine research and development in Port Lincoln. Concept plans for the site include development broken down into four stages over thirty years. The next step is public consultation, with submissions accepted until close of business August 19. Any new buildings at the Kirton Point Caravan Park are limited to one storey. Source: Billie Harrison in the Port Lincoln Times (19/7/2005); Port Lincoln Times (21/7/2005).

NEW ARRIVALS DEVELOPING FIBREGLASS CAGES Borbola Nemes Math and partner Phillip Green arrived in SA from Queensland in December 2004. With a background in building lawn furniture and gazebos in fibreglass, the pair had been researching the construction of plastic shark barriers as an alternative to the mesh nets used off Queensland beaches to trap sharks – invariably killing the sharks. Their product was never taken up, but eventually Ms Nemes Math learned about the problem the SA fish farming industry was having with damage to cages by sharks. The interstate move was made, and now prototype fish cages and panels are being produced. Fibreglass offers advantages over traditional mesh netting. For example it's stronger and easier to clean. The material can be assembled into large flexible panels. Martin Hernan of the SA Marine Finfish Growers Association has requested samples and more details, and Primary Industries and Resources SA Aquaculture director Ian Nightingale has also expressed interest in the product.

$275 MILLION MARINA FOR WERRIBEE SOUTH There are suggestions the first stage of a $275 million marina for Werribee South could be built as soon as mid-2006. The marina's managing director Angus Reed made the prediction recently while discussing the project. The 25ha development will carry a very wide range of facilities including those for the aquaculture industry. For more information check out www.dsc.vic.gov.au/planning/amendments and www.wyndhamcovemarina.com.au. Source: Ann Marie Angebrandt in the Star (Werribee – Hoppers Crossing) (19/7/2005).

DEXTER DAVIES RE-APPOINTED Dexter Davies has been re-appointed as chairman of the Aquaculture Development Council, The Council administers a $600,000 fund established to attract expertise to the local industry. The Council was established in 1994 to advise the Fisheries Minister. Source: Business News (21/7/2005).

LEARNING THE BUSINESS AT MANJIMUP SENIOR HIGH Year 11 and 12 students at Manjimup Senior High School – and adults – are taking advantage of the courses in aquaculture offered at South West TAFE's Manjimup Campus. Some 16 Year 11 and 12 students are studying for Certificate 1 as part of the school's vocational education and training program. Their work includes breeding trout and marron in addition to learning about husbandry, water quality, food safety and harvesting. The cooperative venture between the school and TAFE commenced eighteen months ago. Adults can enrol for full-time and part-time TAFE studies. Source: Manjimup Bridgetown Times (13/7/2005).

Source: Port Lincoln Times (21/7/2005).

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