Autumn 2010 by Tim Walker

Volume 24 No 1 – Autumn 2010

Aquaculture Conference preview Coral Sea Farm’s great recovery Eels woo barramundi grower WA’s King Trout a tourist lure Tropical rock lobster breakthrough Jungle Creek’s barra hatchery SA’s baitworm aquaculture prospects Harvesting millions of native fish

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8 www.AustasiaAquaculture.com.au

Contents Editor-in-chief Dr Tim Walker Regular contributors David O'Sullivan John Mosig

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 Design & Production Coalface Production Pty Ltd Prepress & Printing Geon Group Copyright © by Austasia Aquaculture. Contents cannot be reproduced without permission. Statements made or opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Turtle Press Pty Ltd (ABN 98 506 165 857). Austasia Aquaculture magazine (ISSN: 0818 552) is published by Turtle Press Pty Ltd (ABN 98 506 165 857) for the promotion of aquaculture in the Australasian and Asian regions – inclusive of farming in marine, freshwater, brackish and hypersaline waters. Reader's contributions are encouraged on the clear understanding they will be subject to editorial control and, if accepted, will appear in both printed and online versions.

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

FA R M P R O F I L E

F E AT U R E

Coral Sea Farms’ remarkable recovery following floods

Eels woo experienced barra grower to new future

Jungle Creek’s hatchery profits from barra but looks to diversify

Managing water flow and stocking density key to King Trout

Experience and protocol combine to harvest fingerling millions

PNG barramundi hatchery established with Aussie expertise and equipment

AUSTRALASIAN A Q U A C U LT U R E CONFERENCE

Tasmania keeps pace with change

Tropical rocklobster breakthroughs lead to commercial hatchery

NAC

Industry news from the National Aquaculture Council

RESEARCH

Worm aquaculture – is there a demand in South Australia?

TECHNOLOGY

Coilflo Miniature Heat Exchangers

Plastic Fabrications establishes Seafarm Systems

Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 1

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Outside Back Cover 4

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Inside Front Cover

38,39 59 Inside Back Cover 53 5 17

FA R M P R O F I L E

Coral Sea Farms’ remarkable recovery following floods Despite devastating floods in February 2009, Coral Sea Farms is now harvesting and processing over 300 tonnes of prawns a year for the Australian market. A focus to substantially increase production for the Christmas period necessitated improvements to the existing processing plant.

oral Sea Farms Australia Pty Ltd harvested it first crop of around 123 tonnes of Black Tiger Prawns (Penaeus monodon) in the 2004 Financial Year. Owned and managed by South African-born Francois Naude, more than $8m has been spent constructing and developing the 48 hectare facility. The farm with its new $1m processing plant was officially opened by the then Commonwealth Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation, Senator Eric Abetz, in March 2007. The accolades were strong indeed, especially for the farm’s strong environmental focus. “Coral Sea Farms is a showcase of some of the best things about aquaculture including diversification of land use, creation of employment opportunities, instigation of high standards of environmental practice and value-adding on site,” Senator Abetz said. Located on the banks of Nelson Creek, water is pumped via four 500mm pumps into an inlet reservoir from where water can be distributed to all of the growout ponds (totalling 32 hectare). An additional 16 hectare area is solely devoted to water remediation, reservoir and settlement areas, just one of many strong environmental protection measures instituted at this farm. Following a long period of sediment settlement and bioremediation, the treated discharge waters flow into the mangrove-lined Seymour River system. “Environmentally sustainable aquafarming is Coral Sea Farms’ core principle,” explains Francois. “We are located in a

biodiverse natural ecosystem surrounded by a myriad of small creeks and the Hinchinbrook Channel, teeming with fish and bird life as well as being the home to populations of dugongs which feed on sea grasses abundant in the area. As the name of the farm suggests the beautiful Coral Sea and the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef lie just offshore from the farm.” The farm comprises 38 ponds lined with High-Density Polyethylene film (HDPE) to prevent bank erosion. Although adding more than 30% to the cost of normal earthen ponds, Francois says that the extra cost has been well worth it due to lower sediment levels, minimal erosion maintenance costs and benefits gained in health/disease management and bird control. “Our discharge and farming operations are heavily regulated and monitored by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (Federal) and the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency. Our discharge permit inter alia allows the following water quality criteria – suspended solids 20/100 mg/L, total nitrates 0.8/3.0 mg/L, total phosphate 0.1/0.3 mg/L. As far as I am aware our licence conditions are the most restrictive issued to any prawn farm but to date we have been complied with these criteria.” The farm has the ability to operate as a ‘closed system’ whereby water is re-circulated with discharge taking place only during harvest. The large remediation area holds various species of fish, predominantly Milk Fish (Chanos chanos)

From top: The inlet channel is also plastic lined to reduce erosion. The Coral Sea Farm prawn ponds are bordered by sugar cane on the land side and the mangroves of the Hinchinbrook Channel to the ocean side. The 32 hectares of plastic lined ponds are ready for stocking. Pond with an aerator with Hinchinbrook Island in the back ground.

Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 3

FA R M P R O F I L E

Clockwise from top left: These ponds are fully stocked with prawns and the aerators are in operation to maintain dissolved oxygen levels. PL15 are released into the ponds. Regular checking of the prawns is undertaken to assess growth and health. Argo vehicle in operation. Feeding the prawns using a blow feeder to distribute the pellets over the pond’s surface. Another great harvest of Coral Sea prawns.

and schools of Sea Mullet (Mugil cephalus) together with other aquatic life; all contribute to filtering of the nutrient rich waters. Salinity of the ponds is usually maintained around 15 to 28 ppt depending on the time of the year whilst the pH varies over the day – from a low of 7.0 in the morning to a high of 8.7 when the sun is high and the phytoplankton in the ponds are photosynthesising. “This, coupled with stringently enforced

on-farm practices ensures optimal water quality and minimal impact to the environment,” Francois continues. “Coral Sea Farms’ policy is not to use chemicals, antibiotics or hormones in the growout of aquatic animals. As a result, at Coral Sea Farms we grow ‘clean and green’ Australian seafood, superior in taste and texture and free from harmful additives; an important consideration today where so much of what we eat has been artificially enhanced to the detriment of our health.”

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4 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

Cyclone Ellie Floods Record rainfalls occurred as a result of Cyclone Ellie with water levels peaking around the Coral Sea Farm on 3rd and again 8th of February last year. “We had over 2,600mm of rain between December and February, 1,400mm in February alone, and some 1,000mm during the first nine days of that month,” Francois recalls. “As a result we were cut off for eight days and had no power for six days. “The damage was extensive. Although the water level stopped about 200mm short from spilling over the roads and entering the ponds, our farm house, office, workshop and sheds were flooded by waters of up to 1.5m deep. The only way to get around was by boat. We lost over 40 head of cattle, ostriches and other poultry and most of our fences and roads. Some 40,000 barramundi (most between 1-2kg) were flushed out of their low lying holding ponds into the Hinchinbrook channel (free ranging and in cages ) and machinery, aerators, pipes, other equipment and parts of our remediation ponds were washed away. Insurance wise we were only successful with our vehicle

FA R M P R O F I L E

Clockwise from top left: The hand sorting belt of the harvested prawns before cooking. Cooling the prawns after cooking. Delicious Black Tiger Prawns are packed ready for market. A ship of Coral Sea Farms prawns at Poulos Brothers in Sydney. Coral Sea farms prawns proudly on display at the Sydney Fish Market. Trap harvests are used to catch the prawns with no little or damage compared to drain harvests.

and bike claims .Our losses were well over $400,000 for the barramundi alone with other losses and damage – excluding prawns – also being high.” In addition both the Seymour and the Herbert River dumped all rubbish and debris from ‘upstream’ in the mangroves around the farm. Even now, over a year later, the cleanup is still underway. The ponds were isolated, surrounded by a mass of water, and the two technicians who stayed on farm throughout the ordeal did an outstanding job, feeding, repairing and taking preventative action under very adverse conditions. Due to the higher level, water was pushed into the ponds through the discharge pipes and to avoid them overflowing all the monks were boarded up. Two of the four generators stopped running due to water penetration. “Running out of feed was by far the worst problem I had to overcome,” Francois recalls. “Two containers were held up in Townsville and as we could get no assistance from elsewhere I contracted a private helicopter to airlift pallets of feed plus food and medical supplies to the farm at considerable expense. We had no choice.

At the time there was a potential record crop in the ponds stocked for a March/ April harvest at a forecast minimum yield of 8 tonne/hectare. Although the prawn ponds were not flooded, Francois estimates 50 tonnes of prawns were lost – due to under feeding, lack of aeration, cannibalism and having salinity levels around 4ppt for an extended period – at a cost to the business of over $800,000. “Once we started experiencing sickness and mortalities shortly after the floods we had to emergency harvest

all our ponds,” he says, “which believe me, was a very stressful time. I am very grateful to Woolworths Ltd for the assistance they gave us in buying most of our chilled product.” Amazingly, the hard working team overseen by farm manager John Maloney still harvested a record 247 tonnes in the 2009 F/Y. Sales were around $4M with an average selling price of $16.70/ kg. But the FCR blew out to 2.2; it is normally 1.7-1.8.

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Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 5

FA R M P R O F I L E

Management Metrics Key Management Decisions for Coral Sea Farms include: • Lining the pond banks with HDPE. Although this has added to the cost of construction, the current in the ponds will be better due to less drag from the smooth walls. Bank erosion is also prevented, reducing the amount of sludge at the end of the crop as this has been shown to consist of mainly clay. • Using a combination of paddlewheels and aspirators mean that aeration can be left on in a pond that is drained low. • Being able to recirculate settled discharge water allows the farm to add phytoplankton to ponds that are clear. It may also help in buffering the farm from salinity drops during wet seasons. • Installing a state-of-the-art processing plant to add value to the existing crops. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) include: • Products: fresh green or cooked Black Tiger Prawns, whole Barramundi,Cobia and Goldspotted Rock Cod • Culture System utilised: HDPE-lined ponds with aerators & aspirators • Growth rate (from stocking to market): <4.5 months (0.1g to 30g) • Survival rate: >60% from first stocking to sale size • Av. stocking density: 40/50/m2 at stocking, • Annual harvest: >300 tonnes • FCR: 1.7:1 (number of kg of food to produce 1kg stock) • Accreditation: HACCP

Table: Performance of different stocks of PL (as at 2nd February) – at the time of interview these crops were still growing. Stock

Days

PL stocking density /m2

Current wt g

FCR

138

1.5

EC1

154

1.65

EC2

146

1.55

Changes to stocking and harvests Coral Sea Farms is primarily supplied with post larvae (PL15) by a local hatchery located north of the farm, although larvae are also sourced from other biosecure hatcheries. The farm is divided into three sections, two with 12 ponds, and the third with 14 ponds to assist with biosecurity. These are usually stocked sequentially at around 40-50 PL/m2 over three specific periods. “Our main focus, with seeding in June/July, is the Christmas period when selling fresh is no problem and prices are high,” says Francois. “We stock a third of our ponds in October/November for the Easter market followed by our January/February stocking for harvest 6 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

from May onwards.” A combination of paddlewheels and aspirators are used and, according to François, up to 24HP of these are required as the pond nears harvest. The plastic lined pond walls allow a good current to be formed which pushes wastes to the centre. “Our prawns are fed with a high protein fishmeal based diet obtained from two accredited feed suppliers (Ridleys and CP). They are fed four times a day - at 6am, 11am, 4pm and 9pm - using a custom made feeder truck. The pellets start at 0.3mm and increase in length up to 5 mm for market size prawns. We use two feed trays per pond to determine the feeding rates.”

Improvements to processing plant After management took the strategic decision to double production for the 2009 Christmas period many challenges and obstacles had to be overcome. Although already very efficient at processing, daily capacity had to lift from 4-5 tonnes up to 8-10 tonnes, necessitating upgrading of processing facility. “I contracted Peter Regling from Gold Coast Marine Aqua Culture to assist as their facility already did high daily throughput,” explains Francois. “We spent over $500,000 on new filtration and cooling systems, 8 tonne ice machine, cookers and burners. “Our greatest hold-up is our double hand sorting to ensure the delivery of a premium product – we do this first on the green prawns to remove any soft, small or damaged (seconds); the second sort is post cooking. Peter designed and installed an automated packing line for cooked product – bin tipper, sorting section and automated batch weighing system capable of handling 5, 10 or 18 kg cartons. We processed and sold 133 tonnes worth $2.5M (average $18.50/kg) over 17 days, cooking and more than eight tonnes most days, an incredible achievement for a single shift of workers. Our guys were just amazing! By early January we had sold around 150 tonnes.” To move away from brine freezing he plans to acquire a Multiflex IQF freezer allowing pre- and after freezing in the one machine. It features a changeable blowing system allowing for vertical freezing of prawns and horizontal freezing of fish and crabs. This will allow Coral Sea Farms to offer processing to other adjacent prawn farms, professional fisherman and crabbers. NT Stock Thanks to higher quality PL, things are looking to further improve for Coral Sea Farms this year. “The biggest change has been our approval to stock PLs from Queensland hatcheries authorised to use Northern Territory (NT) broodstock (produced under special permits).

FA R M P R O F I L E

Another two farms are also doing this and they have both reported improvements in production. I am convinced that East Coast (EC) broodstock are not as high quality as the NT prawns.” Francois’ production figures show the main differences in performance of his current batches (see the accompanying Table). “In September 2009 we stocked East Coast as well as some ponds with PLs from NT broodstock. We are pretty happy with the two East Coast stockings but the performance figures (of the NT stock) speak for themselves. Survival rates are almost the same in all 12 ponds yet we will achieve more than 10 tonne/hectare from our NT ponds.” Due to the lack of NT PLs in February of this year the farm was only able to stock 13ha of ponds with a combination of NT, NT/EC mix, with some ponds only having EC PLs. “I am quite confident that, should we be able to stock the entire farm from NT broodstock, the faster growth rates will allow us to stock all ponds twice during a financial year. That means a doubling of our annual production, significantly increasing profitability.” Francois is well aware of areas they can improve. “The FCR will be around 1.6. We continue to work towards lowering our FCR. “Since John Moloney took over as farm manager three years ago we have yearon-year increased production and should easily achieve 300 tonnes this financial year. “At an average $17/kg, we will bank more than $5M. Our guys on the farm have done a really great job, the flood losses have been recouped and we are positive than we can further increase our yields with a reduction in input costs.” By Dos O’Sullivan. For more information contact Francois Naude, Managing Director Coral Sea Farms Australia Pty Ltd, P.O. Box 84, Macknade Queensland 4850. Tel: (07) 4777-2979, Fax: (07) 4777-2793, Mob: 0419 477-945, Email: naude@coralseafarms.com.au Web: www.coralseafarms.com.au Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 7

FA R M P R O F I L E

Ready for market – Mark proudly displaying the fruits of his efforts.

ark Fantin’s Sugarland Barramundi is situated just off the Bruce Highway, 30 minutes south of Cairns. Having grown barra since 1990, Mark’s curiousity led him in 2005 to try some of John Neilsen ‘s juvenile eels (Eels Down Under) in his ponds. They reached 3kg to 4kg in 24 months! So, ever since, Mark has been transitioning out of barramundi and into eels as seedstock becomes available. A new working partnership between the two aquaculturists benefits both operations. John has the glass eel harvesting licenses and the nursery facilities to wean and raise glass eels to elvers; Mark has the growout facilities to take them to the next stage. The farm The farm consists of 10 growout ponds of varying sizes totalling 3ha. All are bottom draining and connected and screened so that water can be moved around the farm at will, depending on the water quality and stock requirements at any given time. When it comes to aeration, a combination of paddlewheel (2.5hp) and aerojet aerators (1.5hp) are used. Water comes from an uncapped bore at 8 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

Eels woo experienced barra grower to new future a pH of between 6.5 and 6.7, carbonate hardness of 50ppm and a constant temperature of 23.5°C. Mark jokes that he should have set up a water bottling plant a long time ago. Now with bottled water coming under carbon emission scrutiny he feels he may have ‘missed the boat’ on that one.

fishout. “We have some barramundi in the pond with a fair bit of size on them but after four or five years of fishing they have become a bit lure shy. At the end of the day it all becomes a bit demanding and eats into your family leisure time. It’s not what life’s about,” he says.

The ponds are not netted with the only major predators being the colourful jabirus (Ephippiorhychus asiaticus). “I’ve lost count of the number of jabirus we’ve raised on the farm,” Mark says. “It must be over 20 but the tourists like them and they’re never here in numbers, so they pay their way.”

Males vs females Eels come in two sizes according to their sex. Males tend to remain small – 800g would be the average size of a crop from the male ponds – in stark contrast to the females which can reach 8kg to 10kg in four to five years; most however are sold at 3-4 kilos, a growout time of 12-24 months.

Water temperatures down on the coast plains generally lie between 20°C to 30°C. At Sugarland Barramundi Mark says it can fall below 20°C for 4-8 weeks in a cold winter similarly climb a bit above 30°C in an unusually cloudless summer. But for nine months of the year, it exceeds 25°C and spends much of that time in the optimum range for longfinned eels (25-28°C). Metabolism is slower during the short northern winter and feeding rates are reduced accordingly. “We probably lose 20% of our normal growth during this time,” Mark says. “But they have a feeding and growth spurt as the temperatures drop in June. We found the barramundi did the same thing.” The 0.5ha settlement pond is a wetland feature of the farm. Covered in lilies, it adds to the ambience and strips nutrients from the pond water. About 20% of the water that passes through it is recycled. The remainder is used in irrigation, including a 2ha native wood lot that adds to the charm of the tourist fishout ponds. However, since moving into eels, Mark has been steering away from his tourist

Larger eels attract a premium – a 3kg female will fetch more per kilo than a 800g male. Similarly the return for a 8kg eel will be superior to that for a 3kg one. John and Mark have yet to decided exactly the size that represents the best return for them. “The more females we can generate makes a massive difference in the overall tonnage we can produce,” says Mark. “There’s a premium for the extra large stock, but we don’t at this stage have the capacity to run that long on a lot of stock. Time is money everywhere these days and a fish farm is no different.” Production cycle Eels come onto the farm from Eels Down Under as 300g juveniles. By the time they reach 500g sexual dimorphism will have taken place and when an average of 600g (three months) they’re graded into male and female ponds. Any male eels over 600g are sold as there’s little additional growth left in them at this stage and there’s no point holding them once they’ve reached

FA R M P R O F I L E

acceptable market size.

The charm of tropical Queensland – the fishout pond at Sugarland Barramundi.

“There’s a slight difference in colour and general appearance of males and females,” says Mark. “With a bit of experience you can pick between them pretty quickly.” Although the 600g grading should be the last, larger or smaller eels are pulled from the female ponds and kept in size cohorts should the size differential threaten a bout of cannibalism. At low stocking densities – up to 5-6t/ pond (15-20t/ha) –the aerojet aerators are sufficient but once dawn dissolved oxygen (DO) levels fall below 4mg/L a 2.5hp paddlewheel aerator is added. The aerators work around the clock – Mark likes to keep early morning DO levels above 6mg/L whenever he can. Turbidity is high preventing the development of benthic weeds developing and shielding the eels from direct sunlight. Daily water exchange is low (1-2%/day) during the early growth stages when pond loads are low but, once the biomass builds up, the daily water exchange is increased to 10%. Mark has grown the 5-10g elvers out in floating cages but the young eels proved to be masters at escaping and managing the cages themselves was labour intensive. However, given their great growth rates, he hasn’t totally given up on doing the nursery stage this way again in future.

“We were using an eel feed from Skretting’s French mill that was 25% lipids and 55% protein which really got the young animals going. But this is no longer available. Now the salmon starter rations we get are either from France or Chile and 15-20% lipids and 45% protein,” Mark says. “But we’re all the time getting newsletters from the feed mill relating to ingredient shortages and

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Feed After trying a few diets Mark settled on Skretting’s high energy, fully floating Atlantic salmon ration. Salmon starter is used for the juveniles and salmon growout feed for the larger eels.

The bio-remedial pond at Sugarland. The native woodlot can be seen in the background.

Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 9

FA R M P R O F I L E

Markets So far, with stock just starting to come through at the premium size, the operation has been able to sell all it can produce. However, Mark is a realist. “We don’t know what the global financial situation is going to bring. Our main interest has come from China. There is a cultural significance to longfinned eels over there. The bigger the better as far as they’re concerned. There are other large tropical species in the Indo Pacific basin, but environmental and fishing pressure has all but wiped them out.

Looking down the farm from the packing and holding facilities.

“We get a good cash flow from the males in a short period. This also gets them out of the way early so we can dedicate production capacity to growing the premium-value females,” he adds.

Aerojet at work. Note the nutrient stripping duckweed and the body of eels laying in the current for maximum oxygen uptake.

Eels in the purging tank waiting for export.

price hikes. It’s a worry.” Whilst the feed conversions at the Eels Down Under nursery can be better than 1:1, the figure for female growout ponds is 1.5:1 and for the slower-growing males is 2:1. However Mark notes that the diet is designed for salmonids and a long way from a species specific longfinned eel ration. “Asian farms get better performance from their growout diets. We’ve explored importing feed, but logistically it has its drawbacks. Not that getting feed up from Tassie doesn’t require half a dozen phone calls to see where it is and to push it along the way!”

10 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

The future Core costs – feed, transport and energy – of the aquaculture industry are under the same cost pressures as many other industries. “Unless you have a high value product to start with it makes it difficult,” Mark cautions. “Along with not knowing what you’re going to get, or even if the markets are going to hold up, there’s no guarantee of a profitable return. “Northern Queensland is a great area for land based aquaculture. There’s plenty of water and the climate, apart from the odd cyclone, is pretty stable. Having said that, there seems to be an increase in the number of larger growers. “The government has tried to streamline the permit application process, but from what I can see it’s not getting any easier or any cheaper to get a license. In fact it seems to be taking longer and becoming more expensive. Investors don’t like uncertainty and delays. Setting up aquaculture operation from scratch is becoming out of the reach of most average people.” By John Mosig Mark Fantin cam be contacted by phone on (07) 4055 5676, or by email on fantink@hotmail.com

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FA R M P R O F I L E

Aluminium punts have replaced the old wooden punts.

Jack Cole harvests the tide of history with his Sydney Rock Oysters

Jack Cole adjusting a pipe on his depuration tanks where sterilised seawater is used to clean oysters ready for marketing.

fter several years fishing, wood chopping, boxing and timber carting in different parts of Australia, Sam Cole starting working Sydney Rock Oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) leases at Bermagui and Merimbula Lake in NSW south coast in 1921. Sam taught son Jack the ‘secrets’ of these waters from the late 1940s until his retirement in the late 1960s. Jack, in turn, has been passing on this knowledge 12 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

There is no stopping Jack Cole when it comes to discussing the intricacies of oyster farming. A second generation oyster farmer (son Peter makes it three generations), Jack reckons that he was born wearing oyster gloves; he has been growing top quality Sydney Rock Oysters off and on for more than 60 years. His stories of the ‘old ways’ of oyster farming makes fascinating reading and shows how the current techniques evolved. onto his son Peter. “We have 34 hectares of leases of which 6-8ha in Bermagui is used for catching while the rest is up in the (Merimbula) Lake above the bridge,” Jack explains. “Dad based on lot of his techniques on those he observed when working along the north coast of NSW. “In the old days they used 1 foot square (25mm) pieces of shale set on top of stones in the intertidal region and laid out in rows. Each piece was around 3 to 4 inches (7.5-10cm) off the bottom. Later on timber poles of around 5-6” (12.5-15cm) diameter were used to hold up the shale. Once a year the shale was

turned over to get the larger oysters off and allow the smaller ones (which had settled on the underneath) room to grow. They used chisels or oyster picks (like a double-ended brickie’s trowel) to chip off the oysters.” Another variation was to push saplings (called ‘peg sticks’) into the mud to hold the shale off the bottom. Wattle and other types of native or ‘bush’ timber had to be used as there were no local stocks of black mangrove trees which were used for oyster growing in estuaries further north. When ‘matured’ (dried out with no sap), this wood was relatively resistant to borers but it wasn’t as good as the black mangrove. It would last a few

FA R M P R O F I L E

years before it needed to be replaced. Sometimes 2ft (60cm) long wattle sticks of about 1 inch diameter (2.5cm) were used to catch spat. These sticks were placed in bundles of 20 in areas of known spatfall. After the oyster seed had set the sticks were relayed to the growing areas and first laid out in circles of 3 or 4 sticks; looking like an Indian tent these were called ‘stoops’. Jack said there needed to be enough space between the sticks for water to flow through and for the oysters to grow. After a year or two the sticks were then spaced out in rows 100 long in the soft mud above the bridge in Merimbula Lake or in Bermagui. Looking like a picket fence the sticks were around 18 inches (0.5m) apart. These oysters were fattened for market for another 12 months. Sometimes up to 6 pounds (2.5kg) of oysters could be harvested from each stick.

Wooden trays are used to hold oysters that have been knocked off sticks for fattening.

The ‘traditional’ stick and rack culture is slowly being replaced by the use of wooden or plastic trays.

“Most of the oyster farmers were ex-soldiers from World War 1 and they were given leases that were reserved below the Bridge,” Jack explains. “Dad recognised that the area upriver from the Merimbula Bridge was ideal for sticks, especially along the western shore. So that is what we did. There were acres and acres of them, as far as you could see. We all had 18-20’ (5.5-6m) wooden punts in those days (made from spotted gum or other local timbers) so we left tracks between the fences of sticks so we could get to the oysters. There were no outboards; we waited for the tides and poled around or used oars.” He still remembers the first time an outboard was used. “It was in the late 1940s that my dad installed the outboard – a 4HP Seagull with a reduction gear box and four 13” (33cm) bladed propeller. It was slow but it would still tow quite a load as the long blades gave it a tremendous grip on the water.” Steamships run by the Illawarra and South Coast Steamship Company were used to transport the oysters up to Sydney. “I remember that one was called the Pig and Whistle; it would leave Merimbula around midday and get into Darling

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Jack believes that the move away from tarred sticks and trays to plastic ones is a good thing. Thus this tar tank has become a reminder of the past practises.

Harbour the next day. The oysters were shipped in potato (hessian) bags and were sold in restaurants around King St and a few other areas. In those days steak and oysters was the most popular dish. “Back then the market size was larger than our current plates and these took around four years to grow. There were no sales of bottled oysters; any seconds were put into wooden trays and brought up to market size.” Oysters bound for Melbourne had to be transhipped via Sydney (Darling Harbour). This meant the oysters were in transport for up to three days. However, the very hardy Sydney Rock Oyster could survive out of water in wet bags for over two weeks, sometimes longer (depending on air temperatures). Move to trays According to Jack, the use of trays for growout started in the early 1940s. “These were made from galvanised wire netting and 14 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

wattle sticks or sawn hardwood. Oysters were knocked off the collecting sticks and put into the trays which were laid on shell beds, mostly near the aerodrome (eastern side of Merimbula Lake). No tar was used at first so the trays had to be replaced every few years due to damage from borers. “It was about the 1950s when tarred wooden posts (called ‘pegs’) and slats of sawn hardwood were used to make horizontal racks on which the trays were laid. The trays were tarred in vats of pitch once a year. Some growers stuck with sticks all the way through to market which were wired or nailed onto the racks.” The main catching area was Bermagui. Settlement of spat usually took place in summer although a smaller ‘catch’ also occurred most winters. The bundles of collection sticks were left to harden for six months or more so that when the sticks were laid out on the racks the oysters would be too hard for most fish to eat.

“All the settlement sticks were shifted around by water. The launch would drop them off at Merimbula jetty and we would then punt them up into the lake. We would nail them about 10” (25mm) apart on the racks. We usually did this in winter to avoid the big schools of bream which could eat even the hardened oysters in summer. “We still do this today to avoid the bream and now the oysters are covered with mesh or netting to keep the bull rays from eating them. Even the smaller rays can grind a fully grown oyster off a stick or from a tray.” Jack says today’s punts are a similar size to the old wooden ones albeit a lot faster. “We have one aluminium 20-footer with a 50HP Evinrude and a 30HP Yamaha on the other. “Now we leave our oysters on sticks for the 3 years it takes to get them to market size. All the oysters are knocked off the sticks. Any smaller ones are cleaned (any doubles or fouled oysters are split or

FA R M P R O F I L E

cleaned) and then put into trays for 6-12 months of finishing. Market size oysters are held in trays for 2-3 weeks to recover from the knocking off the sticks (this gives them time to rewater and gain condition). “Merimbula Lake still grows a good oyster but the seasons have not been kind to us. We desperately need a good flooding rain to clear out the Lake; currently it is chocked with marine growth due to the higher salinities. Cunjevoi (like a sponge) is the biggest I have ever seen, some are over 20cm high. A good freshwater flood would kill all that and flush in some nutrients.” Floods, drought, fires With more than 60 years on the water, Jack has seen it all – floods and drought, even fires in around the town, good years and bad ones. “The production (oyster growth rates) varies a lot from year to year. Drought years mean slower growth due to less food. And in some years there have just been too many oysters in the Lake. Acid soils have also limited production – this is mainly caused by residential development exposing acidsulphate soils to the air. We had also had huge washes of clays into the lake and silt coming in from road works. Fortunately the local Council is managing this a lot better now.” Coles Oysters has four full time employees; some have been working with the company for more than 16 years. Jack is doing a lot less these days: “Peter and the other staff do most of it. In the modern era there has been a move into plastic trays and all sort of baskets and bags, even plastic posts – all of these are fantastic and aren’t affected by the borers. “It means we no longer need to use the tar. I remember getting the 44-gallon drum of tar from the local gas works and putting it into the vat. The sticks brought in from the leases would have dried and then been run through a tumbler to scrape off any fouling or old oyster shells. On warm days you could just dip the sticks and trays into the vat and then pull them out to drain and dry. In colder times we need to light a fire under the vat to ‘cook’ it

Management Metrics Key Management Decisions for Coles Oysters include: • Moving from tarred wood into plastic culture units and trays. • Separate collection and growing areas. • Use of NSW Shellfish Program for growing waters and harvesting classification, depuration for harvesting harvested oysters. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) include: • Culture System utilised: wooden sticks and trays, moving to plastics culture units • Growth rate (from stocking to market): four years to around 10cm (plate size) • Survival rate: varies significantly from year to year • Annual harvest: 20-80,000 dozen of bistro to plate size.

‘Splitting’ or separating co-joined oysters is a tedious but necessary job to allow the oysters to be laid out on tray for further growth.

up. Still I am glad to see the end of the tar as it means a cleaner Lake.” “Most of our leases are set around mid tide level and we have two tides a day. The exposed oysters mean we have less of a problem with mud worm or winter mortality (caused by the microscopic parasite Bonamia roughleyi). Mud worm is best controlled by having the oysters exposed at low tide. We keep the oysters clear of mud by washing them regularly with a pressure hose. Mesh netting and enclosed trays can also assist.” Winter mortality can be a real problem some years hitting mainly the larger oysters. In some years Coles Oysters can lose 10% of its stock; in a bad year there can be a total wipe-out on some leases. Winter mortality can start as early as May

and extend right through until September. Interestingly Jack says the oyster crop following such a wipeout is not be affected by winter mortality even if placed in the same racks as the oysters which have died. “The scientists at Port Stephens (NSW Fisheries) are looking into this to help us prevent the losses.” Crossroads Jack reckons the local oyster industry to be at a major crossroad due to falling production and rising costs. “In the old days there used to be three different Warne brothers and three different Coles farms just in the mid-Lake area. Now there are only four other main oyster farmers in all of the Lake so we share the costs of the NSW Shellfish Program (around $5-10,000 pa, plus costs of sampling).” Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 15

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Stocking densities of the oysters in the trays are managed to ensure there is sufficient food and room for the graded oysters to grow.

Merimbula Lake’s classification in the state-wide NSW Shellfish Programis that of of ‘Conditionally Restricted’ whilst Bermagui River is ‘Conditionally Approved’ (it is open for direct harvest and sale as prescribed in the harvest area management plan). In the Lake some areas can be direct harvested, whilst in others including those used by Jack’s family, the oysters must be depurated before sale. Jacks depuration shed can usually do 3,000 dozen oysters at a time. “Since the 1950s our main market has been Melbourne where we sell to three processors who on-sell to a wide range of restaurants. We send our oysters by covered truck in half bags made from jute or hessian. These hold 50 dozen plate oysters (each with a whole weight of 50g).”

By Dos O’Sullivan.

The Cole family have been on the Lake for over eight decades. You can bet they would like to stay for many more. Hopefully the adoption of the single seed in plastic trays keep them operating for many more years.

For more information contact Jack or Peter Cole Coles Oysters PO Box 541, Merimbula NSW 2548. Tel: 02 6495-6895.Lore duis augait et autem delisl ipsusti onummol orting ercing

16 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

Stacks of trays filled with oysters ready for laying out on the racks in Merimbula lake.

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Jungle Creek’s hatchery profits from barra but looks to diversify The Borgelt’s nursery consists of 10 x 2000L tanks connected to a re-circulation system in a temperature controlled room. Their freshwater comes from an uncapped bore at a constant 26°C. Marine water is transported to the farm from Mourilyan Harbour – a half hour away. The hatchery is insulated by 100mm panels on the walls and roof and the ceiling has an insulated sheet that creates an air pocket above the tanks for further temperature control. At night and in the cooler times of the year temperature is ‘topped up’ using solar panels; the opening of doors helps regulate temperatures should they move in the other direction during the heat of the day.

The work may be 24/7 but the view from the back deck – the best room in the house – makes up for it.

Production cycle The larger broodstock females particularly have become quite docile and are used to Dave moving amongst them, lifting them to the surface in a dip net onto the canvas bag. There is, however, a regular turnover of stock sourced either from the farms or – to invigorate the gene pool – from the wild. A duplicate back-up breeding team is held in forward condition at Townsville.

Most fish are delivered by road.

ormerly the Hatchery Manager at Blue Water Barramundi’s Mourilyan hatchery (until 2004) Dave Borgelt and wife Linda now run Jungle Creek Aquaculture at Innisfail. Whilst the original plan was to breed tropical ornamental species, demand for barramundi seedstock has seen a change of focus to tablefish production. Doing around a million tails a year, the pair breed to demand Dave says but can do a spawn once a fortnight if the call was there for those sorts of numbers. The broodstock facility is enclosed and spawning does not rely on the lunar cycle influence typical of the wild. 18 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

The farm Ten broodstock are held in a 10,000L, 2m deep marine tank connected to a re-circulation unit. Each is colour tagged and Dave only induces any particular female once every two months. He works in a business partnership with Steve Bolam of Townsville’s Saltwater Finfish. Each has four larval rearing ponds (Jungle Creek’s ponds are at Mourilyan) enabling Jungle Creek to have a continuous flow of fish to cover peaks in demand. Harvesting from these rearing ponds is done from a pit on the external side of the pond.

Females are selected for egg quality. As the breeding team is kept in a forward condition, this is usually on a rotational basis. The selected female is injected and returned to the tank. Spawning commences in 27-36 hours. The pelagic eggs are collected in the outflow. The eggs are transferred to incubation tanks held at 28-31°C. Hatching commences 11-15 hours after egg release. Any eggs that haven’t hatched after this time period are dumped. One to two days after hatching the larvae are taken down to the Townsville or the Mourilyan site and stocked into freshly-flooded ponds. Dave says he used to flood the ponds 10 days before

FA R M P R O F I L E

injecting to build up the plankton but found that this could work to their disadvantage in the wet – heavy rain could dilute the salinity in the ponds too much. He now floods a day or so before inducing the females. The ponds are fertilized at flooding and again 3-4 times over the 24 day larval rearing cycle. The size of the fry at this stage will range from 15-25mm. If survival has been good fry size will be at the lower end; if survival is poor the feed in the pond goes further and the fry are bigger at harvest. Taken back to the Innisfail hatchery the fry are then graded, stocked into nursery tanks, given an artemia diet and weaned over five days onto dry food. Dave uses a fry weaning diet from Ridleys. “I’ve tried them all. I’m generally price-driven because there’s not the nutritional issue that you have in an intensive hatchery. They get good natural nutrition from the ponds and we don’t have to do much to get them onto a commercial diet,” he says. “They are in the nursery for three weeks and will be graded every 3-5 days and acclimated to freshwater in this period. At the end of three weeks they’re between 30mm and 40mm.” The Townsville site has its own nursery and duplicates fingerling production. So, should anything happen to one site, there is a back-up system on standby. The fish at Townsville not used for back up are grown out to a larger size for restocking groups and commercial growers. Restocked waters usually carry big fish so ongrown juveniles have a better chance of survival. Some commercial growers also like to stock fish that are post-nursery stage to free up production facilities and gain more productivity. Sizes grown out in a business arrangement at Saltwater Finfish range from 50mm up to 400g. Fingerlings up to 300mm are still sold by the centimetre. A fish counter is used due to the large numbers involved. Sales of plate size fish are done by the kilo.

Other species Dave recognizes that, as tropical aquaculture in FNQ expands, it is going to need seedstock and species options to underwrite production and versatility. Because the hatchery is set up to breed catadromous and marine species, Dave says they’ve tended to steer clear of freshwater species such as sleepy cod (Oxyeleotris sps) and gauvina (Bunaka gyrinoides).

As in all hatchery situations, temperature can be critical.

Floating egg collector

Two iconic species of the north are jungle perch (Kuhlia rupestris) and mangrove jack (Lutjanus argentimaculatus). Whilst Dave can point to several successful spawnings, rearing them past larval stage has proved difficult. But he, like any good hatchery manager, is confident that the hatchery can work through it. Jungle perch are a relatively small fish. As Dave puts it: “A 2kg fish (60cm) would be considered a monster and you’d tell your mates about one that came out of the water at 40cm (1kg). This makes them too slow growing for the commercial aquaculture industry but interest from restocking groups and the aquarium sector is keen.” Mangrove jack Mangrove jack also have a reputation for being slow growers. However, they can grow to 15kg and a metre long. With apparent genetic potential to achieve commercial growth rates there seems to be no obvious reason why jacks have

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At this stage of availability, the aquarium industry is prepared to pay $10 for a 30-40mm fingerling. Giant Queensland groper is another species being contemplated once the technology has been established. The Northern Fisheries Centre at Cairns is working on this, confident that it is only a matter of time before success is achieved. Noda virus

External egg collector

Dave checking jungle perch broodstock.

Noda virus is a ubiquitous pathogen in the barramundi hatchery industry with the larvae vulnerable to it for the first 30 days. The usual method of control is management of stress loads, particularly by managing stocking densities and ensuring there is sufficient food in the ponds. Dave is extremely conscious of the implications of an outbreak and takes particular care to keep the disease at bay. “Once established in the ponds, the crop has to be harvested and disposed off and the ponds treated with hydrated lime and dried out thoroughly. Two months would be ideal, but up here along the coast that can be a problem in the wet season. “In the hatchery it’s easier. Two weeks of air drying would be enough. Then you’d run chlorine through the pipes when you were refilling the system,” he says. Markets

The ceiling insulation was being installed during Austasia Aquaculture’s visit.

been slower than equivalent species in farmed situations. They are found in estuarine and full marine situations, and it is a species that could benefit from research into the husbandry and nutritional aspects of their development. These are summer spawners and the 20 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

Paw Paw fruit /wine bottle socks have proven to be an efficient and cheap bio-filtration medium.

hatchery water is set at 28°C. The hatchery methodology is not dissimilar to other tropical species: females are induced with injections of 30iu/kg. Ovulation time is 28-36 hours and incubation time is up to 16 hours. Dave is looking at ways of increasing survival rates and reliability.

Jungle Creek’s client base is in the Far North. The hatchery used to air freight fry around the country but found the business case was better for growing out the larger fish and trucking them locally to their destination. As for the future, Dave says it’s a bit like the stock market. “The general trend is upwards. But there’s always periods of under supply and over supply.” By John Mosig Dave & Linda Borgelt can be contacted by phone on (07) 4064 4235, or by email on junglecreekaquaculture@gmail.com

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Managing water flow and stocking density key to King Trout Low summer water flows and high water temperatures are overcome at a West Australian trout farm by managing several water sources, including a recycling dam, as well as using a cooling tower. Stocking densities are manipulated to push some fish through faster and slow growth in others to give a year round harvest. Farm income is expanded by tourism and an on-farm restaurant.

important to offer value for money so we get repeat business.”

“We were lucky to have long time farm manager Peter Clifford stay on,” says Dom. “He knows the farm very well and has been invaluable. The culture system runs well and he handles much of that whilst we look after the restaurant and tourists.”

During school holidays Dom said they are very busy with hundreds of people visiting per day; afterwards the ‘grey nomads’ come through providing a welcome extension of the busy periods. “We also have a number of overseas visitors who want to go for the full experience – starting with hiring the fishing rods, catching their meal and then eating fresh fish and other seafood in an idyllic setting with a glass of BYO Pemberton wine. We have a number of visitors from Taiwan and Singapore, as well as many other countries.”

he King Trout Restaurant and Marron Farm was built in 1987 but lower than expected production levels saw the first owners sell up a few years later. There have been several more changes of ownership. About five years ago Domenic (Dom) and Maria (Anne) Locastro went for a ‘tree change’ and moved there from Perth.

Whilst the main species cultured is rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) there is some production of brown trout (Salmo trutta) and marron (Cherax cainni or C. tenuimanus). Situated 7kms from Pemberton and some 350kms from Perth in WA’s beautiful south-west, King Trout’s water supply is the Treenbrook River and rainfall catchment in two storage dams. “We are limited by our water supply in summer as the river becomes just a trickle,” Dom explains. “Hence we have to manage fish biomass and stocking numbers due to lower water flow and high water temperatures.” Tourism is the main money earner, with the farm setup to cater specifically for family and school groups. “We are in a major tourism area so we offer the opportunity for a family or individual to come here and catch a fish or two. They can and either take them away or we can cook the fish and serve them as delicious meal with chips and salad. It is

During the quieter months Dom says that they have a well-developed system of selling live fish to local farmers or chalet owners who want to stock their own farm dams and reservoirs. Some of these stockings are simply for their own use or to provide guests with a fresh fish meal; others grow larger quantities to smoke and vacuum pack them for sale at farmers or produce markets. Lakes and dams Part of the Treenbrook River has been scraped out to form a 1.6ha lake which can be up to 3m deep. Metal grill gates are placed at the inlet and outlet to stop the fish from escaping. “We manage the fish numbers in the lake to keep sufficient numbers of fish at a good size (200-300g) for the main fish out. People hire a rod (with bait) for $6 and can catch as many fish as they like – usually 1-2 – which we will clean free of charge. The fish are sold at $17.50/kg.”

From the top: View from inside the restaurant across the gardens and fish out area Four of the trout production tanks are under this colour bond roof, whilst another four are to the right outside. Aerial view of the King Trout Restaurant and Marron Farm with the main fish out lake on mid right, fly fishing lake top right and two storage dams on the left. Production tanks and earthen dams are in the middle.

Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 21

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extra and, on average, a meal of plate size trout will total $15.”

The King Trout restaurant looking from across the fish out lake.

“We have a rule that any caught fish can’t be returned to the lake and must be killed quickly and humanely,” Dom continues, “so the people bring the fish up to the restaurant where we kill and clean them (gill and gut). If they want to take the fish away to cook themselves we put the cleaned fish into a plastic bag along with another bag of ice. That is usually sufficient for the 20-30 minute drive back to their chalet or other accommodation. If they are going further (e.g. Perth) we will pack the fish in a foam esky with ice. If the fish are to be cooked in our restaurant, we charge $3.50 each fish. The chips and salad are

Dom says they have another dam (1.6ha) stocked with fish up to 2kg for experienced fly fishers. The brown trout feed mid range in the water whilst rainbows feed at the surface. Therefore it takes more skill to catch the browns and they also put up a better fight. Some people will take trophy fish (this costs them $10/kg) but many fly fishers return the fish to the water (experienced fishers handle the fish carefully and are unlikely to hurt them). They are charged $25 for a half-day fishing (most popular) and $40 for the full day.” Hatchery production Around 500 1.5-2kg broodfish are held in the dams. Each June 200,000 eggs are hand stripped, fertilised with milt and then held in incubators for the three weeks until they hatch. “We usually hold the fry for 2 weeks in the nursery tanks,” Dom explains. “By October they are big enough to go to the main

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tanks outside and we can close the hatchery. This is important as we can’t be wasting our storage water. “We start selling the smaller fry (2cm) from our hatchery in August, then larger ones (3-4cm) by November . After that we cease sales over the summer. Total sales might be around 80,000 fry. Later on in March we sell fingerlings (5cm), usually around 40-60,000. By June we will sell some 10,0000 yearlings (20g); the remainder are grown to plate size fish (>220g) are used for the restaurant.” Another large catchment dam (2ha) is located above the height of the river and Dom uses this as a recycling dam. Water is pumped out of the production tanks, through a settlement dam and then into the recycling dam. Water is gravity fed through an industrial air cooling tower. “We think the tower came from the Carousel Shopping Centre in Perth and the evaporative cooling of the fans can bring down the water temperatures by 3-4°C. This is important in the summer when river water temperatures can be above 21°C.”

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A colourbond roof covers four fibreglass circular trout tanks (these are 6m in diameter and 1.5m in depth); another four similar size tanks are outside next to the shed. During summer only some of the tanks are used. The cooled water is gravity fed into the tanks through spray bars. “We manipulate the water flow to give us the best water temperature; if temperatures become too high, we can also reduce the stocking densities. We have a range of densities to push some fish through and hold others back – for example we might have 50,000 fry in one tank, 35,000 in another and 15,000 in the last which will grow the fastest of the three lots. “Once the winter comes we can spread the fish out into all eight tanks and you can just imagine how fast they start growing with lower densities and water temperatures. It is important that we stagger the production of fish as we want to be able to harvest pate size fish year round.” There are also four earthen dams (15m x 4m x 1.5m) which have dual water supplies, either the cooled water or water from the river. Again manipulating water flows and fish densities allows the fish to be kept there during the hot weather. The smaller fish are fed twice daily and the larger fish once a day. Dom uses Skretting trout diet which ranges from crumbles and 0.3mm up to 7cm pellets. Marron Anyone who has been to the south-west of WA has heard about these delicious (and expensive) crayfish. Dom has them growing in his dams and lakes as well in the Treenbrook River. “We don’t usually sell these except in our own restaurant for which we prefer to have 240g animals (a dish costs around $37.50). When trapping we will return smaller marron and berried females. Occasional larger ones may be sold to other restaurants but we just really want to keep enough for our restaurant. Two 15m by 10m earthen dams hold the marron. Water is gravity fed into these

Management Metrics Key Management Decisions for King Trout Restaurant and Marron Farm include: • Use of different sources of water (river and catchment) and recycling water from trout tanks and dams. • Sales of excess hatchery fish to others for stocking their own dams and lakes. • Managing water temperatures (cooling tower), water flows and stocking densities to overcome low flow and high water temperatures in summer. • Focus on tourism and farm gate/restaurant sales to obtain higher per kilogram prices. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) include: • Products: tourism, live brown and rainbow trout, trout and marron dishes • Culture system utilised: fibreglass tanks, earthen dams and lakes • Growth rate (from stocking to market): <18 months (0.5g to 220g) • Annual harvest: 200,000 fish (fry, fingerlings, yearlings, plate size, trophy fish).

1-1.5m deep dams from the fly fishing lake so no aeration is required. Tyres and tree stumps are placed around the edges to provide cover and, in the centre, there are special hides made from nylon flywire strips concertinaed to provide lots of holes for marron of different sizes. A concrete lump holds the hide in place and a float keeps it off the bottom. The same design is used by a couple of marron farmers in the district. The marron are fed daily with specially formulated pellets made by Glen Forrest Stock Feeds or West Feeds.

fish out of the water. It looks spectacular and worth the loss of a fish or two.” He regularly undertakes dissolved oxygen and water temperature readings and tests the water on a weekly basis. “We have to analyse our effluent water a couple of times a year and supply this data on (BOD, turbidity, etc.) to the Department of Fisheries and the Water and Rivers Commission. Our good water and stock management means we keep our water quality within the required parameters.” By Dos O’Sullivan.

Few problems Dom says that there are few problems with bird predation or diseases. “We might need to do an occasional formalin or salt bath – particularly in the hatchery where we have high stocking densities – but we keep the fish and marron pretty healthy. Over time you get to understand how the system works; all will go well so long as you don’t push it too hard.” Shags can’t feed from they tanks as they need a long take off after eating a fish and Dom doesn’t mind losing a fish or two a day to the local hawks and ospreys. “There is great excitement from the visitors when they see one of these magnificent birds fly down and snatch a

For more information contact Domenico and Anne Licastro, King Trout Restaurant and Marron Farm, PO Box 273 Pemberton WA 6260. Tel: 08 9776 1352 Fax: 08 9776 1518 email: domenic.d@bordernet.com.au

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Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 23

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Experience and protocol combine to harvest fingerling millions M

urray Darling Fisheries is one of Australia’s leading warmwater native fish hatcheries. Established in 1998, it produces Murray cod, silver perch, tandanus catfish and the Lake Eyre strain of golden perch.

Whilst water temperatures can fall as low as 7°C in winter, by late September to early October they’ve risen to 20°C and summer peaks can reach 30°C ; by mid April to early May temperatures are below 20°C again.

The farm has 46 ponds covering 9.25ha plus a 5ML settlement pond. Thirty one are dedicated to fry production (60m x 25m x 1-1.5m deep) with the remainder populated by broodstock. These are deeper (2-2.5m) and slightly larger (60m x 40m). Excess water is used to irrigate lucerne.

Water comes from a bore on the farm tapped at a rate of 250– 300ML a year. The pump can deliver 3ML a day, a handy volume in case of an emergency. The pH at delivery is 7.2 with a carbonate hardness 80ppm and a temperature of 18°C.

All ponds are bottom draining and reticulated so that water can be either redirected within the farm or to the effluent pond or 20ML reservoir. Each pond is aerated by a 2hp paddlewheel and has no bird netting. Proprietor Noel Penfold says that during the height of the breeding season the activity around the ponds is such that cormorants don’t get much peace and in the off-season the broodstock are too large to be worried by the birds. Weed growth and filamentous algae (Spirogyra) can be a problem from time to time. So Noel uses vegetable dye to colour the water to reduce sunlight penetration. 24 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

Noel says a common misjudgement in warmwater aquaculture is the amount of water required. “You can’t run a place like this on 150-200ML of water a year. Clear water seems to evaporate quicker than turbid water and we need that clear water for plankton production to feed the larvae and fry. I watch turbid cockies’ dams around here and they don’t seem to drop at all. At the same time we’re continually topping up our production ponds.” Not a lot of water finds its way to the settlement pond. Indeed, Noel reckons effluent ponds are hardly necessary on a hatchery. “Thirty thousand fry at a gram each only add up to 30kg and they’re being fed a natural diet in a one megalitre pond. It’s not like we have tonnes of fish

in the ponds and we’re chucking in bags of feed each day. The water’s quite clean and we can re-use it in other ponds when we’re lowering water levels to harvest.” Being very conscious of the value of the water on the farm, Noel’s built water conservation into the farm’s layout. There are three delivery systems – one each for bore water, water from the reservoir and re-circulated pond water. Water quality is continually monitored and waste water is re-cycled wherever possible. Lake Eyre golden perch Golden perch have solid market support, even more so since the NSW government closed the wild fishery in that state. Despite the market interest, the Murray Darling strain hasn’t proved to be a screaming aquaculture success and high hopes are held for the Lake Eyre strain. To date the signs have been encouraging although Noel feels there’s a lot to learn before they become an established aquaculture species. A few behavioural differences between the strains are bevoming apparent. Hatchery Manager Leigh Logan says: “They seem to feed a lot better through the winter and they settle down in tanks.

FA R M P R O F I L E

When you walk up to the Murray Darlings they all cower in a corner; the Lake Eyres want to jump up and take your finger off.” Noel plans to do some weaning trials himself this year in an effort to establish some commercial markets. Catfish Catfish are pond-reared but the recovery is not great, which tends to limit the market to farm dam stocking. Once established they’ll breed in farm dams, which suits recreational anglers. There is some interest from the growout sector Noel says but seedstock numbers, and consequently price, became an issue. The broodstock are held in 0.1 hectare ponds at five breeding pair per pond. Pond levels are raised in late September to early October - once the water temperatures reach 20°C – and the ponds are monitored for nesting and spawning activity. As early as late November the fingerlings are between 50mm and 125mm and the ponds are lowered and netted. Silver and golden perch Silver and golden perch breed around the same time of the year – from the middle of November through to the middle of January. Female golden perch are injected with 500iu of hormone and the males with 200iu. In the case of silver perch the female dose is reduced to 200iu.

Once the pond water temperatures reach 22°C the broodstock are inspected. Ripe females have visibly enlarged egg sacks and display swollen pink vents; ripe males will be running milt. The candidates chosen pond-side are brought back to the hatchery and anesthetised. An egg sample is removed by catheter and checked to see if the ova are advanced enough for spawning. At the same time the male spermatozoa are checked for motility. The selected breeders are injected and placed in 1,500L spawning tanks at 24°C (two males per female). Within 27-36 hours spawning commences. Ninety minutes after spawning the eggs water harden to 3-4mm and hatch within a further 27-36 hours. It takes three days for the larvae to begin moving their jaws and they are ready for release into the plankton ponds. Fertilized and limed ponds are flooded 3-5 days before stocking. Traditionally lucerne hay has been used as part of the fertilization program. But, because the hay residue can make it difficult to seine harvest, it was omitted for some ponds. The result was less prolific zooplankton. That’s not good, as the production cycle relies heavily on plankton productivity. “We’re plankton producers first and foremost,” says Leigh. “As plankton is an important part of their diet in the early stages of growth, we don’t feed artificial diets in the hatchery. Plankton is relatively cheap to produce in huge volumes

From left: A gravid female yellowbelly (golden perch) in advanced stage of maturation. The enlarged ovaries and inflamed vent – indicating spawning readiness – can be clearly seen. Young catfish harvested from the ponds. Yabbies (Cherax destructor) are indigenous to the region and thrive in the plankton ponds, making them a delicious side product of the hatcheries production schedule. Agility goes with the job – Noel collecting a sample net from a fry pond. A sample of eight week old Murray cod fry

once the system is established. We can move water from one pond to another and harvest plankton to feed in the hatchery if necessary,” he says. Whilst fertility is generally high (above 90%), recovery from the plankton ponds varies (from 5-50%). After 12 weeks the fry are 50mm and ready for harvest. Murray cod Murray cod are the flagship species at MDF. Natural breeding occurs between early October and early November, although climatic instability is having an impact on the regular breeding season. Cod eggs are collected from nursery boxes lined with shade cloth. The eggcovered screens are taken to the hatchery and hatching takes around seven to 10 days. Larvae live on their yolk sacks for another 8-10 days before they are ready to feed. Then follows four days being raised on artemia and eight weeks stocked in fertilized plankton ponds. They are harvested at between 40mm to 50mm. Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 25

FA R M P R O F I L E

The more things change the more they stay the same – harvesting broodstock.

An eel tailed catfish breeder. The flesh is highly regarded by anglers.

A mixed bag – a net full of maturing broodstock being monitored for inclusion in the breeding program.

12 day old cod larvae waiting to be liberated in the plankton ponds.

26 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

Pumping out a broodstock pond.

Cod eggs incubating on the spawning trays.

Brood ponds are coloured with vegetable dye to retard aquatic weed growth.

Poaching has never been a problem at MDF – Noel’s collection of dingo traps.

FA R M P R O F I L E

Plankton ponds limed and fertilized waiting to be flooded. Note the irrigated lucerne in the background. One of the grazing thoroughbreds is named Murray Cod and has picked up seven 2nds and a 1st from eight runs.

Maintaining sufficient plankton for voraciously feeding cod larvae and fry can be an impossible task. There have been occasions when Noel has found it more efficient to move them to a freshly fertilized plankton pond or to pump water from another pond rich in plankton. The smaller, more manageable ponds make this a relatively simple task, as does the reticulated water delivery system. Recovery from the fry ponds after eight weeks ranges between 50 and 80% Climate change Noel says the seasons are getting harder and harder to read. Last season (2008/09) cod spawned in the ponds in the second week of December at water temperatures of 15°C. This season the water temperatures were 12°C at the beginning of October; Noel and Leigh were working in trousers and jumpers. By the end of the month daytime air temperature peaked at 43°C with five or six days either side of that over 38°C. Toxic spray drift onto fish farms has been in the news lately. Being on an inland flood plain, where prevailing winds prevail steadily all day, it hasn’t been a problem at MDF. Noel has a good relationship with his immediate neighbours and has cultivated a solid windbreak around the boundary to help avert any accidents.

A view of the hatchery at MDF.

Markets The markets for fry and fingerlings are spread between growers, re-stockers, farm dam stockers and the export markets. Noel says he’d sent a lot of juvenile fish overseas but the interest had fallen away and had left him sceptical of Asian markets. “You can’t rely on continuity from Asian buyers in this caper. Don’t even bother,” he says. Then there’s the price; you get enquiries for tonnes and tonnes but at what price? On top of that, it’s only a niche market in China. Our dollar’s going up and their currency is pegged by their government. It’s just getting harder and harder to do business over there.” Although the farm dam market has been hit by the prolonged drought the fall had more than offset by increased interest in growout seedstock, particularly Murray cod. “There’s a fair demand in cage culture of cod. We’ve got some pretty reliable customers that stay with us each year.” Noel says that the re-stocking market has been hit by some “nifty footwork” by the NSW Fisheries Department that’s compromised the dollar for dollar stocking funding – from licence fees – to angling groups. “The Department has decided to discount the ‘matching’ dollar on a sliding scale so that the more fingerlings purchased, the less license money the restocking groups gets back. “Starting at a 17.5% reduction in the

Murray cod fry ready for stocking.

‘matching’ dollar for purchases of less than $1,000 and finishing at a 25% reduction for purchases of more than $5,000, it reduced their purchasing power of the restocking groups.” This is having a flow-on effect on the hatcheries that have invested in infrastructure to comply with the NSW Hatchery Quality Assurance Program – a program designed specifically to ensure that re-stocked fish match the genotype of the re-stocked water. They must be doing something right at Murray Darling Fisheries. Over each of the last three seasons this operation has produced over a million fingerlings. Last season it produced over a million cod alone. By John Mosig Noel can be contacted by email at mdfish@ozemail.com.au, or by phone on (02) 6922 9447.

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Ph/Fax: 02 4982 6086 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 27

FA R M P R O F I L E

The huge gape of a feeding Barramundi broodfish shows how they can take quite large prey items. Photo by Ian Middleton.

PNG barramundi hatchery established with Aussie expertise and equipment A hatchery for Barramundi fingerlings has been built in the Western Province of PNG and is about to begin its first production run. The barramundi fingerlings will be used to assess the potential for aquaculture in small floating cages operated by local people in estuarine and freshwater sites. Fingerlings will also be used for restocking lakes and tributaries for food security and eco tourism.

k Tedi Mining Ltd (OTML), the owners of the Ok Tedi copper and gold mine in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea are working with the local people to help build a sustainable long-term future; the objective is for the improved well being and self determination of local communities beyond the life of the Ok Tedi mine. The PNG Sustainable Development Program Ltd (PNGSDP) which took over the 52% BHP Billiton share in the OTML mine is mandated to support these sustainable development opportunities. One of these involves the culture and restocking of barramundi (Lates calcarifer). 28 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

According to, Ian Middleton, long term PNG resident and now CEO of the Ok Tedi and Fly River Development Program, the new organisation charged with developing sustainable development in mine affected communities. The barramundi fishery in the Fly River has collapsed in recent years. “This is due to over-fishing, changes in attitude and environmental degradation and the collapse has significantly impacted on the income-generating and subsistence opportunities of the river-dependent communities along the Fly,” he says. “A number of communities along the Fly River have also been affected by the

presence of the Ok Tedi Mine, and are currently receiving payments which will phase out by the expected mine closure in 2013. It is essential that these communities have access in the near future to sustainable economic opportunities that can generate cash as well as subsistence income.” Ian has been involved in barramundi farming in PNG for 10 years. He pioneered barramundi aquaculture in Madang and on the Fly River and has been actively engaged in commercial grow-out trials with OTML in the Middle Fly and PNGSDP in the South Fly. The trials assisted with providing the technical information

FA R M P R O F I L E

required to assess the commercial viability of barramundi grow-out operations in Western Province. The cost of the barramundi project including the civil works, building constructions, hatchery operations, stakeholder training, cage culture trials, restocking and habitat conservation programs is AU$15 million. “We have 12 people employed at present but there will be hundreds of rural based locals indirectly employed once the cage culture begins.” The project is located at Daru Island, one of the few Torres Strait islands that belong to PNG. The hatchery will have an initial annual production of 400,000 fingerlings a year (200,000 dedicated to both farming and restocking over the first five years). The cost of the hatchery complex is approx AU$8 million which includes the hatchery building, laboratory and tanks, two staff houses, three 3-bedroom manager’s houses, program staff and researcher’s houses, office complex, power and back up generators, two container storage facility (one general storage and one for feed), two greenwater larval ponds and associated water supply and treatment systems. “It has taken near 24 months of planning and construction. However, we expect that the hatchery will produce its first crop of fish in May,” Ian continues. “The design was based on a combination of my experiences from the Madang Barramundi hatchery I previously owned and operated as well as technical input from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries. A Steering Committee with ACIAR has been formed to assist with production problems, technology development, industry contacts and general advice. This program is very fortunate to be able to draw on the expertise of Geoff Allan, Craig Foster and Mike Rimmer.” As the Western Province is a very remote part of PNG, shipping of materials to site has been expensive and time

A timber and plastic float pontoon being setup in a Fly River oxbow lake. Photo by Ian Middleton.

Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 29

FA R M P R O F I L E The PNG Barramundi hatchery team with Aquasonic’s Lindsay Hopper (top left) and Ryan Whicker (back central).

The seawater prefiltraton system consists of a 90cm diameter WaterCo Sand Filter and two 150 watt Emperor Aquatic’s Ultraviolet Sterilisers.

consuming. The hatchery and nursery equipment were supplied from Aquasonic. According to Aquasonic’s Lindsay Hopper, the remote location posed some challenges in not only transporting the goods, but also in working through the process of designing and supplying suitable practical equipment for the job at that location. “Ian and I worked closely over the many aspects of the facility in order to finalise a design that fitted in with the aims of PNGSDP. Keeping it simple and practical was important given the remote location of this project. Products were manufactured at Aquasonic or ordered in from various overseas and local suppliers, accumulated and packed into two 20’ shipping containers which then travelled via Brisbane to Port Moresby and onto Daru. Both Ryan Whicker and myself then travelled over to perform the installation and commissioning of the hatchery late last year.” Freshwater and seawater treatment The three hectare land-based site is located on the south-western side of the island. Water temperatures range from 25 to 29°C which is perfect for breeding the barramundi. Seawater is pumped 1.1km by a Flyght pump through a 3 inch poly pipe to a 300,000L plasticlined reservoir tanks. From here the seawater passes through a prefiltraton system made up of a 90cm diameter WaterCo Sand Filter and two 150 watt Emperor Aquatic Ultraviolet Sterilisers before entering a 2,000L header tank from which it can gravity flow through the hatchery. The hatchery reticulation system comprises two sections: two separate closed loop recirculation systems are used for the broodstock whilst the nursery tanks (11 x 2,500L Duraplas polytanks) receive flow-through water supply at a rate of 500,000L every 24 hours (at full production).

A Taiwanese trial pontoon being floated in Lake Murray. Photo by Ian Middleton.

30 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

The same pre-treated seawater as supplied to the nursery is used for all water requirements in the broodstock

FA R M P R O F I L E

Aerial view of hatchery showing nursery ponds at right and hatchery and water storage tanks at left.

recirculation system. An automated pumping system has been fitted to a 60,000L freshwater reservoir tank (filled with rainwater from the roof of the hatchery as well as town supply for back up as required) to supply water for top up in the broodstock tanks and doubles for wash down. The two broodstock recirculation systems were established for holding, conditioning and spawning. Each incorporates a Polygeyser (Bio-clarifying Filter), Aquasonic Foam Fractionator and Emperor Aquatic Ultraviolet Steriliser, sized to suit the 20,000 and 13,000L Ajay fibreglass tanks. Windows were incorporated into the tanks to assist in observation for fish management. A polyethylene manifold has been placed around the entire hatchery to supply air to all tanks and the two larval rearing ponds. Air is supplied via two side channel blowers (0.7kW), with one unit acting as a backup (an Aquasonic Flow Pressure Switch was incorporated to activate the second blower in the event of a failure). A pressure gauge and pressure relief valve have been installed to protect the blowers from over pressurisation. Air is supplied to the tanks via a combination of silica air diffusers in the

The two broodstock tanks have windows incorporated into them to assist in observation for fish management

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FA R M P R O F I L E

tanks and Membrane Disc Diffuser Stations (self weighting) in the ponds. Ian Middleton presenting the local football club which they sponsor (the Hatchers) with their new jerseys.

Other equipment includes Artemia hatching vessels and suspended custom built lights for feeding an enriched live feed to fingerlings harvested from the larval rearing ponds. Two 1,000L Duraplas polytanks and stainless steel benches which will be used for opercular tagging of fingerlings with Coded Wire Tags from NorthWest Marine Technology in the States prior to distribution for fisheries enhancement. Simple visual and audible alarms were applied to the flow switches on each of the critical water and air supply lines, to bring attention to a reduction or lack of water flow and or air pressure. A quarantine room has also been included, which contains two 2,000L tanks where new broodstock can be housed prior to being introduced to the broodstock tanks. Other species such as the PNG black bass (Lutjanus goldiei) may also be held in this room for aquaculture research purposes. These two tanks operate on a flow throw basis. Broodstock conditioning There are eleven 2,500L Duraplas polytanks which are used in the nursery, all operate as a flow through.

Each broodstock tank has its own water recirculation system consisting of a biofilter, foam fractionator and ultraviolet steriliser.

The barramundi hatchery will begin its first production run before the end of April 2010 once the broodstock are introduced. “We are currently holding 21 barramundi broodstock (six females to 12 kilos, four transitional fish and eleven males) in a temporary facility at an old crocodile farm on the western side of the Island until they can be transferred to the hatchery,” says Ian. “All of these fish were collected from the surrounding waters including Sigabaduru – the area is believed to be the largest single barramundi spawning ground in the world. Fish will swim as far as 1,000km down the Fly River to reach these spawning grounds.” The broodstock are fed primarily fresh garfish daily at approx 3% body weight; other feed includes fresh prawns, mullet and sardines. They are also fed a vitamin and mineral premix from Ridley’s three times a week.

32 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

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“Upon spawning, eggs will be collected (using a floating egg collector) and sterilised using a 500mg Ozotech Ozone Generator, following the Darwin Aquaculture Centre’s barramundi hatchery manual, prior to entering the hatching vessel,” Lindsay explains. “Hatched larvae will then be transferred to the two earthen larval rearing ponds (50m by 25m) for greenwater culture alongside the hatchery building. The larval ponds are supplied by water from the hatchery supply pump (for top up and exchange). Water is prefiltered using a 200µm filter sock placed on the inlet piping. Each pond includes a concrete monk and sump trough which allows control over water level and draining and collection of the fingerlings.” Fingerlings would then be transferred to the 2,500L nursery tanks for weaning onto a formulated diet, before transfer to the sea cages or alternatively stocked into the rivers.” Pontoons and cages Ian says they will target 100,000 fingerlings (10cm, 5g) per batch initially. “The first crop will be used for cage culture trials in the Middle (five sets of pontoon cages) and South Fly River region (three sets of pontoon cages) as well as experimenting with the Coded Wire Tagging equipment for fish destined to be restocked in oxbow lakes and wetland areas of the Fly River as food fish.” The floating pontoons with two replica net cages, each with 4m by 4m by 4m (64m3), will be constructed using a range of floatation systems – Candock Cubes out of the Gold Coast, moulded plastic pontoons out of Taiwan and locally constructed timber pontoons with plastic floats. The pontoons will have predator nets (purse seine netting with floats and sinkers) surrounding them to prevent crocodiles from getting at the fish. Finer mesh nets are being placed over the top of the pontoons in locations where large numbers of water birds are a potential concern. “One of the most important features of

Each of the two larval ponds has a concrete monk and harvesting trough running its length.

the grow out pontoon trials is experimenting with feed – principally the use of fresh fish and home made pellets from the Fly River herring (Nematalosa papuensis). The outcome will determine the ultimate sustainability of this project. Our target is a minimum 50% supplement to imported feed which in the first instance will be barramundi feed produced by Ridleys Aquafeed. Trials however will include feeding with 100% herring.” For harvests 400 – 600L plastic fish boxes with ice slurry will be transported by boat to the pontoon sites. “The harvest size will be a 400g plate fish (expected to take 6 months to grow) and a 1.5 kg fillet fish (15 months). Initially 100 tonnes is the target, then we will build production capacity to 250 tonnes per annum, this equates to around 400,000 fish.” According to Ian the markets will vary with the location of the cages. “The fillets from fish farmed in estuarine waters will be exported and those farmed in the freshwater lakes will be sold domestically. In PNG a fillet is worth AU$14 per kilo (customer pays freight on top).” Once the barramundi farming is on track, Ian says that the program will also conduct research into other native species of Western Province such as PNG black bass, tiger prawns and sea cucumbers.

By Dos O’Sullivan For more information contact Ian Middleton, Western Province Sustainable Aquaculture, PO Box 10, Daru Island, Western Province, PNG. Email: Ian.Middleton@oktedi.com; jodymiddle@bigpond.com Aquasonic’s contacts are www.aquasonic.com.au, aquaculture@aquasonic.com.au

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Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 33

AUSTRALASIAN AQUACULTURE CONFERENCE

Tasmania keeps pace with change Farmed seafood products will be the dish of choice for Tasmanians during May, when Hobart plays host to the 2010 Australasian Aquaculture International Conference and Trade Show. million dozen Pacific Oysters a year, with an estimated farm gate value of $20 million.

“Following from the previous conferences, this event is also truly international with registrations from over 40 countries across the globe expected.

Australasian Aquaculture Conference Chairman Roy Palmer said the focus for the AA2010 Conference was keeping pace with change, whether that is economical, technological or environmental change.

“Our AA2010 committee is dedicated to bringing fresh ideas, incentives, challenging presenters, interactive trade displays and unprecedented networking opportunities.

he Australasian Aquaculture Conference and Trade Show (AA2010) will be held in the city of Hobart, Tasmania, at the Hotel Grand Chancellor from 23-26 May 2010.

“In order for the aquaculture to continue to evolve as we move further into the new millennium, there has to be adequate emphasis given to the role that change plays in our lives,” Mr Palmer said.

“The Conference is preceded by AquaEd (sponsored by AgriFood Skills Australia), providing trainers and educators with the opportunity to discuss improvements and collaboration in all facets of education.

The aquaculture industry in Tasmania is well known for producing high quality seafood including Atlantic Salmon, searaised Trout, Pacific Oysters, Blue Mussels and Abalone, and has been labelled by some as the fish bowl of Australia.

“The conference will address the 21st century challenge of unrivalled environmental concerns and performance, getting the right skills to the right place, industry economics and the requirement for technological adaption.”

“AquaEd starts at Australian Maritime College/University of Tasmania in Launceston on Friday, 21 May and involves field visits to a number of farms on the way through to Hobart in time for the conference.”

The Tasmanian Salmon industry is also a new success story for aquaculture in Australia following a self rescue process during recent years to a point where the industry now experiences strong growth and positive projections.

Mr Palmer said the renowned tradeshow is one of the highlights of the conference and was set to be the leading aquaculture event in the Asia Pacific region in 2010.

The Tasmanian Oyster industry is also a developing sector in Tasmania, currently providing direct employment for over 300 people, who produce around 3.6

“Showcasing the latest products and services available to the aquaculture industry, the exhibition will expose delegates to cutting edge expertise and innovations from around the world,” he said.

During the three day conference, delegates will be exposed to a range of relevant and informative sessions including feed for the future, certification and ecolabelling, efficient aquaculture production and reducing red tape in aquaculture regulation as well as other interesting topics pertinent to the theme of keeping pace with change. The conference kicks off with a welcome reception on Sunday, 23 May, offering delegates a chance to meet and greet old and new friends and colleagues, as well as familiarise themselves with the conference program. Day one offers delegates’ sessions with a focus on keeping pace with change in trade and markets. The plenary session will be presented by Mark Ryan from Tassal who will look at perspectives on the Australian trade of seafood, as well as aquaculture’s place in the seafood supply chain. Mr Ryan will also present Tassal’s strategy for keeping pace with predicted changes.

34 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

AUSTRALASIAN AQUACULTURE CONFERENCE

Day two’s focus is placed on keeping pace with long and short term changes. This will see Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Dr Alistair Hobday present a highly anticipated plenary session on climate change. Dr Hobday’s research spans a range of topics including spatial management, migration of large pelagic species, environmental influences on marine species and the impact of climate change on marine species. Dr Hobday will provide delegates with the latest information on climate change and what the aquaculture industry needs to know in order to ensure it is ready for both the opportunities and challenges this issue presents.

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The second plenary speaker for day two is Adolfo Alvial who will present on the topic of sudden change with long term consequences. As part of this, Mr Alvial will provide an overview of the Chilean salmon industry’s ISA outbreak and the enormous financial, social and political

changes that have occurred in Chile since the outbreak. On day three, the focus of the plenary sessions move to keeping pace with changes that are affecting the global aquaculture industry. Peter Redmond from the Global Aquaculture Alliance will speak to delegates about the integrity of the global aquaculture industry through internationally agreed standards. Mr

Redmond will also touch on what the Global Aquaculture Alliance is doing to help the global industry cope with change. Other sessions during the three days of the conference explore topics such as open ocean aquaculture, touted as the next frontier as well as genetics and genomics, lean manufacturing in aquaculture and South East Asia aquaculture trends. National and international

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AUSTRALASIAN AQUACULTURE CONFERENCE

speakers will provide narrative on these and many other topics at both a practical and scientific level. The open ocean session will provide conference delegates with an opportunity to look at the most recent technology developments, the challenges facing the sector, technical and regulatory issues, operational experiences and conclude with possible development trends for technology and species. Not yet established in Australia, open ocean aquaculture is now operational in countries such as Norway, Chile, China, Ireland, Panama, Italy and Spain and offers considerable opportunities for the expansion of Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finfish sector. The AA2010 conference sessions at the time of going to press are supported by Biomin, Intervet-Schering Plough and PIRSA. As part of the conference program, delegates will also get a chance to sit back and relax and enjoy some of Tasmaniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest produce at the conference gala dinner to be held on Tuesday, 25 May at the Wrest Point Casino. The not to be missed ga gala dinner is proudly supported aad by the Tasmanian Salmon Growers ssman n Association. on. n

Conference Sponsors, Contributors & Partners Gold: Australian Seafood CRC Silver: Fisheries Research & Development Corporation Bronze: Dept Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry Plenary Session Sponsor: Australian Seafood CRC Session Sponsors: Australian Seafood CRC, Intervet-Schering Plough, Biomin, and PIRSA (Primary Industries & Resources, SA) Exhibition Supporters: Aquasonic and FRDC Satchel Insert Sponsors: Taylor & Francis Media Partners include: Austasia Aquaculture, Aquaculture Asia Pacific, eFeedLink, Hatchery International, International Aquafeed, Intrafish and Global Design Publication SL. The Gala Dinner sponsor: Tasmanian Salmon Growers Association Product Sponsors: AbTas and Pacific Reef Fisheries

36 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

For more iinfo information or to register your r attendance nce c aatt the Australasian Aquaculture Conference 2010 please lture tu C contact conference organiser Sarahct con f Jane D Day a on on 0437 152 234 or email sarah-jane.day@aquaculture.org.au. ah-jan h nee detailed Ad deta il conference program is due tto o be e finalised over coming weeks and will w ill be available for viewing at www.australian-aquacultureportal.com Information about Hobart, the host city of the AA2010 conference can be viewed at www.discovertasmania.com The conference is proudly supported by the Australian Seafood CRC, the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, and the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

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John de la Roche

O’Neill Coldwater Classic

Holger Leue

Geoff Murray

Images courtesy Tourism Tasmania

Our extensive range of premium blowers include options of single stage, dual stage, 415V or 240V, 50Hz or 60Hz, direct drive, coupling drive or belt drive. Coupling and belt drive models are available with optional Hazardous Location motors. A complete range of accessories including filters and pressure relief valves is also available.

Our CR Elec premium side channel blowers are manufactured in Taiwan under strict quality control conditions ensuring long service life. All blowers are supplied complete and only require wiring to operate. The blowers can be mounted in

Aireng always maintains a large stock of blowers ready for dispatch to you. Our goal is to provide customers with the highest quality blowers at a competitive

either horizontal or vertical orientation.

price.

AKVA group offers customers around the world a wide range of products and services that are vital for cost effective commercial fish farming on a large scale.

AKVA group is the global leader in land based and cage farming aquaculture technology; from single components to sustainable turn-key installations worldwide. With four renowned brands of aquaculture technology, including biological & technical expertise, consultancy, training and services, AKVA group’s systems are suitable for most species.

Main field AKVA group’s complete range of products and software provides maximum reliability and cost effectiveness, and includes: Recirculation Systems, Feed Systems, Camera & Sensor Systems, Net Cleaning Systems, Underwater Lights, Plastic Cages, Steel Cages, Feed Barges, Farming and Seafood Software and Boats.

Aquasonic Pty Ltd have been supporting the Aquaculture Industry in Australia since almost its beginning. Aquasonic’s founders (Richard & Susan Carson) began their involvement with fish back in 1967 and since under the same ownership, have grown to what you see today. We are an totally Australian owned and based company, manufacturing many of the products in our range at Wauchope NSW and also represent over 40 overseas companies. Stocking and supplying many of the worlds leading aquaculture equipment, totalling over 5,000 different products specifically for live aquatic life which are available to you our valued customers. Aquasonic will

AKVA group is proud to provide customers worldwide with the tools needed to ensure resource effective and sustainable land based and cage farming aquaculture.

have a large presence at the Australasian Aquaculture Conference, having 3 booths (No’s 11, 12 & 13). We will have a working display, which will incorporate many of our new and innovative components as well as some of the tried and tested ones. From water quality monitors, ultraviolet sterilisers, books, ozone generators, oxygen concentrators, nets, filtration equipment, heaters, pumps, air pumps, blowers, diffusers to name a few. Many new products will be on display. Also WaterCo have made Aquasonic the exclusive agents to supply the aquaculture industry, giving us access to many more products.

Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 37

Tasmanian Aquaculture Expertise and Innovation on Display Australasian Aquaculture 2010 International Conference and Trade Show 23 – 26 May 2010 • Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart, Tasmania Tasmania VISIT BOOTH 64 Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts Ph: +61 3 6233 5888 Fax : +61 3 6233 5800 Email: info@development.tas.gov.au Web: www.development.tas.gov.au www.tourismtasmania.com.au

Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment Ph: +61 6233 6753 Fax: +61 6233 6055 Web: www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au

Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute Ph: +61 3 6227 7277 Fax: +61 3 6227 8035 Web: www.tafi.org.au

AQ1 Systems Pty Ltd Dive Works

Imbros

PanLogica

VISIT BOOTH 61 Contact details: Ross Dodd Ph: +61 3 6231 5588 Fax: +61 3 6234 1822 Email: ross.dodd@aq1systems.com Web: www.aq1systems.com

VISIT BOOTH 55 Contact details: Simon Hills Ph: +61 3 6216 1500 Fax: +61 3 6216 1555 Email: info@imbros.com.au

VISIT BOOTH 62 Contact details: Tom Windsor (Sales and Marketing Manager) Ph: +61 428 884 697 Email: Tom.Windsor@PanLogica.com Web: www.PanLogica.com

AQ1 Systems is a market leader in feeding control and fish sizing systems for the aquaculture industry. Incorporating smart feeding control algorithms and acoustic and optical sensing technology, AQ1 offers a range of intelligent feeding systems for sea cage, pond and tank farmers. AQ1 feeding technology is used in more than 20 countries on 26 species of farmed fish including salmonids, tuna, kingfish, bass, bream and shrimp.

VISIT BOOTH 63 Contact details: Andrew Ford (Managing Director) Mobile: +61 408 881 616 Ph: 1300 586 400 +61 3 6223 4626 Email: info@diveworks.com.au Web: www.diveworks.com.au Dive Works is a commercial diving and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) service business based in Hobart, Australia. Committed to providing a professional and comprehensive service, Dive Works use the latest technology and methods to achieve outstanding results in all sub-sea conditions. Dive Works services include in-situ net cleaning for marine growth removal, underwater construction and maintenance and a ROV for depths to 300 metres. Facilities include a fully fitted mobile dive station and equipment for hire such as the Jetin 2000 High Pressure Water Blasting unit. Dive Works operates one of only two Inspection Class ROV’s in Australia and is the only commercial diving company to provide such a comprehensive suite of services to local water authorities, the aquaculture, oil and gas and marine industries.

Imbros, a leading Australasian supplier of oceanographic, marine, scientific and environmental instrumentation, and laboratory products, has been providing quality products and service for over 35 years. Imbros supply instrumentation and consumable products to the aquaculture industry, for research, laboratory, hatchery, farm and field use. Imbros will be displaying a wide range of instrumentation including underwater video inspection (ROV), water quality and monitoring, microscopy and lab equipment.

Need more hours in the day? PanLogica can unlock your forecasting capacity so you can develop the best possible strategies for your business. Our professional team will work with you to identify planning needs and solve operating inefficiencies. With around-the-clock support, we promptly assess your needs and develop a customised solution. Our unique optimisation software, Neptune, extends your ability to assess and plan beyond your current limitations. Neptune’s core benefits are its ability to plan, re-plan and re-plan again to deliver the optimal forecast. A plan can be generated in seconds allowing you to test multiple future scenarios rapidly. “This innovative software technology has the potential to increase efficiency and profit, not just in production planning but in all parts of our business.” Mr Tony Boyd (Harvest Planning Manager) Marine Harvest (Scotland) Ltd.

Australia’s Island State of Tasmania Tasmania is renowned for its rich maritime heritage and has a reputation for excellence in the industry. The state’s temperate maritime environment and its proximity to the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, has seen the relatively small island (68,300 square kilometres) become home to major industries including aquaculture, fisheries, Antarctic science and ship building. The Australasian Aquaculture Exhibition 2010 will showcase Tasmania’s world-class aquaculture production facilities, products and services.

Tasmania offers opportunities for investment, value adding processes and trade in a wide range of sectors in aquaculture-based industries. Tasmania has rich and varied marine resources, a sophisticated aquaculture industry and a marine research centre that supports the development and sustainable management of living marine resources. Aquaculture products now challenge the wild fisheries in terms of economic performance. Premium products include, farmed Atlantic salmon, trout, Pacific oysters and abalone. Opportunities exist for other species to be commercialised. Representatives from the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment and the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, will be available to provide advice and information as part of the Tasmanian Government’s unified commitment and support for aquaculture in Tasmania.

Scielex

Seafarm Systems

SED Shellfish Equipment

Technolab Marketing Pty Ltd

VISIT BOOTH 56 Contact details: Gerald Verdouw Ph: +61 3 6229 7566 Fax: +61 3 6229 7563 Email: gerald@scielex.com.au Web: www.scielex.com.au

VISIT BOOTHS 57 and 58 Contact details: Ric Murdoch (Director) Ph: +61 3 6274 0222 Fax: +61 3 6274 0234 Mobile: +61 418 120 223 Email: admin@seafarm-systems.com

VISIT BOOTH 60 Contact details: David Longcake Ph: + 61 3 6431 6044 Fax: + 61 3 6431 7189 Email: david@sedesign.com.au Web: www.shellquip.com.au

VISIT BOOTH 59 Contact details Scott Powell Ph: +61 3 6244 1330 Email: sales@technolab.com.au

Scielex is a small business based in Tasmania that specialises in the design and manufacture of electronic equipment for harsh environment applications. Products include: Submersible video cameras, video transmission equipment, submersible video recorders, fish and shellfish measuring boards, GPS data loggers and vernier calliper log books. We understand that every application is unique, so all of our products are individually customisable. Scielex also manufactures custom-built, one-off or low volume products for individual applications. Our products are used in the marine research, aquaculture, mining and tourism industries. For more information please come and see our tradeshow stand.

Seafarm Systems, a division of Plastic Fabrications Pty Ltd based in Tasmania, have been supplying the aquaculture industry since 1985 and are Australia’s largest supplier of seacages. Internationally Seafarm Systems has a long-standing distribution arrangement with Dainichi Corporation in Japan. We have recently developed a strong alliance with Cakir Fishing in Turkey and established a branch of Seafarm Systems in Denmark.

SED Shellfish Equipment (Shellquip) is a world leader in automatic oyster grading equipment and technology.

Seafarm Systems specialises in: » Polyethylene Seacages designed for sheltered and exposed sites. » Mooring systems including design, procurement and installation. » Nets for a variety of aquaculture uses including net cages and bird nets. » Markers, buoys and floats rotationally moulded for the aquaculture industry » Dead fish collection systems – robust and effective. » Marine Inspector and Cleaner is a revolutionary net cleaning and inspection system.

Shellquip oyster grading systems are a reliable, proven way to improve your business. Our systems and associated accessories can replace up to 13 people hand sorting and dramatically improve the cost effectiveness of your operations. Our high-quality stainless steel graders separate, measure, count and bag your oysters automatically. When coupled to our accessories, the Shellquip system can be expanded to bulk handle oysters from barge to bag and can be purposely designed to suit your shed or factory. Optional equipment includesbulk bins, bin tippers, bulk hoppers, transfer and inspection conveyors, belt washers, water filtration and recycling units, and more. New developments include our gentle low mortality underwater seed/spat and juvenile graders and bagging machines.

Technolab is the exclusive distributors for OxyGuard International in Australia and New Zealand. OxyGuard manufacture measuring, monitoring, alarm, control and data logging equipment for dissolved oxygen, pH, redox and temperature as well as larger systems that incorporate other parameters. Technolab can make integration of a dissolved oxygen system into your farm, hatchery or process simple, reliable and cost effective. The OxyGuard Commander system can control the operation of an entire fish farm or operation. Technolab and OxyGuard have partnered together for the past 20 years and have introduced revolutionary products that have become standard instruments of choice in the aquaculture and environmental industry.

AQUATIC DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES INTERNATIONAL P/L Booth No: 15 Tel: 0409 727 853 Come and discuss your aquatic animal health needs with Dr Darryl Hudson.

AQUATIC ECO-SYSTEMS Booth No: 97 Web: www.AquaticEco.com Selection. Service. Solutions. For 30+ years Aquatic Eco-Systems has provided integrated, comprehensive solutions for the entire aquaculture production chain worldwide with our design and consulting services. We are also your one-stop shop for all your equipment needs:

Aussnap will be in booth 41 for the first major public showing of its revolutionary snood snap. Staff will also be able to show oyster growers how they can fit Aussnap clips to all known oyster baskets. Booth No: 41 Tel: 08 9534 2378 or 0407 470 642 Email: aussnap@bigpond.com Web: aussnap.com

40 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

and hatchery feeds (Aquafauna Bio Marine USA). This allows ADSI to bring to the Australian aquaculture industry quality proven products backed by local scientific knowledge.

Customer service is paramount at AES, and our aquatic biologists and technicians use their real-world experience working in hatcheries and farms to answer your questions. When you call AES, you can count on solid advice from trained professionals.

Crop Health/Testing • Feeds & Feeders • Nets • Predator Control • Hatchery Supplies • Lab Equipment

Recirculating Systems • Aeration • Water Pumps • Plumbing Supplies • Complete Systems • Filtration • Tanks • Heaters/Chillers

The essence of Aussnap products is stainless steel, long lasting and extremely strong. These are the two key factors in our growing presence in the oyster industry. Strength – a stainless steel clip will outlast many plastic clips and hold on longer in rough conditions. Long life – extensive experience in the Nor-west pearl industry has shown that out clips will not corrode for at least 15 years. Using the same high grade stainless steel we are expecting the same long life from the snood snap. While the snap is considerably more expensive that the piece of ‘string’ it replaces, it can be used many

Maintenance • Paints & Sealants • Safety Supplies • Cleaning Solutions AES is proud to announce its partnership with Proaqua. With our selection and experience, coupled with all the services Proaqua has to offer, we will bring another level of support to the Australian aquaculture market. And the aquaculture industry’s largest catalog will now be available in AUD.

times over and is faster to operate. Aussnap estimates that the cost will be recovered in around two years principally from the higher speed of the seeding barge. Aussnap is the registered owner of the design in the major mussel growing countries, and has built a complex turning jig to cut production costs so that some 70% to 80% of the wholesale cost is in the steel.

O’Neill Coldwater Classic

John de la Roche

ADSI (Aquatic Diagnostic Services International P/l) provides disease diagnosis, treatment and strategies to reduce the impact of disease for all aquatic species. ADSI has also formed strategic alliances with international leaders in the fields of aquatic anaesthetics (AQUI-S NZ), fish spawning products (Syndel Canada)

Water Quality • Meters • Chemicals • Reference Books & Videos

AUSSNAP

Geoff Murray

John de la Roche

Holger Leue

Images courtesy Tourism Tasmania

A fresh approach to school work At BOC, we understand the knowledge, expertise and process needed to successfully work in the aquaculture industry. Whether you’re talking about oxygen for improving hatchery performance or for accelerating growth in sea cages, we’re there. You can count on our reputation and commitment to service because you’re business is important to both of us.

Choose the path that’s right for you We provide hands-on, industry-relevant training. In addition to aquaculture, our undergraduate and postgraduate courses include emphasis on Seafood Quality and Safety, Marine Conservation and Fisheries Management to produce highly skilled graduates and researchers. Based on more than 25 years of industry and government collaboration, we also offer industry consultancies and professional development opportunities as well as providing industry-wide research on temperate to tropical species and all aspects of production. For more information visit www.amc.edu.au/marine.studies or call (03) 6324 3801

AQUACULTURE

7o ľnd out more, visit www.boc.com.au or call 131 262.

AT AMC

AMC is an institute of the University of Tasmania

Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 41

Booth No: 14 Freecall: 131 262 Email: contact@boc.com Web: www.boc.com.au

BOC a member of The Linde Group, supplies compressed and bulk gases, chemicals and equipment throughout Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. The company develops safe, sustainable and innovative solutions for customers in many specialty sectors, heavy industry and medical environments. At BOC, we understand the knowledge, expertise and process needed to successfully work in the aquaculture

BST OYSTER SUPPLIES P/L / PRIMAQ Call in and see us to discuss your needs with our onsite specialists and meet our Tasmanian representative. Booth No: 28

BST Tel: +61 8 8629 6013 Email: bst.oysters@bigpond.com Web: www.bstoysters.com

PRIMAQ Tel: 03 6272 3333 Email: info@geotas.com Web: www.primaq.com

PROAQUA P/L Booth Nos: 95 & 96 Tel: 1300 304 634 Email: admin@proaqua.net.au Web: www.proaqua.net.au Please visit Nick and Lisa at Booth Nos. 95 and 96 to assist with your queries.

To find out more, visit www.boc.com.au or call 131 262 to speak with one of our specialists.

Primaq – provides products and services to the aquaculture, industrial and rural industries. We are the Tasmanian agent for BST Oyster Supplies supplying the full range of BST gear including mesh, wire, dripper tubes, clips and risers. We also stock a range of oyster knives, cable ties, pipes, hoses and fittings, treated pine and steel fencing, gloves, wet weather and protective gear, cleaning and hygiene consumables.

Proaqua is an Australian owned and operated company with a specialized range of products and services directed at providing essential aquaculture inputs. Our objective is to provide high quality products, and to identify, develop and introduce new technologies to the aquaculture industry.

Products include: • Aeration Equipment • Filtration Equipment • Open water Sea Cages • Growout feeds for prawns and fin fish • Algae Hatchery feeds (including a range of algae concentrates, rotifer diet, shellfish diet and artemia) • Pond water conditioning products • Specialized bacteriophage for vibrio management • Specialized equipment from Waterlife, a Division of Aquatic Eco Systems

O’Neill Coldwater Classic

John de la Roche

industry. Whether you’re talking about oxygen for improving hatchery performance or for accelerating growth in sea cages, we’re there. You can count on our reputation and commitment to service because you’re business is important to both of us.

BST – created the BST Adjustable LongLine Oyster Farming System. We design, manufacture and market the complete farming system. We also advise and assist oyster farmers to plan and manage their oyster farming strategies more efficiently to produce a much better oyster. BST also offers a complete range of products to suit the adjustable long line system. Advantages of BST System include cheaper construction than traditional methods, simpler to erect, lower maintenance costs and higher yields. Visit our fresh new website for more information on our range of products along with instructional videos on construction and assembly.

The Proaqua team offer practical on-farm and scientific knowledge and skills that complement our product range ensuring a high level of technical support if required.

42 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

Geoff Murray

John de la Roche

Holger Leue

BOC LIMITED

SEAVISION TECHNOLOGIES SeaVision Technologies is the distributor for a range of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) including the Seaeye Falcon and AC-ROV. Visit Jennylee at Booth No. 43 to try out the AC-ROV and discuss an on-site demonstration! Booth No: 43 Contact: Jennylee Taylor Tel: 02 4964 3500 Email: Jenny.Taylor@atsa.com.au Mobile: 0422 310 998 Web: www.seavision.com.au

SUNDERLAND MARINE MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY LTD

The powerful, portable and versatile Seaeye Falcon is ideal for coastal and inshore operations to 300 metres. Applications can include diver support, inspection and survey operations. In aquaculture ROVs are contributing to opportunities for increased efficiencies, cost-saving and safety. New techniques for in-water cleaning can allow fish farm nets to remain in place without replacement for extended periods. Together with other factors, this can enable larger nets to be used to hold increased fish stocks.

Geoff Murray

John de la Roche

O’Neill Coldwater Classic

Holger Leue

Geoff Murray

Images courtesy Tourism Tasmania

can be completed by the AC-ROV as an efficient and economic alternative to divers. Divers can be more effectively deployed providing cleaning and repair services. With a special adaption an ROV can also be also be used to remove ‘morts’ contributing to the overall health of the fish stock. All operations with the ROV are conducted from the sea surface without the risk of diver deployment or limitations due to diver fatigue.

Routine tasks such as inspection of larger nets (which can be up to 25 metres deep)

The world’s leading Fishing Vessel and Aquaculture Insurer, Sunderland have been providing cover to fish farmers in Australia for 22 years. We look forward to discussing your insurance requirements, with yourself or your broker.

The world’s leading Fishing Vessel and Aquaculture Insurer, Sunderland have been providing cover to fish farmers in Australia for 20 years. A true Mutual, the company is owned by and works solely for insured members. With no independent share holders we are able to provide the most competitive of terms, a level of technical service second to none and an excellent claims settlement capability.

Booth No: 25 Tel: 03 9560 6288 Email: mutual@smmi.com.au Web: www.smmi.co.uk

Zealand include Salmon & Trout Farmers, Tuna Farmers, Pearl Farmers, Abalone Farmers, Barramundi, Eel and Perch

Our Insured throughout Australia and New

Farmers with new species and new farms constantly under consideration. Insured systems include off shore cage farms, sub surface long line culture, land based pump ashore sea farms and enclosed fresh and saltwater recirculation systems. With offices now in Perth, Melbourne, Cairns and Nelson (NZ), the Company are well positioned to contend with the wide geographic spread of risks that we are involved with all throughout Australasia.

Supplier of quality aquaculture equipment

Australia

Europe

Ph: +61 3 6274 0222

Ph: +45 70267400

www.seafarm-systems.com s 3EA #AGES G s -OORING 3YSTEMS G Y s .ET #LEANING -ACHINERY G Y s !QUATRUCK "OATS Q s &ISH &ARM .ETS s #AGE ,IGHTING G G G s #ONSULTANCY Y s 4URNKEY 3OLUTIONS s 3HELLFISH -ESH "ASKETS s "UOYS s ,EASE -ARKERS s .ET 7EIGHTS (OOKS s &ISH "INS s 2OPE #HAIN !NCHORS

Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 43

Fresh, home grown 2010 will be our third Australasian Conference & Trade Show. With over twelve years in the industry, we are especially looking forward to it.

From left: Penny, and Ben, Peter Koller, Matt Landos, Paul Van der werf,

Hobart and Tasmania hold fond memories for me: from completing my aquaculture degree to finding my dream girl, Penny. 2010 is going to be a big year for us personally and in the business. Penny and I are expecting our first child and I hope all three of us will be there for the show. Looking back to the Brisbane show in 2008, many of you might remember Peter Koller suffered a heart attack a few weeks beforehand and underwent a quadruple heart bypass. He quickly recovered and within a few months I had him assisting in installing a facility at South Australia’s Flinders University. (Yes, I know – slave driver!) Peter continues to provide Australia with high quality AGK equipment manufactured by his relatives in Germany including: fish processing/smoking, aeration, transportation, nets, graders, feeders and much more. Since then, Peter and I have continued to grow and expand the business, making sure we stay in touch with farmers in every way possible. We very much enjoy coming to visit you, on your farms, facilities and schools. We endeavor to keep up to date with your needs and concerns. From research to handling and installing the equipment we promote, we keep ourselves relevant in theory and commercial practice. Vaki Macro Counter

Affaires de poissons (fishy business) We have become well known and respected as representatives of the FAIVRE brand of products in Australasia. FAIVRE, a family-owned company manufacture drumfilters, graders, counters, fish elevators/ pumps and pond aeration equipment. We have managed to push FAIVRE atop the list of preferred brands here, most notably with drumfilters having supplied over 24 units in the past few years. FBD will be more than competitive on any comparable brand available. Visit our website for more information and please give us a call if you’re considering any of this type of equipment. Remember, when dealing with us you get local advice, prompt local support and you keep the business here in Australia to grow and improve the industry. Got a health or production problem – we’ll solve it Of particular interest to all would be the collaboration between the FBD Group and Future Fisheries Veterinary Services (FFVS). We quickly realised the benefit of teaming up with Dr Matt Landos. It goes beyond the dry sense of humor, Matt brings aquatic animal health and diagnostic services to the business and his broad experience helps us with the design phase right through to installation. It keeps us focused on equipment and designs that complement both the fish and the farmer supported by good science. Matt will be with us in Hobart.

Example of Computer aided design CAD

44 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

...and here for the long haul!

Faivre Grader with Counters

Faivre Drumfilters

Faivre Fish Elevator

How we can help?

How many was that?

We do just about everything for aquaculture... from lab supplies and test kits right up to supply, design and installation of all aquaculture equipment sourced using the best products and the best prices from around the globe. From oxygen to ozone, UV to chemical supply, tanks to filters, dreams to reality, it’s what we are striving to deliver.

We offer the entire range of VAKI products. Vaki make fish counters from 0.05gm to 15kg. They also have a grader and a fish pump, all of which are in use here in Australia. The most popular counter is the Bioscanner. With 98-100% accuracy when counting fish from 3g to 15kg the Bioscanner can be mounted on graders or in pipelines.

We now use software to do a 3D drawing of what your farm will look like. With computer aided design we can put together almost every fitting, tank and filter to scale.

Too Hot or Too Cold?

The NEW Faivre Aquasub

We have worked closely with a Sydney-based company to develop a specific aquaculture Heater/Chiller. The ‘Fresh By Toyesi’ brand of heat pump is designed with aquatic life in mind. Not only do these units heat and cool the water but also control the room temperature and with passive de-humidification we can recover much of the lost energy in the room. (Pretty cool – warm!) Peter, Paul, Matt and myself look forward to seeing you all in Hobart. Some of the above equipment will be on show as well as feeders, some processing equipment, nets, air/oxygen diffusers and much more. If you can’t make it, please call anytime or visit our website for more information. Additional products are going online every week so, if you don’t see what you want, drop us a line and we will be more than happy to help. Cheers Ben Pope, Fresh By Design, 02 4868 1762

w w w . f b d a g k . c o m . a u Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 45

TTP PLASTICS BY DESIGN Booth No: 21 Contact: Reg Breakwell T: 07 3271 1755 M: 0408 740 883. E: rbreakwell@ttpplastics.com.au W: www.ttpplastics. com.au

and comprehensive type for its purpose in the world. Although used primarily for oysters, it is also used for scallops, abalone and pearls. Its lid accessory is also used for the construction of fish cages in on-shore ponds.

“Long and extensive involvement with the world Aquaculture industry has presented many interesting design and manufacturing opportunities for this Brisbane based tooling and plastic moulding company.

The Company has continued to meet other shellfish farming demands by designing and producing the Aquapurse® System with its several mesh versions, and more recently the unique AP6 one-piece mesh basket that simply folds and clips together.

They first produced the Aquatray® shellfish grow-out unit in 1994, after consultation with Australia’s foremost subtidal oyster farming company, Cameron of Tasmania. This comprehensive subtidal and intertidal System has proved to be the most versatile

Being conscious of environmental issues, the Company tooled and moulded both 6ft and 8ft Aquatrays (XL6-XL8) in environmentally friendly polymer, to meet the needs of oyster farmers who had for many years, been using tar and concrete coated grow-

ZAPCO AQUACULTURE

T: +612 6494 3347

Booth: 51 Contacts: Peter Boyle, Director and Stirling Cullenward, Sales Manager for the Australian market.

T: +86 596 829 0630

Check out our website for more detailed information or come and talk

M: +86 13 850 592 888

to us about our new range of products.

E: peter@zapcolimited.com

F: +612 6494 3347 F: + 86 596 829 0629 M: +61 427 609 822 E: stirling@zapcolimited.com W: www.zapcolimited.com

Healthy Stock = Healthy Profits

Certified surface area: 14075mm2 per unit

46 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

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

Bio Filtration

out trays. This also provided significant savings in both labour and costs. The Company’s motto is “From Concept to Reality”. We take a customer’s need or idea, then see it very professionally through the design, tooling and moulding phases. Call and see TTP Plastics by Design Marketing and Export Manager, Reg Breakwell at Stand No. 21 to view their industry products and discuss any requirements you may have.

Zapco Aquaculture’s New products include floating oyster basket and floating oyster bags. A range of mesh sizes gives the grower flexibility in oyster cultivation stages from juvenile to adult and the design of the basket allows for multiple cultivation methods including long line floating, long line inter-tidal deep water multi layer suspended and racked intertidal including a range of accessories to assist oyster farmers.

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

O’Neill Coldwater Classic

John de la Roche

Geoff Murray

John de la Roche

Holger Leue

Images courtesy Tourism Tasmania

Providing high quality equipment to the AUSTRALASIAN AQUACULTURE CONFERENCE

aquaculture industry

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Aquaculture Heater-Chiller Aquaculture Heater - Chiller

Australian engineered PDQXIDFWXUHG Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 47

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See us in Hobart, stand 25

F E AT U R E

Tropical rocklobster breakthroughs lead to commercial hatchery For economic viability in a highly competitive international market, Australian producers must focus on high value species with established offshore markets with unsatisfied demand. Rocklobsters fit this tight profit equation. In addition to the development of the techniques for production, commercialisation requires achieving a profitable economy of scale which can require a high capital investment. An Aussie group has now been formed to achieve this.

or more than a decade through its Rock Lobster Enhancement and Aquaculture Subprogram, the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) has provided leadership and investment to support co-investments by private and other government agencies that are involved with R&D into rocklobster fisheries, biology and culture. This has included scientists in Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland working on the four rocklobster species that are commercially fished (Eastern Jasus verreauxi, Southern J. edwardsii, Western Panulirus cygnus and Tropical P. ornatus).

Wild caught Panulirus ornatus. The China market likes big lobsters for celebration dining where the lobster is the centrepiece.

It is with the Tropical Rocklobster that the greatest progress has been made. The MG Kailis Group achieved a worldfirst in aquaculture by producing hatchery-reared juvenile P. ornatus in 2006. They achieved the breakthrough by rearing the lobster from egg through the pelagic larval stages to the benthic juvenile stage in tanks at the company’s wholly owned Exmouth Hatchery aquaculture facility in Western Australia. Lobster Harvest Pty Ltd was formed in 2007 by MG Kailis and private investors. The success story further developed with production of hundreds of puerulus and juveniles in 2007 and 2008 with progeny grown out to market size adults including animals that have been kept as part of the selective breeding program. This Australian company is now working to commercialise rocklobster aquaculture to meet growing market demand that the existing fisheries can-

not supply. Tim Quick, Aaron Turner, Travis Rumballe, Matthew Johnston, Vaughan Hastie and Simon Harries are all part of the dedicated team working on the Lobster Propagation program for Lobster Harvest. In addition to the Tropical Rocklobster work, Lobster Harvest has also developed techniques for the culture of the high value Slipper Lobster (Thenus spp.). Roger Barnard, Lobster

Harvest’s Aquaculture Development Manager points out that “by running concurrent work with both species it has enabled rapid progress with the Tropical Rocklobster as during the commercial scale up process we have been able to take advantage of the relatively shorter larval cycle of Thenus spp and to use this species as a proxy during some Tropical Rocklobster technology development activities”. Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 49

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Fact Number 1:

Fact Number 4:

The most compelling reason for intensive aquaculture is food security by providing protein to satisfy human hunger. Because of high labour costs, legislative compliance and lack of site availability, Australia can’t compete with the developing countries for this mass protein production option.

Rocklobsters occur throughout the world’s oceans and high value species are found in all latitudinal zones from temperate through to tropical. The world supply of all lobster species is in excess of 220,000 tonne per annum, with spiny lobsters accounting for 90,000 tonnes. The majority is wildcaught market size product with cultured lobsters, using wild caught juveniles which are ‘fattened’ in basic sea cages, contributing in the order of 3,000 tonnes. Australia contributes less than 20,000 tonnes from the wild with average ‘beach price’ in the range $25/kg to $50/kg depending on species. Demand is greater than supply.

Fact Number 2: However, another opportunity is for the intensified production of high value species for which there is no capacity for increased wild catch.

Fact Number 3: Worldwide there are three high value species groups in aquaculture which have collectively been referred to as the Holy Trinity; namely rocklobsters, tuna and eels – all three species have a protracted larval phase involving tiny, delicate larvae. Previous issues of Austasia Aquaculture have covered hatchery development for both tuna (South Australia) and eels (New Zealand).

“The competitive advantage of selecting these two species is the rapid growth rates compared to temperate species as well as exceptional market demand,” explains Terry Burnage, Executive Business Manager. He points out that “in 2007 Lobster Harvest secured financial support from AusIndustry in the form of a Commercial Ready Grant which has supported very significant progress to be made along the commercialisation pathway”. Through the FRDC Subprogram, Lobster Harvest worked closely with the Tropical Rocklobster aquaculture team at Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries (QPI&F) Northern Fisheries Centre (NFC). The NFC team comprises project leader Dr Clive Jones, hatchery manager Nik Sachlikidis, senior research assistants Scott Shanks, Paul Barnes, Larnie Linton and hatchery technicians Brad Guy and Clarita Agcopra. They too 50 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

Fact Number 5: Now thanks to Australian researchers, rocklobsters look set to be added to the list of captive bred species.

have had success in producing Tropical Lobster juveniles. In February 2009 the two groups joined forces to progress a collaborative program which ultimately aims to establish the world’s first commercial rocklobster hatchery in north Queensland. When announcing the deal, Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin said that the partnership in future could result in Lobster Harvest significantly increasing its investment in QPI&F’s tropical rocklobster research and relocating its propagation program from Exmouth in Western Australia, to NFC. This is now expected to occur in 2010. With such impressive track records it is likely that great progress will be made. “The final scientific goal is to achieve consistent, high survival through metamorphosis from the larval phase

phyllosoma to the post-larval puerulus stage,” Clive explains. “Beyond that, earlier research has already established the technology for rapid growout to market sized lobsters.” Roger Barnard, agrees that this is the last ‘bottleneck’ which now needs to be overcome so that juveniles can be produced at commercially viable cost and quantity consistently. He expects the company to commercialise viable hatchery technology within 3-4 years (Lobster Harvest have the exclusive rights for 5 years to commercialize the technology being developed by the collaboration). Chinese demand The Tropical Rocklobster is in high demand in China where it is the preferred species to serve at banquets, served whole and un-cooked, sashimi style. Its large size, over 1 kilogram, is the first of the appealing characteristics, where big is better. Its colourful shell, adorned with splashes of blue, green, white and black are unique to this species and the second visual attraction. The tail flesh has a pearly lustre which is the third gastronomic enticement and the flavour and texture of the raw flesh completes the allure. In aquaculture conditions with a nutritional diet and appropriate water quality, the animals can grow from a 5g juvenile to a 1kg market size adult in 15 to 18 months. In addition the colour of the shell can be enhanced using natural pigments (carotenoids) in the diet when cultured. At present the Cairns team are using laboratory made formulation and also evaluating a range of formulated diets potentially suitable for commercial grow-out. “Prices paid for Australian wild caught Tropical Rocklobsters range between $40 and $80 per kilogram at wholesale suppliers,” Clive says, “And this price has been increasing steadily in recent years as demand from the expanding middleclass of China increases.” Clive is quick to point out that

F E AT U R E

unfortunately the economic attraction of hatchery production of this species is not complemented by ease of culture. “In nature, the adult female will release many hundreds of thousands of the phyllosoma larvae from a single hatching, the strategy being to have at least two survive to reach adulthood to continue the lineage. Given the delicate nature of the phyllosoma, the fact that it must undergo up to 24 moults and the vagaries of the open ocean, a survival of less than 0.001% is acceptable.” On the positive side, this species is thought to have the shortest larval phase of all rocklobsters which have been cultured. “Transposing this life history to a managed, captive environment for the farming of this lobster is therefore a tall order, and this is where the technological challenge is acute. It involves a host of factors including water quality, biosecurity or hygiene, food and culture system, all of which must have exacting specifications defined and integrated for the health and sustenance of the phyllosoma.” Innovative Hatchery System A custom-built water management system at NFC has been developed to ensure that the estuarine inlet water is treated to produce oceanic quality water. A battery of filters, ozone steriliser, UV treatments and other components are used to provide water of the highest quality. Summer conditions are ‘manufactured’ for the wild caught broodstock, usually five females to one male. Clive says that they are able to spawn year round by mimicking the water temperatures and photoperiods. “After some multiple spawnings we sell the broodstock and get in a new batch. In time we will develop our own selective breeding program using hatchery progeny.” Through the collaboration with Lobster Harvest it is planned to transfer the Company’s hatchery reared broodstock to establish a selective breeding and domestication program in Cairns.

As the spawning usually take place after midnight, Clive’s team are well used to burning the midnight oil and working weekends; however, the effort has been very worthwhile. “We have a hatch date estimate tool which uses eye size in the fertilised eggs (these stay attached to the female’s underbelly for up to four weeks) so we can predict hatch to the day. With some spawns resulting in between 300,000 and a million eggs, we are able to produce plenty of phyllosoma first stage larvae (these are about 0.25mm in size, transparent and ‘spider-like’).

Clockwise from top: Juvenile Panulirus ornatus are robust and relatively easy to grow. They are amenable to high density, will easily accept manufactured food and will grow fast to 1kg within 15-18 months. Larval Panulirus ornatus (phyllosoma). The larval phase has been the biggest technical challenge for developing aquaculture technology, but has now been completed. Broodstock Panulirus ornatus with eggs. Lobster growout experiment at Northern Fisheries Centre.

Typical Chinese presentation of Panulirus ornatus for celebration dining

Once the larvae hatch out they are transferred into special tanks which are modified to mimic the conditions of the open ocean. “At present we use 50L upwellers in which we can hold a couple of thousand larvae; however, the systems are easily scalable up to five tonnes holding many millions of larvae.” Over the 120 – 150 day larval period the larvae are fed multiple times per day with live Artemia along with other feed supplements. The larvae are quite Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 51

F E AT U R E

“This larval cycle is much more complex than the 30 days it takes for most other aquaculture species,” Clive says. “It takes another three months to fatten the juveniles to 5g so they can be stocked in the growout system. From this point onwards the ongrowing is relatively simple. Cannibalism at the early stages can be a problem, however with the right diet and shelter system, the growth and survival are good.” Panulirus ornatus, the Tropical Rocklobster, is visually appealing to the Chinese market because of its vibrant and many colours.

predatory and will attack and eat prey much larger than themselves. Work being undertaken by the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences at Townsville could provide formulated diets for the larvae, further improving the system. Clive says that good nutrition and husbandry are critical in ensuring synchronised moulting of the larvae so that cleaning can be undertaken to reduce bacterial loads. “We are looking to some probiotics to assist us in managing the microbiological populations in the tanks rather than trying to eliminate them.” “As it is we use a range of filter screens to allow a lot of wastes and uneaten food to be removed. However, we still need to manually siphon and clean the tanks. Double line water systems allow us to use freshwater flushes to keep them clean and we have a strict biosecurity system to ensure that movement of people and equipment is controlled. Tanks are regularly drained, cleaned and dried before being refilled with water and larvae.” At the end of the larval cycle the phyllosoma are about the size of a 50c piece (body is 6mm wide). They moult into the puerulus stage (2mm wide and around 20mg in weight, still clear but now adult-like in shape) which doesn’t feed for the 10 to 14 day period before settlement. From then onwards it begins the adult’s benthic existence. 52 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

Thus the phyllosoma to metamorphosis to puerulus stage is where the Lobster harvest and DPI&F teams are focusing their efforts now. “Whilst Lobster Harvest has achieved commercial survival rates to puerulus and juvenile we cannot yet do this consistently”, says Roger Barnard. “In other cohorts and batches we have been losing a lot of animals which don’t have sufficient energy reserves. “The main issue for commercialisation is getting the phyllosoma to accumulate enough body condition to survive metamorphosis and the non feeding puerulus stage consistently, therefore the strong focus of our collaborative research program with QPI&F being on larval nutrition.”

year Vietnamese lobster industry has now declined to about 1000 tonnes. They growout wild-caught juveniles (valued at up to US$12 each) using trash fish in floating sea cages. In addition to poor husbandry methods, there were other issues including environmental degradation, depletion of wild stocks and disease due to poor water quality and high biomass being cultured in areas with low flushing rates. Through the ACIAR program Aussie scientists are assisting in developing more sustainable industry practices, which will be critical for assisting the growout of the Lobster Harvest hatchery progeny. The ultimate goal of the Lobster Harvest - QPI&F collaboration is to develop a commercial hatchery for Tropical Rocklobster. The lobster hatchery would likely to be established near Cairns or elsewhere along the tropical north Queensland coast to supply small lobsters to a broader grow-out sector, which might include farms in the Torres Strait. In addition to expanding the tropical aquaculture workforce, Clive pointed

New growout industry with links to Asia

out the importance of the Tropical Rocklobster as an icon species for the

According to QPI&F’s Nik Sachlikidis the team is looking into the potential to integrate Tropical Rock Lobster growout into infrastructure typically found on tropical prawn aquaculture farms. “That way a commercial prawn farm could also exploit opportunities in Queensland to capture the maximum benefit of this technology to Australia.”

Torres Strait Islanders. “There is clearly

Through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Australian and Asian scientists have been working together to help some of the world’s poorest farmers overcome production constraints.

Fisheries, PO Box 5396, Cairns Q 4870.

Nik said that Asian producers of tropical lobsters were experiencing grow out mortality; for example the 3,000 tonne a

great opportunity to establish commercial lobster farms there.” By Dos O’Sullivan. For more information contact: Dr Clive Jones, Northern Fisheries Centre, Queensland Primary Industries and Tel: 07 4057 3782 Mobile: 0407 655-506 E: Clive.Jones@deedi.qld.gov.au Terry Burnage, Lobster Harvest Pty Ltd, 5 0 Mews Road, Fremantle WA 6160. Tel: 08 9239-9239, Fax: 08 9239-9234, Email: enquiries@lobsterharvest.com.au, www.lobsterharvest.com.au

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Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 53

N AT I O N A L A Q U A C U L T U R E C O U N C I L

Australia’s peak industry body From the National Aquaculture Council, Chief Executive Officer, Justin Fromm

The National Aquaculture Council (NAC) in conjunction with its partner the World Aquaculture Society’s Asian Pacific Chapter (WAS-APC) is proud to bring to the Australian aquaculture industry the Australasian Aquaculture Conference series.

ou will be aware that the 2010 edition of the series will be held in Hobart from May 23-26 at the Hotel Grand Chancellor. The Conference Executive Committee of the 2010 Australasian Aquaculture Conference and Trade Show (AA10) has been working since January 2009 to put together an event not to be missed. AA10 is the 4th event to be held under the name of Australasian Aquaculture Conference. You may recall that the first was in Sydney in 2004, followed by Adelaide in 2006 and Brisbane in 2008. Obviously when you run a series of events, there is a danger that the concept will become stale. The feedback we received from Brisbane was that certain elements of the event had become just that. Well, we have listened to your comments and this year we have added to or enhanced elements of the conference to ensure that whether you are an exhibitor or delegate you will get the most out of your conference experience.

The first major addition is the engagement of Mario Stael as trade show manager. Although feedback from previous exhibitors was that participation in the 54 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

Trade Show was beneficial, the AA10 Executive Committee felt that engaging Mario, an aquaculture expert with over 20 years experience, would ensure exhibitors received the most out of their conference investment. Mario is based in Belgium and has had a long association with the World Aquaculture Society in managing their trade shows. He is also well connected to the global aquaculture industry and can help exhibitors explore options for exhibiting at other international aquaculture conferences. Mario will be the point of contact onsite to help and provide assistance to exhibitors, from move in to move out. He will also manage the second addition to the conference - the Trade Show Soapbox. AA10 has introduced the Trade Show Soapbox as a way for exhibitors to promote their products and/or services, without the fear of it being labelled an advertorial within the main conference program. As there are only fifteen slots for the Soapbox, the first 15 confirmed exhibitors were offered slots on the stage and they were quickly snapped up. The Soapbox will be open during high traffic times during morning and afternoon teas and at lunch times throughout the conference. The Soapbox consists of the necessary AV equipment and approximately 40 seats in front of the stage set up in the main exhibitor hall. AA10 also has plenty of opportunities for networking and catching up with colleagues. There is the regular favourite conference welcome reception on the Sunday evening and on the Monday night we have the complimentary social event included in the full registration

price. The ‘My Island Home’ themed night will be held at the Hobart Town Hall, just across the street from the Hotel Grand Chancellor. The jewel in the crown of the social functions will be the formal Gala Dinner, held in the Wrest Point Casino complex on Tuesday night. Some delegates registered their disappointment that AA08’s major social event was a little informal. As a result this year the conference is holding a Gala Dinner for conference delegates and invited guests. The event is being proudly sponsored by the Tasmanian Salmonid Growers Association. This formal dinner will be the show piece of the social activities of the conference and definitely one not to be missed. If you haven’t been to the Wrest Point Casino before or have not been in a while, it has recently had a major refurbishment making it one of, if not the best, large function venues in Tasmania. But be warned, due to seating constraints at the Casino there are limited tickets available. These tickets are not included in the conference registration price so make sure you get in early to secure your spot. The food will be equally spectacular. Some of our industry’s finest producers have kindly donated their product to the event and Wrest Point’s chefs have assured us that they will prepare it with the justice it deserves. There will also be light entertainment provided to add to the experience. AA10 has formally partnered with the Australian aquaculture educators and trainers to present AquaEd 2010. AA10 and AquaEd are very pleased that

N AT I O N A L A Q U A C U L T U R E C O U N C I L

AgriFood Skills Australia has agreed to be a sponsor. This three day event is being held in Launceston on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday before the conference. The program consists of two half day sessions in Launceston on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning respectively, followed by field trips to aquaculture facilities around Launceston and then Hobart on Sunday. Delegates will arrive at the Hotel Grand Chancellor on Sunday evening in time to join the conference welcome reception. Registrations are open to everyone, so if education and training are important to you, please register online for this event. AA10 is taking advantage of the presence of our plenary speakers, both domestic and international, by hosting three Chairman’s Lunches over the course of the conference. These exclusive invite only lunches will allow a small number of conference delegate’s privileged access to plenary speakers in a more intimate setting. We also welcome the Australian Centre

for International Agricultural Research’s’ (ACIAR) significant involvement in the conference. They have sponsored three key members of the Vietnamese aquaculture industry to Australia to talk about opportunities for Australia to invest in Vietnamese aquaculture. They will be able to provide delegates with fantastic insights into the current status of the Vietnamese industry, specifically prawns and barramundi.

University to hold a Recirculation Workshop. The workshop will be held on Saturday and Sunday prior to the conference. This will be the first time that this popular workshop will be held in Tasmania. They are must for anybody involved in recirculation systems or aquaculture engineering.

The Australian Seafood Cooperative Research Centre is utilising AA10 to hold a finfish and mollusc hatchery workshop on Thursday immediately following the conference. Along with 300 minutes of hatchery sessions on the Wednesday, the addition of the workshop makes the conference week the ‘one stop shop’ for all things hatchery related. For further details of the SCRC Hatchery Workshop please contact Geoff Allan at geoff.allan@industry.nsw. gov.au.

On a final note, the NAC and WAS-APC receive feedback at every conference from both industry members and the scientific community that there is too much of one or the other in the conference program. I personally believe that the unifying of industry and science enhances the conference. Industry is dependent on good science just as science is on good industry. I cope with the criticism by tallying up the complaints. If I receive as many complaints from industry as I do from the scientists, then I figure we have got the balance right and have done our job properly!

AA10 has once again teamed up with Tom Losordo from North Carolina State

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Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 55

RESEARCH

Potential new South Australian species Perinereis vallata, commonly known as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;centipede wormâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Worm aquaculture â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is there a demand in South Australia? Baitworm farming has become a reality for several countries in recent years, driven initially by high demand. There is considerable potential for expansion into the non-fishmeal based aquafeeds, especially as components of broodstock maturation diets. This article examines the potential for baitworm farming in South Australia in the context of initial demand for bait worms determined through a survey of bait shops carried out in 2008.

ecreational angling has recently undergone a massive global upsurge in popularity, with some important follow-on effects for several bait species including the humble marine worm (known as polychaete worms). Indeed, demand for angling bait has increased to the extent that lucrative retail bait outlets have emerged in response . Traditionally, baitworms were hand-collected from estuaries in small numbers for personal use and the activity probably had little impact upon the environment. 56 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

But increased demand from retail bait shops has boosted the intensity of wild harvest for some species to the extent that environmental impacts have been noted in various parts of the world. This increased demand for baitworms has occurred at the same time as the global aquaculture industry ramps up to fill the shortfall in seafood supply resulting from a global decline in wild fisheries harvests. Aquaculture industries are increasingly required to meet sustainability goals, in both their production

and waste disposal methods and, in order to progress, must close the lifecycle of their target species. Closing the life-cycle allows genetic improvement and reduces the impact of wild broodstock collection. Attempts to achieve maturation, in captive-bred broodstock, proved problematic for many species due mainly to dietary deficiencies. Later inclusions of live feeds such as polychaete worms in broodstock maturation diets addressed these deficiencies allowing successful maturation.

RESEARCH

This is especially the case for captive bred prawns where live worms are a standard dietary component during broodstock maturation. The combined demands for polychaete biomass from both angling and aquaculture have increased to the extent that the global demand cannot be met by present production methods. New approaches must be trialled to fill this supply gap in order to supply recreational anglers with bait and, more importantly, to allow aquaculture industries to make up the shortfall in fisheries production. Meeting the supply gap Globally three main avenues have been trialled to address the baitworm supply gap: increasing the wild harvest effort, importing product harvested elsewhere in the world and establishing culture industries locally to the demand. The benefits and downfalls of each are discussed below: 1. Wild harvest can have negative environmental consequences at both the harvest site and the point-of-use so must be considered cautiously in terms of sustainability, especially if the intensity of harvest is increased. Currently, SA wild harvest is static in terms of number of licensed harvesters (5) and level of production (~7 tonnes) and shows no suggestion of future improvement (A. Montoya, PIRSA, Pers. Comm. 2009). 2. Importation of baitworms into Australia, whilst feasible (D. Leelawardana, AQIS, Pers. Comm. 2006), is only possible for preserved, irradiated product as quarantine laws prohibit the importation of live baitworms. South Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major SA bait retailer trialled imported irradiated product in the mid-1990s but found the product soft and unusable (B. Walkely, Pers. Comm. 2008). It must also be noted that imported product is mostly harvested from the wild elsewhere in the world thus transferring the environmental impact to the point of harvest. As such, importation is only a band-aid solu-

tion to the baitworm supply problem. 3. The above facts suggest that the only sustainable method for increasing both South Australian and Australian production is by culturing baitworms locally to the demand. Small-scale baitworm industries exist in Europe, USA, Asia, Thailand and NSW showing that baitworm culture is both possible and lucrative. A polychaete worm aquaculture industry in SA? Flinders University is currently researching the key constraints to South Australian baitworm aquaculture development as part of a PhD project. In the early stages, it was considered pertinent to assess the South Australian market to establish if there was a market for farmed worms and, if so, to estimate the market size. A survey was developed and sent to all SA bait shops (92) which were readily identified from phonebooks and internet searches. Twenty-five bait shop owners responded to the survey giving a return rate of 27%. Owners averaged 14.2 years in the industry, suggesting that their opinions are based on industry experience and so representative of the true state of the industry. The overall results suggest there is both a need and a market for cultured baitworms in South Australia. The remainder of the project will involve closing the lifecycle of the candidate species and developing culture and breeding protocols. The full report is available in the Flinders University Academic Commons at http://hdl.handle.net/2328/7289 and a condensed version is presented below. Positive shift in baitworms as bait At the time of the survey, baitworms represented only a small portion of the total SA bait market (~8%). Several bait shop owners suggested that this low ranking was probably due to low product availability rather than a lack of popularity. The survey findings agree with this suggestion as the majority of bait

Trenches showing the environmental impact of recreational diggers and subsequent bird predation

shop owners (almost two thirds) would welcome, and stock, cultured worms with >85% of owners possibly preferring farmed to wild caught product. Bait shop owners estimate that approximately three-quarters of SA anglers prefer to purchase their worms than collect from the wild; combining the above facts suggests there is likely to be a reliable market for SA farmed worms. Since the survey was conducted, the price of cockles (identified as the most popular bait) has increased thus reducing their popularity (B. Walkley, SA Bait Supply Ltd. Pers. Comm. 2008). In response to this shift other less popular bait items, such as prawns and baitworms, have increased in popularity, further adding to the likely demand for farmed baitworms. Sales patterns, supply chain reliability and live vs preserved baitworms Sales patterns were researched to assess the destinations of live vs preserved worms and differences were noted for metropolitan and rural areas. Preserved worms are stocked more extensively than live worms; live are only stocked in the metropolitan area whereas preserved are stocked in all metropolitan and half of the rural shops. The supply-chain for live and preserved worms was considered and the findings suggest supply chain reliability varies with product type. Shop owners perceive the supply of live worms to be one-third that of preserved worms (24% vs. 76%) making preserved worms more readily available. All shops, regardless of product type, Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 57

RESEARCH

Professional SA bait harvester at work in the field

sourced most of their worms locally (85% preserved and 100% live) and only one bait shop reported trialling live worms farmed interstate, commenting on the extra expense, transport problems, deaths and the overall effort required to keep them alive. The above facts allude to the possible success of a local baitworm aquaculture industry. Shop owners are keen to stock the product, anglers prefer to purchase bait so presenting an ongoing outlet, new markets are highlighted (live worms to rural areas and preservation of farmed worms), shop owners appear to support local industry and supply-chain issues noted could be overcome. FOR SALE YSI 55 Dissolved Oxygen Meter, with cable and carrycase. As new condition. $500. Phone 0407 655 506

58 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

Preferred species, current and potential sales

estimate was made for preserved cultured worms.

The survey revealed three main SA baitworm species offered for sale but little preference exists between species (tube worm, bungum worm and blood worm, see full report for more detail). One bait shop owner noted that his response to this question was based upon availability rather than preference. Further research will reveal the true preferences in terms of species, seasonality and availability.

The sales figures reported above account for ~15% of the 2008 commercial harvest but were derived from only 27% of SA bait shops. If these figures are truly representative of the current SA baitworm situation, and potential sales are scaled up accordingly, the potential success of baitworm farming appears even more promising. However, the report can only be based on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;actualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; survey findings, which suggest a potential fivefold increase in live worm sales (from 250kg to 1.25 tonnes) which appears to be feasible via baitworm aquaculture.

Respondents reported sales of approximately 250kg of live worms and 780kg of preserved worms, in 2008, which represent 3.5% and 10.9% respectively of the annual commercial baitworm harvest (~7 tonnes). No records were accessible to identify the destination of the remaining 85%. The same shops estimated potential sales of 1.25tonnes of live cultured worms in the first year of production however; no comparable

There is also an assumption that the volume of cultured worms sold would increase over time if the nascent industry were diligent in ensuring a regular and reliable supply of product and thus gaining consumer confidence.

RESEARCH

Sustainable baitworm aquaculture Local baitworm farming will allow sustainable production to meet first the growing demand for angling bait and second the exploration of the current and future demands of the broodstock diet market. The nascent industry would develop within the guidelines of the Aquaculture Act (2001) and the Aquaculture Resource Management and Ecologically Sustainable Development Policy (2004) which both dictate the adoption of strict environmental regulations for culture processes and effluent discharge.

AU ST

Wasting Money, Energy & Time. L RA

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Culture will allow screening for various pathogens and the development, and use, of a sustainable diet during culture. Farming will also reduce the environment impact from recreational diggers, despite the belief that recreational baitdigging causes no environmental damage. The future after baitworm culture... The development of a successful baitworm culture industry will likely see the availability of baitworms increase with a concomitant reduction in price and a reduction of the impact of recreational bait digging. However, there is clearly a limit to the demand for baitworms alone and longer-term product development will need to extend into broader markets including interstate retailers, aquafeed markets and maybe export markets. These new markets are, however, beyond the scope of the current report.

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By Ms. Sam Davies, Ass. Proff. Graham Mair, Dr. James Harris and Dr. Alex Safari

N.B. It is worthy of note that a concern was voiced by several bait shop owners that the development of worm aquaculture will displace the small number of current licensed baitworm harvesters. This concern is not necessarily shared by the harvesters themselves, some of whom see aquaculture as an alternative and more sustainable way to produce baitworms.

can be used for all fish species suitable for Ground, river or sea water high surface area for bacterial production rough finish encourages excellent biological film growth cost effective, efficient, reliable chemically inert used in trickle filters, aeration and degassing systems, submerged filtration and treatment systems • Custom modular design for easy maintenance and handling • • • • • • •

100% Australia owned and manufactured

Acacia Filtration Systems Pty Ltd Tel: 02 9756 6077 Fax: 02 9756 0173 sales@acaciaproducts.com.au www.acaciaproducts.com.au

Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010 59

TECHNOLOGY

Coilflo Miniature Heat Exchangers

ocal Heat Transfer specialists, Teralba Industries have released a new miniature style of Heat Exchanger for heating, sterilizing and/or cooling of any fluid stream, liquid samples and any pumpable products.

Coilflo is an Australian designed and manufactured, compact, fully-welded Heat Exchanger which has applications across the Food, Dairy, Beverage, Chemical, Pharmaceutical, HVAC and Brewing industries. Ideal for processing low flows and sample batches, Coilflo Heat Exchangers are compact and sanitary enough to be utilized in laboratories. Coilflo micro Heat Exchangers retain the ultra-high efficiency Heat Transfer Coefficients of Teralba’s renowned Dimpleflo Heat Exchangers in an extremely compact, self-draining configuration. It is opportune to define some of the features of ‘Coilflo’ tubular heat exchangers: • Designed and made in Australia. • Compact high efficiency heat transfer. • Cylindrical profile to promote a highly turbulent flow and thus maximize heat transfer coefficients. • Product side is free draining, fully welded design, providing maximum product integrity.

• Can be constructed using duplex stainless steel, titanium and internally mirror-finished tube for heating and/ or cooling high purity products

For further information or a selection and quotation, contact: Telephone: 02 4626 5000 Fax: 02 4625 4591 Email: sales@teralba.com Web: www.teralba.com Greg Haak, Sales Manager Direct Phone: 02 6964 5033 Email: greg@teralba.com

Plastic Fabrications establishes Seafarm Systems Since 1985, Plastic Fabrications has been a key supplier to the aquaculture industry throughout Australia. Over the last decade it has been expanding globally through its agents in South East Asia and Europe, building on the strength of its innovative and unique product range. To reflect its position as a specialist aquaculture supplier, Plastic Fabrications has established Seafarm Systems, with its head office based in Tasmania, Australia and an additional production facility in South Australia. In 2009 it commenced the operation of Seafarm Systems APS in Denmark, after purchasing the assets of Seaq APS.

Managing Director (Europe) Karsten Himmelstrup is developing markets in Northern Europe, supplying Aquasure™ sea cages, Aquatruck™, marker lights and Airfoss™ dead fish collectors. Seafarm Systems and its experienced team will continue to supply and expand the Plastic Fabrications range of aquaculture products, with a focus on design and innovation. As the parent company Plastic Fabrications will continue to offer its traditional range of services. These services are also widely used in the aquaculture industry in areas such as water pipelines and fabrication work in polyethelene for hatcheries.

Market Place FOR SALE – Fully Operational Floating Raceway System Capacity 14 tonne of fish, raceways made in 2004 of heavy duty UV stabilized Polyethlene by Tamco, easily relocatable. System includes: 7 Floating modular raceways with auxiliary components each 13.5m; 6 pontoons, 6m x 2m; air duct system, 160mm HDPE. Shipping container housing an office section, 1 air blower (420CFm R7 series), auto start generator – 35kva gen set, Cummins diesel engine (90 hours), EDAC automatic alarm dialer, backup emergency oxygen monitoring system, Kelco F25 low air flow switch, PLC control alarmed with 8 outputs.

60 Austasia Aquaculture | Autumn 2010

Plus: 6 x 2500L HDPE aquaculture tanks, 4 x Aquasonic 1000L fiberglass tanks, 3 x Davey Crystal Clear 400 sand filters, Oxygen reactor, Water heaters, pipes and fittings etc. Can email photos, system available for inspection at Coochin Creek Farm, Roys Road, Beerwah located 100km north of Brisbane. Contact Charles Griffith on 07 5494 6333 or 0418 157 250 or coochinfarm@bigpond.com Cost new $250,000, for sale now $120,000 at farm.

FOR SALE – Lifestyle Opportunity

P.O.A.

Licenced Barramundi, Prawn & Pearl Shell Aquaculture Farm 67 hectares located on the banks of Crocodile Creek • sealed road access approx 30 minutes south of Townsville in North Queensland. • Licensed for barramundi, prawns and pearl shell. • 3 x 1 acre ponds with pumps & electricity supply (licensed for additional 7 x 1 ha ponds) • Potential nursery/hatchery building • 8 x bay machinery/working shed • Processing shed & cold room • Ford 75KVA generator / 160 HP Caterpillar main pumping plant. • Full list of farm equipment available on request

Plus – Large 4 b/rm 235sqm home / 2 bay carport, two additional staff homes (3 x b/rms per house).

P.O.A. For more information Tel: 07 4780 5661 / 0420 537 106 Email: ethompson13@bigpond.com

Aquaculture Services Australia Get the ‘right’ information right now by purchasing copies of The Australian Yabby Farmer @ $47.50 and The Australian Fish Farmer @ $97.50

Marine Hatchery A rare opportunity has arisen to purchase a fully functional marine hatchery and residence on separate titles adjoining. The hatchery is well established and a well known local supplier of prawn and barramundi fingerlings. Situated at Grass Tree beach 20 minutes south of Mackay, gives the property great access to facilities and transport. No setting up, ready to operate with room to expand.

(prices inclusive of GST & postage)

Call us on 03 9817 3043 or email: mosig@netspace.net.au

FOR SALE Tasmanian Abalone Farm Land-based abalone grow-out facility with a current production capacity of 75 tonnes. The business is managed by a team of nine people. The key product is Tiger Abalone which is suitable for the canning, frozen and live markets. The business was established in 2002 and is situated in Stanley, on the northwest of Tasmania. For more info and pics visit www.kerrcapital.com or call Michael Kerr on 03 9669 6902 / 0416 213 300

AQUACULTURE CONSULTANCY SERVICES Fast Disease Diagnosis & Control • Independent Lab Confidentiality • Microbe & Parasite ID’s • Water Quality & Biofilter Taming • Depuration Monitoring & Control • Disease Risk Assessments •

Bed x 3 Bath x 1 Car x 1 Price: $870,000 Agent: Gordon Galletly (07) 4957 9951 or 0427 575 588 Email: gordon.galletly@raywhite.com

• All Hours, All Species, Every Day • Larval Mortality Control • Specialty Vaccines Prepared • Designs for Disease Minimization • Serious Biofilter Microbes • Antibiotic Selection

Contact: Dr Steven Nearhos aquacult@baseline.com.au Unit 6 No 8 Shannon Place, Virginia Qld 4014

Baseline Bird Netting For Sale – 3 rolls of NEW 20 x 100m x 75ml. sq bird netting. Priced to sell at $875 for the lot. This is a real bargain (normally sells for over $400 / roll). For more info call Margaret on 0429 433 497 (located close to Singleton in NSW)

Phone (07) 335 66 111 Fax (07) 335 66 833

OzBugZz © Biofilter Starter 1-2-3 Fast starts can be routine. Pure fresh-cultured OzBugZz© microbes nitrify & denitrify waste in marine & fresh water recirc. & purge systems. Quality + O.Night Del + Tech Support. Dr Steven Nearhos Baseline (07) 335 66 111.

FOR SALE – Sydney Rock Oyster Spat

For more information Tel: 02 6559 8414 • Mobile: 0419 274 445 • Email: locoshed@hotmail.com

Prawn Farming Industry Grading Machines and Systems for the prawn farming industry Prawn Grading Machines • Prawn Cookers • Prawn Washers Single machines as well as complete systems • IQF Freezers

Prawn grader KM1130

KM Fish Machinery A/S – Tel: +45 9886 4633 • Fax: +45 9886 4677 • Web: www.Km-fish.dk Agent in Australia: Terry Gorman & Associates – Tel: 02 9979 7269 • Fax: 02 9997 4203 • Email: terry.gorman@people.net.au

Photo courtesy of CSIRO

23-26 May 2010

‘keeping pace with change’

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