February/March 2006

Volume 20 No. 1 – February/March 2006

Barra farm targets export tonnage

Murray cod in floating raceways

Suburban recirc farm fulfils promise

Bed Rock Oysters wins accolades

Fishout makes good business sense

Sustaining Gippsland bait supplies

Better breeding builds oyster profits

Best aquaculture practice for prawns

Editor-in-chiefDr Tim Walker

Regular contributorsDavid O'SullivanJohn MosigDave Field

Subscription/editorialAustasia AquaculturePO Box 658, Rosny, Tas. 7018Ph: 03 6245 0064Fax: 03 6245 0068Email: [email protected]

AdvertisingMegan Farrer

Graphic designBeverly Waldie

PrintingThe Franklin Press91 Albert Road, Moonah, Tas. 7009

Copyright © by Austasia Aquaculture.Contents cannot be reproduced withoutpermission. Statements made or opinionsexpressed are not necessarily those ofTurtle 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 theAustralasian and Asian regions – inclusiveof farming in marine, freshwater, brackishand hypersaline waters. Reader's contributions are encouraged on the clearunderstanding they will be subject to editorial control and, if accepted, willappear in both printed and online versions.

Cover photo: A montage of photos takenfrom stories contained in this issue. Captions and photo credits as per thedetails inside.

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February/March 2006

FARM PROF ILES

Market-driven barra farm targets exports... tonnes of them! 3

Murray cod grown in floating raceways in SE Qld 7

Suburban recirculation farm turns off 120 tonnes of barra a year... for a tidy profit 11

Sydney Show Gold Medal for bed rock oysters 15

Closeys Fishout offers wide range of native fish to catch 20

Frank Milito – Master Baiter! 24

Make sure you have 27-30 August blocked out in your diary! 28

Breeding focus to build oyster profits 30

Simple, assured management pays off for NSW silver perch farmer 38

FEATURE

Best Aquaculture Practice Certification for Prawns 41

RESEARCH

Diet savings in tilapia could help silver perch growers 47

TECHNOLOGY

YSI introduces maximum-versitility handhelds for lab and field 49

BST oyster supplies French connection 50

Smo-King Ovens releases new Smokehouse 51

F ISHENEWS 53

2006 Australasian Aquaculture Conference 34AGK Technology 21Ajay & Duraplas Tanks 33Alltanks Australia 35Aqua Assist 50Aquaculture Services Australia 50AquaFauna Biomarine 17Aquahort 51Aquasonic (Inside Front Cover) & 25Aquaspex 51Aquatic Diagnostic Services International 14AQUI-S 12Austasia Aquaculture - subscription page 52Australian Monofil Company 17Baume Partners 17,33BST Oysters 23Cumminscorp 29Davey Pumps 35Dolphin Plastics 49Hanna Instruments 31JEYCO Mooring & Rigging 29MOS Plastics 38Murray Darling Fisheries 40Oblomov Trading 45Ocean Tech Industries 31Orion Solar Solutions 39Quinntech P/L 33Ray White Rural (Inside Back Cover)Ridley Aqua-Feed (Outside Back Cover)SED – Shellfish Equipment 34Smo-King Ovens 5Superior Fibreglass 24Tapex 32-33Technolab Marketing 13The Market Place – classified ads 64Tooltech 36Uarah Fish Hatchery 9UTAS - School of Aquaculture 8Waterco 27Wedeco 36Inserts: Elders Real Estate

DAFF - Regional Food Processing Grants

February/March 2006

www.AustasiaAquaculture.com.au

F A R M P R O F I L E

3February/March 2006 | Austasia Aquaculture

Market-driven barra farm targetsexports... tonnes of them!

A five year-old recirculation farm – with an annual

barramundi harvest of just 15-tonnes – tagged by

Austrade as an ‘Export Champion?

You’ve got to be kidding.

Nope. Late last October, Andrew andDarren Bray of Barramundi Aus-

tralia were invited (and funded) byAustrade to display their wares at a Par-liamentary Showcase in ParliamentHouse, Canberra.

The aim of the showcase was to highlightthe success of regional Queensland’sExport Champions to:• increase awareness amongst Parlia-

mentarians of the role exporting playsin creating jobs in regional Australia;

• engage local MPs as ‘champions’ ofexport companies in their respectiveelectorates, and

• increase awareness amongst Parlia-mentarians of the work undertaken byAustrade and its partners as part of theGovernment’s export strategy.

The host of the Showcase was SenatorSandy Macdonald, Parliamentary Secre-tary (Trade).

“I guess we got nominated because we’veworked fairly closely with the Depart-ment of State Development for the pastthree years on developing markets over-seas,” Andrew explains. This has seentheir value-added product flying into Japan,Canada, South Korea and Singapore andthe landing of two substantial supply

contracts for whole fish – one into NorthAmerica and the other into Asia.

And all of this from an operation of modestoutput. “Clearly we need to buy in fromother farms to supply the balance,” hecontinues. “At this point in time, we pro-duce just 10% of the product we sell.”

So why the emphasis on marketing soearly in the life of the farm? “We’ve goneabout this the right way. How manyfarms go broke in the first two years?People sink all this money into the farmand then find themselves in the middleof nowhere with 30-40 tonnes of fish tosell and no-one to sell it to.

Handbag developed by the Braysmade of barramundi leather andgold foiled kangaroo skin.


4 Austasia Aquaculture | February/March 2006

“So we looked at the marketing side ofthings before we even had a productionsystem in place. And we started small, allfunded from within the family.”

That foresight came from experience.Andrew’s Dad has thirty years of animalhusbandry (poultry) on his resume. Andfor the past twelve years the family hasoperated Hinterland Herbs, a substantialoperation employing nine people sup-plying Woolworth’s Queensland andnorthern NSW supermarkets with fresh-ly-packed herbs. “We’ve got a goodbackground in how supermarkets andretail chains work,” Andrew offers.

Having decided on aquaculture, Andrew

Originally the Brays supplied localrestaurants. “This was a real pain in thebutt because we were forever chasingaccounts,” Andrew recalls. With thecommissioning of the third shed, thebulk went to 2-3 local wholesalers takinglive fish at 600-700 grams. Then theylanded a contract with the ConradJupiter casino. “We supplied them for 18months. But they just kept wanting moreand more and eventually we ran out ofproduct. We started at 20 kilos per weekand by the time the arrangement endedit had ballooned to 300 kilos per week.”

All of that suggests that the family veryquickly learnt to grow their fish in a sus-tainable manner. How did they do so?

Andrew and Darren are the family mem-bers most involved with the day-to-dayrunning of the company – althoughMum does the books and Dad providesadvice – and have split up the responsi-bilities between them. Andrew concen-trates on growing the fish; Darren onselling them. So keeping the fish aliveand happy is primarily Andrew’sdomain. Asked how he refined hisexpertise so quickly, the reply is blunt: “Ikilled a lot of fish”.

“That’s the honest truth,” he continues.“Anyone who gives you a differentanswer isn’t levelling with you. The factis that there were significant limitationson the system we bought and we had toget a handle on those and overcomethem with certain modifications.

“It took us two years to get to the pointwhere we are really happy with the sys-tem. Only experience can find you (forexample) the optimum stocking densi-ties and feed rates.

“The suppliers of a recirculation systemcan show you how it works but to actual-

put himself through the TAFE Certificatein Aquaculture III and the family investedin a small off-the-shell aquaculture sys-tem. Housed in two 11m circular sheds,that initial purchase comprised just five10,000L tanks per shed. The first finger-lings hit the water in June 2001 and byChristmas that year markets had beenfound for the entire harvest.

“Even though we were only tapping intolocal outlets it wasn’t enough, even atthat stage,” Andrew continues. “So webuilt a 14 x 35m shed to house another17 tanks, bumping our output to a max-imum of 15 tonnes. We haven’t quite hitthat mark yet but we’ve not far away.”

1:Darren Bray holding a sleepy cod.

2: Darren and Andrew with Federal FisheriesMinister Ian Macdonald at Parliament House,

Canberra.

3: Andrew Bray

4: Sugar-cured barramundi

5: Darren and Andrew with ParliamentarySecretary (Trade) Senator Sandy MacDonald

1

4

2

3

5



ly get to know it you have to put fish in thewater and see how it and the fish react.

“And whilst the supplier came out for awhile when we had a problem, many ofthose initial inquiries were mechanicalthings that you only need to be shown once.

“What really needs to be learnt by expe-rience are the inputs the system can han-dle and what happens to the water as aresult. You need to know and understandwhen the nitrite spikes happen, howmuch stock the aeration system can han-dle, the behaviour of the fish as an indica-tor of how things are going ... and so on.

“I can walk into a shed right now andknow just by looking at the water ifeverything’s OK. It’s simply that I’veworked the system six or seven days aweek for four years.”

In fact, the two brothers share the dutieson weekends so that there is some relieffrom the constant demands of fish hus-bandry! But the time is approaching whensome additional help will be required.

Happily, any hiccups due to disease arenow well under control. “For the past two

years we’ve seen a real drop-off in mortal-ities,” Andrew says. “There’s been no out-break of viruses or bacterial infections.

“The bore water that we grow in is about10ppt salt, a salinity between fresh and salt-water so we seem not to get the problemsthat entirely fresh or marine systems do.We’ve never had white spot, for example.”

Given the family’s familiarity with thepoultry, Andrew has no hesitation com-paring the two industries. “Chicken hasbecome industrial-scale animal hus-bandry in the past few decades afterbeing around for many years before that.Barramundi farming is much morerecent but the technology is available forit to take the next step.

“Fish are arguably better than chicken dueto their Omega-3s. In future there’s noreason why people won’t buy barra justlike they do chicken at the supermarket.”

He notes that Coles and Woolies are nowbeing supplied with barra fillets by thebig farms. However it’s not a market theBrays will tackle. “We don’t produce alarge enough fish to do a good fillet.”And given their understanding of super-

markets, they have little intention ofentering that sector for their value-addedproduct either.

“They really want a lot for almost noth-ing. Currently they import single-serve,ready-made meals – generally SouthAfrican hake or something similar –which contain about 20% fish; the rest isprimarily milk powder and water. Theprofit margins on them are excellent.

“So they baulk at paying extra for ourportion-cut meals containing 95% fishand a marinated sauce. These retail atabout a dollar more and their profit mar-gins are thinner.”

In fact, Andrew contends that exportingsuch products to world markets is easier.“People overseas are more willing to lookat us because Australian produce hassuch a good name.”

Such onsite value-adding was promptedby the results of a Bond University study– funded by the Brays – into the seafoodbuying habits of Australian consumers.“The student we sponsored looked at howpeople buy seafood, what they like anddon’t like, who makes the purchase deci-



sion and how it is cooked,” Andrew says.

“It found that women make 90% of thedecisions on what goes in the shoppingcart. However they don’t want to have toprepare the fish – or even touch it.”

Barramundi Australia worked closelywith Pacific Foods at nearby Yatala todevelop the sauces for their two innova-tive value-added products. Given PacificFoods’ expertise in Asian-influencedsauces and condiments, the Braysapproached the company with an idea ofthe flavours they were after and paid fordevelopment of a recipe.

“The product is called Australian WildSpice Barramundi,” Andrew continues.“It’s a single-serve, cook-in-the-bag meal.You buy a vacuum-sealed, ready-to-cookportion of barramundi topped with amarinated sauce. All that’s needed is totake it out of the freezer and put the baginto a pot of boiling water for four min-utes. Or simply poke a hole in the bagand microwave it for 2-3 minutes.

“After that simply remove it from the bagand add a salad.”

There are two flavours on a quintessen-tially Australian theme using lemon myr-tle, peppers, bush lime and mango withproduction of both at the farm’s ownAQIS-approved processing facility.

However despite the great interest theseproducts that have garnered at foodexpos around the world, production is

with people coming and buying fish.

“Some people asked whether we soldprawns too so at Christmas we boughtprawns from the local prawn farmersand sold that too. Now we also offer oys-ters from New Zealand, scallops fromVictoria and local Moreton Bay bugs, livemudcrabs and freshly cooked sandcrabs.”

Hardly surprising then that the carparkduring holiday periods and weekends isstill a hive of activity. “It’s good cash flow.We don’t do EFTPOS; it’s all cash and itkeeps things ticking over.”

It’s not enough for the Brays though.Their website says it all:

“Barramundi Australia’s goal is to be themarket leader in production of innova-tive high class products for the retail andfood service industry and, to top it off,be the largest indoor aquaculture facilityin the country with its target outputexceeding 700 ton of fish per annum.”

Lofty aims indeed. But with this string ofachievements after just five years, surelyit will not be long before someone withthe foresight and requisite capital signsup to that vision.

By Tim Walker

For further information contact AndrewBray at Barramundi Australia, 181 Quinns Hill Rd East, Stapylton, Qld 4027Phone: 07 3287 3398; Fax: 07 3804 6005; Email:[email protected]

now at a standstill from lack of product.“We simply don’t have enough fish,”Andrew bemoans.

What Barramundi Australia needs mostis to ramp up production to an industri-al scale. And it knows how to do it. Withthe assistance of Austrade and StateDevelopment, the brothers haveresearched aquaculture systems in anumber of countries, notably Denmarkand New Zealand and now know whatsystem they want to buy. “There arerecirculation farms churning out a thou-sand tonnes of eels in Denmark,”Andrew says.

“We’re talking a proven system here. Sofor two years we’ve been talking tobanks, investment bankers and privateinvestors. The return on funds is betterthan that on offer anywhere else, Ibelieve. It’s doubly frustrating that capi-tal is much harder to raise on a sound,proven business plan than for the sales-man who list blue sky aquaculture pro-jects on the stock exchange.”

Typically, the brothers aren’t letting thatdistraction deter them from the day today task of running cash through the tills.The farm has an onsite retail operationtoo stemming from a trial ad in the localmedia run soon after it began harvests.

“By Easter 2002 we had a good numberof half-kilo fish in the tanks,” Andrewrecalls. “So we thought we’d advertiselocally. What an amazing response! Thecarpark was chockers over the two days

An aerial view of the Bray’s 10 acre property



Murray cod grown in floatingraceways in SE QldAdapting U.S. technology for floating raceways, a farm at Kilcoy

near Brisbane is growing Murray cod in a large reservoir.

Promoting sustainability in water use is one of the marketing

planks of this innovative company.

Kilcoy Fishery started in November2004 as a partnership between a

group of six forward thinking farmersand investors. The concept was to mod-ify technology from the U.S. to allow theproduction of Murray cod (Maccullochel-la peelii) in floating raceways. The selec-tion of locally made or available materi-als was also important to manage capitalcosts.

Manager Matteo Barchiesi notes thatwhile a number of floating racewayswere imported from the US, numerousinnovations to the design had since beenmade to make them suitable for intensiveMurray cod production. “The produc-tion capacity of our system is presentlyin the order of 50 tonnes per year butthat can go a lot higher if we introducemore raceways.”

The system works on the principle thatthe water supports the raceways, reduc-ing the capital costs typical of intensivetank culture. High stocking densities offish can be maintained by using high vol-ume, low head, air lift pumps to movelarge quantities of water through theraceways and out into the ponds.

Quite some time was spent trying to finda large reservoir that was close to Bris-bane. “You need a massive reservoir(greater than 300ML) to enable sufficientwater for flushing and exchange,” Mattsays. “We have a series of 40m3 growoutraceways, each 12m long and 2.4m widewhich are set at between 1.8-2.0m deepThese raceways exchange their volumeevery 10 minutes or so, allowing for veryhigh stocking densities. By runninghigher densities we estimate that oursetup could produce significantly morefish without putting in more raceways.”

Site selection criteria also included theaccessibility of 3-phase power and accessto bore water for finishing and quarantine.“This reservoir is used to irrigate pasturesfor diary cows. We have setup our pro-duction systems to ensure that there are nochemicals added to the water that couldadversely affect the milk production.”

The reservoir is 3-7m deep in the area inwhich the raceways have been positioned;the average water depth is 4m. This meansthere is some distance between the damfloor and the bottom of the raceways toallow water movement underneath.

Water temperatures can range from15.5°C in winter to 31°C in summer. Asoptimal water temperatures for Murray codare 20-28°C, the reservoir provides watergood for cod growth for most of the year.

Water quality is the primary factor affect-ing the performance of the system. “Wehave occasional algal blooms but the pHstays pretty constant around 7-8. It is thelevel of dissolved oxygen in the watercolumn that we are most mindful of.Although the raceways do provide somebuffering against mild fluctuations inreservoir oxygen levels they will not pro-tect against extremely low oxygen events.Stratification of the reservoir has given ussome concern in the past so we introduceda Subtech Services destratification system.”

The system is air driven and placed atmultiple points around the dam to breakup and mix the water, improving theoxygen profile within the dam. “Thisassists in ensuring we have good watertemperatures and high dissolved oxygenlevels around the raceways.”

A wooden deck both supports the race-ways and provides access to them. Buoy-

The marketing brochure says it all:“Kilcoy Fishery Company growsMurray Cod in the pristine watersof the Mount Kilcoy Valley, justnorth of Brisbane. The highly innovative design of the farm marries the modern concepts oflow environmental impact andmaximum water reuse. In fact, thewater used to culture the fish isthen utilised to irrigate the greenpastures of an adjacent dairy farm.In such harsh drought conditions,efficiency in water use has becomeof paramount importance for sustainable farming.”

ancy is provided by 315mm cappedpolypipes. Matt says that the walkwayhas three pipes running along it whilstthe smaller decking around the racewaysonly required two. These are strapped tothe frame which holds the decking usingplastic straps similar to those used forpacking goods on pallets. But virtuallyany type of strap or rope would do.

Located approximately 30m out from thebank, the whole raceway system covers asurface area of around 700m2. To hold itin place there is a network of stainlesssteel cables (8mm diameter) tying it tothe banks. There are two 70kg self bury-ing anchors too. “We use 20mm thickrope and chain to hold these on and wehave attached a float springer to dampenthe movements of the ropes,” Mattexplains. “The prevailing winds are fromthe southwest and the southeast and we



get a maximum wave slop of around 1foot (30cm). With all the raceways inplace, the freeboard of the system isaround 20cm.”

The critical part of the design of the race-ways is in the airlifts. Matt says that abank of eighteen 90mm PVC pipesextend from the surface down 1.1m intothe raceway. A 15KW positive displace-ment blower is run continuously to pro-vide the air and water movement in theraceways. The system is also backed up

with an auto-start generator and a sepa-rate oxygen backup system.

Stocking densities in this type of systemcan be quite high and cod is a speciesthat has demonstrated its capacity forintensive culture in RAS systems. In theraceways Matt typically runs 50-70kg/m3 but it is not uncommon for thelarger fish (0.8 - 1.5kg) to splash aroundtogether at more than 100kg/m3. “Someof our runts have been running happilyat over 150kg/m3 although, of course, athigher densities we have to be a lot moredisciplined at doing constant disease checkson the fish and monitoring water quality.”

Skretting feed is used at present with feedrates for fingerlings averaging 2-3%/dayand 1%/day for 1kg plus fish. Racewaysare cleaned regularly while oxygen andwater temperature in and outside theraceways is measured twice daily. Anysigns of infections such as chilodenellaare treated immediately as Murray codcan succumb rapidly to this parasite. The

ability to close off and treat the racewayslike a tank enables treatments like saltbathing to be readily undertaken.

Shade cloth covers over the racewayscontaining small fish (up to 400g) pre-vents bird predation; no such problemsare encountered for larger fish. “I thinkthe shags are a little concerned aboutfalling into the wrong raceway as thelarge cod would definitely give themsome grief,” Matt says.

Harvesting anything over 500kg, a crow-der is used to push the fish towards oneend to make it easier to net them out.Anaesthetic is generally not used duringharvest since cod are fairly docile anddon’t panic as much as other fish whenhandled. Fish are purged in two dedicat-ed purging raceways or inside the shedin fibreglass tanks.

The farm is continuing to experimentwith ways to improve system functioning.”Waste removal is a very critical issue inmanaging the raceways. It depends onspecies, density and the size of yourstock as to how rapidly wastes build up.We have just finalised a design for a bot-tom collection chamber, placed at theend of the raceway, capable of constantlyremoving waste (faeces and uneatenfood) so that in future we can pump itout of the reservoir and reduce nutri-ment build up.” With these improve-ments Matt hopes to boost both farmproductivity and quality of the product –which is already receiving a positivemarket response.

”One of the real benefits of this kind ofintensive culture is that you end up witha great ‘natural’ looking product – withthe colour and texture of an open waterfish – for a relatively low capital outlay.”Kilcoy has been developed without theneed to build new pond infrastructure or

This fine specimen of a Murray cod is typical of the premium fish produced at Kilcoy. Photo courtesy of Kilcoy.

Hand nets are used to catch market size fish.Photo courtesy of Kilcoy.



large and expensive recirculation facilities.

At present Kilcoy sources advanced fishfrom RAS operators to take full advan-tage of the warmer summer months. Thetarget size for fish from Kilcoy is 1-3kg.“So far it has taken us around 12monthsto reach our smallest market sized fish of600g (including time spent in RAS),”Matt says. “It takes around 18 months toreach average weights of between 1.2and 2kg. For speciality markets wemight grow fish up to 2.5kg or even larg-er if requested by our regular buyers.”

However, the viability of this approachultimately depends on the willingness ofRAS growers to supply competitivelypriced juveniles for ongrowing opera-tions like Kilcoy. To date this has beendifficult as most RAS operators are set upas small growout operations. “There isan opportunity for RAS and open waterproducers like ourselves to optimise ourenterprises and improve the supply ofcod to the market,” Matt suggests.

At present Kilcoy Fishery Company isselling fish to Brisbane, Sydney and Mel-bourne. “Murray Cod have a moist,white marbled flesh with a natural fresh-water flavour which tastes even better atthe smaller farmed sizes and keepextremely well. We find our customerslike the fact Murray cod has an impecca-ble appearance and an exquisite tastessets it apart from any freshwater waterspecies. In the kitchen it is easily gilled,gutted and skinned to produce fillets,steaks or whole. It is a non-fatty fish,high in protein, Omega-3 fatty acids andpolyunsaturates and low in carbohy-drates. We are proud to state that ourfarmed Murray cod are free of harmfulchemical residues, making them veryhealthy fish to eat.”

The issue of marketing is one that KFCconsiders will dictate any significantexpansion of the industry in the foresee-able future. “Although we are receiving agreat response from the market concern-ing the quality of our cod, we know thata good product doesn’t mean we candevelop the market alone.” Kilcoy is veryenthusiastic about the prospects of amore co-ordinated approach to marketingby growers, to improve awareness aboutthe product and firm up continuity of supply.

The raceways have covers made of shade cloth to provide some protection from the sun.

The floating raceways are located in a large reservoir.



So Matt would like to talk with othergrowers about the concept of strategicmarketing opportunities. “At Kilcoy wehope to expand our operations but thismust come through development of marketswith other growers so that we all benefit.”A national approach to servicing existingmarkets and developing new ones issomething that was recently discussed withrepresentatives from the primary industriesdepartments of Queensland and Victoria.

According to Geoff Gooley, Manager,Aquaculture Section, Primary IndustriesResearch Victoria, the current focus ofaquaculture R&D in the Sunraysiaregion of Victoria – multiple water use inagricultural landscapes – is similar tothe SE Queensland experience. Interestis growing in the culture of ‘open-water’Murray cod in floating cages, racewaysand tanks in large ‘through-put’ storagedams, allowing integration of aquacul-ture into industrial-scale, irrigated horti-culture. Geoff’s experience in Victoria isthat co-ordinating supply chain develop-ment and associated marketing networks

at a national level is going to be critical tolong term economic viability in thisdeveloping sector.

“At Kilcoy we would be supportive ofany initiative that helps co-ordinate theindustry’s marketing efforts” Matt says.

By Dos O’Sullivan

For more information contact MatteoBarchiesi, Kilcoy Fishery Company, 23 Kerrs lane, Mt Kilcoy Qld 4515,Tel: 07 5498-1111, Fax: 07 5498-1144,Mob: 0418 821 482 email: [email protected]

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)To allow inter-farm comparisons, each AAMfarm profile details a number of key perfor-mance indicators for different aquaculturesystems. Except for the comments under‘Key Management Decisions’ which are prepared by Dos, the information has beensupplied by the farmer:

• Key Management Decisions for KilcoyFishery include:

– Adaptation of U.S. design for utilisinglocally available materials.

– Provides a way of maximising water usage– Selection of Murray cod which grow fast

when the water temperatures are optimal even in high stocking densities

– Selling whole fish as a chilled product.• Culture System utilised: floating

raceway with a total volume of 600m3.• Growth rate (from stocking to market):

<16 months (1g to 1000g)• Survival rate: 80% from first stocking to

sale size• Av. stocking density: 60 kg/m3 or per

culture unit (range is 25kg to 150kg)

A refrigerated container is used to keep the feeds cool and vermin free.

A daily task is to sweep the bottoms of the raceways to remove some waste products.

A strong walkway connects the floating racewaysto the land enabling easy access and exit.



Suburban recirculation farm turns off120 tonnes of barra a year ...

for a tidy profitMigrating from Taiwan via the US,Mark and Annie Lee have made

Adelaide their home and developed theiraquaculture business at Waterloo Corner,14km north of the CBD. Mark bought afour module Fish Protech in 1999 and itproved so successful he duplicated thefour modules the next year. He’s nowturning out 120 tonnes of barramundi ayear, both live and fresh chilled.

The Lees chose recirculation technologybecause of the problems – particularlyenvironmental impact and predation –they had seen with other forms of aqua-culture. The fully closed system gavethem year round production and elimi-nated predation altogether. But mostimportantly, with stable productionparameters, it gave them maximum con-trol over their production schedule.

The farmThe farm consists of eight Fish Protechmodules designed for simple manage-ment and built as a turnkey operation. AFish Protech module is a self-containedfish growout unit (measuring 6m x 10m)divided into four sections (each 3m x4.5m). The treatment stack sits acrossthe centre of the module. The modulehas a working volume of 120m3 capableof managing stocking densities up to30kg/m3.

The building housing the modules ismade from sandwich panels with 50mminsulation on the walls and 75mm in theceiling. Ceiling height is 3m with a 4mpitch. The material is green colour bondon the outside, minimizing visualimpact. White on the inside, it isdesigned to have an interior free ofcolumns or beams.

It also contains two circular 1,500L self-contained tanks to quarantine incomingfry and a similar system for post harvestpurging. There is an office for recordkeeping and water testing and a feed

room. A basic model Fish Protech farmcontains two modules but the Lees havefound that the eight modules provides aneconomy of scale that suits their man-agement style. It also provides a cushionwhen having to cover the market fluctu-ations that can occur from time to time.Mark hates knocking back a customerwho wants to increase an order.

Water efficiencyWater is moved around the system bycompressed air. The blowers used toprovide this air heat it up to between80°C and 100°C under a pressure of 40KPA; this pre-heats the incoming waterand keeps water in the modules at anaverage of 28°C year round.

Mark runs an average density of 20kg/m3

to 30kg/m3. Low by some standards per-haps but it is also low in managementproblems associated with high stocking

loads and allows the module to operatewithout additional oxygen aside from abank of four air stones in each tank – agreat cost saving. It is also part of thereason for the low water exchange of 3%daily. Most of this leaves the system viathe drum filter as it flushes the sludgecollected from the growout water. Thesludge itself moves under gravity into ananaerobic digester where it is treatedover seven days. The water from thedigester is disinfected according to EPAregulations and used for the growing ofcrops or as an enriched garden fertilizer.

The heart of each module is the treat-ment stack designed to remove all thewaste produced by the fish. The stack isingenious in its simplicity and has lowoperational cost. The water is lifted by

Above: The fish grader has made a considerablesaving in labour, but more importantly has

eliminated days of lost production per cycle.

Right: The farm plan is up-dated every week soMark knows how many fish are in the system and

what their average and total weight are.



air through the whole three-stage treat-ment. The treatment stack extends 2mbelow floor of the tank and continues upto the surface of the water in the module,giving it a total height of over three metres.

As the undissolved solids are flushedfrom the sloped floor of the module’stanks through 10mm sized stainless stealgrids they are forced by the suction ofwater flow through a set of plate separa-tors. Water above the plates is lifted byair into the biofilter at a rate of30,000L/min. In this process the wateris re-oxygenated whilst the ammonia andnitrite are removed by biofiltration. Allwater in the module passes through thebiofilter every four to five minutes avoid-ing any peak build up of ammonia in thefish rearing sections and assures a highflow rate with a continuous supply ofclean water for the fish.

That high level of aeration creates foamon the surface of the water, with any pro-tein in the water fractionated out in thatfoam. Mark regards the foam as his‘canary in the cage’. If the foam is cleanhe knows there’s no problem. If thefoam is discoloured it’s a warning thatthe system is overloaded and the feedingrate is cut back.

The secondary step runs at 1,500L/min.Organic solids in the sump move at arate of 6m/hour to the lowest part of thesump. Such a retention time in an anaer-obic environment allows the sludge tocontribute to the de-nitrification of thewater in the module. From the lowest

part the sludge/water mix is lifted, againby air, into the 60µm screen drum filter.The separated clean water is de-gassedbefore passing three 150Watt UV tubesand reintroduced into the module on theopposite side of the drum filter. Thelights are configured so as to allow anexposure time of 60 seconds.

The concentrated sludge with a smallamount of water (approximately 3L/min)is discharged into the separate anaerobicdigester. Here the sludge is digested.Water from the digester is pumpedthrough a disinfection process specifiedby EPA – involving a sand filter, activat-ed charcoal and UV purification – andreturns to the farm for re-use.

FeedMark knows that food used inefficientlyby the fish simply produces waste to betreated. That’s why he’s particularly con-scious of feed quality, looking for theminimum of indigestible materials suchas ash or fibre and preferring floatingfeed so he can observe the feedingbehaviour of the fish. He’s recordedFCRs as low as 0.8:1 under commercialconditions but he figures on 1:1 to givehimself a safety valve.

A Skrettings 50% protein starter ration isfed to juvenile fish up to 150mm and amixture of starter and 40% growerrations then on until they are weanedtotally onto the grower feed. The youngfish are fed virtually on demand; thegrowers twice a day.

Species optionsSo far, because of its high market accep-tance, Mark and Annie have concentrat-ed on barramundi despite observingother growers using similar systems pro-ducing silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus),Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii peelii),sleepy cod (Oxyeleotris & Bunka sps.)and jade perch (Scortum barcoo). Theytake the view that they have developedtheir markets on barramundi and areconcentrating on what they know bestfor the time being. Nonetheless theykeep a watching brief on the marketingopportunities these other lines represent.

Production cycleTo keep the system stable, Mark uses thetreatment system – designed to removethe waste generated by 50Kg of feed perday eaten by the fish – as his control overproduction. Given a FCR of 1:1 heknows he’s producing 50kg of fish per

The purging tubs at the farm. Purging time is five to seven days.

The drum filter set in the treatment stack. Note the cages in which the fingerlings are

raised sitting in the tank.



module per day at that feed rate.

To make sure that the optimum amountcan be fed everyday he looks at two keyindicators. Firstly, the biomass in themodule must be kept stable year around.Secondly, as fish of different sizes grow atdifferent rates they have different feeduptakes. The smaller fish for instanceare growing faster, and consequently usemore food, than the larger fish. Marksays the balancing act is to feed the rightamount of feed to gain the maximum

growth from the fish without exceedingthe module’s capacity of 50kg/day.

To maintain a stable load on the bio-sys-tem, Mark rotates fish at different stagesof growth through the four sections inthe module. He knows the biomass ineach section and a precise quantity offeed can be prepared to get the optimumgrowth result from each section. Pro-ducing plate size barramundi of 500-600g the average biomass in the moduleis around 2.5t, give or take 10%. This

allows 500kg of fish to be harvestedevery ten days from each module. How-ever, he admits it’s not possible to havethe optimum stock level every day. Afterharvesting and grading the fish take timeto settle down, and there are always dis-tractions from a perfect world.

The Lees have imported a Norwegianfish grader that has cut grading from twohours by hand – and the consequentialstress on the fish – to 30 minutes. Thefish are crowded to the end of a tank and

The front view of the eight module shed at Waterloo Corner. The ice machine makes 1.5 tonne of ice a day. What Mark recoversfrom selling bulk 22kg bags locally pays for the cost of his ice.



netted into the sluice of the grader.Graded fish are then either sent to mar-ket or stocked in a production cohort tosuit their size.

All fry come onto the farms with a healthcertificate. The 25mm fry (0.8g) spend48 hours in the quarantine system beforebeing put out in nursery cages suspend-ed in the tanks. Grading is constant.This gets the fish into natural sizecohorts and prevents cannibalism. Fin-gerlings are ready for stocking when theyreach 15g to 20g (120mm). Each timethere is an empty section in the moduleit is stocked with fingerlings from thecages at 3,150 pieces per section. Thisallows for a harvest of 3,000 tails after amortality of 5%. The fry have varyinggrowth rates and may be in the cagesfrom six to eight weeks. Mark carries afingerling stock that equals in numberequal to two month’s production.

Following the production cycle of abatch of 3,150 x 15g barramundi finger-lings (and using approximate figures foreasy reading) their biomass is 50kg whenfirst stocked. At an average daily growthrate of 4%, they reach 150kg by the endof the month. The next month the dailygrowth rate is around 3% and they reach375kg. A month later they have grownat around 2.3% and reached 750kg, andthe final month they have grown at 1.75% and reached 1,250kg. Once the four-tank module has fish in each section atthe levels quoted above the total biomassis 2,525 kg. Harvesting starts 10 days

later at which time the stock level isaround 3,000kg. A harvest of 500kg willbring the stock back to 2,500kg. Oncefully stocked, production is continuous.

The economicsThe farm is driven by economics. Nei-ther Mark nor Annie had a backgroundin aquaculture and looked at the venturepurely as a business. It had to be sus-tainable economically from the word goand they’re confident that, on the currentprices, this has been achieved.

Each module takes 5kWh to operate.Mark estimates that half of this is used tomove the water and the other half tomaintain water temperature.

Feed is a large component, but with theFCRs obtained using an efficient extrud-ed diet, feed costs are less than $1.5/kgof the cost of production.

Labour makes up the balance of the costsand is a major input in any aquacultureventure. Introduction of the grader has notonly reduced by 75% the time it takes tograde but reduced the work force by 50%.Mark estimates that it takes 840 full timelabour hours (including management) peryear per module, taking labour costs to justunder $1.50/kg. The eight modules requirethe attention of two fulltime and one parttime workers, with Annie and himselfsharing the marketing and management.

All up he estimates the cost of produc-tion at just under $$4.50/kg, not includ-ing the cost of finance or depreciation.

MarketingFrom the very beginning the marketingplan for the Lees farm assumed a contin-uous supply of fish. Mark says he’dnever have gone into aquaculture if hehad to wait on the seasons for cash flow.Referring to open pond farming as prac-ticed in his native Taiwan he opinions:“This is not modern farming. Pork andpoultry are available fresh every day. Fishfarming has to be the same to compete.”

The live fish market was particularlyattractive … and lucrative too becausethe fish leave the farm without muchextra processing cost. Having Chinese asa first language helped the Lees commu-nicate with most of the live fish distribu-tors, although he jokes he got no specialfavours. In fact the bargaining was evenmore vigorous because of the ease ofcommunication!

The farm now has its own live fish tankerwith Mark more than willing to drive toMelbourne and Sydney with 2.5t of livebarramundi.

However, he sees the real growth marketin processed fish, noting the ordinaryAustralian consumer’s preference forready-to-eat produce. At the momenthe’s flat out servicing his live fish andplate size, fresh chilled markets. But he’sacutely aware that the bulk of fish eatenaround the world is in portions.

Coming from a production line back-ground in manufacturing, Mark also rec-ognizes the most important thing in fishfarming is stock management. It allowshim to plan his harvesting and market-ing program months ahead. Under foodsafety legislation, traceability is a majorissue. Mark says the four-tank modulesystem gives him maximum control overthis on the farm and beyond.

In a short five years, Mark and Annie Leehave shown that recirculation technolo-gy can underwrite a successful, simple tooperate, Australian aquaculture businesswith minimum impact on the environment.

By John Mosig

For more information, contact Mark Leeby phone on (08) 8280 9970, or by fax on (08) 8280 9798

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Over the past five years the Desotos have been upgrading culture systems

at their Crookhaven River oyster farm to produce premium oysters.

A Silver Medal in their first year (2004) and a Gold Medal in their second

year of competition at the Sydney Royal Shows suggests that progress

has been excellent. Not bad considering the farm’s beds were formerly used

to produce just jar oysters.

The production of ‘jar’ oysters is prob-ably the oldest culture methods still

used in the Sydney Rock oyster (Sac-costrea commercialis) industry. ‘Beds’ ofmud and sand built up in inter-tidalareas are topped with buckets of collect-ed oysters to form a population relyingon wild oyster spat settling on the live ordead shells of other oysters. Slowly thebed builds in height to keep the majorityof the new oysters out of the mud or silt.

When the oysters are collected, they arebroken apart with a chisel or otherpointed object. Any whole oysters mightbe sold as such but generally the farmersimply shucks out the oyster meat andpickles them in a mixture of salt andwater. A range of containers have beenused for the oysters; however, plasticnow dominates.

Jar oysters are mostly a fallback for rackor floating culture farmers producingsingle oysters allowing them to still selloysters with unattractive shells. Thusthey are considered a lower grade thanthe single seed oysters served in mostrestaurants.

Given market demand for oysters servedin the shell (half shell), the attractivenessand size of the shell has become moreand more important. This has resulted inthe rapid expansion of the single seedproduction method as the result is usual-ly a deep and sculptured shell providingspace inside for larger and fat meats.

Husband and wife team Lyn and RobDesoto have been transforming theiroperation over the past five years to pro-

duce oysters of the higher grade fromtheir Crookhaven River leases. “We haveonly just finished the jars so we now usefloating tumblers, rafts and intertidalbaskets for the culture of our single oys-ters,” Lyn says. “Now we have just over10ha of leases, with only 2ha left of oys-ter beds. Development of this agitatingfarming method will continue over thenext 12 to 18 months. Hopefully thenwe’ll get into maintenance mode.”

Wild catchStacks of PVC slats are used to catch oys-ter spat from the wild. A one metrelength of 90mm PCV stormwater pipe issplit into 3 slats, each around 4cm inwidth. The main spawning and settle-

Sydney Show Gold Medal for Bed Rock Oysters

Gold Award Winning Shoalhaven Sydney Rock Oysters

Bed Rock Oysters Depot



ment seasons are between February andJune. Each of the stacks consists of 5rows of 10 slats, with sets of four cross orspace slats to keep them apart sufficient-ly for oyster larvae to settle. According toLyn, the loaded stacks are quite heavybut can be picked up by two people.“Our sons Jace and Daniel are both 15years of age and are getting pretty strong.We get them to help out on the farm. Wehave a rack and rail system that is setquite close to the sea floor, usually only

high enough for you to get your hand inunderneath to tie down the stacks.”

Lyn says that their catching groundswere down near the mouth of the River.“We will keep the oysters there for 5-6months after set until they have reacheda size of between a 5c and a 10c piece.We then pull the stacks out, undo themand flex individual slats to get the smallseed. Generally all of the oysters havecome from the same settlement but if

there are two settlements then we needto separate them.

“Of course we kill any Pacifics (Cras-sostrea gigas) we come across to stop thespread of them in the river system. It ispretty easy to recognise the Pacifics.Generally they are much larger than theslower growing rocks and they havemore pointed shell protuberances. Theylook a bit like a miniature crown of thorns.”

The individual oyster spat are washedbefore transfer into fine mesh tumblersmade from MDS Plastics (from PortStephens, NSW). “We have around 350of these tumblers which are 90 to 100cmlong and 30cm in diameter and movewith the action of the tides. It is impor-tant to have the right amount of oystersin them for if they are too full then theoysters won’t grow. We generally putabout a 2 litre bucket full in each tum-bler, that would be around 1,000 oysterspat at the start.”

The tumblers are hung on posts set intothe mud in rows. Holes are drilledthrough the poly pipes so that the ropescan be inserted with pieces of plastictubing to protect them from wear. Theropes are attached to the ends of thetumblers with shark clips for easy off-onconnections. There is a float attachedone-third of the way along the circum-ference to aid in the 360° tumblingaction.

The lines are in about 1.5 to 2m of waterat high tide; during the low tide the linesof tumblers are exposed but are highenough not to be in the mud. Goingthrough a dry out stage a couple of timesevery day reduces fouling and mudworm infestations.

The lines can be set across or along thewater flow. “We have found that havingthem run across the flow means bettergrowth and less fouling. The water flowmoves them around and gives a tum-bling action which creates well cuppedoyster shells.”

Tumblers come in a range of plasticmeshes from 3mm for hatchery spat,through 5mm up to 8mm. Lyn says thatas the seed get larger they’re sorted andtransferred into larger mesh envelopesbefore growout for another six months.

Tumblers, envelopes suspended by poly posts

Three packs of oyster catching slats ready to be taken out to the rail.



“Each end of the tumbler has an end capand seven cable ties are used at each endto keep the lids on. These are easy to cutand allow us to remove the oysters. Wecan also easily get into the tumblers toclean them of barnacles and otherunwanted growth.”

The Desotos also have around 150envelopes made from 10 and 20mmNylex plastic oyster mesh in a pillowshape. Each envelope is 80cm long and30cm wide and 10cm deep. An openingcut in top is held closed with galvanisednetting clips to allow oysters to be put inor taken out.

A 75cm long piece of PVC with end capsprovides the buoyancy for the envelopes.“These envelopes are attached to theposted with rope and with shark clips.They can be turned upside down withthe tides and then back up again.Depending on water temperatures andfood, the oysters average around sixmonths in this phase. Thus they canspend up to a total of 18 to 24 months inthe tumblers and envelops. With thetime spent on the slats, the oysters canbe over 3 years of age.”

According to Lyn, to obtain the bestprices it is vitally important to handle theoysters the right way starting with thesettled spat. “It is important to get thespat off the slats quickly so they don’tform a wide flat spat. If you get them offearly (4 to 6 months) then they will forma pretty and deep shell. That is what weare after – good shape and depth of theshell. The tumblers assist in agitating theoysters so you get the deeper oysterswith pretty shells that will provide big fatmeats. Big and beautiful is the goal.”

Fouling (sponges, barnacles, mussels)and overcatch (smaller oysters) arereduced in the tumblers and envelopesby movement of the shells rubbingacross each other. Lyn also says that reg-ularly putting the oysters across theshaker grader also assists. “Rob built theshaker using an old single bed framewith 1950s model, Victa lawn mowerengine. A long cam the length of the bedriven by the Victa in an up and downmotion shakes the oysters over the fourlayers of screen.”

Rob says that they have screens madefrom chicken wire and plastic mesh

varying in size from 20mm, through30mm and up to 40mm. “The oystersfall through the screens until they can’tanymore. They are then shaken downthe down the screens and fall into fishbins. We might finish sorting by hand toremove any dead shell but basically allour grading is done by the machine.”

Raft cultureVery early on the Desotos tried floatingrafts made from Nylex Oyster Mesh(20mm) folded and attached onto plasticbread crates (45cm by 60cm and around10cm high). These were slung betweenwooden posts made from 10cm diametertreated pine with 1m driven into themud and 1m out. “The posts are 20mapart and we can sling 12 rafts in eachbay from a 6mm diameter polypropylenerope,” Lyn explains. “The lines are locat-ed in a big mud flat where we know theoysters will grow well. Off-cuts fromboogie boards are used as the floats.”

Lyn says that although last year the oys-ters grew very well over a period of 6weeks around 300 dozen oysters werelost to predation by octopus and mudcrabs. “To prevent the losses this year we

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have added lids made from plastic meshclipped with galvanised netting clips tokeep them closed (the ‘hinge’ is madefrom stainless steel clips).

“The galvanised clips can be easily cutwith side cutters. Sometimes high windsmean some of the bags will flip over sothey have to right them.”

The rafts are used for finishing the oys-ters for market. “We hold 10 dozen ofour big oysters (6cm and longer) foraround two to three months, dependingon orders. During this period, the oys-ters are feeding continuously and condi-tion up (fatten).

“We have added another inverted bread

crate on the bottom of each raft that actslike a set of legs to keep the raft out ofthe mud. This keeps the shells cleanerand also stops mud worm.”

The Desotos also have rack and rail cul-ture. These racks are 100m long and1.2m wide and approximately 30cm offthe bottom so they are exposed to the airtwo times a day. Made from hardwood,the posts are 7.5cm by 5cm and driveninto the mud around 30cm. Wrapping inblack flume plastic protects them frommarine boring worms. Cross rails of2.5cm by 5cm are attached to the postswith galvanised nails; as these are in theintertidal region and dry out regularly,they do not need to be covered in theplastic. “We have never used tar (to stopmarine borers). I am glad about that as itis very messy and smelly to work with,”Lyn adds.

As with the rafts, baskets made from20mm plastic mesh are used to condi-tion the oysters before sale. “We haveover 200 of these at the moment. Wehave used old oyster sticks and slottedthree baskets onto them so we call them‘triples’. The baskets are 45cm long,30cm wide and 10 cm deep. The stickssit on top of the rails and pieces of cartyre strap them onto the rails.”

‘Quad baskets’ have also been recentlybought from a retiring oyster farmer. Lynsays that each basket will hold fourdozen oysters for 10 to 12 weeks,depending on customer demand. “Wehave made plastic mesh lids to keep outthe octopus and mud crabs and the ‘oddfisherman’.”

Tasty oystersBed Rock Oysters are not only sold directto restaurants, fish mongers and the gen-eral public but also at several Farmer’sMarkets where customers usually eat theoysters then and there. “Our stall is in ashaded area and the oysters packed in iceto keep cool. When served with a lemonand pepper on a plate they sell very welleven at $15/dozen for the very largeones. The prices are $8 a dozen for thecocktail or two dozen for $15.”

The Desotos have developed an openingsystem that retains the liquor in the shell.“We open at the hinge end. That way we

don’t smash the shell, avoiding that theneed to wash the meat and the loss of thetasty liquor.”

With pneumatic oyster knives made byKaruah Engineering the lid is lifted off,the adductor muscle cut and the oystermeat turned over. “We then carefullypack them in waxed boxes in rows sepa-rated by waxed lunch wrap. We sit themresting on each other to hold themsteady. For plate size oysters we pack 10dozen per box; more for the smaller oys-ters and less for the larger oysters.

“We want to give the customer the ulti-mate oyster experience and keeping theliquor is an important part of that,” Lynexplains. “A bit of juice is lost but ouroysters don’t have that washed-out tasteyou get with oysters that have beenwashed in water. We sell locally to placessuch as The Gunyah, a ritzy resort atJervis Bay and also up into the Southernhighlands to restaurants in the Bowral,Moss Vale and Mittagong region. TheRoyal Hotel Bowral has an oyster bar onevery Thursday night for which wedeliver earlier that day.”

Over 120 dozen processed oysters perweek can be sold in peak times droppingto 50 dozen in times of low demand orlow oyster condition.

Given the drought over the past fewyears and river salinity well up around33 to 35 ppt for long periods of time, theDesotos’ oysters had an extra salty taste.“With the bit of rain we have had recent-ly the salinity has dropped back to nor-mal and the oysters now taste a bit dif-ferent. But they are still very juicy andtaste beautiful.

“The condition is now (November 2005)back to normal with the oysters as therains have brought plenty of food downfor them. We have sold oysters all yearround, except when the oysters lose con-dition (spawned) or the Shellfish QualityAssurance Program (QAP) closes the riverto oyster harvesting due to high rainfall.”

Like many other oyster farmers in NSW,both Lyn and Rob are not happy abouthaving to pay the full costs for the QAPwater and oyster meat quality monitor-ing that is part of their licence condi-tions. “We are not the polluters of the

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)To allow inter-farm comparisons, each AAMfarm profile details a number of key perfor-mance indicators for different aquaculturesystems. Except for the comments under‘Key Management Decisions’ which are prepared by Dos, the information has beensupplied by the farmer:

• Key Management Decisions for Bed RockOysters include:

– Shift from lower quality jar oysters to pre-mium single oysters served in the shell.

– Development of opening, packing andtransport methods to keep shell liquor inplace.

– Interlinking of different culture methodsto take advantage of different lease sites.

– Two finishing options (rafts or baskets) toprovide top quality oysters.

– Selling to local restaurants, fish mongersand public, including Farmer’s Marketmeans they get immediate feedback ontheir product.

– Use of the Gold Sticker from the RAS topromote premium produce.

• Culture System utilised: Intertidal andsubtidal cylinders, envelopes, rafts andbaskets.

• Growth rate (from stocking to market):36 months (0.5g to 60g)

• Survival rate: 50% from first stocking tosale size

• Annual harvest: Approx. 4,000 dozenprocessed oysters in 2004/05



river yet we have to pay for everything.The public need to be made aware of thehealth of the river so we used to give allour information away for free. But we arelooking for help and have approachedthe Mayor of the Shire Council as it alsohas to monitor the river (so there is somedoubling up on the work). We monitorwater and meat monitoring once amonth and check for biotoxins every twoweeks, costing us around $40,000 per year.

“Monitoring also picks up if there is arainfall event. Our river is automaticallyclosed if there is more than 50mm of rainover 24 hours until testing shows thatcontamination levels are low.”

The longest time the farm has beenclosed over the past four years was 4-6weeks.

“We are ensuring that the health of theriver and the food safety of our oystersare high. The public can now be surethat eating oyster is safer now than itever has been.”

Other groups are getting behind the oys-ter farmers’ push for a leaner river. “Forexample Shoalhaven also has a REMSScheme that controls dairy farmingrunoff,” says Rob.

Other problems for the oyster farmers inthe Shoalhaven include the heighteningof the dam wall at Tallowa which willsignificantly reduce the water flowthrough the river. Rob says that water istaken from the Tallowa Dam to the War-ragamba Dam near Sydney for the city’suse. “Our monitoring program will allowus to really track whatever changes thereare in the river and if conditions havedeteriorated,” he says. “This informationwill be used by the Catchment Manage-ment Authority in determining what todo to protect the river.”

Lyn and Rob are very proud of their GoldMedal at the recent (2005) Sydney RoyalAgricultural Show Fine Food Awards aswell as their Silver the previous yearwhen they had to rush in their entry. “In2004, we only heard about the competi-tion a couple of days before entries weredue so there was a bit of rush to get thepaperwork in and get two dozenunopened oysters up to Sydney,” saysLyn. “We sent some of our larger oysters,

around 70 to 90g (unopened).”

The Award is now central to their pro-motion program. “We aim to be sellingpremium oysters to the restaurants aswell as at the Farmer’s Markets. We haveprinted a Gold Sticker that goes on eachtray or box of oysters. The sticker has theRAS copyrighted artwork. The GoldStickers are additional to that requiredby the NSW Food Authority (eg. Use By

Date) and can only adorn a similar class

of product.”

By Dos O’Sullivan

For more information contact Lyn and

Rob Desoto, Bed Rock Oysters,

PO Box 60, Greenwell Point, NSW 2540.

Tel: 0413 480-972,

email: [email protected]

Twelve Floating rafts clipped onto rope tied between two large posts

Mud has been mounded and oysters gathered from the near bymangroves many years ago. Now they catch and grow as they like.



Situated on the Beenleigh-BeaudesertRd, Closeys Fishing World has taken

the traditional fish-out operation andupgraded it to attract a range of peoplewho normally wouldn’t go fishing or areunable to get the kids a fish in the wild.Since late 2003 the operation has beenowned and operated by Steve and JudyClose. Seeking a ‘sea change’ from hisjob as a commercial fisherman at Green-well Point, Sydney, Steve reckons he

Closeys Fishout offers wide range of native fish to catch

couldn’t be luckier with the sounds ofbirds in the trees, fish jumping in theponds and crickets thrilling in the grasses.

“We’re open year round, though thenumbers are always a little slower in thewinter months. However, the school hol-idays and special events such as wed-dings maintain us over that period andkeep people coming in through thegates. We also have a range of packagesfor corporate groups with an emphasis

on relaxation and enjoyment in a tran-quil landscaped setting. We can do afully catered menu, or a deluxe BBQ one.”

Steve says that landscaping on the 2.8 haof grounds has been improved. So toohas the irrigation and recirculation sys-tems to give the fish the best water qual-ity to ensure good growth and health.

The layout of the ponds suits the fishingbeginner, allowing ready access to deeppools where the big fish were lying. Banks

Closeys Fishing World is a bit of an institution in the hinterland north-west of the Gold Coast.

People come from all over to try their luck with more than 12,000 large (3-4 kg) native fish

stocked ready to give a real fight on the fishing line. Established in the mid 1990s by Lance

Glass, the ponds are located in attractive grounds to provide the right ambience for all types of

fishers. There are even fishing classes for beginners – including fly fishing – with a range of

facilities for weddings, corporate functions or simple family excursions.

The rambling grounds are well spread out and the ponds aremostly joined by shallow canals to increase water aeration.



are well grassed. Wooden jetties andbridges provide alternative fishing points.

The aim of providing whatever the cus-tomer wants, fly, bait or lure fishing evenextends to helicopter fly fishing tours!“People can book on-line which simpli-fies the whole process as the web siteclearly explains all the options available,”Steve says. “The normal gate price is asper the website.”

He has divided the farm into two toensure that the fishing experience isimproved. Six ponds provide the fishoutand the other four ponds are set aside forholding fingerlings until they reach fish-able size.

“I also have stocked red claw (Cheraxquadricarinatus) in those ponds whichprovide another species to catch in thenear future.”

A hundred or so car tyres provide theredclaw with cover.

The fish-out is all ‘catch-and-return’,populat Steve says with many who justwant the thrill of catching a fish. Thosekeen on a fresh fish for the BBQ can beaccommodated from the larder. Availabletoo at the kiosk are live purged fish anda wide range of other delicious foods.

Twin boresTo maintain good water quality in theponds, water is continuously drawnfrom a bore taking water from around250m at up to 38,000L/hr. Steve can changethe rate if temperatures in the ponds gethigh or stocking density increases.

“I keep this bore running continuously;the other one at around 78m depth is aback-up.”

A series of canals connects all the pondsuntil the water finally overflows back tothe main pond for recirculation. “Thegrounds are contoured so that there isgood flow through the ponds from thetop down to the last one. Although thereare some underground connections (pres-sure pump), the ponds are mostly con-nected by shallow stone lined canals. Theseprovide a place for a few live foods to grow;also some fish may move down them.”

The rocks and steps also allow the waterto aerate as do fountains in the ponds.

“These make a great back-drop to wed-

dings and other events,” Steve adds. “I

have underground power at every pond

so if I wanted to add an aerator or pad-

dlewheel I can.”

A number of different species of warm

water native fish are stocked, including:

• Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii)

• Sooty grunter (Hephaestus fuliginosus)• Barcoo grunter (Scortum barcoo, which

is also called the Jade perch)• Silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus)• Eel tail Catfish (Neosiluris spp.)• Barramundi (Lates calcarifer)• Australian Bass (Macquaria novemac-

uleata)• Saratoga (Scleropages jardini)

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The fingerlings are supplied by SEQueensland Fish, a fish hatchery justover the road. They use our fish asbroodfish for their spawning and hatch-ing programs. Some of our fish are over4 kg and hold more than 300,000 eggsso we have a good relationship with theguys over there. We get fry from them ataround 60 to 70mm and I try to fill onefry pond each season to keep numbers offish moving through.”

Watch your FishSteve reckons the secret to growing fishis an understanding of fish behaviourand constant observation. “I have lots oftraps and nets left over from my 14 yearsof commercial fishing and I know how tocatch fish and what they do. It is impor-tant to have a close look at the fish. Forexample if you see red spots on theirskin then you know there’s a parasiteproblems to be fixed – perhaps withmore clean water in the ponds andreduced stocking densities.”

He tries to check every fish as it is caughtby the fishers. “We use barbless hooksand want to unhook the fish and getthem unharmed back into the pondsunharmed as soon as possible. But peo-ple – especially kids – of course want totake photos to show their mates. So thereis a compromise. The fish will get theodd sore from dragging through thegrass or dirt and losing some of theirslime (mucous skin covering). We haveplenty of hand nets to stop this but youcan’t be every where at once. The fishsoon recover in the good water with lotsof good water and feed.”

With 30 to 40 tonnes of fish on his farmat any one time, managing the stockingdensities, fish sizes and their ‘catchabili-ty’ keeps Steve busy. “The larger fish getsmart, learning from getting caught. So,with time, some become hard to catch. Ineed to get those fish out and get insmaller ones that are more likely to havea go at the lure or the bait. OccasionallyI might lose a large fish or two to someeagles but that’s not a worry. It giveseveryone a thrill.

“Overall, I don’t lose that many fish so Ijust need to keep them biting. That’swhat the customers pay for. Mostly, they

The hour is so before sunset is a magic time for fishing as the fish are active and hungry.

A tongue of land juts into the middle of the main pond which allowseven novice fisher easy access to fishing areas.

The ducks like having a good look at who is catching what and love to get a feed of pellets.



also feed the fish with aquaculture pel-lets – 6mm plus for the big fish – not me.In summer the fish eat well on what is inthe ponds such as fire tails (fish), shrimp,mussels, red claw, insect larvae and mos-quito fish and plenty of weed I hope! Inwinter I will feed once a week as customis slow, usually in the later afternoonwhen the fish are usually the most active.”

With summertime water temperaturesoften exceeding 30°C, Steve reckons fishlike silver perch can stress a bit. “Theyneed clean cooler water and, as myspecies are mixed, the main pond hasthree sections to allow different fish to goto different areas. There is a 10m deeparea and others of 8m and 6m, as well asplenty of shallows. The water tempera-ture is lower down deep. During winteryou’ll find some lay in the shallows inthe afternoons to catch the sun whilstothers stay deep or under the jetty.”

Once the hobby of a bunch of introvertswho like to dress in plastic overalls andwear funny hats, fly fishing is becomingincreasingly popular with the main-stream. At Closeys Fishing World, allsorts of people arrive to learn this ‘art’.

One hassle Steve can face is impairedfishing due aquatic weeds such as Elo-dia, Foxtail and some ‘hot weather greenslime’. The solution is trawling with awire net to clean these weeds out. “I usemy petrol-run golf buggy to pull itthrough! The weeds are then placedaround trees on the property to form anice fertiliser. I allow the weeds to growin the fingerling ponds as they providesome cover and food for the fish plusstop cormorants that can’t swim throughthe weeds. Once I lost around 3,000 fryin one week to the cormorants. I getplenty of ducks on all the ponds; however,these are a hit with the tourists. But theydo eat the fish pellets though.”

Steve reckons the best time for the fish-ing to be late afternoon. “I have twilightand night-time fishing packages avail-able. For example the barra are best atnight. Some people will stay overnight inour purpose built cabins and then fish atdusk, over the night and again at dawn.”That’s keen.

With the business moving ahead nicely,Steve is happy with his lot in life. Whenthe fish aren’t biting or the customersaren’t lining up at the gate or asking silly

questions, he can sit on his veranda andenjoy the bush and a nice cold shandy!

By Dos O’Sullivan

For more information contact Steve and

Judy Close, Closeys Fishing World,

cnr Halls and Beenleigh-Beaudesert Rd,

Luscombe Qld 4207.

Tel: 07 5546-4407, Fax: 07 5546-4507,

email: [email protected]

Web: www.closeysfishingworld.com.au

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Frank Milito – Master Baiter!Frank Milito followed his father into fishing, working as a commercial bait fisherman on the

Gippsland Lakes in Victoria. But he’s witnessed a significant decline in that wild fishery. So this

young entrepreneur is turning to value-adding of those bait species, using aquaculture techniques

as a way to increase profitability and sustainability for his industry. Some of his bait species are

also being on-sold as aquarium species.

The live bait industry supplies variousspecies of crustaceans, finfish and

molluscan species for recreational fishersthroughout Australia. While some arethe result of by-catch from harvestingother species, a number of commercialfishers target ‘bait species’ that have noother commercial value.

While not a huge compared to the $1.5billion commercial catch, the bait industrynonetheless supports a large (and grow-ing) recreational fishery worth many mil-lions of dollars to regional Australia.However, like many fisheries, it has suf-fered declining catch rates for several keyspecies and the question of sustainabilityof wild harvesting is always being raised.

Gippsland Lakes (Victoria) fishermanFrank Milito believes that the future ofthe bait fishery is in aquaculture and thatsustainable management lies in closelypolicing both the commercial bait andrecreational fishers. Frank is highly critical

of the way the fishery has been managedin the Gippsland Lakes over the yearswith little or no regulation of the take.

“I have been predicting that there wouldbe a major decline in species like sand-worm this year,” he says. “Unfortunately,it looks like I am right and the wormcatch has dropped off dramatically overthe last few years. One of the majorsandworm beds yielded 6-7 tonnes lastyear from an area the size of two footballgrounds. This year there’s not much at allleft and the catch would be under 10%of last year’s.”

He’s also seeing an evolution in the baitmarket with more demand for live baitthroughout Victoria. “Originally theindustry was based on catching baitspecies and selling them fresh or frozen.But now the market is moving moretowards live as this type of bait performsbetter (i.e. higher fish catches).”

To keep up with this market Frank hasbecome a pioneer in live bait in theGippsland area, convinced that the suc-cessful holding and survival of live baitrelies on methods used to harvest and topurge. For the past ten years he hasdevoted countless hours to researchingthe best methods to do just that, leadingto a growing interest in recirculatingaquaculture systems.

Harvest and transportHe starts with a huge advantage – unri-valled local knowledge. Dad Pat has alifetime’s worth; Frank too is an old hand.Together they have been able to determinethe best places and times to find thedesired catch depending on a myriad offactors – lunar cycles, salinity and tem-

Frank sorting by-catch from shrimpthat have been caught. Frank feelsthat it is important to remove by-catch such as puffer fish whichmay damage or cause mortalitiesamongst the shrimp. Photo by Shane Willis

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perature levels, tides and season. Suchvariability in supply can have a large impacton bait sales leading Frank to developlive holding methods to boost availabili-ty outside the normal harvesting seasons.

The main species that Frank targetsinclude sandworm (Genus species),shrimp (Genus species), cherry claw spi-der crabs(Genus species), bass yabbies(Genus species) and molluscs such as bluemussels (Genus species).

His harvesting methods vary from trollingwith specially designed bait nets to staticbait traps set and left for 1-2 days.

The main problem arises when Frankhas very large amounts of live bait totransport. “I guess it’s nature’s way ofkeeping you honest. You can have a real-ly good night but if you’re not carefulyou can end up losing half on the wayhome (from transport stress),” he says.

Purging the catch prior to transporting itseems to do the trick. He keeps them insmall floating crates with shade cloth lin-ers anchored nearby in the lake. Floatskeep the cage floating at the surface anda trap door allows him to easily addcatch from the nets or traps. “I use thepurge cage as my base of operations forthe night. I anchor it in a central locationand bring the bait back to it after eachrun. This allows me to harvest all nightand to keep my bait alive.”

The duration of purging varies from 1 1-24 hours depending on the species andthe distance that Frank needs to travelback to his holding facility at SwanReach. Self-developed protocols forwater quality parameters such as temper-ature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and salinityare strictly followed, depending onwhether the bait species are transporteddry, in water, or damp (Frank has trialleda range of different packing materialssuch as sawdust, coconut fibre, straw,hessian and sponge foam). Once the baitspecies are packed they are transportedback to the holding facility by road.

System DesignFrank began designing holding systemsabout eight years ago when he realisedthat live sales of the bait species would

be viable “While we decided that the

sales were there, the trick was trying to

maintain the animals alive for periods

after the normal fishing time,” he says. “I

started to look around at different sys-

tems and attended a couple of RAS

(recirculation aquaculture systems)

workshops in Grafton (NATFISH).

“I had an idea of what I needed but

couldn’t really afford to spend several

thousand dollars on a system. So I put

the first system together using what I

had.” Consisting of a trickle filter sus-

pended over the holding tank it workedOK and he has been modifying thedesign ever since.”

Frank now has two large (5,000L watercapacity) holding systems carrying 100-130 kg of stock depending on thespecies. “The actual biomass I hold is nothigh but many bait species weigh only afew grams. In 100kg there are thousandsof individuals putting a heavy load onthe system,” he says.

These are currently held in a large three-car garage with no temperature control.

Each holding tank has a simple air-driven protein skimmer that is usedto remove dissolved organics and fine solids. Photo by Frank Milito



simple but effective. The bait species areheld in net cages made from shade clothwhich float in the 2,000L holding tanks.Water flows from bottom of the holdingtanks to a reservoir acting as a swirl sep-arator. It is pumped through a 1,500 Lupwelling filter filled with Bioblockbefore overflowing into a trickle filtercontaining another 2,000L of Bioblock.The water then gravity feeds through aDacron mat to remove fine solids andback to the holding tanks. Water can alsobe passed, as needed, through an air-dri-ven counter current protein skimmer toremove very small solids and proteins.

Originally driven by an Onga 413 pump,Frank now drives the system the LinksPump from Aquasonic. “The Ongas weregood, but the Links pumps are muchmore economical to run. By using them Ihave cut my pumping costs in half.”

Aeration is also important. The holdingtanks are vigorously aerated usinglengths of ‘leaky pipe’ driven by Neto airpumps to ensure the stressed stock hasplenty of oxygen. An emergency backupgenerator is available in case of (fairlycommon) power blackouts.

Water quality managementWater quality management is veryimportant. Whilst the systems are rela-

tively easy to operate, a fluctuating bio-mass and large numbers of bait speciescan prove to be difficult to manage. Allthe bait species are hardy estuarinespecies tolerating wide variations insalinity, pH and dissolved oxygen.Nonetheless, Frank aims to maintain asalinity of 20 to 25 ppt, a pH of 8.4 anda general water hardness of 200 ppm.Whilst this is a higher pH and waterhardness than that occurring naturally inthe Gippsland Lakes, it’s intentional.Frank wants to provide plenty of buffer-ing capacity and assist the various crus-tacean species overcome stress frombeing held at high densities.

“I’ve found over the years that the higherpH and water hardness levels give bettersurvival and give more stability to thesystem. A lower pH and hardness levelcan lead to rapid pH crashes which canresult in large mortalities.”

A three-monthly, 10% water exchangemaintains water quality. Water is suckedfrom the nearby Gippsland Lakes with afire-fighting pump into a 1,500L plastictank set up on a trailer. “I probably needto update my water collection system butit works well and at the moment it givesme all the water I need. I don’t evenmake a special trip to collect it, I justbring it back on a fishing trip.”

Frank also uses town water – which isn’ttreated as the chlorination levels are alwaysvery low – to adjust salinity and top upany summertime evaporation losses. Anyeffluent water is discharged into the sew-erage as trade waste to prevent potentialcontamination of the local waterways.

Feeding of the bait species is fairly sim-ple. As the majority of species held arecrustaceans, Frank uses a Monodongrower pellet as his main feed source.This is fed at 1% of biomass per day,maintaining the health of the bait speciesand reducing predation / cannibalism inthe systems. “I find that if you don’t feedthem something the mortality rate willincrease due to aggressive behaviour andcannabism, feeding definitely helpsreduce this,” he explains.

A mixture of microalgae species used tofeed the shrimp has the added benefit of

But a new shed being completed thissummer to house another three systemswill be insulated. Nevertheless, Frankpoints out that the system design alreadyallows for some regulation of the watertemperature. “I don’t use heaters or any-thing else to control the system tempera-ture as I have found that the system doesit for me. Temperatures are no lowerthan 14°C and no higher than 20°C dueto heat from the pumps and evaporationfrom the trickle filter,” he says.

The design that Frank has settled on is

The stock are held in shade cloth mesh cages, seen in the foreground,suspended in the holding tanks. Photo by Frank Milito

A 500 litre fibreglass tank that is used to culture amixed green water culture which is used to feedthe shrimp. Photo by Frank Milito



assisting in the maintenance of waterquality by removing nitrates. Frank’sgreen water culture is made by simplyfertilising some lake water, adding lightaeration and leaving it in the sun to grow.A dense culture grows in a few days. Cul-ture density is monitored with a secchidisc ; a culture with a 250mm reading isbest for feeding.

“At this density the shrimp feed on itevenly; when you look at the shrimp allof them will have a green stomach,” hesays. “I will feed around half of a 500 Lcontainer of green water to the shrimp 2-3 times per week. By keeping my twoculture containers topped up I have aready supply all the time.”

Frank has few problems with diseases;mortalities are generally due to harvestor transport stress and associated waterquality problems. He attributes some ofthis to salinity changes that the baitundergoes between the Lakes and thesystem. “The salinity is often quite highwhere I catch the shrimp and crabs, andwhen they are put into the systems at 20ppt, the osmotic shock kills most of the(ecto) parasites. I haven’t noticed anyproblems with bacterial infections, so Iguess the salinity change probablyreduces bacteria as well.”

The futureLooking to increase his holding capacity,Frank is currently organising a new 150m2

shed for several new systems. He also

hopes that this will allow him to holdand grow most species for a longer timeso he can supply these species out of sea-son – and possibly all year round. Believ-ing that breeding the main bait specieswill be necessary to insure long term via-bility, he hopes to use his new systems tobegin some trial work on several species.

“I’m confident that I can breed many ofthe species we sell. The trick will begrowing them at an economical price. Iknow I still have a long way to go beforethis happens.”

To this end Frank will soon be applyingfor an aquaculture permit. “I currentlyoperate under a bait fishing license butthe holding of live bait is a bit of greyarea. I have had a few arguments withFisheries (Victoria) over this, and Ithought that I would beat all the red-tapeby just getting an aquaculture license,”he says.

By Shane Willis with Dos O’Sullivan

For more information contact FrankMilito, Lot 1, Princess Highway, SwanReach, Vic 3903. Mob: 0400 564-149,email: [email protected].

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)To allow inter-farm comparisons, each AAM

farm profile details a number of key

performance indicators for different

aquaculture systems. Except for the comments

under ‘Key Management Decisions’ which

are prepared by Dos, the information has

been supplied by the farmer:

• Key Management Decisions for Frank

include:

– Value adding bait species from live sales

– On growing of small bait species for

higher margins

– Increasing season of bait species to meet

market demand

– Looking at aquaculture potential of

different species

– Marketing arrangements with customer

networks

• Culture System utilised: customised RAS.

• Maximum holding period: 4 weeks

• Survival rate: 80% from harvest to sale size

Frank uses simple RAS for holding his stock. Thesystems are home made utilising items such as fishbins and stock troughs. Photo by Frank Milito



The Australasian Aquaculture ‘Innovation in Aquaculture’

Conference and Trade Show will bring together over

1,000 delegates from across the planet to share knowledge

and showcase aquaculture’s best innovations.

Over 100 booths filled the exhibition space at the 2004

trade show. Additional booth space is available in Adelaide

for Australasian Aquaculture 2006, but is selling quickly.

The enormous trade show is a major drawcard for the event.

Over 160 trade booths are planned to operate during the

conference. People from all over the world recognise

aquaculture suppliers in the Asia-Pacific region are as

being innovative and are keen to check out some of the

recent developments the region has to offer.

“Already half the trade show is allocated to people wanting

to showcase their products and services at the event,” said

Bruce Zippel, Chair of the Conference Steering Committee.

Organisations interested in being part of this major inter-

national event should not waste time and contact Claudia

Metti +61 (0) 8 8226 2269 for more details.

The National Aquaculture Council of Australia (NAC) in

partnership with the World Aquaculture Society’s Asia-Pacific

Chapter (WAS-APC) and the South Australian Aquaculture

Council (SAAC) will host the event. It is proudly supported

by Primary Industries and Resources, South Australia

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Corporation (FRDC).

To book your place at the biggest aquaculture tradeshow in

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At the time, FRDC-funded project intoselective breeding of Pacific oysters

was well underway. Run by CSIRO’sMarine Laboratories in Tasmania and theTasmanian Aquaculture and FisheriesInstitute (TAFI) , the landmark project –“The Sustainable Genetic Improvementof Pacific Oysters in Tasmania and SouthAustralia” – had begun developing aseries of thoroughbred family lines.

Employing state-of-the-art selectivebreeding techniques, the research teamfocussed its efforts on five geographical-ly-diverse growing waters in Tasmaniaand SA. After six years, it had developed160 family lines from five different gen-

Breeding focus to build oyster profitsFive years ago, a small group – including growers of Pacific oyster from South Australia and

Tasmania, plus representatives from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC)

and the CRC (Aquaculture) – met informally at Adelaide Airport to discuss commercialising the

outcomes of oyster genetic research.

erations, a heroic effort well recognisedand valued by industry leaders.

The challenge industry faced was how tocommercialise that research at the con-clusion of the project in September2003. The solution was neat – licensingof the family lines and the intellectualproperty to a company (AustralianSeafood Industries, ASI) jointly ownedby the Tasmanian Oyster ResearchCouncil (TORC), the South AustralianOyster Research Council (SAORC) andthe South Australian Oyster GrowersAssociation (SAOGA) and chaired byTORC’s Barry Ryan.

At the time, ASI secretary Bob Cox told

growers that faster growth was not thenumber one research priority. The primeobjective, he said, should be consistentgrowth of all oysters in a batch.

ASI’s selectively-bred spat aimed to deliver:• Uniform meat and shell growth• Uniform shape• Better survival

The first two characteristics, he said, hadthe potential to cut the numbers of timesstock needed to be handled.

“Costs are created by the way the oystergrows through the farm, not by how fastit goes through,” he said.

On survival, he noted reducing the death

Thoroughbred Oysters commercial production.



rate would deliver more oysters and morerevenue from a crop.

That was not to say that speed wouldn’tdeliver benefits, particularly in water uti-lization. But the potential gains indicatedthat the best benefits would come from auniformly growing oyster with a highsurvival rate.

ASI’s role is not to itself produce thor-oughbred oyster spat for sale to farmers,ASI’s General Manager Scott Parkinson,explains. Rather it is as a custodian of thefamily lines, a facilitator of spat sales anda manager of ongoing selective breedingresearch.

“We don’t actually produce hatcheryseed ourselves,” he explains. “Instead wesupply the broodstock to the licensedhatchery operators. They sell the spat asthoroughbred oysters and charge a royal-ty on top of their standard price. Thatroyalty reverts back to ASI to keep fund-ing the program.”

As custodian of 200 family lines, ASI hasa broodstock management agreementwith the four oyster companies who hostthe genetically-enhanced oysters on theirleases. “These farmers are leaders look-ing to the future of the industry,” saysScott. “They understand the importanceof maintaining the research stock sepa-rate from their oysters and provide theinfrastructure to do so.”

However the oysters themselves are handledby Scott and his offsider, not the farmers.

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Graeme Cameron (Hatchery Manager) and Scott Parkinson at Cameron’s of Tasmaniainspecting line 100.



Similarly, oyster hatcheries keen to deliverspat from ASI’s thoroughbred broodstocksign an agreement specifying the breed-ing and pricing protocols to be followed.

“Although hatcheries generally do theirown basic selective breeding, ours is morescientifically rigorous. So hatcherieswanting to breed and sell our stock cancome and see our stock and our results.

“We tell them how each line is perform-ing against the traits we’ve been lookingat. They can then come out to a brood-stock site, see for themselves how they’redoing and select a line that they believewill best suit their customer demands.”

Currently two Tasmanian and one SAhatchery sell thoroughbred spat. Saleshave risen from 4 million spat in the firstyear to 25 million in 2005, representing16% of all spat sales.

Whilst it may not be as fast as ASI wouldprefer, it’s still very substantial progress.

However, continuing the research hasproven more of a handful.

ASI can only call on two full-time staff.Scott Parkinson is one. The other is Uni-versity of Tasmania aquaculture graduateJames Burke, employed by ASI under a

$100,000 two-year, R&D Start Graduategrant.

James Burke’s project in collaborationwith the University of Tasmania, Schoolof Aquaculture seeks to determine theeconomic cost benefits of farming selec-tively bred Pacific oysters.

He’s following the two commercial linesproduced in the 2004 season through tomarket, collecting information from Tas-manian and South Australian growers.These results will be analysed with helpfrom TAFI.

“ASI completed a theoretical cost-bene-fit analysis for oyster farmers that showssavings in production costs of $20,000per million thoroughbred oysters pro-duced,” Scott explains. “These savingsare from increased production rates,more uniform batches of oysters,reduced handlings, higher survival andincreased growth rates.”

But he believes these estimates had beenconservative and the actual savings Jamesdocuments may be considerably higher.

“For reasons of confidentiality, we obvi-ously don’t know who the hatcheries areselling the spat to. It’s up to us to talkoften with farmers and encourage theirfeedback. That can be difficult becausewhen everything’s going fine, farmerstend to just get on with it.

“Often, it’s only when there is a problemthat we’re told.”

That’s why Scott and James are so assid-uous in getting around to industry func-tions, calling into nearby leases as theytend their stock in two states and pub-lishing a quarterly newsletter with all thelatest news.

“There will always be those who believeselective breeding is not for them,” Scottsays. “But others know that it can behard to forecast the challenges of thefuture and it is best to be prepared.”

What is becoming obvious is that certainseed performs very well in some bays butnot as well in others. For some, that per-formance differential comes down tohow the thoroughbred stock is managed.For example, Peter and Hayden Dyke fromOyster Bay Oysters found that their thor-oughbred oysters (family line 118) hadgrown slightly elongates with normalhandling practices. Modification of suchpractices prevented those tendencies.

And data collected by James so far has indi-cated that thoroughbred oysters can out-grow 3mm baskets and seed trays if man-aged the same as standard hatchery seed.

“To get the full benefit, farmers need toassess their stock on a regular basis andchange their management to suit,” Scottcontinues. “For this reason, we suggestthat a review of handling practicesshould coincide with the purchase ofthoroughbred oysters.”

Pushing the boundaries in progressingthe selective breeding program is testingASI’s resources. For example, the budgetdoes not extend to the employment of aqualified research geneticist.

So ASI initiated a FRDC-funded projectto evaluate several cutting-edge genetictechnologies considered to have potential– double haploidy, intensive inbreeding,triploidy and enhanced selective breed-ing. These have being scrutinised in finedetail and ‘measured’ alongside the cur-rent selective breeding program.

The project established the status of each

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technology, its research priority relativeto others and the method through which itmight be used within the breeding program.

Doing the evaluation was an expert pro-ject team: CSIRO’s Dr Peter Kube, DrXiaouxu Li (South Australian Researchand Development Institute and Dr JohnNell (NSW Fisheries) as an independentreviewer. Scott represented ASI and ASIChairman Barry Ryan co-ordinated theproject and is reporting its outcomes.

“Some technologies looked fantastic butwere really in proof-of-concept stage,”Scott summarises. “Our responsibilitywas to work out what will give the bestcommercial gains to farmers in the shortto medium term.”

A final outcome will be preparing aFRDC funding application for researchbased on the technology deemed ofhighest priority.

In the meantime, ASI and the Universityof Tasmania have commenced work on aconditioning project thanks to addition-al funding from AusIndustry. Oystersfrom family line 118 are being comparedto standard hatchery stock to determineif the extent and timing of conditioningprocesses differ significantly. The$10,000 project is also investigating thepossible relationship between shell den-sity and condition and its potential as anon-destructive condition test.

Again, with this process, ASI is demon-strating an ability to leverage all availablesources of funds to advance its charter.FRDC has recognised its industry leadershipby continuing to sponsor its targetedactivities. So too has AusIndustry with thegrant paying for James’ employment andthe thoroughbred conditioning work.

Now the Department of Agriculture,Fisheries and Forestry has awarded Scottan In-Market Experience Scholarship.“During the review process, it becameclear that it was important to visit otheroyster research organizations overseas ona face to face basis.

“We need to benchmark what we aredoing to make sure we’re making theright decisions.

“Because we’ve got to be so careful withevery dollar we spend, I found a scholarship

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that would fit this need and applied for it.”

Announcing the results, the Minister forAgriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, PeterMcGauran, said that “the scholarships helpturn great ideas into commercial realities”.

"Specifically, they enable the winners tobuild relationships with potential cus-tomers, undertake business or industry-specific training courses, gain experiencein new areas of business and markets, andreceive first-hand advice from experts.”

Scott will use his funding to attend thisyear’s World Aquaculture Conference inFlorence and then spend a week withoyster experts at France’s renownedINFREMER research organization.

Clearly, ASI continues to focus on ‘liftingthe bar’ in its efforts to improve com-mercial outcomes from its selectivebreeding program. “The feedback fromUS oyster researchers to my paper at2004’s Australasian Aquaculture Confer-ence was that we were leaders in ourfield at that time,” Scott says “eventhough they’ve got a very big programover there.

“But we need to be, because we’ve got a

comparatively small industry and pro-

ductivity is the key to how our farmers

survive and thrive.”

For further information contact

Scott Parkinson at ASI, 51 Belar St,

Howrah TAS 7018. Phone: 03 6244 6622;

Fax: 03 6244 3518; Email:

[email protected]

Acknowledgements

As with all early commercialization companies

reliance on support (in-kind and financial) from

industry is vital to their success and ASI is no

exception with special thanks to the following

organisations; TORC, SAORC, Zippel Enterprises,

Bolduans Bay Oysters, Marine Culture, Tasmanian

Pittwater Oysters, Oyster Bay Oysters, Cameron’s

of Tasmania and Shellfish Culture.

Scott Parkinson, Tom Kennedy, Jarad Poke inspecting stock.

Garry Zippel ASI Director(broodstock selection)▼



When Nace Parkin moved to hisrural property between Port Mac-

quarie and Kempsey (NSW mid-Northcoast) in 1992 and saw how much waterran through the block during the wetseason, he decided he had to do some-thing with it. So, on hearing about theaquaculture course at Grafton, he signedup. Armed with the knowledge thusgained he set up a pilot to test his skillsin 1998. From the pilot he moved on tofull scale production in 2001 with four0.2ha ponds.

Simple, assured management pays offfor NSW silver perch farmer

Water supply is not a concern. Whilst a15ML storage dam catches the run-offfrom the nearby state forest, the waterfrom the 6ML settlement pond is recy-cled through the ponds. Should hedecide to extend the farm to the fulllicence of 2.4ha, Nace can pump fromthe creek. And there’s an aquifer underthe farm that he can tap into.

Although water temperatures can fall aslow as 12°C, this only last for the fewweeks at the depth of winter. Fortunate-ly he hasn’t had any winterkill syn-drome, putting this down to being ableto keep nutrition levels up to the fishnearly all winter.

The 60m x 35m bottom draining pondsare 1.5m sloping to 2m deep. Whilst aer-ation is by 1.2hp paddlewheel (6hp/ha)on some ponds and 1hp aspirator (5hp/ha)on others, Nace has more confidence inthe paddlewheel to keep the dissolvedoxygen at safe levels. Inadequate DO lev-els have already cost him fish and asaspirators give up the ghost over time hewill replace them with paddlewheels.

Production cycleAll ponds are dried out between produc-tion cycles and are limed at the rate of500kg/ha – the agricultural ground lime-stone is mixed with the filling water toprevent the benefits becoming locked upin the pond substrata. Nace has triedliming a dry pond but, even at rates ashigh as 5t/ha, he’s had better results withintroducing the lime to a flooding pond.Periodic dosing with more lime keepsthe pH at around 7 throughout the pro-duction cycle.

Nace’s preference is for a carbonate hard-ness of 40ppm or better in his ponds.

Fry are stocked between January andMarch. Those fry stocked in late January2004 were 400g by the end of February2005 and 600g by that October, giving agrowing cycle of 21 months.

By comparison, March 2005 saw hisneighbour, Alan Hambly, do a late breedand Nace took some of the 1g fry. As ittranspired, that winter was mild; watertemperatures only got down to 15°C andthen only for a few weeks. Once the tem-perature fell to 18°C Nace cut the feed-ing rate back to 0.5% of biomass, twice aweek, but the fish still fed right throughthe cooler months, averaging 50g by lateOctober. They’ll probably will be readybefore next summer, giving a growingtime of between 18-20 months.

Given that experience, Nace plans todrop his stocking rate in future backfrom 20,000 tails per hectare to10,000/ha. He feels this will take thepressure off the management and pro-duce faster growing fish.

Local seedstockNace is a strong believer that locally-bredseedstock acclimatised to local condi-tions do better in the ponds. To demon-strate what a mild winter and acclima-tised seedstock will do he told of a crophe grew from 1g fry. Stocked at the endof January, the leaders were 400g by late

The harvesting rig at Kareema Park.

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October of the same year. Unfortunatelyhe lost that particular batch due to insuf-ficient aeration at a crucial time, but atgrowth rates like this, it is possible toproduce silver perch under 18 months,making the species extremely commer-cial under the right conditions.

FeedingAlthough he follows the feeding recom-mendations Select Nutrition’s floatingdiets, Nace does tend towards feedingthe fish to what they’ll take. This doesn’tfall below 2% of their body weight oncethe water temperature holds above 20°C.

He feeds six days a week to give theponds a rest. If there’s feed left over afteran hour he cuts back. Estimated foodconversion efficiency is 1.5:1.

PurgingAs the dam water is very good it is usedin the purging system composed of three5,000L circular tanks. Even so, it’s dosedwith 500kg of ground agricultural lime-stone two days before stocking to helpclear it as well as to boost the carbonatehardness and stabilize the pH in the sys-tem. In just a couple of days the waterbecomes crystal clear.

The filtration system consists of a 180Lsand filter and a 500L biofilter; the latter

uses bio-balls and drinking straws as amedium and filters the entire purgingvolume every 15 minutes.

Supplementary aeration is supplied tothe tanks which can run as many as 200fish each. A standard stocking rate is150-200kg.

Fish remain in the purging system fortwo weeks (three weeks in winter) toensure there is no off flavour, althoughten days would generally be sufficient.That extra stay is for his own peace ofmind and in the name of customer rela-tions. The duration is, Nace has found, a

function of water flow. Prior to installinga 1.25hp Power Master Davey pump heused another of 500 watt (0.75hp).Increasing the water flow reduced therequired purging time by 30% (from 10days to seven). More time is still necessaryin winter when fish metabolism slows.

The economicsPutting aside the cost of capital, Naceestimates the cost of production between$3.20/kg and $3.40/kg – including food,maintenance and power but not labour.He says that when people say it costs

Getting ready to feed out.The simple but effective purging system.



$6/kg to grow perch, they’re including

capital and labour costs.

Apart from the purchase of the farm, it

cost $70,000 to set up the operation.

That includes everything – ponds,

underground pipelines, Fisheries and

local council application fees, environ-

mental impact statement and the feedand purging facilities.

With an estimated harvest of 1.5t every18 months from a 0.2ha, his annual cropis four tonne. By doubling the storagedam and using the material to build afifth pond, Nace could expand thatannual production to 5t and his annualgross income to between $40,000 and$45,000.

MarketingMarketing is a touchy subject. Althoughselling through the Sydney Fish marketis not as lucrative as the live market,Nace says the money is assured and hecan do without the worry.

On the other hand, to service the livemarkets Nace reckons he’d need his owntruck and the time to drive down to Syd-ney to run around the distributors andrestaurants. On top of that, it’s a buyersmarket – as it’s so well serviced – thatprefers larger fish that he finds are a lesscost-effective to grow.

“I’ve sent down small, medium, largeand extra large and the difference is adollar,” he explains. “Why grow a fish to800g and get (say) $9/kg for it when Ican grow a 400g fish in two months lesstime and get $8.40/kg. Then there’s theextra feed, aeration and effort. You usedto get $15/kg for the big guys; nowthey’ve squashed the price down. Even

so, the prices we’ve been getting the lastfew years from the (Sydney) Fish Markethave been good. We’ve only had one badsituation where someone dumped a lotof fish on the market; this brought theprice down to six bucks.

“The markets are there all right”, he says.“Silver perch are a top quality fish andare being seen more and more as a gen-eral market fish, not just for the Asianmarket. John and Maureen Hambly haveproved that with their marketing effortsin the Hastings region”, he says.

The FutureLike many silver perch growers Nace issitting on the fence at this stage. “If thegovernment put up their fees I’m out ofit. With full Cost Recovery and the num-ber of growers likely to toss it in, licensefees could go up to $6,000. There goesyour profit margin.

“I’d be one that would walk away. It’s theworst mistake they could make. It washard enough to get people to farm at(assurances of) 10t/ha, which is virtuallyunattainable and based on speculation.To then put a license fee on it as welldoesn’t make sense. Then we’ve got SafeFood fees and the cost needed toupgrade our facilities to meet their stan-dards. It’s not easy holding down a job,being a dad and a husband as well asgrowing and marketing fish.

“And then the license isn’t transferable!You can spend a good part of your lifebuilding up the farm and the business,and then you can’t sell it with the farm.If you’ve got a hotel license you can sellit. It’s worth quite a lot of money. But ifyou’ve got an aquaculture license, itdoesn’t go with the property. You don’tget a dollar for it.”

Employing a low entry cost and runninga tight budget, Nace Parkin’s operationdemonstrates how a small silver perchventure can generate an income. But it’snot easy. Management is everything in thisindustry and spare time is at a premium.

By John Mosig

Nace can be contacted by phone on (02) 6561 5169, and by email [email protected]

Nace feeding some of his charges.

Murray DarlingFisheries

Specialist in breeding &supplying Murray Cod,

Golden Perch, Silver Perch.

1795 Old Narrandera RoadWagga Wagga N.S.W. 2650

Phone: 02 6922 9447Mobile: 0419 600 926

Fax: 02 6922 [email protected]

F E A T U R E


The implementation of Best Aquacul-ture Practices (BAP) is seen as an

important way that the industry can beviewed as good environmental stewards.Compliance with BAP can also showhow aquaculturists are responsiblemembers of the local community usingthe most appropriate production prac-tices to promote sustainability. Codes ofPractice (CoP, see Box Insert Definitions),Codes of Conduct (CoC) and Certifica-tion Programs are all recommended asthe most appropriate way for the Aqua-culture Industry as a whole, sector orindividual operator can demonstratetheir sustainability.

So important is this issue, that membersof various sectors of the aquacultureindustry around the world have formedthe Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA)(www.gaalliance.org). One of the majorinitiatives of the GAA was to establish theResponsible Aquaculture Program (RAP).

The RAP encourages the culture of safe,wholesome seafood in an environmen-tally and socially responsible manner.More importantly, it is also intended toimprove the efficiency and long-termsustainability of the aquaculture industry.

The RAP began as a straightforward setof “Guiding Principles for ResponsibleAquaculture”. The principles called forminimal ecological impacts, water con-servation, improved feed and drug useand reductions in effluents.

The principles were then expandedupon GAA’s ‘Codes of Practice forResponsible Shrimp Farming’. Farmoperators can now evaluate the perfor-mance of their operations in such areas

Best Aquaculture Practice Certification for PrawnsFor a number of years the term ‘World’s Best Practice’ has been used in our industry. So what

does BAP actually mean? How can it be achieved? How can certification assist in our industry

and products promotions? These and other crucial issues were discussed at World Aquaculture

2005, held in Bali last May. Whilst the focus was on prawns, there are many lessons for other

sectors of our industry.

as food safety, mangrove conservation,effluent discharge, chemical use andsalinisation. Social issues are also discussed.

After the codes were published, exten-sive reviews of international standardsled GAA to establish a set of quantitative“Best Aquaculture Practices Standardsfor Responsible Shrimp Farming”. Thestandards deal with a huge range ofissues, including:• property rights and regulatory compli-

ance;• community and employee relations;• mangrove conservation;• effluent and sediment management;• soil and water conservation;• post-larvae sources;• drug and chemical management; • microbial sanitation, and • harvest and transport.

The RAP remains a voluntary, primarilyeducational program. To answer theindustry’s growing call for more formalrecognition of sustainable practices, GAArecognised the need for an independentverification body and helped create theAquaculture Certification Council Inc., anon-profit third party certification orga-nization.

Independent CertificationThe Aquaculture Certificate Council Inc(ACC) (www.aquaculturecertification.org)has also been established as a non-govern-mental body. The ACC applies elementsof the GAA’s Responsible AquacultureProgram in a certification system thatcombines site inspections and effluentsampling with sanitary controls, thera-peutic controls and product traceability.

Part of ACC’s mission is to help educatethe aquaculture public regarding thebenefits of applying best managementpractices and the advancing scientifictechnology that directs them. By imple-menting such standards, program partic-ipants can better meet the demands ofthe growing global market for safe, whole-some seafood produced in an environ-mentally and socially responsible manner.

The ACC offers a primarily ‘process’rather than ‘product’ certification, withan orientation toward seafood buyers.Successful participation in the ACC pro-gram is visually represented by limiteduse of the ‘Best Aquaculture Practices’certification mark.

ACC currently certifies only prawnhatcheries, farms and processing plants.In the future, feed mills and analyticallaboratories will be incorporated into thecertification program. Once certificationis fully established for prawns, otherspecies will also be included.

William R. More (known as Bill), VicePresident and Director of the ACC, toldWorld Aquaculture 2005 delegates thatamong the various challenges facing theaquaculture industry today is the need toidentify, write and implement good CoPsand good management systems that pro-mote sustainability. This will require theparticipation of all industry stakeholders.

“Codes of Practice must be international-ly recognised, transparent, standardized,proactive, and establish guidelines andprocedures for voluntary industry selfregulation,” he said. “The implementedcodes must be practical and efficient.They must be designed to produce safe,

F E A T U R E


wholesome products that provide envi-ronmental, social and economic benefitsfor present and future generations. Theshrimp (prawn) industry is now able tocombat the negative publicity through theGAA’s BAP, which is licensed to the ACC.”

Bill noted that whilst the BAP codes needto be comprehensive, they had to be flex-ible enough for adaptation to any site inthe geographically diverse industry, andaffordable to both large and small farms.

Whilst the codes were voluntary, Bill saidit was important that a system was inplace to verify compliance. The certifica-tion, auditing and verification needed tobe undertaken by trained professionals.“BAP process controls and monitoringguidelines should be reviewed and veri-fied regularly by qualified third party.They should be subject to change if theyare not achieving their objectives.

“To be truly sustainable, aquaculturefacilities must comply with all of theprinciples of sustainability to includesocial, environmental, economic andproduction issues while, at the sametime, realizing a profit to encourageinvestment to foster sustainability.

“Although it is not a panacea to solve allindustry problems, BAP certification canbe an efficient tool to develop andenforce sustainable industry practices.”

Addressing Consumer Concerns Dr Claude Boyd (Auburn University,USA) said that environmentalists werecoming to the conclusion that aquacul-ture should be encouraged as a means ofreducing the fishing pressure on naturalpopulations of fish, shrimp, and otherseafood. However, they want to encour-age those kinds of aquaculture that haverelatively few negative impacts.

He said that it was important to knowwhat questions consumers asked aboutseafood, questions such as:• Is it safe to eat?• Is the product the result of environ-

mentally responsible production tech-niques?

• Have socially responsible managementpractices been used?

• What is the country of origin?• Is it wild caught or cultured?

For seafood safety, Claude said that thereseveral layers of protection:• At the farm level – some countries have

restrictions on chemicals and effluentregulations but others have none.

• At the processing plant – proceduresrequired by importing nations, e.g.,HACCP.

• At the entry point or importing nations– inspections, e.g., residue limits, bannedantibiotics, etc.

• At the buyer/distributor – specifications(mainly on quality).

• At the supermarket or restaurant –specifications (mainly on quality),food handling regulations.

Environmental and social performancesare also of great interest to the consumer.Not only are some governments legislatingsuch concerns into law, a number of non-government bodies have also been estab-lished, including many producer associ-ations promoting responsible aquaculture.

Claude pointed to one group, EnvironmentalDefence (www.oceansalive.org/eat.cfm)who publish information on which specieswere okay to eat (‘Eco-best’) and whichspecies or products were not (‘Eco-worst’).

The Seafood Choices Alliance is anothergroup (www.seafoodchoices.com/). Eventhe Monterey Bay Aquarium has a WestCoast Seafood Guide (www.monterey-bayaquarium.org). Other groups alsoinclude the Audubon Society and Ecofish.

Such groups have real power in influencingconsumer demands. According to a surveyby the Seafood Choices Alliance, overone-third of US respondents would bewilling to modify seafood purchases infavour of environmentally-responsibleproducts.

Claude suggested that the major issuesfor certification were:• Food safety- antibiotics, pesticides and heavy metals- other potential toxins- harmful microbial contaminants• Environmental stewardship- source of brood stock and post larvae- site (legally acquired, suitable, and not

in ecologically-sensitive area)- genetically modified organisms- water pollution- efficient use of resources (feed, elec-

tricity, water, land, fertilizer, etc.)- impacts on biodiversity- farm sanitation - ecological nuisances• Social responsibility- relationships with workers- relationships with local community.

He pointed out that fish meal reductionwas critical. “It is important for two rea-sons,” he said. “The first is that aquacul-ture is a major consumer of fish meal forfish meal is used in feeds. Unless aqua-culture makes efficient use of fish meal,it will not enhance world fisheries pro-duction. Second, there is a finite supplyof fish meal. Unless aquaculture cangreatly reduce its dependence on fishmeal, its expansion cannot continue forlong.”

He noted that this issue couldn’t beaddressed at the farmer level; rather itneeded to be at an international level byresearchers, government agencies andinternational agencies. Progress is beingmade. Witness the US Channel catfishindustry where the fish meal componentin feed has been slashed from 15% to8%. Claude also noted that crude proteinlevels have been reduced from 42 to 44%in the 1960s to 28 to 30% today. On theother hand, he said it was also importantto calculate how much food wasrequired to produce the dressed weightof the fish. “Despite what is claimed bysome environmental groups, around432kg of fish meal are required to pro-duce 1 tonne of fillets.”

Claude also said that the World WildlifeFund for Nature (WWF) was conducting

The Global Aquaculture Alliance is a nonprofit, non-governmental international association whose mission is to further environmentallyresponsible aquaculture to meetworld food needs.

F E A T U R E


a through study of issues that should beconsidered in certification programs for avariety of aquaculture species. Stake-holder meetings have been held forshrimp, salmon and molluscan shellfish(oysters, clams, mussels, scallops) andothers planned for tilapia, rainbow trout,abalone, seaweeds and channel catfish.

According to Claude, the “environmentalfriendliness” of the species/speciesgroups from highest to lowest appears tobe as follows:1 Seaweed2 Molluscan shellfish and abalone3 Channel catfish4 Tilapia5 Rainbow trout6 Shrimp and salmon.

He recommended the development ofcertification standards, using the follow-ing steps:• An evaluation of culture systems for

major production areas.• Possible negative environmental and

social impacts identified.• Good practices (that prevent or min-

imise the negative impacts) identified.• Board stakeholder meetings be con-

vened to discuss the issues.• Certification standards developed

through collaboration with all stake-holders.

He said that the process should beshould be well-organized, documented,and transparent. “The certifiers shouldbe true, third-party certifiers. The certifi-cation program should have name recog-nition and be perceived as trustworthy.Someone should be willing to pay morefor the certified product and the produc-er should receive a share.”

He pointed to the excellent progressbeing made by the Global AquacultureAlliance together with the AquacultureCertification Council (ACC) in theiraquaculture standards.

However, Clause warned industrygroups moving down the certificationpathway that there were still some areasof major uncertainty. For example, thefollowing key questions are, as yet,unanswered: 1 What percentage of the population

would choose a cultured product over

a wild-caught one because theythought that aquaculture did less envi-ronmental damage than fishing?

2 What percentage of the populationwould choose an aquaculture productcertified to be safe, and produced byenvironmentally- and socially-respon-sible methods over a non-certifiedaquaculture product?

3 How much more would the majorityof those choosing the certified productbe willing to pay for it?

Marine Ornamentals CertificationThe marine ornamental (or aquarium)trade includes around 1,800 species cul-tured, of which some 1,200 are fish. Val-ued in 1995 at more than US$100mil-lion, it is has since increased severaltimes over. Concerns about the marineaquarium trade include:• Use of cyanide and other destructive

collection methods;• Poor handling and husbandry practices;• Unnecessary animal mortality; • Collection of unwanted and/or unsuit-

able species; • Potential for stock depletion; • Ecosystem effect of live coral and live

rock exports; • Potential for alien species introduction; • Lack of reliable data on the resources

and the trade; • Limited government capacity for reef

management and enforcement, and • Potential for government trade restric-

tions.

Given that much of the trade comes fromcoastal areas subject to many man-madepressures, industry has taken great stepstowards sustainable development,including a program to allow certificationof operators undertaking best practices.

Peter Scott (Marine Aquarium Council,Hawaii, www.aquariumcouncil.org) saidthat the MAC had developed a Maricul-ture and Aquaculture Management(MAM) standard to implement interna-tionally-accepted environmental andsocioeconomic test practices.

Under the direction of MAC Standardsand Certification Advisory Committee(SCAC), the standards were developedover a five year period of intense consul-

tation, repeatedrevisions andupgrades. “Thestandards weresubject to abroad andi n c l u s i v es takeho lderreview andconsultationboth withinand outsidethe marinea q u a r i u msector,” Peterexp l a ined .“The processwas under-taken using experts and stakeholdersfrom around the world.”

By mid-2005, three international MACstandards were in use in at least eightcountries for third-party certification.These were:1 Ecosystem and Fisher Management2 Collection, Fishing and Holding3 Handling, Husbandry and Transport.

Each standard is accompanied by BestPractice documents advising industryoperators on how they might be able tocomply with the standards.

“The new MAC MAM standards coverthe range of marine aquarium organismcultured/handled in both the source andmarket countries,” Peter said. “Theycover low-tech, in-situ activities right upto high-tech, land-based facilities. Theyinclude the placement of sea-cages, cul-tured live rock, coral propagation, grow-out ponds and culturing facilities. Alsothe general culturing activities frombroodstock/post-larval receipt all theway through to grow-out to market size.Finally, the packaging and transport ofcultured marine aquarium organisms arealso included.”

Peter said that the early success of theprogram was due to the fact it involvedthe entire chain of custody. Other keypoints were that the program was openand transparent, as well as consistentwith the international standard ISOGuide 60 Series.

F E A T U R E


MAC does not verify compliance with itsown standards. It accredits independentthird-party certification companies,which in turn assess compliance to theappropriate MAC Standard.

Live Reef Food Fish Trade MAC’s Geoffrey Muldoon suggested that90% of Southeast Asia’s reefs are threat-ened by human activities such as over-fishing and destructive fishing. “In theface of the over-exploitation, marineaquaculture is seen as capable of reduc-ing pressure on wild reef fish stocks andcontributing to future food demand forthese fish,” he said. “Aquaculture activitieshowever, are under increased scrutiny toaddress their economic, environmentaland social performance. The applicationof collaborative models for responsible,sustained fisheries is seen as a potentialmechanism to address this problem.”

Geoffrey discussed the development ofindustry standards of best-practice for

both wild-caught and aquaculture sectorsof the live reef food fish trade (LRFFT).

In the early 2000s, official records sug-gested that each year more than 18,000tonnes of wild reef fish were caught.Some observers suggested that to thisanother 50% which was not reportedcan be added. All up that equates to avalue of some US $500 million.

Geoffrey said: “Over 20 Asia-Pacificcountries are involved in the trade andgroupers (Family Serranidae) constitutethe main target species. The trade iscomplex with many links in the chain ofcustody from fishers to restaurants.Because of this it was recognised that itwould be very difficult to change to con-sumption habits of the customers. Theprogram still focus on the whole chain ofcustody.”

However, over the past few years a seriesof voluntary standards have addressedthe wild fishery, aquaculture and han-dling, holding, destruction and con-sumption sectors of the LRFFT. Thestandards have been collated into a man-ageable Took Kit, in a self contained CD.

Examples of successful outcomes of thisprogram include:• Cyanide detection testing was now

capable for fish up to two hours follow-ing exposure (although it really needsto be more than eight hours); and

• 90% retention in coded wire tags fortraceability.

Peter Scott said the LRFFT project high-lights the link between production, man-agement and consumption and the needto engage stakeholders across the chainof custody from fishers to restaurants.“The program also addresses the uniqueaspects of the trade that hinder accep-tance and adoption of responsible best-practices, the strengths of using regionalorganizations and the collaborative roleof government and non-governmentagencies to develop and implement them.”

“The requirements for aquaculture of thefish form a significant part of the LRFFTStandard. Field testing of the standardwas undertaken in Thailand and Indone-sia the two major suppliers of LRFF, whoare developing their capacity to under-take full-cycle production of grouper

species. Included within the field testingprogram were hatcheries in Indonesiathat are successfully rearing a suite ofgrouper and snapper species from eggsincluding the Highfin grouper(Cromileptes altivelis), Tiger grouper (Epi-nephelus fuscoguttatus), Green grouper (E.coioides) and Mangrove snapper (Lut-janus argentimaculatus) which are sup-plied to farmers for land-based and sea-cage grow-out nearby the hatcheries.Thailand currently has one hatchery,operated by the Department of Fisheries,based at Krabi in Phuket, Southern Thai-land, which provides a small quantity ofGreen grouper for nearby farmers forland-based and sea-cage grow out.”

He emphasised that the internationalLRFFT Standard includes requirementsfor aquaculture that:• Observe relationship between aqua-

culture and wild fisheries in harvest/collection of seed, juveniles or feed.

• Promote practices that improve sur-vival of wild-caught larvae and juve-niles and improve food quality andsafety including chemical use in hatch-eries and grow out farm; grow outfarm siting and habitat interactions; feedsupply and management; fish healthmanagement, including movements.

Eco-friendly Labelling According to Daniel O’C. Lee (MarineScience Laboratories, Gwynedd, UK),consumers need reliable informationabout the nature and origin of theirfoods to make informed choices. “Todate there has been poor information onaquaculture products, particularly theirenvironmental ‘friendliness’.”

Daniel believes that environmentalistshave become very active in alerting con-sumers to the negative environmentalimpacts of the aquaculture industry, “Inessence this is a positive developmentbecause consumers need to makeinformed choices about what they buy,”he said. “But improvements go unno-ticed. For example, the release of wastenitrogen from salmon farming in Nor-way is now one-sixth of its level 30 yearsago; the amount of feed required is lessthan half and the use of antibiotics is lessthan 0.5% of what it was 10 yrs ago.

Ecolabels and quality labels are being established for products that havebeen certified. It is important for the certifiers, industry and environmentalgroups to build the credibility and consumer recognition for these labels.

Examples include the Marine Stewardship Council (UK), Best Aquaculture Practices (USA), Label Rouge (France) and Naturland (Germany).

Code of Practice: Specific practices (guidelinesand standards) used in the implementation ofthe Codes of Conduct. For instance, theCodex Alimentarius is referred to as Codes ofPractice – not Codes of Conduct. This wouldbe what the ACC refer to as Guidelines andStandards on their website.

Code of Conduct: A series of more or lessgeneral statements addressing aspects ofbehaviour and desirable practice in a certainindustry or activity. Often built around astatement of underlying principles relating toresponsible behaviour and covering subjectssuch as safety, respect for the environmentand the wider public interest. Usually developedfollowing stakeholder consultation. The CoCfor shrimp (prawns) was written for the GAA

by Claude Boyd and Jason Clay (WorldWildlife Fund for Nature) and other industrystakeholders.

Third Party Audit: Undertaken by a totallyindependent, and certified, person/group. Anaudit undertaken by an organization oragency where the auditors have no interestor participation in the facility they are auditing.The concept is that they are independent.ACC is an independent corporation wholicenses codes from the GAA but does notwrite them and we use independent certifiersto certify for us. They are trained by us butthey are not paid by the ACC – nor do theypay the ACC any fees for their services whenthey certify. A third party certification programby a technically and otherwise competent

body other than one controlled by a produceror buyer is the correct terminology for a thirdparty auditor.

First Party Audit: Undertaken by in-housepersonnel. Internal audit, for instance, aprawn company doing their own audits oftheir own facilities with their own plant auditors.

Second Party Audit: Undertaken by a TradeAssociation or group that is associated withthe company. The true definition of a second party audit is that which is undertakenby the supplier.http://manaxis.com/auditor_training.htm;http://www.cepaa.org/Accreditation/AuditorCertificationProgram.htm

Definitions

F E A T U R E


“Unfortunately some green pressuregroups advocate boycotts of aquacultureproducts in a very indiscriminate man-ner – promising to inflict economic dam-age without providing incentives forresponsible producers to improve theirenvironmental record. On top of this,certain groups are ideologically opposedto economic development and give awholly negative view of aquaculture topromote their anti-globalisation agendas.”

Daniel said that a much more balancedand pragmatic approach was needed.“The way forward is for consumers andmajor buyers to be able to identify andselect eco-friendly aquaculture productsand thereby send positive market signalsto responsible producers. Rather thanboycotts, the requirement is for market-driven, eco-labelling schemes based oninternationally recognised standards ver-ified by independent 3rd party certifiers.And importantly in this regard, globali-sation can play a very constructive rolein accelerating the worldwide spread ofbest management practices.”

He said that Eco-labels and QualityAssurance Marks were being establishedfor products that have been certified. “Itis important for the certifiers, industryand environmental groups to build thecredibility and consumer recognition forthese labels.”

Examples include:• Best Aquaculture Practices (USA),

through the ACC • Marine Stewardship Council for Wild

Fisheries (UK) • Label Rouge (Quality label from

France) • Naturland (Organic label from Germany)

“Green activists oppose globalisationbecause they fear it will encourage a ‘raceto the bottom’, with poorly regulatedindustries competing furiously on priceand disregarding the environment. Econ-omists on the other hand reassure usthat, in the longer-term, poor countrieswill improve their environmental recordsas, through economic development(enhanced by globalisation), their citi-zens become wealthier and come toenjoy, like rich westerners, the luxury oftaking a longer term outlook on their lifeand surroundings.

“In the meantime,” said Daniel, “Ratherthan just waiting for this gradual eco-nomic tide to deliver a greener planet,there is an immediate need to promoteconsumer power and to drive up socialand environmental standards in theaquaculture industry.”

Daniel explained that large corporations,such as multi-national supermarkets andseafood buyers, often incurred the wrathof green pressure groups but in reality,

with reputations and brand names toprotect, they were very responsive toconsumer concern about social and envi-ronmental issues and are well positionedto drive up global standards.

He used the example of a chain of UKsupermarkets to show how purchasingpower has been applied to reinforcesocial and environmental standards inprawn farms in Central America. Arecent BBC documentary ‘The price ofprawns’ showed how Marks & Spencersforce their aquaculture suppliers toadhere to codes of conduct. Such mea-sures have succeeded in underminingthe attempts of a green pressure group,Environmental Justice Foundation, toportray the prawn industry in Hondurasas a social and environmental disaster.

Daniel said there were four requirementsto reward responsible farmers:

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F E A T U R E


The Aquaculture Certification Council, Inc.effectively interconnects links in the seafoodproduction chain by certifying processingplants, farms and hatcheries – as well as feedmills and analytical laboratories in the nearfuture – via a central system of standards andadministration. ACC certification indicatesthat aquaculture facilities apply accepted andapproved best management practices toensure food safety and social and environmen-tal responsibility throughout their operations.

To express their participation in ACC’s certifi-cation program, ACC-licensed buyers and cer-tified facilities in good standing may use the‘Best Aquaculture Practices’ certification markin advertising and product labelling as speci-fied in their contractual agreements with ACC.The BAP mark does not certify the condition,quality or food safety status of final aquacul-ture products. Unauthorized use of the trade-marked BAP mark will be vigorously prosecut-ed under applicable civil and criminal laws.

Star System for Wholesale UseTo assist buyers in identifying seafoodprocessed by ACC-certified facilities, certifiedprocessing plants shall apply labels of ACCdesign to all master cartons that contain morethan 5 lbs (2.27 kg) of product. The labelsreflect the ACC certification status of theproduct sources through a “four-star” system.

Wholesale packaging for all aquacultureshrimp processed at ACC-certified plants shallbe labelled with the “one-star” mark (seeabove). The second star shall be markedwhen the shrimp were produced at an ACC-certified farm and packed at an ACC-certifiedprocessing plant. Marking of the third andforth star means the shrimp received feedmanufactured at an ACC-certified feed mill,and post-larvae were produced at an ACC-certified hatchery, respectively.

Electronic artwork and printing guidelines forBAP carton labels are sent to program partici-pants upon final facility certification or buyerlicensing. Labels shall be printed in Pantonereflex blue or black ink on a white back-ground. Individual participants are responsiblefor label printing expenses.

Promotional UseACC buyers and facilities may also use theBest Aquaculture Practices certification markon printed office, promotional or advertisingmaterials for their companies. Such us shallnot be misleading and/or imply product certification, as ACC’s program is a process

BAP Certification Markcertification. Electronic artwork and printguidelines for these applications are sent toprogram participants upon final facility certification or buyer licensing.

Guiding Principles for Responsible AquacultureAs presented in the GAA publication ‘Codesof Practice for Responsible Aquaculture’ companies and individuals engaged in aqua-culture, singularly and collectively shall:1 Coordinate and collaborate with national,

regional, and local governments in thedevelopment and implementation of policies,regulations, and procedures necessary andpracticable to achieve environmental, economic, and social sustainability of aquaculture operations.

2 Utilize only those sites for aquaculture facilities whose characteristics are compatiblewith long-term sustainable operation withacceptable ecological effects, particularlyavoiding unnecessary destruction of mangroves and other environmentally significant flora and fauna.

3 Design and operate aquaculture facilities ina manner that conserves water resource,including underground sources of fresh water.

4 Design and operate aquaculture facilities ina manner that minimizes effects of effluenton surface and ground water quality andsustains ecological diversity.

5 Strive for continuing improvements in feeduse and shall use therapeutic agents judiciously in accordance with appropriateregulations and only when needed basedon common sense and best scientific judgement.

6 Take all reasonable measure necessary toavoid disease outbreak among culturespecies, between local farm sites, andacross geographic areas.

7 Take all reasonable steps to ascertain thatpermissible introductions of exotic speciesare done in a responsible and acceptablemanner and in accordance with appropriateregulations.

8 Cooperate with others in the industry inresearch and technological and educationalactivities intended to improve the environmental compatibility of aquaculture.

9 Strive to benefit local economies and community life through diversification of thelocal economy, promotion of employment,contributions to the tax base and infrastructure, and respect for artisanal fishers, forestry, and agriculture.

1 Increased consumer awareness2 Development of global standards and

eco-label schemes3 Support (increased purchases) from

retailers and the food service industry4 Development of reliable independent

information to enable discriminationby the purchasers / consumers.

The use of independent certifiers, suchas the Aquaculture Certification Council(ACC), was recommended. He suggestedthat the BAP program, for which theACC certifies compliance, can act as apositive model for the industry. “It incor-porates a global standard and an eco-label, and it is underpinned by indepen-dent 3rd party certification.

“Some major players in the wholesaleseafood industry in the USA are alreadythrowing their weight behind the BAPprogram and supplies of shrimp (prawns)from certified sources are steadilyincreasing. This clearly demonstratesthat the industry is responding to envi-ronmental and social concerns and isactively developing a sustainable future.”

By Dos O’Sullivan

For more information contact:• Aquaculture Certification Council, Inc

(ACC). 5661 Telegraph Road, Suite 3A,St. Louis, Missouri 63129 USA.Telephone: +1-425-825-7935, Fax: +1-425-650-3001, Web:www.aquaculturecertification.org,email: [email protected]

• Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA).5661 Telegraph Road, Suite 3A, St.Louis, Missouri 63129 USA. Telephone: 314-293-5500, Fax: 314-2935525, email: [email protected],Web: www.gaalliance.org.

• Peter Scott and Geoffrey Muldoon,Marine Aquarium Council, 923Nu’uanu Ave, Honolulu, H1 96817,USA. Email: [email protected],Web: www.aquariumcouncil.org.www.livefoodfishtrade.com

• Daniel O’C. Lee, CAMS, Marine ScienceLaboratories, Menai Bridge, Gwynedd,LL59, 5AB, UK. Email:[email protected].

R E S E A R C H


Research work carried out in Egypt byAbdel-Tawwab A.A.M. and Ahmad

Metwalli in Egypt for the National Insti-tute of Oceanography and Fisheriescould save Australian silver perch growersmoney on their feed bills and get theirfish out of the ponds faster while at thesame time reduce the reliance of fish mealin silver perch diets. These are goals longsought by industry and researchers alike.

Tilapia aquaculture is a major source offish protein around the world and Aus-tralia’s silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus)has often been compared with it. Feedgenerally makes up 50% of the cost ofproduction – in well run operations itcan be as high as 80% – so it has a sig-nificant impact on the economics ofaquaculture. Any saving on food cost hasthe potential to be beneficial to the grower.

Abdel-Tawwab and his colleagues identi-fied protein as the most expensive com-ponent in the diet and decided to tacklethat in order to reduce the cost of thefeed without compromising the FCR andgrowth rates. Expensive fish and soy-bean meals are the major protein sources

Diet savings in tilapia could help silver perch growers

in fish diets. Abdel-Tawwab said that theutilization of by-products is considered apartial solution in the quest for relativelycheap fish feeds.

The trials partially replaced fishmeal inthe ration fed to Nile tilapia (Oreochromisniloticus) over 140 days, from June toNovember 2002. The 100 x 30g finger-lings per replicate were selected random-ly and four trials were undertaken usingpoultry by product meal (PBPMM) and(poultry) hatchery by product meal(HBPMM). The trials compared replac-ing 50% of the fishmeal with both byproducts and a third replacing half thefish meal with equal proportions of eachby product. Three replicates of eachtreatment were done as well as threecontrol replicates. The fish were fed fourtimes a day, six days a week. The dietscontained 30% crude protein and 4,300kcal/kg.

The poultry by-product waste consistedof viscera, feet, heads and beaks andnecks processed as meat meal. Thehatchery by-product waste consisted ofegg shells, dead chicks, and sterile eggs.

The material was heat treated to kill allmicroorganisms, dried and ground topass through a 2mm sieve.

Four experimental diets were formulatedand fed throughout 140 days. Dietswere formulated to contain PBPMW andHBPMW each at replacement levels of 0,25% and 50% of the fishmeal in the con-trol diet (14%). The composition andchemical analysis of the experimentaldiets are shown in (Table 1). All formu-lated diets were isocaloric (4300 kcal/GE/kg DM) and isonitrogenous (30%CP) and formulated to cover the nutri-ents requirement of tilapia according tothe National Research Council (1993).

Water Quality ParametersWater quality was well within acceptedparameters for tilapia. Dissolved oxygen(DO) concentrations ranged from5.1mg/L to 8mg/L. Temperatures rangedfrom 27.8ºC to 31°C. Maximum TANreadings were 0.03mg/L and pH valuesbetween 7.85 and 8.63. Turbidity variedfrom 28.9cm to 36.5cm, being highest inNovember and lowest in August.

Mortality percentages ranged between2% to 5% in all treatments. Interesting-ly, the mortalities recorded were due tocrowding during fish weighing, whichwas carried out fortnightly.

Condition factor (K)The trial had a commercial focus and oneof the aspects taken into account was thecondition factor (K). Values of K wereestimated during the experimental peri-od based on weight and length using thefollowing equation:

The four treatments of the experimentwere carried out in net cages 5m x 4m x1.5m deep, each stocked with Niletilapia fingerlings at a density of 100kgfish per cage (3.3kg/m3). Each one dietarytreatment was represented in three repli-

Body weight in g

Body length in mmK = x 100

Aeration is simple. As the water level in the raceway falls due to being used on an irrigated crop it ismaintained, at the same time boosting DO levels are boosted. Due to the high evaporation, water use ismore or less continuous. Note the fodder crop used to produce milk and meat behind Ataallah.

R E S E A R C H


cate cages. At the start of the experi-ment, 50 fish were taken randomly forwhole body analysis and kept frozen at -4°_ till analysis was performed.

The ration that replaced 50% of the fishmeal proved the most efficient, both eco-nomically and biologically. Table 1demonstrates some of the economic ben-efits. The K Factor, regarded highly com-mercially, where lean meat depositionreflects on meat recovery if the fish are tobe filleted, was also highest for the 50%PBPM replacement diet. At 2.27, thenearest to it was the control ration at1.95. The 50% HBPM replacement dietcame in at 1.68.

The average weight of the fish on the50% replacement PBPM diet was equallyimpressive. At 321g they left the othersin their wake. The nearest was the 25%PBPM replacement diet at 289g: an 11%advantage. The advantage over the con-trol diet was a massive 19.3%.

The premix contained the following levelsof ingredients per kg: IU vit A; D3;66.1328IU vit E;40mg B12;13.288 Riboflavin;110.230mg Niacin;22.046mg pantithenicacid; 3968Mg Menadione, 2205mg folicacid 2968mg Thiamin, 93mg vit B6, 25mgD.Biotin and 200mg Ethoxyquin. Themineral premix contained the followingamounts/kg: 60mg Zn; 60mg Mn; 40MgFe; 5mg Cu; 1-25 1 and 0.5 Co.

Dr. Abdel-Tawwab felt the poor perfor-mance of the HBPM diets might havebeen due to that product’s deficiency inthe important amino acid lysine.

By John Mosig

Ataallah Abdel-Tawwab can be contactedby email on [email protected]

Table 1: Economic efficiency for production of one kg gain of Tilapia fed different treatments.

Items Control 7% P.B.P.M 3.5% P.B.P.M 7% H.B.P.M3.5% H.B.P.M

Cost/ton feed 1,619 1,392 1,389 1,380

Reduction in - 14.02% 14.20% 14.76%feed cost %

FCR 1.49 1.32 1.32 1.50

Feed cost/kg gain 2.41 1.84 1.93 2.07

% Reduction feed - 23.65% 19.92% 14.11%cost/kg growth

Ingredients Control 7% P.B.P.M 3.5% P.B.P.M 7% H.B.P.M3.5% P.B.P.M

Fishmeal (72%) 14 7 7 7

Soybean meal (44%) 36 39 42 44

P.B.P.W (60%) 0 7 3.5 0

H.B.P.W (36%) 0 0 3.5 7

Yellow Corn 2 2 2 2

Corn Oil 2 2 2 2

Vit. Min premix*

Total 100 100 100 100

Calculated Analysis

Crude Protein % 30.06 30.27 30.48 30.34

GE/Kcal/kg DM 4350.6 4343.7 4348.3 4349.7

Lysine % 1.521 1.513 1.511 1.506

Methionine % 0.685 0.673 0.665 0.659

E.P. ratio % 145 144 143 145

Price £.E./ton 1,619 1,392 1,389 1,380

Table 2: Composition and calculated analysis of the experimental diets

Ataallah Abdel-Tawwab feeding tilapia in anintegrated farm. The water is used to grow tilapiain the raceway before it is used to growagriculture crops.

The figures are in Egyptian pounds. The conversion rate is 1£E = AUD.23¢, making the cost of the mostefficient diet AUD320. a feed cost that would be most welcome amongst Australian growers. However,like many scientific experiments of this nature, these prices are for the raw material cost only.Manufacturing and distribution costs would have to be considered.

I have checked the current retail price of the ingredients and came up with the following raw materialcosts. Diet 1 = $585/t; Diet 2 = $523/t; Diet 3 = $523/t nad Diet 4 = $519/t.

Over 140 days, with fortnightly disturbances for weighing, a process so severe as to cause mortalities, thequickest growing tilapia gained 290g at a specific growth rate of 1.65%. These are remarkable figuresand it is no wonder that the species underwrites one of the fastest growing global aquacultures. It is alsoa popular fish in the marketplace, making huge inroads in the US and found in Asian fishmongers here inAustralia, flown in fresh from South East Asia. But the important message to Australian silver perchgrowers is that there is a good reason to trial food processing sector waste product in an attempt toreduce their feed costs.

T E C H N O L O G Y


YSI introduces maximum-versitilityhandhelds for lab and field

‘

This compact handheld allows you toinstantly change probes and cables. Youdetermine what you want the instrumentto measure and display.

Choose your own combination of vari-ous parameters:• Ammonium, Chloride, Conductivity,

DO, Nitrate, ORP, pH, Temperature• 1,000 data-set memory with GLP

event logging• Interval or single-event logging capability• Easy-to-use software to manage all your

data including user-specific site ID.

The other YSI Professional Series modelshave specific single and dual probe

instrument options, offering user-selec-table cable lengths (all include Tempera-ture) and various cable lengths.• YSI Pro1020: Any one ISE and DO; a

pH/ORP combo probe: and choice ofgalvanic or polarographic probe

• YSI Pro1030: Any one ISE and Con-ductivity; and a pH/ORP Combo Probe

• YSI Pro2030: DO and Conductivity• YSI Pro10: Any one ISE, plus pH/ORP

combo probe or dual ISE capabilities(depending on cable selected)

• YSI Pro20: DO• YSI Pro30: Conductivity

For supply and pricing please contact youlocal Aquaculture YSI agent Aquasonic PtyLtd, www.aquasonic.com.au,[email protected], ph 02 65864933 or fax 02 65864944.

It’s Time to Go Pro’ with seven NEWProfessional Series Instruments. The

easiest, most versatile handheld solutionfor spot sampling in the field or lab.Simply choose the Pro Series model,cable length and probes that are right foryour specific application, from aquacultureto surface water to wastewater and more.

The development of the ProfessionalSeries monitors was solely in response tolistening to customer requests andrequirements. Gayle Rominger, YSI seniorvice president and general manager,states: “ The features and extra versatilityare exciting for customers, but we thinkthe big story here, is that we’re listeningto our customers on a whole new level,and responding to their needs. With thecustomer service process we have inplace, our customers feedback is givendirectly to an integrated developmentteam that includes R&D, manufacturing,customer and technical support, andother key areas of the business. The ProSeries represents our product-develop-ment model where the customer is at theforefront of our decision making process”

The flagship of the Professional Series,YSI Professional Plus is feature packedand accommodates any combination ofPro Series probe, cable and accessory.

DOLPHIN PLASTICSManufacturers of quality plastic

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Tel: 07 5493 4133Fax: 07 5493 4122


T E C H N O L O G Y

BST oyster supplies French connectionthe oyster farmer the ability to raise andlower the height of the oyster bags on theline, thereby giving them more controlover their end product.

BST Oyster Supplies have developed andmarketed an innovative range of prod-ucts that suit the Adjustable LonglineSystem, designed to minimise handlingand encourage optimal growth.

Trials of the BST System have been con-ducted in France, which have resulted ina 40% overall improvement of the oys-ters shell growth and meat condition,however these trials were not conductedunder a tight control, therefore allowingroom for improvement.

The oysters have grown rapidly in the BSTsystem and are expected that they willreach market size in European condi-tions in less time than is currently expe-rienced with more traditional methods.

New trials of the BST system in Francewill be conducted in the EuropeanSpring, which will follow a concise pro-tocol. The results from these trials hope-fully will help prove the advantages ofthe BST Adjustable Longline System overthe traditional trestle methods usedthroughout Europe.

For more information contact :BST Oyster Supplies P/LTel: 08 8629 6013Email: [email protected]: www.bstoysters.com

When BST Oyster Supplies devel-oped the ‘Adjustable Longline

System’ in 1991 their sights were set onthe world. Now in 2005, after manyyears of research and development, theBST system receives global interest fromoyster farmers eager to try this laboursaving system.

With distributors of this unique oystergrow-out system already in placethroughout Australia, as well as Ameri-ca, New Zealand and the UK, BST hasmuch pleasure to announce theappointment of Yannick Brument as the

BST Distributor in France (email: [email protected])

Yannick, who has signed a five year dis-tribution agreement for the system inFrance, is a respected and well knownfigure in the French oyster industry. Thiscontract comes about by the growingsuccess of the BST system in England,Scotland and Ireland.

A majority of the French oyster farmersuse the traditional fixed trestle method,where oysters are at the mercy of the ele-ments. Unlike this trestle method theBST Adjustable Longline System gives

The revised editions of The Australian FishFarmer and The Australian Yabby Farmerare now available on mail order.

Both are cram-packed with information forboth the seasoned fish farmer and the newentrant to the industry. They take the readerthrough the key performance indicators thatneed to be recognized and understood andlook at basic drivers that ensure the viabilityof an aquaculture operation.

Phone John on (03) 9817 3043, or email [email protected] 30 Cecil Street, Kew 3101

Aquaculture BooksCompanion set of

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T E C H N O L O G Y


Smo-King Ovens releases new Smokehouse Sydney based commercial smokehousemanufacturer Smo-King Ovens Pty Lim-ited has built a new smokehousedesigned specifically for fish smoking.The new model provides true reversinghorizontal airflow which allows thesmokehouse to be heavily loaded withproducts on racks while ensuring consis-tent processing of the full load. It is alsowell suited for processing hung productsuch as whole fish. Innovative airflowdesign using a reversing axial flow fanenables the airflow direction within thesmokehouse to be changed by automaticpositioning of just two moveable flaps.The interval between changes of airflowdirection is simply programmed andstored in the smokehouse controller by theuser to suit the products to be processed.

The first model of the new range is a trol-ley loaded smokehouse equipped with a1.8 metre high trolley which holds fif-teen 1 metre x 0.94 metre product racks.It was built to suit the needs of a NewZealand based fish processor to replacehis existing old style smokehouses. Thesmokehouse can also be built to accom-modate trolleys up to 2 meters high.

The new smokehouse is constructedfrom grade 304 stainless steel and has allfunctions such as processing time, fanspeed, smokehouse temperature, foodcore temperature, steam generation,smoke generation and vent damper posi-tioning controlled by a Smo-King Ovens’purpose built microprocessor controller.A built in smokehouse cleaning assis-tance system sprays cleaning solutionfollowed by a fresh water rinse. Smoke-house temperature and food core tem-perature can be easily down loaded fromthe controller to a food processor’s PC toaccommodate food safety plans.

Smoke generation is available from arecycling separate smoke generator sys-tem when long period smoking isrequired or from a smoke generatorbuilt into the smokehouse door when

shorter smoke periods will suit.

While the new range can be supplied tosuit any food smoking, steam or drycooking and food drying application, theavailability of reversing horizontal air-flow makes it particularly suited todemanding fish smoking applicationswhich require the removal of largeamounts of water from the product. Itcan be set up for both hot and coldsmoking. The new products will be ofinterest to the growing Australian aqua-culture industry looking to value add.

The new model extends the Smo-KingOvens smokehouse range which areused for hot and cold fish smoking inAustralia, New Zealand, South East Asiaand the Middle East

For more information contact:John Hodgkinson Managing DirectorSmo-King Ovens Pty Limited19/28 Vore StreetSilverwater NSW 2128 AustraliaPhone: 02 9648 8048Fax: 02 9748 8001Email: [email protected]: www.smo-kingovens.com.au

Hatchery Feeds (Aquafauna Bio-Marine Ltd USA)

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Buy direct from the Australian distributorContact Aquatic Diagnostic Services Int. P/LCall: 04 0972 7853 Fax: 07 3352 6689Email: [email protected]

POSSESS THE PEARL OFKNOWLEDGE WITHAUSTASIA AQUACULTURE

To: Austasia AquaculturePO Box 658 RosnyTasmania 7018 AustraliaInternational facsimilie +61 3 6245 0068

Mail me Austasia Aquaculturefor the next 12 monthsPLUS the Trade Directory (Sept)

Name__________________________________ Title ____________________________

Company ___________________________ Address ____________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

My cheque / bank draft is enclosed

Debit my: American Express Bankcard Mastercard Visa

Number

Expires ___ / __ / __ Signature _________________________________Annual subscription rates, Australian dollars only; Australia $85 (the total price includes GST); New Zealand $85;all other countries $A100. Contract Publishing Pty Ltd T/A Austasia Aquaculture. ABN 31 080 936 741. This document will be a tax invoice when you make payment.

✃

F I S H E N E W S


A B A L O N E

ABALONE FARM TO BE DEVELOPEDThe abalone farm proposed by Australian Bight Abalone at the Goat

Island/St Peter island location is to be developed over the next twelve

months. Eventually there’ll be as many as 80 sea cages holding abalone

stock bred from local animals, on two 40ha leases. Development has

been approved subject to a range of conditions, including a detailed

harm minimisation strategy to protect seabirds and marine mammals.

There have been submissions both for and against the development,

prepared by a range of interested parties. The company already oper-

ates a lease at Elliston, and has another proposal not yet submitted to

the Development Assessment Commission. Late in December, mem-

bers of the Friends of Elliston, a community group opposing the devel-

opment, found debris from the trial lease washed up on the Eyre

Peninsula coastline following inclement weather. However it’s not yet

known whether the debris – abalone baskets – had broken free from

the lease structures during the recent bad weather or had been loose

in the sea for some time. There are concerns such material may prove

a threat to animals from a nearby sea lion breeding colony.

Source: West Coast Sentinel (15/12/2005 & 22/12/2005).

DECISION LOOMS ON PINDIMAR ABALONE FARMAt the next meeting of the Great Lakes Council, a decision will be

made on whether land-based abalone farming will be allowed on a site

at Pindimar South. The Great Lakes Council planning and environ-

mental services department has recommended it be approved subject

to 62 conditions. However there's been strong opposition to the pro-

posal by the Pindimar Bundabah Community, based on the selected

site and the effects of the farm's operation.

Source: Peter Baker in the Great Lakes Advocate (1/2/2006).

GREENS' SENATOR BROWN ON ELLISTON AB FARMGreens Senator Bob Brown has been criticised after he expressed his con-

cerns on the further development of an offshore abalone farm near Ellis-

ton. He's demanding a guarantee the local Australian Sea Lion popula-

tion will not be threatened by the development. There are concerns the

animals will become entangled in ropes and other components of the

farm. Member for Flinders Liz Penfold said it was ludicrous Mr Brown's

comments were taken seriously when he hadn't looked at the project. A

spokesman for the company involved with the project, Australian Bight

F I S H E N E W S

54 Austasia Aquaculture | December/January 2006

Abalone, advises that neither Senator Brown, his office or hisparty have contacted them for details of allegations concerningthe operations of the business. The spokesman said the companywas not surprised by Mr Brown's 'uninformed and unsubstanti-ated comments'. Mr Brown has been in touch with the Friends ofElliston group, which opposes the development. He's to raise thematter in Federal Parliament. On Australia Day, Australian BightAbalone was awarded the Elliston District Council Business of theYear Award.

Source: Billie Harrison in the Port Lincoln Times (2/2/2006).

B A R R A M U N D I

BRITISH BARRAMUNDIBusinessman Les Green has set up a barramundi farm in Hamp-shire, England at a cost of $8 million. He has an arrangement tosupply fish to the supermarket chain Waitrose and 150 restaurants.

Source: Gold Coast Bulletin (20/1/2006).

ROSS RIVER GETS 9,000 BARRAMUNDIMembers of the Twin Cities Fishstocking Society have released9,000 barramundi fingerlings into the Ross River, at Aplin andGleeson weirs. The fish, at $0.5 each, bring to 250,000 the totalnumber of fish released into the waterway since 1992.

Source: Daniel Bateman in the Townsville Bulletin (19/12/2005).

E E L S

LAKE BOLAC EELS DYINGEPA Victoria has been investing the water quality of Lake Bolac inthe face of the deaths of thousands of eels. Scores of the creatureshave washed up on the lake’s shores since mid-December. Earlystudies show that the lake’s salinity and temperature are bothgreater than normal, though there are no visible signs of pollutionor algal blooms. Loss of the eels threatens the aquaculture indus-try in the area. There’s a possibility of commercial fishers rescuingeels, estimated at around 150 tonnes, from the lake under a full-scale salvage operation, although approval for this option hasn’tyet been requested. There have been calls for more sustained andmore detailed water quality monitoring in south-west lakes andstreams. However funds for the work are not available. An actionplan for the lake and its catchment is expected to be completedin the next four months. There are suggestions retention of wateron farms because of plantations, dams and surface water diver-sion is a bigger issue than ten years ago. Several other water bod-ies significant to aquaculture in the region have failed in recentyears. In 2005 there were eel deaths in 14 southern Victorian waterbodies. An investigation by the EPA and other organisations failedto determine a probable cause for the events.

Source: Terry Sim in the Warrnambool Standard

(11/1/2006 & 12/1/2006).

M A R K E T I N G

MARKETING SA SHELLFISHBob Simmonds operates Simmonds Seafood Marketing Agencyin SA. Many people know him as ‘Oyster Bob’, and he’s beenhelping people sell their product since 2000. In 2005 he mar-keted about 18-20 million oysters valued at $8 million, fromSmokey Bay, Cowell, Streaky Bay, Ceduna, and Coffin Bay.About 40 per cent of the State’s oysters pass through hisRegency park cold stores. From a start with half a dozen grow-ers, Mr Simmonds now has 37 producers. The business alsomarkets Coorong cockles and scallops, and will soon be mar-keting Yorke Peninsula mussels.

Source: Nigel Austin in the Adelaide Advertiser (221/1/2006).

M U S S E L S

OHS COURSE FOR COCKBURN SOUND MUSSEL FARMERSSix licensed Cockburn Sound mussel farmers and their staffhave participated in an occupational health and safety courseorganised by the Aquaculture Council of WA. Held in Rocking-ham, the course was backed by AAA FarmBis.

Source: Weekend Courier – Rockingham (16/12/2005).

O T H E R C R U S TA C E A N S

LOBSTER WILDCATCH INDUSTRY QUESTIONS RESEARCHThe WA lobster wildcatch industry has questioned the sciencebehind a western rock lobster research program, suggestingoutcomes with respect to aquaculture could harm the estab-lished fishery. Aquaculture attempts with the species are fraughtwith difficulty because of the complicated early stages of the lifecycle. However research has shown that there are very largenumbers of juvenile – 20mm in length – lobsters off the coast,95 per cent of which are lost to predators. Some of these couldbe harvested and grown out, providing stocks for sale in whatis traditionally the off-season. WA Department of Fisheriesresearchers have shown that the lobster has the ability to thriveunder aquaculture conditions, even under intensive stocking.Wild juveniles – pueruli – could be grown to legal size withinthree years. Even so, Steven Gill, executive director of the West-ern Rock Lobster Council (WRLC), observes that the suggestionremoving two million juvenile lobsters from the biological chainwould not affect sustainability is wrong. WRLC member JohnFitzhardinge observes that a wait of two and a half to three yearsfor a farmed animal to grow to size is a long time for a return of$23 per kilo, and doubts the feasibility of farming the species.WRLC, while initially supporting the research, will not contin-ue to do so until there’s been a public debate over where theresources and research will be allocated. There’s also the issue of

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55December/January 2006 | Austasia Aquaculture

Department of Fisheries policy on the lobster fishery with, onthe one hand, a recent reduction in effort of 15 per cent toensure sustainability, and a proposal to collect two millionpueruli for growout.

Source: Jennifer Eliot in the West Australian (21/12/2005);

Mandurah Mail (22/12/2005); Joanna Prendergast in the

Geraldton Guardian (23/12/2005); Mid-West Times (29/12/2005).

O T H E R F R E S H W AT E R F I S H

A FISH BRED SPECIFICALLY TO COMBAT THE MOSQUITOCairns City health authorities have bred a native fish which targetsmosquito larvae in brackish water. The empire gudgeon hasappeared following nine years of stocking waterways with theeastern rainbow. Some 95,000 rainbows have been released,with encouraging results. However the eastern rainbow is con-fined to freshwater, while the empire gudgeon also enjoys moresaline areas. Assuming enough have been produced by the endof the Wet Season, it’s likely the fish will first be tried in theswamps of North Cairns and Aeroglen.

Source: Peter Wex in the Cairns Post (18/1/2006).

COUNCIL AND STUDENTS RELEASE MURRAY CODStudents from The Lagoon Public School have worked with theBathurst Regional Council to release 15,000 Murray Cod fin-gerlings into Ben Chifley Dam. The release was arranged underthe department of Primary Industries and NSW Fisheries dol-lar-for-dollar scheme established from the sale of fishinglicences. There have been several releases into the Dam sincerecreational licences became compulsory.

Source: Western Advocate (19/12/2005).

BASS INTO LAKE BORUMBALake Borumba Fish Stocking Association members havereleased 40,000 bass fingerlings into the lake at several points.They intend soon to release golden and silver perch. Funds forthe release of bass came from the Cooloolal Shire Council –$5,000, and the State Government Stocked Impoundment Per-mit Scheme – $12,000.

Source: Nev McHarg in the Gympie Times (20/12/2005).

COD IN – CARP OUTMembers of Carpbusters have released 6,900 Mary River Codfingerlings into the Logan and Albert Rivers catchment in theirdrive to get carp out of the area. The juveniles were sourcedfrom the Lake MacDonald hatchery at Cooroy. It’s a largely com-munity-run facility taking advantage of assistance from theDepartment of Primary Industries and Fisheries. The fingerlingswere supplied under the Mary River Cod Recovery Program.

Source: Beaudesert Times (7/12/2005).

RE-STOCKING PROGRAM IN THE WARWICK AREASome 5000 Murray Cod have been placed in Leslie Dam and, overthe next few weeks there’ll be further additions in the area. LeslieDam will receive 90,000 golden perch and 10,000 silver perch. TheConnolly Dam will get 200 Murray Cod, 1,500 silver perch and6,500 golden perch. Some 2,000 Murray Cod, 2,000 silver perchand 10,000 golden perch will be placed in the Condamine River.The fingerlings will cost $26,687. The Leslie and Condamine Damstockings will be paid for under the Stocked Impoundment PermitScheme. The Condamine River stocking will be paid for by War-wick Fish Stocking Association membership fees, a Warwick ShireCouncil contribution, and the Fish Enhancement Program. Finger-lings will be sourced from the Granite Belt Fish hatchery, HanwoodFish Hatchery and Sunland Fish Hatchery.

Source: Dan Imhoff in the Daily News (3/1/2006).

STOCKING CLUB RELEASES THOUSANDSOver two weekends the St George Fishing and Restocking Clubhas released thousands of fingerlings into Thallon, Bollon andDirranbandi, and into St George from ‘Whyenbah’ to Beardmore.Some $15,000 was invested, with first 6,000 Cod fingerlings,then 60,000 yellowbelly fingerlings turned loose. They weresourced from the Murgon-based company, Hanwood Fish Hatchery.

Source: Balonne Beacon (15/12/2005).

MORE FISH FOR THE BJELKE-PETERSEN DAMThe Bjelke-Petersen Fish Stocking Committee has received acheque for $10,250 from the Recreational Fishing CommunityGrants Program. It will be used to buy some 300 saratoga fromthe Hamwood Fish Hatchery to stock in the dam. Some425,000 fingerlings have been placed in the dam this year, help-ing to bring some $6 million to the South Burnett annually inrecreation and tourism.

Source: South Burnett Times (31/1/2006).

MANJIMUP TAFE AQUACULTURE COURSEThere are part time and full time aquaculture courses on offer atManjimup TAFE. Courses are targeted at existing marron pro-ducers and at farmers wishing to diversify. This year there are aseries of new part-time and night classes arranged for the stu-dent with a day job.

Source: Laureta Wallace in the

Manjimup Bridgetown Times (1/2/2006).

O T H E R M A R I N E F I S H

NEW IMPACT ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUE FOR TUNAFARM SITESThe Cooperative Research Centre for the Sustainable Aquacul-ture of Finfish, funded by the Fisheries Research and Develop-ment Corporation, has developed a new test for assessing

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seabed samples from under tuna farm sites. The techniquesearches for and quantifies important marine organisms bydetermining the amount of DNA present in the seabed samplefrom each type of organism. Results are then compared withthose from sites near to the farm sites, and from other, distant,sites. The results are ranked on a scale from 0 – very poor – to100 – perfect and displayed using traffic light colours, withgreen indicating all is well, orange showing the situation needswatching, and red advising there’s an issue to be addressed. Atuna industry spokesman advises it’s hoped the new techniquewill save the industry money. The results from first samplesshould be available by February or March.

Source: Port Lincoln Times (5/1/2006).

OVER-FISHING TUNAA move by the Federal Government to expose the over-fishingof southern bluefin tuna has been welcomed by the companyClean Seas Tuna. The company made the comment whenresponding to reports the Government has submitted a paper tothe Committee for the Conservation of the Southern BluefinTuna, demonstrating that more than 20,000 tonnes in excess ofthe allowable quota for the species were caught per year. Thecombined quotas for Australia, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, NewZealand, Philippines, South Africa and Taiwan amount to 14,925tonnes. Yet it’s known that 40,000 tonnes are sold in Japan eachyear. Clean Seas Tuna is involved in the breeding and growingout of southern bluefin tuna from its own broodstock.


BUG FARM BATTLE NOT OVERRecently a successful appeal by an adjacent landowner, GalesHoldings, against development of the Moreton Bay Bug farm atChinderah, was overturned by the NSW Government. Localresidents, who had been cheered by the appeal outcome, havebeen angered by the Government action. However Gales Hold-ing has made it known it’s exploring the possibility of a newappeal against a minister’s decision, and has received assurancesof support from residents. Opposition to the farm is based onclaimed problems relating to odour, flooding, salt waterimpacts, and other issues. A Gales Holding application to devel-op a shopping centre nearby has been turned down by theCouncil for reasons not associated with the bug farm.

Source: Tweed Mail (13/1/2006).

GO FOR ARNO BAY TUNA BREEDINGConstruction approval has been given for Clean Seas Tuna Lim-ited’s tuna breeding facility at Arno Bay. More good news is thatthe company’s hatchery has just transferred 350,000 kingfishfingerlings to sea cages. Some 150,000 of the fingerlings havebeen retained for growout by the company, which has alsotaken ownership of 65,000 juvenile kingfish and 150,000 juve-nile mulloway. Construction approval for the tuna breedingfacility, designed by UNI-Aqua of Denmark, was given by the

Cleve District Council. Tanks will hold 3 megalitres of water inlight and temperature-controlled sheds, each tank having itsown recirculating water treatment plant. Work on the facilitywill commence later this year. Clean Seas is hoping to makegreat inroads into the Japanese sashimi market.

Source: Raffael Veldhuyzen in the Port Lincoln Times (5/1/2006);

Sam Holmes in the Age (18/1/2006).

GULL POPULATION INCREASINGFlinders University and the South Australian Research andDevelopment Institute have collaborated to produce a paperentitled ‘Silver Gulls and Tuna Farms’. It contains details ofwork to determine the size of the local seagull population, feedsources, implications for the tuna industry and strategies to dealwith problems. The paper claims the estimated population ofsilver gulls in the Port Lincoln area has risen from 3,300 breed-ing pairs in 1999 to 35,000 breeding pairs in 2005. Theincrease is as a consequence of a high reproductive output andan extended breeding season. This is likely to be as a result ofthe high quality feed source available throughout the tuna sea-son, augmented by the incidental feed available at the townrefuse depot, especially in the tuna off-season. It’s claimed thetuna industry partially supports the population rise since gullsobtain feed during shovel feeding and frozen block feeding offarmed fish. Studies suggest approximately 1500 tonnes of bait-fish are lost to silver gulls alone during the tuna season. Thepaper recommends improved feeding methods and bird scaringtactics. A tuna industry spokesman, Brian Jeffries, suggestssome of the numbers in the report are exaggerated, but agreessilver gulls are a significant problem in Port Lincoln and othercoastal areas. He added the economic loss from the silver gullswasn’t significant to the industry, but their effect on the ecologywarranted new strategies to deal with them.

Source: Jessica Wade in the Port Lincoln Times (5/1/2006).

OMEGA-3 OILS FROM MARINE MICROALGAEThe CSIRO Food Futures Flagship, the CRC for Bio-products andthe Clover Corporation Limited have entered into an agreementto assess oil-rich marine micro-algae for commercial potential.The strains to be investigated produce docosahexaenoic acid(DHA) and eicospentaenoic acid (EPA) under laboratory condi-tions. These oils – omega-3 – have importance in infant nutritionwith benefits against a range of human disorders. If appropriatethere’ll be an attempt to scale-up the production volume to com-mercial levels. In the short term the oils could find use in animalor aquaculture feed. In the longer term, a more refined sourcecould be developed for human consumption. The Federal Gov-ernment has provided a Food Innovation Grant of approximate-ly $1 million to the Clover Corporation to support the project.

Source: Countryman (29/12/2005).

F I S H E N E W S


NSW GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS CHINDERAH BUG FARMThe $18 million Chinderah farm to grow Moreton Bay lobsters– ‘bugs’ – will proceed after the NSW Government re-approvedthe venture. A nearby developer had succeeded in having theGovernment’s previous approval declared invalid – however,dealing with a ‘legal technicality’ resolved the problem. Thefarm will employ up to 200 people.

Source: Daily News (24/12/2005).

TROCHUS POACHERS THREATEN KIMBERLEY VENTUREThe One Arm Aboriginal community north of Broom has plansto extend its hatchery to allow more trochus breeding and amove into barramundi and other fin fish. The annual commer-cial trochus catch is 14,000kg, but some 8000kg has beenstolen in the past year by Indonesian poachers. Their activi-ties are undermining the plans for the $1 million expansion.Since the hatchery's inception in 1999 there's been a biginvestment, with the facility's main purpose being to boostthe numbers of trochus shells on reefs in King Sound andnorthern offshore islands.

Source: Regina Titelius in the West Australian (30/1/2006).

O Y S T E R S

PACIFIC OYSTER EGGS FROZEN, THAWED FOR BREEDINGIn a world-first, New Zealand scientists have frozen Pacific oys-ter eggs and then thawed them for breeding purposes. The sci-entists, at the Cawthron Institute in Nelson, have been workingon the project for seven years. Previously, cryopreservation ofshellfish and fish eggs has not been successful as the processkills the eggs. Program leader Serean Adams advises the successis based on control of the cooling-down process to avoid for-mation of ice crystals which damage the cells. The work hasresulted in survival rates of 60 to 70 per cent, which is close tothe 90 per cent survival rate of eggs which haven’t been frozen.When the process becomes commercially viable it will allowstorage of selected stocks for use as required. There’s work onexpanding the techniques to include other aquaculture speciessuch as micro-algae, paua and mussels.

Source: The Age (28/12/2005); Bendigo Advertiser (4/1/2006).

CALL TO INVESTIGATE TILIGERRY CREEK, COMPENSATE FARMERSIn a public access address to the Port Stephens Council, majoroyster producer Mark Sheppard of Sheppard and Co, hasadvised it’s essential there be a proper study into the source ofthe Tiligerry Creek pollution and compensation be provided forruined oyster farmers. He stated the issue was the responsibili-ty of the Council and the State Government, not oyster grow-ers, to clean up the creek, which found to be contaminated withfaecal material in July. The Council found the source of the pol-lution was from the septic tank systems on private properties atSalt Ash and Bobs Farm. Oyster farmers have lost millions of

dollars as a result. Councillors have indicated support for MrSheppard but don’t know what to do about the problem.

Source: Jacqui Jones in the Newcastle Herald (14/12/2005).

IT TOOK TEN YEARS...Following 10 years of campaigning, oyster farmer Brian Shana-han and other Wooli growers have been granted permission toharvest product and send it directly to consumers without therequirement to pass it through a 36-hour depuration process.He’s been testing the river’s quality for 12 years during attemptsto have Safe Food Australia remove the purification require-ment. An independent tester has been checking the water fortwo years, and now the restriction has been lifted. Mr Shanahanadvises he’s very conscious of the fact the entire Wooli commu-nity has been involved in the campaign to keep the river clean.

Source: Emma Cornford in the Daily Examiner (21/12/2005).

COUNCIL SEEKS COMPENSATION FOR FARMERSWith 14 oyster farmers badly affected by the contamination ofTilligery Creek by human sewage and some farmers closingdown their businesses, a spokesman for the State Governmenthas said the Government's priority is to work with the councilto get the area reopened for oyster growing. Port StephensCouncil has found the cause of the contamination to be septictank overflows from nearby properties at Salt Ask and BobsFarm. The council is responsible for approving and monitoringseptic tanks but says it does not have the ability to compensatethe farmers. Monitoring of the area's 470 septic tanks has beentoughened up. The farmers are not ruling out taking legal actionagainst the Council and the Government.

Source: Adam Bell in the Sunday Telegraph (29/1/2006).

R E D C L A W

CANE FARMER DIVERSIFIES INTO REDCLAWBloomsbury cane farmer Anthony Jeppesen has been givenCouncil approval to establish 12 crayfish ponds on unproduc-tive land on his property. He hopes to expand the operationover the years, with another 22 ponds.

Source: Daily Mercury (2/2/2006).

S A L M O N

SALMON BROODSTOCK OUT TO PASTURESurplus Atlantic salmon broodstock sourced from Saltas havebeen released into Tasmanian lakes to improve inland recre-ational fishing. The Inlands Fisheries Service released 150salmon into Bradys Lake and Bushy Lagoon, 300 into Lake Bar-rington, and 300 into Craigbourne and Meadowbank Dams.

Source: Burnie Advocate (17/12/2005).

F I S H E N E W S


SALMON DEATHS DURING TREATMENT TRIALSSome 20,000 Atlantic salmon have died on Tassal’s Killala farmnear Dover during trials of a chemical treatment known asChloramine-T. It was applied in one fish pen, and intended todestroy parasites which cause amoebic gill disease. It’s believedthe dose delivered was too high. The trial was undertaken byTassal in partnership with researchers from the University ofTasmania. It’s believed this is the first incident on a fish farmduring which a specifically-introduced chemical has caused amass kill. To date there is no evidence of the chemical causingany effects outside the fish pen.

Source: Hobart Mercury (23/12/2005).

YA B B I E S

YABBIES ON A MIXED FARMWayne Robinson and wife Kim run an Angus stud and a yabbyfarm – Wayne is also Secretary of the Victorian FreshwaterCrayfish Association and a delegate on the Aquaculture CostRecovery Standing Committee. He’s gradually diversified theRutherglen farm from grain to include yabbies, grain, hay andbeef. It’s expected yabby production will lift from several hun-dred kilos to nearly a tonne in 2006, as new ponds are added.The Robinsons have one of two multi water-use licences in Vic-toria, and can take yabbies from dams in various districts,which provides for production volume and supply. There aresoon to be trials with Murray Cod. Although not certifiedorganic, the farm uses organic processes and fertilisers, keepingchemical usage to the minimum.

Source: Kim Woods in the Weekly Times (18/1/2006)

.

G E N E R A L A Q U A C U LT U R E

CUMMINSCORP TO LIST ON ASACumminscorp, the Gold Coast water technology company, isplanning to list on the Australian Stock Exchange within thenext two months. The public company was established in 2003by inventor, now managing director, Ian Cummins, and initial-ly had two employees. There are now 77. It’s hoped up to $15million can be raised by issuing $0.20 shares as part of the list-ing process. The listing won’t be underwritten and there’s nosponsored broker. The money will be used to phase the com-pany’s products into full commercialisation. There are threedivisions in the company’s clean water technology range: aqua-culture, water remediation and industrial water clean up. In thefinal five months of 2005 the aquaculture arm reported morethan $2 million in sales. In January this year the companyopened headquarters in Gaven in a move designed to showcasethe technologies. Company chair will be prominent Brisbaneaccountant Ken Tierney.

Source: Marshall Hall in the Gold Coast Bulletin (19/1/2006).

INGHAM MAYOR SUSPICIOUS OF HINCHINBROOKINCLUSIONIngham Mayor Pino Giandomenico has described a proposal toinclude the Hinchinbrook Channel as a protected part of theWild Rivers area as ‘highly suspicious’. The area covers approx-imately 399 square kilometres, including two major tributaries.It follows the boundary of Hinchinbrook Island near Cardwelland Ingham. Aquaculture is one of the activities which wouldbe prohibited in the area. The Mayor describes the nominationof the river system as a waste of time, since Hinchinbrook Islandis already a national park. He fears there are other motivesbehind the move. Public submissions on the proposed areaclose on 10 February.

Source. Richard Hannay in the Townsville Bulletin (14/1/2006).

SILVER PERCH AND RED CLAW AT HOME CREEKAQUACULTUREIn 1994 Lester Stumer elected to try growing silver perch andred claw, starting up Home Creek Aquaculture. Now he has twofish ponds each stocked with 10,000 silver perch, and ninecrayfish ponds, each with the capacity for 6000-7000 red claw.He feeds a pellet diet made to his own specification to theperch, growing them to 500g. The red claw are grown to 60-80g. The harvest goes to Brisbane, into the farmer’s markets andsome larger hotels. Following some stealing from the property,Mr Stumer now has the entire area flood-lit, with electronic sur-veillance and large patrolling dogs.

Source: South Burnett Times (13/1/2006).

CAPE JAFFA MARINA PROJECTFollowing five years of planning, the $34 million Cape Jaffamarina development has been approved by the State Govern-ment. It’s expected to significantly boost the area’s population,initially creating 200 construction jobs, and with the ongoingemployment of 250 people. In the longer term it will help buildthe area’s population to 1500 to 2000. The proposal, by theCape Jaffa Development Company with the Kingston DistrictCouncil, is expected to pass through seven or eight stages over10 to 12 years based on demand – bringing an average of $12.7million into the region annually. The first facilities will be themain marina basin and commercial facilities for the fishing fleet.Two 200m breakwaters will provide a much safer environment.Further development includes commercial wharfs, marinaberths, a boat ramp and maintenance components. Work willbegin the first half of 2006.

Source: Chris Oldfield in the Border Watch (17/1/2006).

LINCOLN MARINE SCIENCE CENTRE – 10 YEARS ONThe Lincoln Marine Science Centre was established in 1995.Flinders University was behind the $2.5 million facility, whichcame into being to support research and tertiary level educationin marine science. Since that time there have been two expan-

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sions to provide for the increase in research. Right now there arethree Flinders University honours students and two PhD stu-dents at the centre engaged in area-specific research. There’snow a full fee-paying post-graduate masters degree introducedby Flinders University, while TafeSA runs two aquaculturecourses at the Centre. One is the Diploma of the Seafood Indus-try, the other Certificate III in the Seafood Industry. Also, dur-ing the year, students working towards a Batchelor of MarineBiology use the Centre. The South Australian Research andDevelopment Institute (SARDI) works mostly from the Centre,engaged in research on interactions between marine mammalsand the local fishing industry. There’s also research on the tunafishing industry, and impacts of tuna farming. A CooperativeResearch Centre project aims to find processes to increase theshelf life of tuna flesh, while Primary Industry and Resources SA(PIRS) scientists are engaged on the Shellfish Quality AssuranceProgram. Recently the Centre introduced a program involvingthe professional development of teachers, providing for them todeliver marine science schooling more thoroughly. This long-term project is expected to be complete within 15-20 years. Itslikely there’ll be a doubling in the student capacity of the Cen-tre within five years – currently it’s at full capacity.


PAN LOGICA GETS INNOVATIONS GRANTTasmanian software company Pan Logica has been given a$150,000 Innovations Grant from the State Government for itswork on software revolutionising the fish farming industry. Thesoftware uses data on all areas of an operation including num-ber of fish, weather, and feed, and provides information on thebest way to produce high-quality produce and maximise prof-its. The grant will be used to market the software overseas andto adapt it for areas other than fish farming.

Source: Hobart Mercury (17/1/2006).

ARGUMENTS OVER ASIAN FARMED FISHBirdLife International, the world’s leading bird conservationgroup, claims feeding chicken manure to fish as food is a wide-spread practise in Asia, and that the manure could carry diseasessuch as avian influenza and sources of gastrointestinal problems.The implication is that people who consume fish fed in this wayrisk contracting infections. The United nations Food and Agricul-ture Organisation has in the past strongly supported techniquesusing manure in aquaculture, but in a 2003 report noted the dan-gers of the practise, in a report entitled ‘Integrated Livestock FishFarming Systems’. The Australian peak body for seafood importshas condemned reports of Asian fish farms supplying Australiawith fish fed using infected chicken manure. A spokesman point-ed out that Asian fish was sent to European , American and Aus-tralian markets and was required to meet very high standards.Such imports are tested by the Australian Quarantine and Inspec-tion Service, also by importers, with little chance of sources of gas-

tronintestinal infections not being detected.

Source: Gareth Parker in the West Australian (29/12/2005);

Ben Spencer in the West Australian (30/12/2005).

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF YOUNG FARMERSVictoria’s Phillip Kerr, who at 28 is an aquaculture industryresearch, development and training expert, is one of a group of12 people brought together to form a new national body – theNational Council of Young Farmers. The intention is that theCouncil will provide young farmers for the first time with a con-tinuing policy voice in Canberra. The Council’s inaugural groupwill meet at least four times a year, bringing together membersexpert in diverse farming areas from across Australia. The firstmeeting will take place in February.

Source: David McKenzie in the Weekly Times (4/1/2006).

ROBERT SEWELL GOES TO CELL AQUACULTURERobert Sewell, formerly chairman of Cooperative Bulk Han-dling Group, has replaced Perryman Leach as the non-executivechairman of Cell Aquaculture Ltd. Cell Aquaculture listed onthe ASX in July after raising $5.2 million.

Source: Business News (15/12/2005).

FELLOWSHIP FOR TERRITORY FISHERIES SCIENTISTSGlenn Schipp is Aquaculture manager of the Department of Pri-mary Industry, Fisheries and Mines, while Damon Gore is themanager of the Darwin Aquaculture Centre. The two scientistshave been awarded a $10,000 overseas fellowship to studymarine aquaculture technology. They’ll use the InternationalSpecialised Skills Institute fellowships, sponsored by the Com-monwealth Department of Employment, Science and Training,to study the design, planning and implementation of recircula-tion technology for marine aquaculture. The pair will visit Scan-dinavia, the US, the Netherlands and Israel.

Source: Northern Territory News (21/12/2005).

DPIF RESPONSE RE FISH STOCKING FUNDING CUT COMMENTSIn a letter to the editor of the Western Star, Peter Neville,Deputy Director-General (Fisheries) of the Department of Pri-mary Industries and Fisheries, has made some clarifications inresponse to an article in the publication on December 6 entitled‘Michell and Bendemere Fishing Groups Upset by FundingCuts’. He wrote that the Department provides $168,000 inannual grants to fish stocking groups for the purchase of fin-gerlings. As over a number of previous years, the amount is notchanged for 2005-2006. Also, the Northern Fisheries Centrehas been operating a research program to develop hatcherytechniques for barramundi production and transfer them to theprivate hatchery industry. A by-product of this work was thatsurplus barramundi fingerlings were provided to fish stockinggroups in the north. The work has been successfully completed

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and research has thus ceased – which means some northern fishstocking groups are not receiving fingerlings from the NorthernFisheries Centre. In the circumstances there has been a smallreallocation of funds in 2005-2006. Such minor funding reallo-cations occur each year as new groups join the program.

Source: Peter Neville, Deputy Director-General (Fisheries),

Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, in a letter to the

editor of the Western Star (13/12/2005).

GO FOR CEDUNA KEYS MARINADeveloper David Kelsey is moving on the Ceduna Keys Marinaand Community Centre as part of a long-term plan for exten-sive coastal development in the region. The $200 million mari-na has been declared a major development by the State Gov-ernment. Components will include a commercial and recre-ational marina, tourist facilities, a canal estate-style waterfrontresidential subdivision, and a cultural and community centre.Funding will involve an initial outlay of $100 million withanother $100 million used over the next 10 years. Planningwork will continue over the first six months of 2006, followedby construction.

Source: Natasha Ewendt in the West Coast Sentinel (22/12/2005).

PROPOSED MURRAY MARINE PARK RAISES IREA proposal by the Federal Government to establish a 21,000square kilometre marine protected area (MPA) known as Mur-ray, south of Kangaroo Island, has been condemned by theSouth Australian rock lobster industry and the SA SeafoodCouncil. In practical terms the MPA will close commercial fish-ing and aquaculture – but permit recreational and charter fish-ing. The proposal has been described as ‘a blatant, targeted anddiscriminatory attack on SA’s most valuable seafood (rock lob-ster) industry’, by the South Australian Rock Lobster AdvisoryCouncil’s Daryl Spencer. Federal Fisheries Minister Ian McDon-ald is urging the fishing industry to take part in boundary dis-cussions with the department, observing that what has beenreleased so far is information on ‘candidate areas’ for marine parks.


SARDI AQUACULTURE FARM UNDER DEVELOPMENTWork on the SARDI Aquaculture Farm at Waikerie is proceed-ing with tanks and pipe work currently being laid near theStockyard Plains Interception scheme basin. The building phaseis expected to be complete by the end of December. There’s nodate for the official launch of the farm, which will be used totrial and demonstrate the suitability of species for commercialgrowout in the area’s saline water. There’s to be a news releaseon the project in January.

Source: River News (14/12/2005).

A WAY TO LEARN ABOUT AQUACULTUREA program to educate children about aquaculture is to com-mence in the Cradle Coast region. The one-year project‘Extending the Marine Links Package – Aquaculture’ targetsGrades 5 to 8 and may be developed to suit Grades 9 to 12. Itincludes a website with a discussion channel, and modules oninformation technology, science, technology, and environmentalmanagement. The Commonwealth Natural Heritage Trust willfund the program with $90,000, with in-kind funding fromDPIWE, University of Tasmania and the Department of Education.

Source: Burnie Advocate (29/12/2005).

MORE LEASES AVAILABLE IN PORT PHILLIP BAYThe State Government has released more aquaculture leases inPort Phillip Bay, providing a boost for the Geelong SeafoodIndustry Strategy and the Geelong Economic DevelopmentStrategy. The Crown leases cover around 1500 hectares and areat Grassy Point, Bates Point, the Pinnace Channel, CliftonSprings and Kirk Point. They’ll begin from Mid-2006 and couldadd some $30 million annually to the regional economy. Victo-rian Marine Farmers’ Association president Peter Ashtonobserves the local industry could increase production from1500 tonnes a year, mainly processed mussels, to more than10,000 tonnes. There has been criticism of the delay in releas-ing the leases, with claims many investors have been lost toother Australian States as a consequence.

Source: Michael Auciello in the Geelong Advertiser

(6/1/2006 & 7/1/2006).

AQUACULTURE COURSE FOLDSThe Esperance aquaculture course run by Curtin University hasclosed due to lack of enrolments following the employmentmarket’s saturation with recent graduates. The situation hasarisen because of insufficient aquaculture industry in WA. Lec-turer Leyland Campbell notes there have been claims of poten-tial considerable industry development for the previous fiveyears, which haven’t yet eventuated. Other factors include thedemise of the Esperance Marine Institute and withdrawal of theKailis pilot tuna farm. The course will not be offered in 2006,but could be offered again in two or three years time if there’snew demand observed.

Source: Ben Anderson in the Kalgoorlie Miner (22/12/2005);

Crystal Fairbairn in the Esperance Express (22/12/2005).

BATAVIA COAST MARINE CENTRE NEARS COMPLETIONWork is expected to finish on the Batavia Coast Marine Centrein the next few weeks. The Centre, at Separation Point, is to bea marine and aquaculture teaching facility, and will also have aresearch component. There’ll be capacity for 200 students totake on TAFE aquaculture and marine courses, also a CurtinUniversity Batchelor of Science – and training in all aspects ofthe fishing industry. The Centre results from a partnership

F I S H E N E W S


between the Department of Fisheries, the Mid West Develop-ment Commission, Central West TAFE and the Department ofEducation and Training. It’s expected the Centre will open toMid West students in February, with up to 100 enrolments like-ly. Previously, school leavers were likely to leave the area to takeon studies in Perth.

Source: Geraldton Guardian (3/1/2006);

Georgia Loney in the Geraldton Guardian (6/1/2006).

FUNDS FOR RECHERCHE ARCHIPELAGO STUDYAs part of the region’s Resource Management Strategy, the SouthCoast Regional Initiative Planning Team (SCRIPT) has receivedfunds to conduct a socio-economic survey of the RechercheArchipelago. The financial support comes from the NaturalHeritage Trust and the National Action Plan for Salinity andWater Quality. Wendy Duncan, chair of the Recherche Adviso-ry Group, advises the survey’s outcome will help determinewhich sites are environmentally sensitive and which are appro-priate for commercial development. Her Group believes only 10to 12 per cent will be found to be pristine environment and theremainder could be used for industries such as aquaculture.

Source: Ben Anderson in the Kalgoorlie Miner (5/1/2006).

MICHAEL CHEAHCentral West TAFE lecturer Michael Cheah has won a highcommendation in the 2005 Premier’s Teacher of the YearAwards. Joining the TAFE in 1996 as marine studies lecturerafter completing a PhD in breeding and rearing catfish atCharles Darwin University in the Northern Territory, hebrought with him a strong belief in practical training and dedi-cation to improving student opportunities. Mr Cheah’s studentswork through practical and theoretical aquaculture units at sev-eral levels in Northampton farms. His ultimate goal is to estab-lish Central West TAFE as the best marine science training cen-tre in Australia.

Source: Conor Macgill in the Geraldton Guardian (12/12/2005).

NATIONAL PARTY MP STATES POSITION ON RECHERCHEIn a letter to the editor of the Esperance Express, NationalsParty president Wendy Duncan has stated her position regardingaquaculture in the Recherche Archipelago. Here is a summaryof her statement. "I am not and never have been a member orsupporter of Vive Le Recherche. I am not and never have beenopposed to aquaculture developments in the Recherche Archi-pelago. What I am opposed to is one private company bearingthe cost of environmental studies and community consultationthat are in the public interest. The results of such studies will beavailable for future public use and therefore should be fundedby the public purse. I agreed to take on the position of inde-pendent chair of the Recherche Advisory Group because of mybelief that the State and Federal Government should get on withdeveloping a management plan for the Recherche Archipelago.

The Group was around long before Kailis or Vive Le RechercheIt was set up with the intention of representing all users of theArchipelago and, so far as I am aware, has no connection withVive. I am disappointed that the Curtin aquaculture programhas been withdrawn. I understand this decision was madebefore Kailis decided not to proceed with their project."

Source: Wendy Duncan, President of the National Party, in a letter

to the editor of the Esperance Express (3/1/2006).

AQUACULTURE AT DARWIN'S ESSINGTON SCHOOLNew and refurbished facilities at Essington School in Darwininclude two aquaculture tanks used during the rearing andstudy of barramundi fingerlings and redclaw. The school hasbeen extended in a number of areas in response to a growth inenrolments.

Source: Sunday Territorian (29/1/2006).

NEW 80HA AQUACULTURE AREAA new 80ha aquaculture growing area has been released atLacepede Bay. It's become available as part of a first release forthe farming of finfish, especially Atlantic salmon and oceantrout within the inner (Kingston) zone. The 80ha represents thefirst of three zones considered appropriate for aquaculture.Other zones will probably be opened as development is proven.The Lacepede Bay Aquaculture Management Policy came intoeffect on July 8 2004 and establishes zones covering an area of8139ha with a total lease area of 687ha available. Interest in theregion has mounted with the announcement of development ofthe Cape Jaffa Anchorage Marina facility. Copies of the applica-tion form and information documents are available atwww.pir.sa.gov.au/aquaculture/kingston. Applications close1700Hrs on 17 February.

Source: Border Watch (31/1/2006).

GREAT GRANT FOR CAMBINATA YABBIESMichael and Mary Nenke have attracted a $130,248 grant fortheir business, Cambinata Yabbies. The grant, from the FoodProcessing Regional Australia (FPRA) program, will allow themto construct a commercial kitchen providing for value-addingaquaculture products from the Wheatbelt and Great Southern,including saltwater trout, yabbies, marron and abalone. Thefunds will also allow the business to meet export demand for itsexisting value-added products, and to develop new lines. Theannual GrantSmart Expo is to be held on 16 March. It will bringtogether more than 20 Australian Government representativesto discuss grant programs, information and services. MaryNenke strongly encourages any business thinking of expanding,exporting, being innovative or taking on a new venture to visitwww.wheatbeltace.com.au to learn more about GrantSmart 2006.

Source: Albany Advertiser (31/1/2006).

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INTEREST IN THE WIDE BAY BURNETT AREAEidsvold Shire Council would like to hear from those interest-ed in a concept to develop aquaculture as a major industryacross the Wide Bay Burnett, using unified tank growout pro-cedures. Mundubbera Shire Council is interested in hearingdetails of the proposal at the next Wide Bay Burnett RegionalOrganisation of Council meeting.

Source: Central & North Burnett Times (29/9/2005).

QAIF MEETING AND WORKSHOPQueensland Aquaculture Industry Federation (QAIF) membersare to attend a meeting and workshop at Innisfail TAFE. They'llmeet with representatives from the Department of PrimaryIndustries, the Environment Protection Agency and Departmentof State Development to discuss industry development issues.Following the annual general meeting of QAIF, there's to be aworkshop on managing environmental requirements.

Source: Innisfail Advocate (29/9/2005).

INTERIM PROTECTION BID BY DEMOCRATS FAILSThe State Government Environment, Resources and Develop-ment Committee (ERD) has ruled against a call from theDemocrats for interim protection of marine areas that might beprotected in the future. A committee spokesman described theDemocrats recommendations as 'far too broad' noting the Com-mittee 'had to be more realistic'. SA Democrats leader SandraKanck advises the party wanted to see consideration of devel-opments inside a proposed Marine Protected Area (MPA) put onhold until a decision had been made. The concern is that with-out interim measures 'inappropriate aquaculture development'could be fast tracked in areas that would later become protect-ed. However ERD believes tight State aquaculture controlswould prevent this happening. The Democrats would like to seemembers of the community able to nominate sites for an MPA -ERD believes this will open the system to abuse by those withvested interests.

Source: Billie Harrison in the Port Lincoln Times (29/9/2005).

NEW SA AQUACULTURE REGULATIONSNew aquaculture regulations come into force in October - farm-ers doing the wrong thing face on-the-spot fines and possiblelicence cancellation. Applying to all aquaculture activities, theregulations cover lease and licence holder obligations involvingstock registers, notification of entanglement with protectedspecies, fish escapes, farming structures, and environmentalmonitoring and reporting. The industry reaction to the new reg-ulations has been very positive with most farmers agreeing theregulations reflect good business practice.


LEARN ABOUT WHEATBELT AQUACULTUREWheatbelt farmers interested in learning about aquaculture cantake advantage of intensive two-day courses run by ChallengerTAFE. Challenger TAFE and C Y O'Connor TAFE are engagedin a three-year project on the practicalities of growing commer-cial quantities of fish in salt-affected water. The work is beingdone at the WA Inland Saline Aquaculture Demonstration farmat Northam, and is funded by the State and Federal Govern-ments. Trials using the award-winning Semi-Intensive FloatingTank System (SIFTS) have shown that five times more fish canbe produced than when using conventional growout systems -25 tonnes per hectare per year. There's no waterway pollutioneither. The system was developed by Challenger TAFE andMcRobert Aquaculture Systems. For more information oncourses email Gavin Partridge on [email protected].

Source: Farm Weekly (26/1/2006).

INTEREST IN INVESTMENT GROWINGIt seems as Australia's aquaculture industry grows and ratio-nalises, interest in investment grows too. However there are stillvariations in the returns from investment. The Tassal Group isnow in the top 20 salmon-producing countries worldwide,recently reporting a 2004-2005 net profit of $5.38 million - asagainst $3.9 million from the year before. There's optimism forthe current year, too, with predictions of a sharp increase in per-formance. On the other hand there are assertions salmon farm-ing is a capital-intensive business. Australis Aquaculture andCell Aquaculture in WA, although both made losses this year,have shown share price gains of more than 10 per cent sincelisting. Cell Aquaculture has recently signed a deal to distributeits technology in China. When the company listed on July 25,Criterion had it described as a speculative buy - the shares havesince doubled. Global Seafood's share price halved during theyear. Two other companies, Marine Produce Australia and SoNatural, have secured major acquisitions in the year. Anotherissue for investors is that there's less information on the indus-try than some others such as grain and beef production.

Source: Tracy Lee in the Australian Financial Review (15/9/2005);

Weekend Australian (17/9/2005); The Australian (28/9/2005).

TEN PERCENT EXPANSION WORLD-WIDEWorld-wide, the business of aquaculture is expanding 10 percent each year. In Australia it's the fastest-growing primaryindustry, with tuna, Atlantic salmon, pearl oysters and edibleoysters leading the way. That's a good reason to take advantageof Challenger TAFE's WA Maritime Training Centre and itsaquaculture courses, which have been operating since 1989.Check out the display set up by the Centre's students and staffat the Perth Royal Show.

Source: Countryman (22/9/2005).

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SAAM RESPONDS TO COMMUNITY PERCEPTIONS REPORTThe Bureau of Rural Sciences report 'Community Perceptions ofAquaculture' contains suggestions the community believes theindustry is not transparent enough and is damaging the environ-ment. The report collates the comments of some 273 Eyre Penin-sula residents interviewed about the industry. Eighty-one per centof residents approved of aquaculture and 48 per cent agreed theindustry was concerned with environmental management. Whilemost indicated the flow-on benefits for the region, 45 per cent didnot trust the decisions being made in connection with kingfish.Sixty per cent rated kingfish as a species at considerable risk ofcausing environmental damage. Chief executive officer of SouthAustralian Aquaculture Management (SAAM) Phil Hart observesmany misconceptions were promoted by people who have open-ly opposed the industry. "We certainly aren't hiding anything andare very transparent." He noted the aquaculture industry was oneof the most heavily regulated. "We have to submit detailed reportsfor independent auditing every year. Up to now there has been nonoticeable impact on the sea bed." SAAM has recently been award-ed an ISO4001 - an international environmental excellenceaccreditation taking in all aspects of farm management. Mr Hartcommented that many people in the communities were ignorantof the industry, an observation supported by the report, whichshowed that between 30 per cent and 73 per cent of respondentsdescribed themselves as having a low rating for knowledge onaquaculture, marine ecology, coastal management and govern-ment roles. Even so, 68 per cent of those interviewed believed theindustry needed to listen more to the community.

Source: Stephanie Venning in the Whyalla News (22/9/2005).

SPRINGS SMOKED SEAFOODS NOW A PART OF HUONHuon Aquaculture has expanded by acquiring Springs SmokedSeafoods, Australia's most successful salmon processor and marketer.Both organisations use the latest hi-tech methods in production.Huon is known for its high-grade salmon, while Springs is renownedfor high-quality product, good customer service and productcustomisation to meet chef's needs. The business supplies thefood service market with both raw and smoked fish, using salmon,ocean trout, kingfish and mackerel. It also produces smoked salmonand ocean trout pate and salmon spread. To find out more, checkout www.springsalmon.com.au and www.huonaqua.com.au.

Source: Hospitality (September 2005).

NEW GUIDELINES FOR LAND-BASED AQUACULTUREThe new guidelines for land-based aquaculture in Victoria areexpected to make things much easier for those wishing to moveinto the industry. The guidelines will: enhance knowledge of theindustry and dispel some myths; explain the nature of the land-based systems suitable for the area; outline government supportfor development, and provide a planning framework. There's tobe a series of workshops with local Government across the Stateto help the guidelines be adopted.

Source: Mallee Ag News (29/9/2005).

SUPPORT FOR BUSINESS USE OF INLAND SALINE WATERDuring the September meeting of the Buloke Shire Council, itwas agreed that the Donald Landcare Group, in conjunction withthe Sea Weed Development Group, would be supported in theirendeavours to take advantage of saline groundwater for produc-tive purposes. The two bodies wish to develop an OpportunityStudy and Business Plan. The Council will submit a grant appli-cation for funding to study and develop business plans to furtherdevelop saline groundwater projects, on their behalf. The groupshave to date examined growing sea weed and fodder grass.

Source: Sealake and Whycheproof Times Ensign (22/9/2005).

SPECIAL FISH FOR ISRAELI FARMERSA fish called the shabut, barbus grypus, is being considered asa fish to exploit by Israeli farmers. The fish is mentioned in theTalmud as having a pig-like taste. It inhabits rivers in Iraq andSyria. Those wishing to maintain a kosher diet could enjoy thetaste of the fish without guilt.

Source: Australian Jewish News (2/9/2005).

BARRAMUNDI & PRAWN FARM FOR SALEA fully operational barramundi and prawn farm is on the mar-ket. Located at Mourlyan, the 141ha of Moresby River frontageis priced at $5.5 million. The operation has broodstock, mod-ern plant and equipment and experienced staff

Source: Cairns Post (14/9/2005).

MOVING ON INLAND AQUACULTUREPrimary Industries and Resources SA (PIRSA) has delivered adiscussion paper to the Loxton Waikerie Loxton Councildescribing a draft framework for inland aquaculture zones asso-ciated with the salt interception schemes (SIS). The paper setsout guidelines for the development of farms using the salt waterfrom the SIS, and the issues surrounding wastes, pollutants,infrastructure and topography.

Source: River News (7/9/2005).

SCIENTISTS TO DEPART PIRVICIt's been claimed the Bracks Government is to shed vital marineresearch programs, losing six marine scientists from the Marineand Freshwater Systems campus at Queenscliff. Nationals agri-culture spokesman Peter Walsh claims the losses will cripplemarine research in Victoria. There are suggestions Fisheries Vic-toria has decided some $400,000 will be diverted from researchand development to policy development. There's also been acut on available funds by $450,000, based on a decision to haltsome projects - with a $70,000 reduction in funds from the Vic-torian Regional Aquaculture Development program. Docu-ments suggest Fisheries Victoria's investment in aquaculture hasdropped 75 per cent to $252,000.

Source: Peter Mickelburough in the Herald Sun (12/9/2005).


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Documents

February/March 2006