Hatchery production of rock lobster seedstock for aquaculture and enhancement with emphasis on ozonation of culture water to reduce disease. The strong and growing worldwide demand for a range of lobster products cannot be fulfilled by existing wild fisheries. Only the sustainable production of lobsters using hatchery seedstock will satisfy the needs of aquaculture and the possibility of enhancing and reseeding the fishery. Lobster aquaculture will provide a new high-value industry for coastal r ....Hatchery production of rock lobster seedstock for aquaculture and enhancement with emphasis on ozonation of culture water to reduce disease. The strong and growing worldwide demand for a range of lobster products cannot be fulfilled by existing wild fisheries. Only the sustainable production of lobsters using hatchery seedstock will satisfy the needs of aquaculture and the possibility of enhancing and reseeding the fishery. Lobster aquaculture will provide a new high-value industry for coastal rural Australia, especially in areas with existing fishing and aquaculture enterprises. This project will develop new technologies to address the challenging target of producing commercial quantities of juvenile lobsters for aquaculture and enhancement.Read moreRead less
Heterotrophically grown microalgae as a feed source for the Australian aquaculture industry. The Australian aquaculture industry has rapidly grown in the past decade producing premium quality, high value species, e.g. tuna and oyster. In the new millennia it is predicted that the Australia aquaculture industry will be the most profitable area within the Australian seafood industry. An integral component for the long-term sustainability of the Australian aquaculture industry is the availability o ....Heterotrophically grown microalgae as a feed source for the Australian aquaculture industry. The Australian aquaculture industry has rapidly grown in the past decade producing premium quality, high value species, e.g. tuna and oyster. In the new millennia it is predicted that the Australia aquaculture industry will be the most profitable area within the Australian seafood industry. An integral component for the long-term sustainability of the Australian aquaculture industry is the availability of top-quality microalgal concentrates, shelf-stable pastes or live feeds, which provide the nutritional requirements of aquatic species in the hatcheries. This project will develop novel microalgal production strategies that would add value to the Australian aquaculture industry.Read moreRead less
Molluscan Biomonitor for Quantification and Impact Assessment of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Marine Ecosystems. There is an urgent need to address the significant issue of contaminants with potential endocrine disrupting effects in Australian waters. Robust monitoring tools are required to establish whether estrogens are present in sewage effluents/waters in Australia and the potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Edible oysters are one of Australia's most valuable and fastest growing aq ....Molluscan Biomonitor for Quantification and Impact Assessment of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Marine Ecosystems. There is an urgent need to address the significant issue of contaminants with potential endocrine disrupting effects in Australian waters. Robust monitoring tools are required to establish whether estrogens are present in sewage effluents/waters in Australia and the potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Edible oysters are one of Australia's most valuable and fastest growing aquaculture industries. The proposed project will provide management bodies within Australian estuaries a sound scientific basis to make informed decisions to facilitate protection of both aquatic biodiversity and commercial aquaculture initiatives in response to estrogenic diffuse and point inputs.Read moreRead less
Differential accumulation of algal biotoxins within diploid and triploid Pacific Oysters and Sydney Rock Oysters. The major commercial shellfish in NSW, Sydney rock oysters and Pacific oysters, can accumulate paralytic shellfish toxins with potentially severe human health impacts. This project will determine the impacts of ocean climate change on toxin uptake and metabolism, and investigate its genetic basis in a native oyster species.
Genomic tools for the emerging tropical rock lobster aquaculture industry. Australia has just developed the skills to farm tropical rock lobsters, a popular celebratory dish in Asia. Our project will boost this industry by developing genetic markers, which later can be used to choose the best stud lobsters for breeding.
Optimising barramundi production through early prediction of thermal tolerance and growth. Aquaculture is Australia's fastest growing primary industry and is increasingly becoming an important employer in regional Australia. Consequently, positive growth in this sector linked to productivity gains through R&D will result in improved socioeconomic prosperity of regional communities. This project will allow barramundi farmers to identify highly productive families early on in the culture process, ....Optimising barramundi production through early prediction of thermal tolerance and growth. Aquaculture is Australia's fastest growing primary industry and is increasingly becoming an important employer in regional Australia. Consequently, positive growth in this sector linked to productivity gains through R&D will result in improved socioeconomic prosperity of regional communities. This project will allow barramundi farmers to identify highly productive families early on in the culture process, thereby improving their efficiency of farming and increasing their international competitiveness in the rapidly expanding global market. The project will also establish Australia at the forefront of biotechnological research and its applications to aquaculture.Read moreRead less
Towards selective breeding of pearl oysters - quantitative and population genetics of the silver-lipped pearl oyster Pinctada maxima. Successful selective breeding programs rely on two critical factors; i) an understanding of the genetic processes underpinning phenotypic expression of commercially important traits and ii) a reliable method to retain pedigrees so that the rate of inbreeding can be controlled. This project will utilise modern quantitative and molecular genetic approaches to genera ....Towards selective breeding of pearl oysters - quantitative and population genetics of the silver-lipped pearl oyster Pinctada maxima. Successful selective breeding programs rely on two critical factors; i) an understanding of the genetic processes underpinning phenotypic expression of commercially important traits and ii) a reliable method to retain pedigrees so that the rate of inbreeding can be controlled. This project will utilise modern quantitative and molecular genetic approaches to generate for the first time fundamental information on the role genetics has on growth and pearl quality traits in the silver-lipped pearl oyster Pinctada maxima. Outcomes from this project when integrated into a selective breeding program for this species will dramatically transform the international competitiveness of this valuable industry.Read moreRead less
Linking genes with the phenotype - creation of a genetic linkage map for the silver-lipped pearl oyster Pinctada maxima. R&D undertaken in this project will increase our fundamental understanding of the role genetics plays in production of a premium quality cultured South Sea pearl. When utilised in future selective breeding programs aimed at improving pearl quality traits the information generated will allow Australian pearling companies to be more productive and to maintain a competitive advan ....Linking genes with the phenotype - creation of a genetic linkage map for the silver-lipped pearl oyster Pinctada maxima. R&D undertaken in this project will increase our fundamental understanding of the role genetics plays in production of a premium quality cultured South Sea pearl. When utilised in future selective breeding programs aimed at improving pearl quality traits the information generated will allow Australian pearling companies to be more productive and to maintain a competitive advantage over their rivals. Many rural communities are dependent on pearling companies for their economic prosperity and community identity. Consequently, positive growth of the pearl industry as a result of the proposed R&D will greatly benefit the economic and social wealth of these rural populations.Read moreRead less
Flavour enhancing functional feeds for farmed Barramundi. This project aims to improve the flavour quality of Australian farmed barramundi through developing novel functional feeds. The project expects to expand our fundamental knowledge of flavour enhancement, whilst providing practical benefits with respect to final product quality. The project will enable industry to achieve higher product quality benchmarks, towards the ultimate goal of improving the marketability of barramundi both locally ....Flavour enhancing functional feeds for farmed Barramundi. This project aims to improve the flavour quality of Australian farmed barramundi through developing novel functional feeds. The project expects to expand our fundamental knowledge of flavour enhancement, whilst providing practical benefits with respect to final product quality. The project will enable industry to achieve higher product quality benchmarks, towards the ultimate goal of improving the marketability of barramundi both locally and overseas. This project will provide significant benefits to the Australian barramundi industry by increasing product values, thereby facilitating an economically sustainable growth of this important regional industry.Read moreRead less
Removing the impediment to large-scale selective breeding of Australian barramundi: deciphering and manipulating the genetic basis of sex change. This project will determine the genetic basis of sex control in barramundi and develop technologies to allow barramundi hatcheries to have increased control over reproduction leading to more efficient propagation and removing impediments to selective breeding.