Water Disinfection For Influent Water Biosecurity On Prawn Grow-out Farms
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$125,430.00
Summary
• Coping with the potential persistence of WSSV in Australian waters It is important for farms in the WSD risk region, as well as those outside it, to have access to the necessary tools and reliable information that enables them to implement highly effective biosecurity measures when they become necessary.
• Industry white spot disease preparedness Chemical treatment to remove residual vectors and/or destroy the pathogen is currently the only practical approach with potential to ....• Coping with the potential persistence of WSSV in Australian waters It is important for farms in the WSD risk region, as well as those outside it, to have access to the necessary tools and reliable information that enables them to implement highly effective biosecurity measures when they become necessary.
• Industry white spot disease preparedness Chemical treatment to remove residual vectors and/or destroy the pathogen is currently the only practical approach with potential to adequately reduce WSD biosecurity risk associated with influent farm water. When assessment indicates a high disease risk, farms will need to be confident that their biosecurity measures will be immediately effective.
• Appropriate guidelines for using trichlorfon Currently there is no locally generated guideline for achieving effective application of trichlorfon that is based on directly applicable experimental data and prawn farm experience. The industry needs a set of guidelines that expand upon the basic APVMA use conditions and define the environmental factors and application parameters that will provide the greatest protection for Australian farm conditions.
• Gaps in information currently available The available information does not provide substantiated details of trichlorfon treatment methods and outcomes. The Australian industry needs validated treatment methods and their effectiveness and biosecurity outcomes verified.
• Constraints on trichlorfon use during production Using trichlorfon to treat top-up and exchange water during the production cycle is problematic for some farms due to the 12 day conditioning period required to ensure toxic residues are below the detectable limit before stock is exposed to the water. The potential to manipulate water quality parameters to accelerate residue degradation could make treatment throughout the cycle a more practical option.
• Continuation of permit to use trichlorfon Documented evidence of outcomes and impacts of trichlorfon use on farms is needed to support an APVMA application to extend its use beyond the current MUP period ending 31 December 2021. Objectives: 1. Determine the efficacy of trichlorfon treatment for removal of crustaceans from farm influent water, and the rate of toxic residuals degradation, under a range of treatment circumstances experienced on prawn farms. 2. Provide the prawn grow-out sector with a practical guide for the optimal use of trichlorfon as a water biosecurity method. 3. Provide data for APVMA registration of trichlorfon use, including practical methods for reducing the withholding period for trichlorfon treated water. Read moreRead less
ABFA IPA: An Assessment Of The Risk Of Exotic Disease Introduction And Spread Among Australian Barramundi Farms From The Importation Of Barramundi Products
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
Commercial in confidence. To know more about this project please contact FRDC. Objectives: Commercial in confidence
Future Oysters CRC-P: Polymicrobial Involvement In OsHV Outbreaks (and Other Diseases)
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$342,200.00
Summary
During the last two decades a number of disease outbreaks have led to mass oyster mortalities and the closure of several oyster-harvesting regions, resulting in multi-million dollar losses. These outbreaks mirror a global pattern of increased aquaculture disease, with disease emergence potentially linked to environmental degradation (pollution) and climate change related processes, such as rising seawater temperature. Within NSW estuaries, multiple microbiological agents have been implicated in ....During the last two decades a number of disease outbreaks have led to mass oyster mortalities and the closure of several oyster-harvesting regions, resulting in multi-million dollar losses. These outbreaks mirror a global pattern of increased aquaculture disease, with disease emergence potentially linked to environmental degradation (pollution) and climate change related processes, such as rising seawater temperature. Within NSW estuaries, multiple microbiological agents have been implicated in oyster diseases, but a clear understanding of the ecological and environmental drivers of disease outbreaks has remained elusive. This means we cannot predict when outbreaks will occur, making it very difficult to manage infection events and develop strategies to mitigate future oyster disease events.
Since 2008, Pacific Oyster fisheries in several parts of the world have been decimated by the influence of Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome (POMS), resulting in high (>95%) rates of juvenile oyster mortality. Recent evidence indicates that POMS is a polymicrobial syndrome, that is not only caused by the OsHV-1 virus, but includes the involvement of pathogenic bacteria from the Vibrio genus, a bacterial group comprising species that cause disease in a diverse range of marine animals and which is responsible for significant mortality in a variety of aquaculture industries. However, our understanding of this complex interaction is limited.
This project will provide valuable insights into the microbial communities associated with oysters, how those communities vary and how they might influence the course of other diseases. The project will also indicate whether breeding influences the microbial communities associated with oysters and whether this is influencing the impact diseases like OsHV is having on different Pacific oyster families.
Objectives: 1. Define microbial communities associated with oysters and identify threats 2. Link changes in environmental conditions to changing microbial communities 3. Better understand the association between microbial communities and disease Read moreRead less
Biosecurity Threats And Vulnerabilities Of The Southern Rock Lobster Fishery
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$61,330.00
Summary
SRL industry has been buffeted by various issues in recent years, associated with COVID-19, trading partner non-tariff trade barriers (ostensibly biosecurity or food safety based) and repeated harmful algal blooms (HAB). In particular, HAB remain an ongoing threat, for example with range expansion of Alexandrium tamarense/warming climate, resulting in repeated closures of the east-coat Tasmanian SRL fishery. Other regions of Australia may also face an increased risk of HAB. In addition, access ....SRL industry has been buffeted by various issues in recent years, associated with COVID-19, trading partner non-tariff trade barriers (ostensibly biosecurity or food safety based) and repeated harmful algal blooms (HAB). In particular, HAB remain an ongoing threat, for example with range expansion of Alexandrium tamarense/warming climate, resulting in repeated closures of the east-coat Tasmanian SRL fishery. Other regions of Australia may also face an increased risk of HAB. In addition, access to alternative markets with new sanitary and food safety requirements adds biosecurity and sanitary complexity.
Nearly every animal sector that is involved in harvest (e.g. fisheries) or production has seen rapid change associated with external factors such as spread of invasive species and pests, diseases (both emerging and introduced/exotic) and global issues such as climate change. For example, the Australian Prawn industry has been damaged by emergence and repeated outbreaks of White Spot Syndrome Virus in Australia. Ausvet has recently modelled surveillance data for WSSV on behalf of FRDC and the Australian Prawn Farmers Association and it is clear that WSSV has the potential to spread further south. WSSV affects most crustaceans, although SRL may only be vectors and not show clinical disease. Regardless, such issues can become trade barriers.
Thus, the SRL industry has a need to understand biosecurity risks and how these relate to the ability to harvest, sustain a productive fishery or trade globally. Understanding biosecurity risks are the key building blocks for biosecurity planning which has become an essential part of protecting animal production in Australia and globally, across terrestrial and aquaculture systems. This project will inform biosecurity planning for SRL fisheries. This project concentrates on assisting the broader SRL industry to identify and prioritise emerging, future or existing risks. In addition, it will identify industry capacity and barriers to managing risks. This information can then be used during future industry-wide biosecurity planning. Objectives: 1. Enable improved biosecurity planning within the Southern Rock Lobster industry Read moreRead less
Understanding The Risks Associated With Climate Change On Infectious Diseases Affecting The Seafood Industry
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$519,631.00
Summary
Fish and aquatic species play a vital role in global food security by providing nearly 17% of animal protein eaten by people. However, freshwater and marine aquatic ecosystems that sustain aquaculture and fisheries are undergoing significant changes as a result of global warming of our atmosphere and oceans with projections suggesting that these changes will be heightened in the future (Bahri et al., 2018). It is estimated that global marine primary production (ie phytoplankton) which underpins ....Fish and aquatic species play a vital role in global food security by providing nearly 17% of animal protein eaten by people. However, freshwater and marine aquatic ecosystems that sustain aquaculture and fisheries are undergoing significant changes as a result of global warming of our atmosphere and oceans with projections suggesting that these changes will be heightened in the future (Bahri et al., 2018). It is estimated that global marine primary production (ie phytoplankton) which underpins the health and sustainability of all marine ecosystems will decline by 6 +/- 3% by 2100 (Bahri et al., 2018). This decline in primary productivity will result in key vulnerabilities in aquatic food production that contribute to global food security. Climate-driven changes in temperature, precipitation, ocean acidification, incidence and extent of hypoxia and sea level rise, amongst others, are expected to have long-term impacts in the aquaculture and fisheries sectors at multiple scales (Bahri et al., 2018, Fulton et al., 2020).
Australia’s marine environment is changing faster than at any other period in recorded history (Fulton et al., 2020). In the last 100 years, Australia's oceans have warmed by 1C and there are identified hotspots located in southeast and southwest Australia which have warmed by 2C (Hobday et al., 2018). The surface sea temperatures around Australia are expected to increase by another 1 to 2C in the north and 2 to 5C in the south over the next 100 years (Hobday et al., 2018). While the warming is predicted to continue, the specific mixes of atmospheric and ocean current patterns around Australia mean the magnitude of climate change will differ place-to-place, and different aquaculture and fisheries and sectors will face different challenges (Fulton et al., 2020).
Biological and ecological impacts of climate change on aquatic ecosystems include shifts in food resources, habitat availability and fluctuations in species distributions (Bahri et al., 2018, Fulton et al., 2020). The FAO (Bahri et al., 2018) have identified that climate change may also bring increased risks for aquatic animal health (e.g., by changing the abundance and virulence of pathogens or the susceptibility of the host to pathogens and infections) and food safety concerns (e.g., faster growth rates of pathogenic marine bacteria, or the incidence of parasites and food-borne viruses).
The project proposed will use a risk analysis framework applied at the sector-level to address the change in the risks of infectious diseases in Australian aquaculture and fisheries industries due to climate change. The project outcomes will identify and prioritize the risks from infectious diseases under the future climate scenarios. This project falls under the research priority to address sector-level mitigation strategies to support strategies for disease preparedness, biosecurity, and border protection. The project outcomes will assist industries in preparing risk mitigation strategies to build resilience and sustain productivity in Australia’s aquaculture and fishery industries.
References Bahri, T., Barange, M., Moustahfid, H. 2018. Chapter 1: Climate change and aquatic systems. In Barange, M., Bahri, T., Beveridge, M.C.M., Cochrane, K.L., Funge-Smith, S., Poulain, F. (Eds), Impacts of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture: synthesis of current knowledge, adaptation and mitigation options. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper No. 627. Rome, FAO, pp. 1-18.
Fulton EA, van Putten EI, Dutra LXC, Melbourne-Thomas J, Ogier E, Thomas L, Murphy RP, Butler I, Ghebrezgabhier D, Hobday AJ, Rayns N (2020) Adaptation of fisheries management to climate change Handbook, CSIRO, Australia.
Hobday, A.J., Pecl, G.T., Fulton, B., Pethybridge, H., Bulman, C., Villanueva, C. 2018. Chapter 16: Climate change impacts, vulnerabilities and adaptions: Australian marine fisheries. In Barange, M., Bahri, T., Beveridge, M.C.M., Cochrane, K.L., Funge-Smith, S., Poulain, F. (Eds), Impacts of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture: synthesis of current knowledge, adaptation and mitigation options. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper No. 627. Rome, FAO, pp. 347-362. Objectives: 1. Confirmation and agreement of the 3 industry sectors for the risk assessment and establish the project steering committee 2. Determine the future climate scenarios for the key production areas for each industry sector. 3. Complete the systematic reviews, hazard identification and risk assessment for each industry sector under the future climate scenarios. 4. In collaboration with stakeholders from each sector, the project team will describe options for mitigation of risks identified under the climate change scenarios developed. 5. Deliver a workshop for each industry sector to inform and discuss project outcomes including potential mitigation strategies for Australian conditions. 6. Production of the non-technical project outputs (e.g. infographics and technical guide). Read moreRead less