Objectives: 1. To determine, for prawns, the digestibility of the alternative protein sources and the assimilation of the nutrients in them. 2. To investigate methods of enhancing the digestibility of feeds and feed ingredients. 3. To develop methods to enhance the nutrient balance, attractiveness and palatability of diets formulated using alternative protein sources. 4. To determine the prawn's protein requirements in relation to different amounts of digestible energy avai ....Objectives: 1. To determine, for prawns, the digestibility of the alternative protein sources and the assimilation of the nutrients in them. 2. To investigate methods of enhancing the digestibility of feeds and feed ingredients. 3. To develop methods to enhance the nutrient balance, attractiveness and palatability of diets formulated using alternative protein sources. 4. To determine the prawn's protein requirements in relation to different amounts of digestible energy available in the feed. 5. To use this information in the continued testing of potentially commercial diets using selected alternative protein sources to replace or partially replace fishmeal. Read moreRead less
Objectives: 1. Develop suitable artificial diets for use in higher density prawn farming ponds. 2. Develop micro-encapsulated diets for use in oyster hatchery operations
Aquafin CRC - SBT Aquaculture Subprogram: Optimisation Of Farmed Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Maccoyii) Nutrition To Improve Feed Conversion Efficiency And Reduce Production Costs
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$995,671.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. Improve overall industry feed conversion efficiency with a view to increasing the quantity of tuna produced from the same nutritional inputs. 2. Improve nutritional knowledge to reduce the cost and efficiency of SBT production by enhancing our capacity to control the supply of nutrients to farmed SBT; improving our knowledge of the nutritional requirements of SBT and understanding factors that influence feed intake in SBT. 3. Provide nutrition research support to o ....Objectives: 1. Improve overall industry feed conversion efficiency with a view to increasing the quantity of tuna produced from the same nutritional inputs. 2. Improve nutritional knowledge to reduce the cost and efficiency of SBT production by enhancing our capacity to control the supply of nutrients to farmed SBT; improving our knowledge of the nutritional requirements of SBT and understanding factors that influence feed intake in SBT. 3. Provide nutrition research support to other tuna research projects. 4. To establish the digestibility of extruded pelleted diets and measure changes in diet digestibility over the tuna season. 5. To establish the effectiveness of formu bait feeding software, for predicting SBT responses to diets, under commercial conditions. Read moreRead less
Ocean Nursery And Grow Out Phases Of Giant Clam Mariculture
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
Objectives: 1. Determine rearing methods, environmental conditions and maintenance programs that provide optimal yields 2. Determine methods that are applicable to the commercial culture of giant clams, especially Tridacna gigas & Hippopus hippopus, through ocean-nursery & grow-out phases
Seafood CRC: Commercial Production Of All-female Reproductively Sterile Triploid Giant Tiger Prawns (Penaeus Monodon): Assessing Their Commercial Performance In Ponds.
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$124,250.00
Summary
The Australian prawn industry needs a mechanism by which to confer genetic protection of seedstock with elite genotypes so that their commercial benefits can be made available to the entire domestic industry through the sale of elite seedstock for on-growing. To-date triploidy is the only available technology that is near commercialisation that provides a high level of genetic protection through reproductive sterility.
Triploidy has the added benefit of resulting in female populations, ....The Australian prawn industry needs a mechanism by which to confer genetic protection of seedstock with elite genotypes so that their commercial benefits can be made available to the entire domestic industry through the sale of elite seedstock for on-growing. To-date triploidy is the only available technology that is near commercialisation that provides a high level of genetic protection through reproductive sterility.
Triploidy has the added benefit of resulting in female populations, with females naturally growing larger than males. This attribute should provide further improvements on harvest yield beyond the performance provided from the elite genotypes alone. If this project demonstrates that total harvest yields are substantially improved through stocking triploids as predicted, triploid induction technologies will be of direct benefit to (and can be utilised by) the entire Australian industry as wild spawned females are also larger than males. This provides direct benefits to the industry independent of accessing the elite genotypes being produced by the four largest Australian prawn producers, providing immediate benefits for any Australian farm or hatchery producing seedstock. Objectives: 1. To develop P. monodon triploid heat shock induction systems that allow all eggs spawned from any one female to be exposed to heat shock at the same time. 2. To determine the performance (growth, survival, reproductive sterility and sex ratio) of triploid P. monodon when reared at commercial farms in earthen ponds relative to that of normal diploids. 3. To develop commercially relevant P. monodon triploid induction protocols for the Australian industry that accommodate constraints such as a natural spawning cycle (e.g. not reversed light as with experimental stocks), proximity of heated water to spawning tanks and systems available to add heated water to apply the shock). 4. To transfer commercially relevant triploid induction technologies to one or more commercial hatchery. Read moreRead less
Southern Bluefin Tuna Aquaculture Subprogram Project 1: Implementation And Coordination Of Research Experiments Conducted With Farmed Southern Bluefin Tuna To Assess Manufactured Diets, Feeding Regimes And Harvesting Techniques
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$517,767.00
Summary
This project is essential for the development of a cohesive research approach aimed at developing manufactured feeds for farmed SBT using limited resources. As stated previously, this project will:
1. Ensure that the minimum level of duplication occurs in the provision of research services. 2. Provide a focus for SBT farming research and ensure this attracts high quality research providers. 3. Address industry priorities by establishing a mechanism to empower industries involve ....This project is essential for the development of a cohesive research approach aimed at developing manufactured feeds for farmed SBT using limited resources. As stated previously, this project will:
1. Ensure that the minimum level of duplication occurs in the provision of research services. 2. Provide a focus for SBT farming research and ensure this attracts high quality research providers. 3. Address industry priorities by establishing a mechanism to empower industries involvement in their research. 4. Establish a framework to ensure that SBT farming research is both orderly and targeted.
In addition to the need for a coordinated research Sub-Program, the individual projects within the Sub-Program outline specific needs for aspects of the research. These include:
Project 2: Development and optimisation of manufactured diets for farmed SBT.
At present the SBT farming industry is almost entirely dependent on whole defrosted pilchards as a feed, with about 50% of the 15 - 20 thousand tonnes used in 1994/95 sourced overseas. The development of a suitable formulated feed (particularly fish based moist feeds which are likely to prove successful much sooner than other potential feeds) is a high priority with industry and government because:
a) international supplies of pilchards are variable in volume and quality (eg. Japanese supplies have declined markedly and the fat content of pilchards used in feeds varies from 1 - 22%);
b) manufactured feed can be better matched to the nutritional requirements of farmed SBT thereby enhancing growth and fish health, which translates into increased farm production levels;
c) manufactured feed will provide the potential for improved product quality (in particular fat content, colour and texture) as they are more stable in storage than pilchards and can be altered to better meet the requirements of SBT farming and the markets;
d) manufactured feed will reduce industry feeding costs as their generally lesser moisture content and better feed conversion ratio will reduce the quantities required and therefore costs associated with feed storage and transport;
e) manufactured feed will greatly reduce environmental concerns associated with the present use of pilchards, including: reducing the overall requirement for pilchards, minimising risks of importing and dispersing undesirable diseases and pests, and reducing organic wastes in the farm environment which can harbor and promote diseases as well as detrimentally effect water quality.
The development of manufactured feed has been clearly recognised as a high priority by the TBOAA (numerous scientific workshops), the CRC for Aquaculture (Tuna Research Review Task Force) and the national Task Force on the Importation of Fish and Fish Products. Participating feed companies are also supportitive as they will benefit from the desired outcome. The development of fish (eg. pilchard) based moist feeds, the subject of this application, offers the fastest method to achieve this.
The economic benefits of the development of a suitable formulated feed has been estimated (see B6 - Benefits and Beneficiaries) to be as high as $9.5 million/annum to the TBOAA and $5 million to successful feed manufacturers. Additional economic benefits would be expected to flow from ongoing research leading to further enhancements of feeds.
Project 3: Experimental analyses of the effects of ration and feeding frequency on thermodynamics, energetics, growth and condition of farmed SBT.
The rapid development of the SBT farming industry during the early 1990's coincided with very favourable Australian $ : Yen exchange rates which ensured a profitable return to industry even as they went through the steep learning curve involved in transfering from SBT fishing to SBT farming. However, as the quantity of SBT allocated to farming operations is stabilising at around 50-55% of the Australian quota, a significant re-adjustment in exchange rates means that the viability and economic growth of the industry will be critically linked to increased efficiency of farming procedures, product quality and the farmers' ability to meet market requirements.
Optimising the strategies used to feed farmed SBT is an area with great potential to both improve both the product quality and through efficiency dividends, and the viability of the industry. With over $20 million spent on food each year, even a modest improvement in efficiency would yield significant savings.
Improvements in feeding strategies and techniques would also reduce the environmental impact of SBT farming - a critical requirement for the long term sustainability of the industry.
By analysing the energy balance (input and output) of the farmed SBT optimal feeding strategies can be determined. The outcomes of this project will be easily adopted by industry because they are based on existing technologies and are achievable in both the short and long term.
Project 4: Effect of husbandry and handling techniques on the post-harvest quality of farmed SBT
The SBT farming industry uses procedures for harvesting and post-harvest handling based on methods developed in the wild capture fishery. At various times, problems with the quality and in particular the flesh colour have resulted in poor prices on the Japanese market: the only viable marketing option for these SBT. Some of these problems may relate to the feeding, harvesting and post-harvest handling of the farmed SBT. Further processing of whole SBT into loins for export has been proposed, but this requires good stability of the attractive red flesh colour during storage and transport to market. Research is already under way to see if introducing manufactured feeds has any consequence for the quality of the SBT flesh. To complement this ongoing work, and because of the importance of flesh colour to the SBT market, a study of the effect of alternative handling conditions or procedures on SBT flesh quality in whole or dressed fish is needed to determine whether a new system of pre-harvest preparation, harvesting methods and post-harvest procedures should be developed specifically for farmed SBT. Objectives: 1. To provide a coordinated research program investigating the development of manufactured diets, energetics of SBT, and harvesting techniques that will optimise growth and product quality of SBT respectively. 2. To optimise the use of the limited resources provided by the TBOAA Tuna Research Farm in Port Lincoln by coordinating a series of experiments that will provide data for projects 2, 3 and 4. 3. To initiate and coordinate Steering Committee and Scientific Advisory Committee meetings on SBT farming research during each year. 4. To communicate the research outcomes to the SBT farming industry and participating feed manufacturing companies in order to commercialise suitable feeds and subsequently enhance the sustainability of commercial SBT farming operations. Read moreRead less
Elucidating The Nutritional Requirements Of Farmed Hybrid Abalone
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$282,544.00
Summary
The farming of quality Australian abalone is a profitable industry, producing an estimated total ~1,000 tonnes live weight with a value of $35 million in the financial year ending July 2017. Notably, over the next 10 years, abalone production is forecast to increase by >300% to ~3,600 tonnes with an estimated total value of ~$120 million based on current day market prices. However, in order to facilitate this growth, detailed knowledge pertaining to the nutritional requirements of farmed abalon ....The farming of quality Australian abalone is a profitable industry, producing an estimated total ~1,000 tonnes live weight with a value of $35 million in the financial year ending July 2017. Notably, over the next 10 years, abalone production is forecast to increase by >300% to ~3,600 tonnes with an estimated total value of ~$120 million based on current day market prices. However, in order to facilitate this growth, detailed knowledge pertaining to the nutritional requirements of farmed abalone species is paramount. Currently, hybrid abalone culture is carried out via the provision of feeds developed specifically for greenlip abalone. While these feeds promote good growth and survival in both species, it is considered that the ideal protein ratio requirements of abalone may vary in relation to temperature (season), age (stage of growth) and species, (greenlip vs. hybrid). The issue is further exacerbated by varying, and site specific environmental conditions; especially high summer temperatures causing incidents of elevated mortality; and low winter temperatures suppressing growth. As such, on-farm performance of hybrid abalone has significant scope for improvement via nutritional intervention. Carefully planned and targeted RD&E effort that builds on the nutritional knowledge amassed for greenlip abalone therefore has the capacity to make rapid steps in relation to the productivity of the hybrid abalone aquaculture industry. Those gains are in turn expected to be transferable back to greenlip aquaculture.
The Australian Abalone Growers Association has identified ‘Nutrition’ as an RD&E investment priority in its 2015-2020 Strategic Plan, with a Strategic Goal to ‘Implement a Nutrition Program for Health, Survivorship and Meat Weight Gain’. This project will assist industry in achieving its projected growth within the time-frame of AAGA’s Strategic Plan by developing formulated feeds that are tailored to the major seasonal trends experienced by the abalone farming industry. Depending on the differences found in nutritional requirements this may result in the development of age/size-specific, temperature/season-specific and/or species-specific diets. Objectives: 1. To elucidate the key nutritional requirements of farmed hybrid abalone (Haliotis laevigata x rubra) with respect to stage of growth and environmental rearing temperature. 2. Profile the nutritional characteristics of commercially available abalone aquafeeds towards improved hybrid abalone feed formulations 3. Understand the impacts of nutritional conditioning on the survival of abalone in response to adverse temperature conditions 4. Development of rapid screening assays for diet digestibility and on-farm performance assessment Read moreRead less
Objectives: 1. Continue hatchery rearing of commercial scallops (Pecten meridionalis) during winter months. 2. utilise existing facilities to rear pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) for settlement on cultch for suspended culture during summer months