Sailing The Marine Knowledge Landscape: Enhancing The Discoverability, Accessibility, And Usability Of FRDC Investment
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$80,000.00
Summary
Currently, there are only few mechanisms in place that attempt to synthesise the vast amount of research funded by Australia’s Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) in the agriculture, fisheries, and forestry sectors and organisations outside the RDC space. Even fewer mechanisms exist that attempt to synthesise research from across the marine science space specifically, wherein which the Fisheries RDC (FRDC) operates.
The aim of this project is to input FRDC research into the RL ....Currently, there are only few mechanisms in place that attempt to synthesise the vast amount of research funded by Australia’s Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) in the agriculture, fisheries, and forestry sectors and organisations outside the RDC space. Even fewer mechanisms exist that attempt to synthesise research from across the marine science space specifically, wherein which the Fisheries RDC (FRDC) operates.
The aim of this project is to input FRDC research into the RLA platform, thereby making it more discoverable, accessible, and usable. The RLA service offers various knowledge tools, which intend to be explored as part of this project also, to allow the FRDC to explore and better understand the marine science and agricultural innovation landscape. Furthermore, the project aims to make the RLA platform known within the wider marine science community and across different RDCs and encourage the adoption of the new capability to link industry and research.
This project expects to yield several benefits for actors both within and outside the fishing and aquaculture community. The RLA platform acts as a link between government, business, and research sectors. Inputting FRDC research into the RLA platform encourages collaboration and innovation between actors both within and outside the marine science space and facilitates knowledge transfer between these currently disconnected actors.
Objectives: 1. To share Fisheries Research and Development Corporation research project data to be made available on the Research Link Australia platform, thereby making it more discoverable, accessible, and usable. 2. To explore different knowledge tools (i.e., Research Link Australia-generated dashboards or applications of Large Language Models) to better understand the marine science space and explore the agricultural innovation landscape. 3. To make the Research Link Australia platform known within the wider marine science community and across different Research and Development Corporations and encourage the adoption of the tool. Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC200100022
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,883,406.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Information Resilience. The proposed centre aims at building workforce capacity in Australian organisations to create, protect and sustain agile data pipelines, capable of detecting and responding to failures and risks across the information value chain in which the data is sourced, shared, transformed, analysed and consumed. Building on strong foundations of responsible data science, the centre will bring together end-users, technology providers, and cutting-edge researc ....ARC Training Centre for Information Resilience. The proposed centre aims at building workforce capacity in Australian organisations to create, protect and sustain agile data pipelines, capable of detecting and responding to failures and risks across the information value chain in which the data is sourced, shared, transformed, analysed and consumed. Building on strong foundations of responsible data science, the centre will bring together end-users, technology providers, and cutting-edge research, to lift the socio-technical barriers to data driven transformation and develop resilient data pipelines capable of delivering game-changing productivity gains that position Australian organisations at the forefront of technology leadership and value creation from data assets. Read moreRead less
Transforming Primary Healthcare Service Delivery: A Digital-Human Approach. This project aims to address the urgent need for a transformational shift in thinking and actions in primary healthcare service delivery. Primary care clinics, the front door of Australia's healthcare, are under considerable strain. By using a four-phase mixed methodology design across four Australian states, this project expects to generate a national evidence-based framework which takes a dual approach combining the us ....Transforming Primary Healthcare Service Delivery: A Digital-Human Approach. This project aims to address the urgent need for a transformational shift in thinking and actions in primary healthcare service delivery. Primary care clinics, the front door of Australia's healthcare, are under considerable strain. By using a four-phase mixed methodology design across four Australian states, this project expects to generate a national evidence-based framework which takes a dual approach combining the use of digital technology with humanness. Expected outcomes include the development of an Australian-first evidence-based digital resource kit, including two new tools, and a new co-designed roadmap to better facilitate this important change journey to enhance patient experience, employee wellbeing and clinic performance.
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Fish LIGHT - Low Impact Gears And Innovative Harvest Technologies
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$9,050,000.00
Summary
This program of works supports the trial, implementation, and evaluation of innovative and alternative low-impact harvest technologies (fishing gears) within Queensland’s inshore fisheries (East Coast and Gulf of Carpentaria). The program will be developed in a way that supports an evidence-based approach to developing and trialling sustainable alternative commercial fishing gears, and be run in collaboration with relevant Government agencies and fisheries stakeholders.
Through the addi ....This program of works supports the trial, implementation, and evaluation of innovative and alternative low-impact harvest technologies (fishing gears) within Queensland’s inshore fisheries (East Coast and Gulf of Carpentaria). The program will be developed in a way that supports an evidence-based approach to developing and trialling sustainable alternative commercial fishing gears, and be run in collaboration with relevant Government agencies and fisheries stakeholders.
Through the additional support of co-investment of $4.5 million by FRDC (in line with this application and the approved funds listed under project 2023-154), the program will be delivered in two stages across a six-year timeframe (up to a total investment of $9 million).
The fishing methods to be trialled as part of the first stage will range from exploring enhancements of existing low-impact gear types, through to trials of innovative harvest technologies. The alternative low-impact harvest technologies will first be trialled in order to demonstrate their triple bottom line credentials. After this, the second stage will support broader implementation and evaluation of commercial application over a three-year period.
The program of works will also explore additional opportunities to enhance the economic value and social profile of the fishery, to ensure that any new harvest technologies align with global best practice standards, product value adding to enhance profitability margins, and improvements in social acceptability.
Wild caught seafood also allows for a diverse mix of species that appeal to a range of consumers and seafood businesses. It is planned that this work will explore potential opportunities for market expansion. Objectives: 1. Undertake gear trials with clear monitoring and assessment of gear performance against economic, ecological (including SOCI interactions) and social indicators. 2. Evaluate different gear trial pathways to understand the cost benefit trade-offs, timeframes and identify principles for success 3. Identify attitudinal, behavioural, and contextual factors affecting the adoption and perception of the alternative gear, and design and implement interventions to alleviate this. 4. Support developmental fishery implementation and optimisation of gears and business models to ensure long-term sustainability. 5. Understand the market and consumer preferences associated with caught combination of new gears and undertake optimisation of post-harvest processes and business models to support profitability. 6. Develop forums and communication materials to support responsible innovation and knowledge transfer for and across Australian community, and with a focus on commercial fisheries and key rightsholders and stakeholders Read moreRead less
Southern Rock Lobster Planning And Management For A National Research Development & Extension (RD&E) Program
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$1,001,807.88
Summary
The Southern Rock Lobster industry has a complex array of business structures. Many of the quota units or catch shares are owned by small family businesses while an increasing amount is owned by larger companies. Catch is taken by around 625 vessels and packed and processed by a number of different companies. The large and complex array of firms across three States means there is a need for leadership in prioritising and coordinating the investment in and managing industry RD&E.
Fo ....The Southern Rock Lobster industry has a complex array of business structures. Many of the quota units or catch shares are owned by small family businesses while an increasing amount is owned by larger companies. Catch is taken by around 625 vessels and packed and processed by a number of different companies. The large and complex array of firms across three States means there is a need for leadership in prioritising and coordinating the investment in and managing industry RD&E.
For the past three years the value of the catch (producer prices) has increased from $176 million to $228 million with the 2013/14 year the highest on record with 2014-15 likely to be higher again. Profitability has increased at a greater rate than this trend in revenue would indicate, because of gradual improvement in catch rate. There is opportunity to further increase the financial return from the resource through improvements in price and reduction in costs. Research investment tends to have an exceptional ROI in this industry due to the scale of the fishery.
In 2012, SRL partnered with the Australian Abalone industry to form the Seafood Trade Advisory Group (STAG) to primarily address issues regarding exports to China. This proved timely as the negotiations for a China - Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) became a Government priority and the STAG contributed significantly to successful inclusion of lobster and abalone. This agreement is expected to create substantial change in the SRL fishery in the future and we need to be well prepared to respond.
This project will build on the existing capacity to deal with Southern Rock Lobster RD&E needs in a strategic and efficient way. The industry will benefit from continued collaboration with the New Zealand Rock Lobster industry on R&D projects will continue under this project including sharing R&D initiatives with other Australian Rock Lobster representative bodies.
Objectives: 1. Coordinate Southern Rock Lobster RD&E planning and management so that RD&E is strategically prioritized and delivered cost-effectively. 2. Deliver a corporate structure, resources and processes for SRL that ensures:a) Leadership focusing on continuous industry development through the delivery of the SRL Strategic Plan b) a strategic focus on maximising profitability across the value chain within the limits of sustainability of the resource, c) high level governance at the operational, planning and strategic level; and d) effective engagement of all stakeholders in planning and building SRL’s value proposition to ensure further development within the fishery and relevance of SRL’s functions. 3. Engage with Southern Rock Lobster Processors and Exporters (post-harvest sector) to establish a representative body and processes for contributing to industry development, RD&E initiatives and representation of this body on the SRL Board. 4. Communicate consistent information and the extension of R&D outputs to support and promote the adoption of new technology, science and other project outcomes through mediums such as the SRL Newsletter, website and fact sheets Read moreRead less
Diagnostic Detection Of Aquatic Pathogens Using Real-time Next Generation Sequencing
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$216,000.00
Summary
Current diagnostic programs generally rely on highly -specific assays for pathogen detection. While these techniques are invaluable, they are one dimensional and do not provide detailed information critical to a disease investigation. These gaps include the inability to detect unknown pathogens and potential variants of know pathogens and provide no additional genomic or transcriptomic data. Moreover, samples must be shipped to trained personnel in a laboratory, further delaying the time to diag ....Current diagnostic programs generally rely on highly -specific assays for pathogen detection. While these techniques are invaluable, they are one dimensional and do not provide detailed information critical to a disease investigation. These gaps include the inability to detect unknown pathogens and potential variants of know pathogens and provide no additional genomic or transcriptomic data. Moreover, samples must be shipped to trained personnel in a laboratory, further delaying the time to diagnosis. The MinION, on the other hand, can theoretically detect any pathogen and can potentially be deployed to the field. Moreover, the MinION can rapidly generate full-length genomes, allowing for epidemiological tracking of viral or bacterial strains in near real-time. Such rapid data, which cannot be obtained as quickly using existing methods, are vital if the intention is to intervene in an outbreak and reduce impacts on the productivity and profitability of aquaculture facilities. For example, a rapid, early diagnosis may allow mitigating actions to be taken on-farm, such as the diversion of intake water, movement restrictions of stock and the isolation of infected ponds. These qualities make the MinION an attractive complimentary platform to fill several gaps in the data obtained during disease outbreak investigations, or routine diagnostics, and potentially for use in the field. However, results from the misuse or lack of understanding of the technology could also have adverse regulatory implications for aquaculture industries. For example, without appropriate guidelines, an inexperienced diagnostician may misinterpret a distant DNA match in a pathogen database as a significant result, this may create unwanted attention to industry and potential stock destruction or changes to disease status that are unjustified. Thus, it is critical that the MinION is evaluated at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory, and guidelines and procedures are developed for accurate diagnostic evaluations. The activities detailed in this application will establish the feasibility of using the MinION for diagnostic applications, and ensure that the data is reliably generated and interpreted appropriately.
Objectives: 1. Evaluate if MinION data meets or exceeds the data obtained using established laboratory-based NGS platforms. Objectives (1) and (2) align with Methods section (1).The first objective of this project is to demonstrate if the MinION can obtain quality genome assemblies of known pathogens, such as WSSV, AHPND, OsHV-1 and HaHV that have been created using existing NGS technology. Moreover, determine if the MinION is capable of producing a diagnostic result more rapidly and with greater confidence than traditional techniques. STOP/GO POINT: If MinION data does not produce reliable genome assemblies, no improvement in genome quality, or is significantly more laborious to set-up/run or analyse than existing NGS technologies, do not proceed with objective 2. 2. Evaluate the performance of the MinION using existing diagnostic extraction techniques and produce robust methods and protocols for sample preparation, sequencing and data analysis. This objective will optimise MinION protocols for sample pre-processing, optimal sequencing conditions, and data post-processing. We will then evaluate the MinION data produced from a range of aquatic organisms against data produced using traditional techniques from the same samples. STOP/GO POINT: If after these optimisations, the MinION cannot detect pathogens as reliably as traditional techniques, do not proceed with objective 3. 3. Compare the applicability of MinION to standard molecular assays for identification of pathogens in diagnostic samples. Objective (3) is aligned with Methods section (2).In this objective, diagnostic samples will be tested using existing diagnostics tools (qPCR, cPCR) and MinION sequencing. Analysis between the methods will be detailed, including time to result, pathogen identity and genomic information. This objective will not only provide an insight into real-time sequencing for diagnostics, but in addition the feasibility of MinION technology for field application in the future. Read moreRead less
Giant Crab Enhanced Data Collection - Innovative Approaches To Enhance Data Collection In The Victorian, South Australian And Tasmanian Giant Crab Fisheries
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$325,241.00
Summary
Giant Crabs are a long, lived, slow reproducing xanthoid crab distributed from southern Western Australia to central New South Wales that are considered to be a single stock across southern Australia.
The giant crab fishery (GCF) across southern Australia has a small tonnage of large, individually valuable animals. Despite the implementation of harvest strategies and management plans guiding the setting of conservative TACC’s, declining trends are evident across the shared Southern Aus ....Giant Crabs are a long, lived, slow reproducing xanthoid crab distributed from southern Western Australia to central New South Wales that are considered to be a single stock across southern Australia.
The giant crab fishery (GCF) across southern Australia has a small tonnage of large, individually valuable animals. Despite the implementation of harvest strategies and management plans guiding the setting of conservative TACC’s, declining trends are evident across the shared Southern Australian resource.
The fishery has had ongoing problems collecting quality stock assessment data, leading to uncertainty in the assessment and management. Owing to the size of the fishery, and the remote nature of the fishing operations, assessments now rely on fisher dependant catch rate data with an inherent high level of volatility due to the small number of operators.
Attempts to improve the collection of fishery data over the years have been challenging, in particular for fisher-based collection of length-frequency data from volunteer measuring programs.
Innovative data collection methods for small scale fisheries such as the GCF are required to improve the monitoring of stock status of this important commercial fishery and enhance long-term sustainability of the Giant Crab resource.
A length based model has previously been developed and was designed to integrate assessments across the jurisdictions. The model for giant crab and was being used for South Australia and Tasmania but was not applied to Victoria due to data limitations. In recent years the modelling has discontinued in SA and Tas because of insufficient length frequency data, which compounded uncertainty present due to weak growth data. The lack of length data in previous years was the critical change that has forced the model to be discontinued. So our ability to understand changes in the stock has become weakest at precisely the period in the history of the fishery when information is most needed. This project is designed specifically in response to this need to address the lack of data through development of an efficient method to collect LF information, with minimal burden on fishers to improve accuracy of stock assessments.
Objectives: 1. Develop effective low-cost data collection method specific to Giant Crab 2. Trial and refine new data collection method 3. Analysis of fishery-independent biological data and investigation of usability to enhance assessment of Victorian, Tasmanian and South Australian giant crab fisheries Read moreRead less
A new generation flat screen: metasurface displays. This project aims to develop a new generation flat screen that is lighter, more efficient and with higher resolution by replacing the traditional liquid crystals (LCs) with metasurfaces that are 100-times thinner than LCs. Metasurfaces are arrays of engineered dielectric and semiconductor nanoparticles, with extraordinary characteristics. The expected outcomes will lead to flat screens with resolution enhanced by 100 times and energy consumptio ....A new generation flat screen: metasurface displays. This project aims to develop a new generation flat screen that is lighter, more efficient and with higher resolution by replacing the traditional liquid crystals (LCs) with metasurfaces that are 100-times thinner than LCs. Metasurfaces are arrays of engineered dielectric and semiconductor nanoparticles, with extraordinary characteristics. The expected outcomes will lead to flat screens with resolution enhanced by 100 times and energy consumption reduced by half, as compared to current LC-based displays (e.g. LCD and LED). This novel technology will revolutionise the dimension and performance of displays and secure Australia's position in the billion dollar market of flat displays.
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Best Practice And Policy In Abalone Stock Enhancement, Restocking And Translocation
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$41,802.00
Summary
Stock enhancement and restocking of marine species is an ever-evolving field given the development of new technology and pressures put on species by factors such as fishing, environment and disease. In Australia there have been several large-scale experimental abalone projects conducted, primarily in NSW and WA, with promising results and conclusions. However, these research projects have cost just over $1.7 million and none of the outcomes have translated into commercial-scale abalone stock enh ....Stock enhancement and restocking of marine species is an ever-evolving field given the development of new technology and pressures put on species by factors such as fishing, environment and disease. In Australia there have been several large-scale experimental abalone projects conducted, primarily in NSW and WA, with promising results and conclusions. However, these research projects have cost just over $1.7 million and none of the outcomes have translated into commercial-scale abalone stock enhancement, restocking or translocation. Even so, there is still considerable and continuing interest in stocking where stocks are so depleted as to render recovery without intervention impossible. The question is therefore, why do very few ideas/proposals progress to R&D projects and none have progressed to commercialisation?
This project will review abalone stocking in Australia and jurisdictions current strategic direction and management policies. Through this, potential roadblocks to the commercialisation of abalone stocking in Australia, such as government policy, scientific research, aquaculture practices, genetics and biosecurity/disease will be investigated. At present there is no formal abalone stocking programmes being conducted in Australia, even with the stock declines present in numerous fisheries. However, several major projects have been proposed and the interest in stocking as a fisheries management tool has remained high with substantial investments made. A national approach to abalone stocking will allow regulatory bodies to decide on appropriate stocking programmes and for industry to have confidence in the benefits for the fishery. Objectives: 1. Detailed review of abalone stocking in Australia and current jurisdictional policies. 3. Develop a national approach to abalone stock enhancement, restocking and translocation. Read moreRead less