Minimising Plastic In The Western Rock Lobster Industry (Phase 1 – Scope And Identify)
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$72,525.00
Summary
It was recently noted (in FISH Magazine Volume 27-1) that:
“Recent studies have estimated that approximately eight million tonnes of plastic end up in the world’s oceans every year. This contributes to the deaths of the marine animals that become entangled. Plastic can also find its way into the stomachs of seabirds, sea mammals, fish and other marine life, affecting the entire food chain. The attributes of plastic that make it so attractive as a material, including its durability, ....It was recently noted (in FISH Magazine Volume 27-1) that:
“Recent studies have estimated that approximately eight million tonnes of plastic end up in the world’s oceans every year. This contributes to the deaths of the marine animals that become entangled. Plastic can also find its way into the stomachs of seabirds, sea mammals, fish and other marine life, affecting the entire food chain. The attributes of plastic that make it so attractive as a material, including its durability, are also the attributes that make it so dangerous and long-lived. Products might break down, but the plastic itself remains in the environment. Greenpeace researchers have found plastics in water and snow samples in areas as remote as Antarctica.
CSIRO research has identified that almost three-quarters of the rubbish on Australia’s coastline is plastic, and that it comes from Australian sources. Research from the Australian Institute of Marine Science has also reported widespread microplastic contamination of waters in north-western Australia. More recently, a study of juvenile Coral Trout from the Great Barrier Reef has identified that tropical fish are ingesting both plastic and non-plastic marine microdebris (particles of less than five millimetres).”
WRL’s vision (as noted in its Strategic Plan 2018-2021) is to be “an iconic global leader in sustainable fisheries management, with one of its strategic objectives to “ensure long term access to the sustainable resource”. WRL continually strives to improve its sustainability practices for the western rock lobster industry, with practices with the ability to transfer to and assist other fisheries being particularly attractive. The research developed through this project will allow greater knowledge and understanding of:
(1) how and where plastic is used within the western rock lobster industry; and (2) viable and environmentally friendly alternatives to the plastic currently in use. This will form the basis for Phase 2 of this project, which will allow for the development, trial and implementation of plastic alternatives to combat and reduce the harm to the marine environment, and ultimately lead to a more sustainable fishery.
Objectives: 1. Identify where and why plastic is used in the western rock lobster industry. 2. Identify viable environmentally friendly plastic alternatives. Read moreRead less
Circular Economy Opportunities For Fisheries And Aquaculture In Australia
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$158,000.00
Summary
Current resource use challenges sustainability and resilience of industries. Circular value chains allow management of waste losses and maximise resource recovery. A circular economy (CE) mimics the cycles in nature in which there is no waste. Maximum value and utility of products and materials is maintained in CE through a combination of extending product lifetimes, increasing resource use intensity, and end-of-life material recycling. CE includes the idea of regenerative development, i.e. as ....Current resource use challenges sustainability and resilience of industries. Circular value chains allow management of waste losses and maximise resource recovery. A circular economy (CE) mimics the cycles in nature in which there is no waste. Maximum value and utility of products and materials is maintained in CE through a combination of extending product lifetimes, increasing resource use intensity, and end-of-life material recycling. CE includes the idea of regenerative development, i.e. as the earth’s resources cycle as materials through the economy they restore and enhance, rather than deplete, natural capital.
Economic opportunities of circularity are well identified, the World Economic Forum estimates global adoption of CE principles would deliver cost savings of US$1trillion dollars per annum by 2025. A recent UTS:ISF study estimated an Australian CE could be worth AU$2 billion by 2025. However, current knowledge gaps constrain how CE may develop, at what scale it makes sense to close loops, and the strategies, policy mix and incentives needed to promote circularity.
For fisheries and aquaculture, CE adoption addresses waste challenges through the creation of new value chains for fish/shell waste and substitution or recycling plastics and provides co-benefits of resource efficiency, contributions to healthy aquatic eco-systems and creation of added value and new employment. Frameworks to guide ‘CE thinking’ exist e.g. Ellen Macarthur Foundation’s 10R’s and ReSOLVE (see Supplementary Material), but have not been explored, are often omitted in food innovation debates (Pagotto and Halog 2015), and opportunities for implementation within the sector are still emerging (e.g., replacement of fish-feed for abalone with wine production waste or repurposing mussel shells as high-nutrient fertiliser). The need to understand the context, opportunity and benefit of CE innovations and to identify strategic approaches to sectoral circularity at scale are apparent.
Objectives: 1. 1. Develop increased knowledge of how the concept of circular economy relates to fishing and aquaculture, including downstream activities such as post-harvest processing and packaging. 2. 2. Develop increased knowledge of how circular practices being applied in other sectors and industries relate to the fishing and aquaculture sectors and could be adopted by fishing and aquaculture businesses. This includes opportunities for fisheries/aquaculture industries to develop circular linkages with other marine and land based sectors. 3. 3. Identify opportunities that are available and areas for exploration in the short, medium and longer term to progress a circular economy for fisheries and aquaculture. 4. 4. Identify barriers to adopting circularity within the fisheries/aquaculture sector, and known strategies for addressing those barriers. Read moreRead less
Fatigue thresholds, crack initiation and small crack growth phenomenon in uPVC, mPVC and Oriented PVC pipes. Unplasticised polyvinylchloride (uPVC) is currently used for water reticulation pipelines. These are subject to variable pressure which can lead to fatigue failures. Improved materials, modified PVC (mPVC) and oriented PVC (oPVC), are now entering this market. uPVC shows a fatigue threshold when prenotched samples are tested. The fatigue threshold is an important design concept since it r ....Fatigue thresholds, crack initiation and small crack growth phenomenon in uPVC, mPVC and Oriented PVC pipes. Unplasticised polyvinylchloride (uPVC) is currently used for water reticulation pipelines. These are subject to variable pressure which can lead to fatigue failures. Improved materials, modified PVC (mPVC) and oriented PVC (oPVC), are now entering this market. uPVC shows a fatigue threshold when prenotched samples are tested. The fatigue threshold is an important design concept since it represents the stress amplitude below which fatigue failures should not occur. Its existence in unnotched pipes and in the newer PVC materials is uncertain. This project will quantify fatigue thresholds and the mechanisms involved in crack initiation in uPVC , mPVC and oPVC.Read moreRead less
A Global Review On Implications Of Plastic In Seafood
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$60,513.00
Summary
The project will review and synthesise available global data on the potential effects and implications that plastic is causing in seafood species in the context of the impacts they generate to fishing and aquaculture sectors. Concurrently, using published literature on sources of marine pollution, the abundance of plastic entering aquatic systems from seafood related sources will be quantified, with particular focus to the Australian context. Ultimately, this will give the fisheries sector, part ....The project will review and synthesise available global data on the potential effects and implications that plastic is causing in seafood species in the context of the impacts they generate to fishing and aquaculture sectors. Concurrently, using published literature on sources of marine pollution, the abundance of plastic entering aquatic systems from seafood related sources will be quantified, with particular focus to the Australian context. Ultimately, this will give the fisheries sector, particularly in an Australian setting, the knowledge to evaluate where appropriate mitigation strategies are necessary and reduce the presence and impacts of microplastics in seafood.
This project aligns with FRDC R&D Plan Outcome 1: Growth and Enduring prosperity; In particular, it targets the priorities of: - Improving the understanding of the cause and extent of impacts to aquatic systems and what is needed to improve them - Promote a circular economy to remove waste from the processing system, keep products and materials in use and promote the repair of natural systems
Providing information on how marine pollution may affect the seafood industry and seafood species fished will guide the urgency of future research and allow management and mitigation strategies that support the seafood sector to be developed. Ultimately, quantifying the amount of plastic contributed by the seafood sector to marine plastics will allow us to advance with solutions and uncover where plastic alternatives are most needed.
Objectives: 1. Undertake a systematic review, collating, synthesising and analysing global data on the effects and implications of plastic pollution in seafood species and the seafood industry 2. Identify potential sources of plastic in marine environments, including the percentage coming through fishing and aquaculture 3. Highlight key knowledge gaps, opportunities and threats of plastic in the seafood sector 4. Disseminate findings and information on effects and implications of plastic pollution on seafood species to fishers and managers Read moreRead less
Evaluating Re-usable Containerised Systems For Airfreighting Live Fish Using Bottled Oxygen
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$26,000.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. To monitor changes in water quality when fish are transporsted in an existing fish transport system 2. To monitor changes in water quality when fish are transporsted in an existing fish transport system 3. To reduce the amount of bottled oxygen required to meet the respiratory needs of fish without compromising water quality
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453480
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$236,899.00
Summary
Nanostructured Polymer Processing Network. The Nanostructured Polymer Processing Network will promote the understanding and manipulation of the processing of novel nanostructured plastic materials. High technology, online polymer processing equipment will be sought that will enable the design of nanostructured polymers via a range of techniques including insitu polymerisation, nanocomposites and polymer blending which are ideal for designing high value nanostructured polymers that are tailored f ....Nanostructured Polymer Processing Network. The Nanostructured Polymer Processing Network will promote the understanding and manipulation of the processing of novel nanostructured plastic materials. High technology, online polymer processing equipment will be sought that will enable the design of nanostructured polymers via a range of techniques including insitu polymerisation, nanocomposites and polymer blending which are ideal for designing high value nanostructured polymers that are tailored for high performance applications. The equipment in this proposal, when combined with existing leading edge polymer characterisation and analysis equipment, will provide a Network with international state-of-the-art equipment that will fast track the success of integrated research projects across the sites.Read moreRead less
High performance thermoplastic starch polymer films for controlled barrier and delivery. This project will deliver state of the art developments in high performance sustainable plastics. Specifically the project will develop new biopolymers for high-performance applications, such as smart packaging, biomedical materials and drug delivery systems.
Development of PVC-Based Polymer Nanocomposites. The aim of the project is to develop a PVC polymer nanocomposite material to be used in water pipelines. It has been found that the inclusion of a nanoparticle phase, in this case calcium carbonate, leads to increases in strength, stiffness, toughness and abrasion resistance. This proposed project will develop and assess an optimum material in addition to investigating the mechanisms of deformation.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100056
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$433,746.00
Summary
Microstructured Nanohybrid Films for Passive Daytime Cooling. This project aims to develop a daytime radiative cooling surface without external energy requirement via novel microstructured nanohybrid film coatings to perpetually dump heat into cold outer space through the atmospheric window. The project expects to generate new fundamental knowledge in the area of building cooling materials, via multidisciplinary utilisation of cutting-edge construction materials and design. The expected outcome ....Microstructured Nanohybrid Films for Passive Daytime Cooling. This project aims to develop a daytime radiative cooling surface without external energy requirement via novel microstructured nanohybrid film coatings to perpetually dump heat into cold outer space through the atmospheric window. The project expects to generate new fundamental knowledge in the area of building cooling materials, via multidisciplinary utilisation of cutting-edge construction materials and design. The expected outcome of the project will place Australia in a competitive position in advanced green building infrastructure and highly demanded energy-saving technologies. This should provide benefits, such as significantly decreasing building energy consumption, and, thus reducing greenhouse gas emission.Read moreRead less
Rural R And D For Profit: Easy-Open Oyster Automation
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$458,814.84
Summary
Almost all of the 500 oyster farms in Australia are family farm operations. The annual GVP of the industry is not growing consistently and the number of farms is declining due to the devastation caused by the disease POMS in NSW estuaries. Research by the Seafood CRC showed that only 44% of Australians ever eat oysters and less than 4% eat them regularly. The days when oysters were an expensive delicacy are gone. Oysters are now a loss leader in many seafood outlets. To combat this decline many ....Almost all of the 500 oyster farms in Australia are family farm operations. The annual GVP of the industry is not growing consistently and the number of farms is declining due to the devastation caused by the disease POMS in NSW estuaries. Research by the Seafood CRC showed that only 44% of Australians ever eat oysters and less than 4% eat them regularly. The days when oysters were an expensive delicacy are gone. Oysters are now a loss leader in many seafood outlets. To combat this decline many oyster growers are forming alliances to market their oysters direct to restaurants in Australia and Asia. These offerings are based on freshness and provenance. To deliver on both these promises, the oyster must be delivered to the restaurant live and unopened. Shucking must then be undertaken by an experienced person.
The difficulty in shucking oysters experienced by many people limits the demand for oysters. Most oysters are shucked by staff employed by wholesalers and sold in the half shell. All wholesalers report difficulty in maintaining shucking staff. Also, the eating experience of half shell oysters is inferior to that of freshly shucked oysters.
The easy-open oyster concept was designed to overcome these issues and to lift consumer demand for oysters, thereby enabling the industry to grow. This project aims to deliver at least a 15% premium on the price received by farmers for provenance-guaranteed Easy-Open oysters. In the longer term the desired outcome for oyster farmers is to increase both the volume and annual GVP of oyster sales in Australia.
Objectives: 1. To investigate the use of robotic and laser vision guidance technology to design an automatic system for the Easy-Open process that meets the required performance characteristics of speed, quality and cost effectiveness. 2. To manufacture and commission “Easy Open” Oyster processing machine, for evaluation by three oyster wholesalers. 3. T o have the system commercially manufactured and adopted by the industry. Read moreRead less