The Impact And Implication Of Perkinsus Olseni On Australian Abalone Fisheries
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$322,174.00
Summary
Perkinus olseni is a protozoan parasite that has negative effects on three commercially harvested abalone species in Australia – blacklip, greenlip and Roe’s. Disease manifestation ranges from high mortality (e.g. New South Wales; Liggins and Upston 2010) to chronic clinical infection (Gudkovs 2016). Chronically infected animals often exhibit extensive macroscopic lesions rendering the product unsaleable. Outbreaks in the 1980s in the South Australian (SA) Central Zone (SACZ) fishery removed 15 ....Perkinus olseni is a protozoan parasite that has negative effects on three commercially harvested abalone species in Australia – blacklip, greenlip and Roe’s. Disease manifestation ranges from high mortality (e.g. New South Wales; Liggins and Upston 2010) to chronic clinical infection (Gudkovs 2016). Chronically infected animals often exhibit extensive macroscopic lesions rendering the product unsaleable. Outbreaks in the 1980s in the South Australian (SA) Central Zone (SACZ) fishery removed 15 t of greenlip catch, with partial recovery of the fishery taking 30+ years. Avoidance of fishing areas in the SA Western Zone (SA WZ) abalone fishery with high prevalence of Perkinsus-related lesions has displaced ~10% (11t.yr-1) of blacklip catch to alternative fishing grounds, exacerbated quota reductions and likely cost the fishery in excess of $10 million over the past ten years. The impact of Perkinsus on abalone fisheries has not been fully quantified and the factors driving prevalence and disease expression are unknown. This information is fundamental for the effective management of this disease, and in particular the prevention of its spread and proliferation. Understanding the impacts of Perkinsus on abalone fisheries and developing strategies for mitigating impacts are the highest priority research need of the SAWZ. These aims are also relevant to the Abalone Council Australia strategic plan and supported by the SACZ and SA Southern Zone abalone fisheries because of the threat this disease poses to both fisheries. This project will consolidate current knowledge on Perkinsus, describe the impact and drivers of the disease in Australia, and determine whether shucking at sea is a high risk. This information is necessary to mitigate the spread and impact of the disease where abalone are currently shucked at sea. If shucking at sea is a high risk we will evaluate alternative ways in which harvesting can occur without further disease spread.
Objectives: 1. Assessment of the economic impact of Perkinsus olseni on blacklip and greenlip abalone fisheries 2. Identify environmental factors influencing the expression of clinical perkinsosis 3. Preliminary evaluation of the fate of viscera discarded at sea 4. Evaluate whether Perkinsus zoosporangia can be detected in faecal pellets following ingestion by fish or other viscera consumers (laboratory trials) 5. If objective 4 indicates zoosporangia detection in fish faeces, hold a workshop to evaluate ways in which harvesting can occur without further disease spread. Read moreRead less
To Develop A National Marine Safety Extension Resource Toolkit And To Trial With All Fisheries Jurisdictions
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
There have been significant resources (financial and physical) allocated to workplace health and safety (including mental health, training and systems for data collection) over the last 15 years in the commercial fishing industry .However the majority have been “stand alone" and there has been limited extension for the wider industry to adopt. Although there have been some positive moves in the area of health and safety such as the SRL Clean Green program and the Spencer Gulf Prawn fishery, ther ....There have been significant resources (financial and physical) allocated to workplace health and safety (including mental health, training and systems for data collection) over the last 15 years in the commercial fishing industry .However the majority have been “stand alone" and there has been limited extension for the wider industry to adopt. Although there have been some positive moves in the area of health and safety such as the SRL Clean Green program and the Spencer Gulf Prawn fishery, there has largely been a “silo” approach to the various initiatives across the commercial fishing industry and a real lack of coordination that can lead to a lack of communication, adoption and the lack of visibility of tools to those that need it. This is due in part to the nature of the industry that tends (overall) not to have the willingness to adopt something that another fishery has implemented, fragmentation of industry in some states and within a fishery. Additionally, the absence of a peak national body until June 2017 also created a gap for driving nationwide issues including workplace safety and health initiatives. Through the building of these networks and the establishment of on the ground champion in each state to influence industry including the building of capacity/ resources within the peak bodies to embrace workplace health and safety on behalf of their members, improved awareness and adoption of safety programs should occur. To do this State peak bodies require support to enable them to add value for their members and therefore utilise existing and currently funded research and develop extension processes.It is unknown to what level industry uptake of the current AMSA requirements for a safety management system (SMS) has occurred. It is not well understood by industry that the existence of a SMS to meet AMSA requirements only goes half way for legal compliance. Each states Worksafe body also has legislation that requires compliance with safe work practices. It is desirable to produce a SMS that meets both sets of legislation and develop a tool that can be used to assess the uptake of the initiatives through the peak bodies as well as developing a robust set of statistics to benchmark the performance. Objectives: 1. To build capability in each jurisdiction industry council for the development of a safety management system toolkit based on gear type/fishery type for implementation across industry 2. To develop processes to ensure existing and future projects including LMS ( 2017-194) and Barriers to Adoption ( 2017-046) are integrated into objective 1 above 4. To develop a national “champions” network for workplace/ marine safety to assist jurisdictional bodies communicate and champion the safety message 5. To ensure current and previous marine safety RD&E projects are linked and collaborate effectively to achieve increased levels of extension 6. To develop a tool and estimate wild catch fisheries accident statistics ( historical) and to provide a system and a benchmark to measure future performance of accident statistics Read moreRead less
Minor Use Permit For Oxytetracycline In Marine And Freshwater Crustaceans
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$75,000.00
Summary
This project will develop a Minor Use Permit application for oxytetracycline for use in crustacean aquaculture comprising: - a human health assessment focusing on worker exposure to OTC through mixing and administration - an environment assessment comprising use of existing trigger values with estimated release volumes of chemicals to understand environmental safety and to develop environmental release conditions - an efficacy and safety summary based on published information As ....This project will develop a Minor Use Permit application for oxytetracycline for use in crustacean aquaculture comprising: - a human health assessment focusing on worker exposure to OTC through mixing and administration - an environment assessment comprising use of existing trigger values with estimated release volumes of chemicals to understand environmental safety and to develop environmental release conditions - an efficacy and safety summary based on published information Assembly of these and all other relevant data into a Minor Use Permit application and submission to APVMA. Objectives: 1. Obtain a minor use permit for oxytetracycline use in crustacean aquaculture Read moreRead less
Minor Use Permit For Chloramine-T In Marine And Freshwater Finfish
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$75,000.00
Summary
Veterinary chemicals are important tools in primary production systems. When used correctly, they play a valuable role in ensuring animal welfare and maximising the quality and yield of primary produce (economic sustainability). The use of veterinary chemicals as part of disease management in aquaculture also reduces the risk of disease spread to adjacent wild stocks (ecological sustainability). Aquaculture is a comparatively young (i.e. decades) primary industry, farming new (and often non-dome ....Veterinary chemicals are important tools in primary production systems. When used correctly, they play a valuable role in ensuring animal welfare and maximising the quality and yield of primary produce (economic sustainability). The use of veterinary chemicals as part of disease management in aquaculture also reduces the risk of disease spread to adjacent wild stocks (ecological sustainability). Aquaculture is a comparatively young (i.e. decades) primary industry, farming new (and often non-domesticated) species compared to terrestrial animal production (where most species have been domesticated for hundreds or thousands of years). Consequently, there is limited biological knowledge of aquaculture species (e.g. health, physiology and disease) where novel aquatic disease outbreaks are common, often requiring use of veterinary chemicals that are not registered for use in aquatic environments. Thus there is also a lack of information on the efficacy, safety and environmental effects of veterinary medicines. Furthermore, due to the relatively small size of Australian aquaculture industry sectors, there is limited interest from pharmaceutical companies for investment in product registration due to low economic return on investment.
We will collate available data and obtain new data to satisfy identified gaps to satisfy the requirements of the APVMA Minor Use Permit application. Objectives: 1. Obtain data to satisfy identified gaps, and collate available data, to satisfy specified requirements of a minor use permit application for the use of Chloramine-T (N-chloro-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide sodium salt) to treat bacterial or parasite infections in marine and freshwater finfish. 2. Compile and submit a minor use permit application to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA). Read moreRead less
Review Of Domestic Commercial Vessel Safety Legislation
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$36,500.00
Summary
This industry consultation needs to be collated to assist the Australian seafood industry provide a nationally co-ordinated and well-informed response to a review of AMSA legislation.
There is a need for a nationally co-ordinated and well-informed seafood industry response to a review of the AMSA legislation. SIA has engaged with industry nationally and the need to respond in a collective submission that is reflective of the views of Australia’s seafood industry
In addition, ....This industry consultation needs to be collated to assist the Australian seafood industry provide a nationally co-ordinated and well-informed response to a review of AMSA legislation.
There is a need for a nationally co-ordinated and well-informed seafood industry response to a review of the AMSA legislation. SIA has engaged with industry nationally and the need to respond in a collective submission that is reflective of the views of Australia’s seafood industry
In addition, there is a need for subsequent interpretation of the outputs from the AMSA legislation review to aid industry in understanding the implications of the findings. This industry consultation needs to be collated to assist the Australian seafood industry provide a nationally co-ordinated and well-informed response to a review of AMSA legislation.
Objectives: 1. Engage a range of seafood industry representatives (individuals and organisations) in provision of input to a consolidated SIA response to the AMSA Legislation Review 2. Understand and report on industry issues associated with the application and content of the AMSA legislation 3. Provide advice to SIA to inform a national response to the AMSA legislation review Read moreRead less
Improving The Availability Of Safe And Effective Veterinary Medicines For Australia's Seafood Industry
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$322,764.00
Summary
Globally, disease is the major limiting factor restricting growth in aquaculture (Stentiford et al 2012; Jennings et al 2016), with impact of aquatic diseases exceeding $6 billion per annum. Aquaculture is the fastest growing livestock industry in Australia, and is expected to double in value to $2 billion by 2027 to meet global seafood demand (National Aquaculture Strategic Plan). Therefore access to safe and effective veterinary medicines is critically import to support the current industry an ....Globally, disease is the major limiting factor restricting growth in aquaculture (Stentiford et al 2012; Jennings et al 2016), with impact of aquatic diseases exceeding $6 billion per annum. Aquaculture is the fastest growing livestock industry in Australia, and is expected to double in value to $2 billion by 2027 to meet global seafood demand (National Aquaculture Strategic Plan). Therefore access to safe and effective veterinary medicines is critically import to support the current industry and its expansion.
Australia’s aquaculture industry must have access to safe and effective veterinary medicines for disease management, industry productivity and animal welfare. This need is highlighted in Australia’s national strategic plan (www.agriculture.gov.au/animal/aquatic/aquaplan) and FRDC’s strategic plan (2015-2020 and 2020-2025) including supporting the future sustainable expansion of aquaculture.
Veterinary medicines are required for prevention (for example, vaccines), therapeutic treatments (for example, antibiotics, anthelmintics and antimycotics) and husbandry (for example, hormones for reproduction and anaesthetics for animal handling). Currently there is a substantial lack of access to permitted or registered products.
There is a clear need for national coordination of applications for permits and registrations for aquatic veterinary medicines that replaces the duplication, disjointed efforts, poor permit applications and restrictive minor use permits and generally wasted resources occurring in the seafood industry.
There is a need to coordinate seafood industry prioritisation and application for access and use of agvet chemicals and to establish effective relationships between the seafood industry and APVMA to progress this important issue.
A model to support the resourcing of this service to industry and regulators needs to be devised to maintain this activity after completion of this project. Objectives: 1. Document a safe and effective process for the off-label use of veterinary medicines aimed at supporting fish health, welfare and production while managing environmental risks and enabling data generation. 2. Coordinate a national effort to facilitate the progress of priority aquatic veterinary medicines in the seafood industry through to permitting or registration with the APVMA 3. Determine options for a system, framework and / or business case to effectively coordinate national data generation and applications to the APVMA into the future, and maintain current permits and registrations in the seafood industry. 4. Develop and implement a communication and awareness strategy for industry on safe and effective veterinary medicine use Read moreRead less