BCA - Prawn Farm Effluent: Origin, Composition And Treatment
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$5,981.05
Summary
Objectives: 1. Construct nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus) and suspended solid budgets (inputs and outputs) for entire prawn farms at tropical and temperate locations. 2. Determine the origin and composition of pond effluent. For example, establish the proportion of nutrients which originate from fertilization compared to food input; determine the suspended solids load in intake water compared with effluent. 3. Assess alternative methods of pond effluent prevention and treatment. ....Objectives: 1. Construct nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus) and suspended solid budgets (inputs and outputs) for entire prawn farms at tropical and temperate locations. 2. Determine the origin and composition of pond effluent. For example, establish the proportion of nutrients which originate from fertilization compared to food input; determine the suspended solids load in intake water compared with effluent. 3. Assess alternative methods of pond effluent prevention and treatment. Read moreRead less
Reassessment Of Intertidal Macroalgal Communities Near To And Distant From Salmon Farms And An Evaluation Of Using Drones To Survey Macroalgal Distribution
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$61,915.04
Summary
The proposed expansion of salmon farming to new sites in south eastern Tasmania earlier this year has already elicited opposition from some neighbouring residents, wild abalone fishers and environmental groups, which has been well displayed in the media. One of their major concerns is lack of information on whether salmon farms are affecting intertidal and subtidal macroalgae, and no ongoing monitoring of these habitats. This highlights the importance of repeating the survey eleven years later t ....The proposed expansion of salmon farming to new sites in south eastern Tasmania earlier this year has already elicited opposition from some neighbouring residents, wild abalone fishers and environmental groups, which has been well displayed in the media. One of their major concerns is lack of information on whether salmon farms are affecting intertidal and subtidal macroalgae, and no ongoing monitoring of these habitats. This highlights the importance of repeating the survey eleven years later to assess changes in intertidal macroalgal abundance and species composition around salmon farms.
Drones are increasingly being used to record agricultural environments, including salmon farms. However, methods to quantitatively assess coastal environmental change using drones, such as macroalgal distribution and abundance have not been assessed. The effectiveness of this technique to monitor salmon farms is needed to maximise usage of this data and before it can be incorporated into monitoring programs.
This project will provide information important to several FRDC Strategic Priority Areas. • Program 1: Environment: Themes 2 and 4: Habitat and Ecosystem Protection and Ecologically Sustainable Development, especially providing information to the community to demonstrate improvements in the aquaculture industry’s environmental performance and quantifying the environmental carrying capacity of aquaculture operations. • Program 2: Industry: Theme 6 and 7: Resource Access and Allocation, and Production, Growth and Profitability, especially increasing knowledge among diverse groups of stakeholders about each other’s expectations for resource access and allocation, and increase and diversify opportunities for the aquaculture sector. • Program 3: Communities: Theme 10: Resilient and Supportive Communities, especially understanding and influencing the community perceptions about the fishing and aquaculture industry and improving interactions between them, and increasing the community’s capacity to accept and incorporate higher levels of aquaculture activity.
Objectives: 1. To repeat the assessment of intertidal macroalgal composition and abundance near to and distant from salmon farms in the Huon and D’Entrecasteaux Channel region eleven years after the initial assessment. 2. To evaluate the potential of using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) to monitor macroalgal distribution. Read moreRead less
Implementation Of An Environmental Management System For South Australia's Rock Lobster And Prawn Fisheries
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$79,200.00
Summary
While most fishers and fisheries have responded well to the increased environmental requirements being expected of them this has generally not been well communicated to the public. Additionally, the response has generally been ad hoc in nature. Some fishers have responded in a certain manner while others have taken a different approach. Similarly some fisheries have responded as a whole but have had little interaction with the actions of other fisheries. There are also a number of national i ....While most fishers and fisheries have responded well to the increased environmental requirements being expected of them this has generally not been well communicated to the public. Additionally, the response has generally been ad hoc in nature. Some fishers have responded in a certain manner while others have taken a different approach. Similarly some fisheries have responded as a whole but have had little interaction with the actions of other fisheries. There are also a number of national initiatives which have been funded on this issue. To date no South Australian industry sector has been able to consolidate all the information relevant to their industry and take a proactive, integrated approach. As a result, the opportunities for industry resulting from those initiatives which have been undertaken, have not been optimised.
In South Australia there is a need to coordinate the seafood industry’s response to the increase in community environmental concern and to integrate industry, state and national initiatives on this issue. In particular there is a need to:
- Work closely with the prawn and rock lobster industries on developing appropriate responses to international market requirements and expectations, and - Develop integrated environmental management programs with these fisheries which can be documented, implemented and promoted and which meet all national and state environmental requirements. Objectives: 1. Develop, document and implement integrated environmental management programs for the prawn and rock lobster fisheries. 2. Provide leadership to all sectors of the South Australian seafood industry on the matter of ecologically sustainable development. 3. Develop and consolidate environmental expertise in the South Australian seafood industry. 4. Provide training and development opportunities for members of South Australia’s seafood industry to further their understanding and response to environmental issues. 5. Ensure South Australian prawn and rock lobster fisheries perform to international marketing and community standards Read moreRead less
Seafood CRC: Increase Sustainable Use Of Crab Fisheries Resources By Recovering Revenue From Crabs Currently Rejected At Market
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$49,442.98
Summary
As outlined in the background section, there is an economic and sustainability imperative to maximise the utilisation of the crab resources being sold through SFM. To achieve this it is felt that the following steps should be taken;
To investigate the potential for the development and introduction of a mud crab recovery step at SFM for recovering slow mud crabs.
To develop strategies to reduce the rejection / mortality of mud crabs in the SFM supply chain, especially from suppl ....As outlined in the background section, there is an economic and sustainability imperative to maximise the utilisation of the crab resources being sold through SFM. To achieve this it is felt that the following steps should be taken;
To investigate the potential for the development and introduction of a mud crab recovery step at SFM for recovering slow mud crabs.
To develop strategies to reduce the rejection / mortality of mud crabs in the SFM supply chain, especially from suppliers with greater than average rejection / mortality rates. (The rejection rate at SFM in a recent assessment ranged from 0.6% - 15.9%). This will include assessing temperature management issues and determining the most appropriate product packout methods.
To investigate whether the losses in the spanner crab supply chain can be reduced.
Recognition of the ability to redress wastage of mud crab resource was gained by QLD DPI through research within the Northern Territory fishery (FRDC project 2003-240) which identified the best practice handling method of minimising stress in mud crabs through incorporating a recovery step in the handling chain. An outcome of follow on work communicating best practice handling to the mud crab industry (FRDC 2010-302) was identification of the potential opportunity to adopt this practice at the SFM where rejected crabs incur large economic losses as outlined above.
Objectives: 1. To increase the revenue gained from slow mud crabs by $70,000 pa by January 2014 2. To reduce the mud crab seizure rate from NSW coop’s from 9% to the non-coop average of 4.5 % by January 2014 3. To reduce the spanner crab mortality rate from 7% to 3.5% by January 2014 Read moreRead less
Prawn Farm Effluent: Origin, Composition And Treatment
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$369,545.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. Construct nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus) and suspended solid budgets (inputs and outputs) for entire prawn farms at tropical and temperate locations. 2. Determine the origin and composition of pond effluent. For example, establish the proportion of nutrients which originate from fertilization compared to food input; determine the suspended solids load in intake water compared with effluent. 3. Assess alternative methods of pond effluent prevention and treatment. ....Objectives: 1. Construct nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus) and suspended solid budgets (inputs and outputs) for entire prawn farms at tropical and temperate locations. 2. Determine the origin and composition of pond effluent. For example, establish the proportion of nutrients which originate from fertilization compared to food input; determine the suspended solids load in intake water compared with effluent. 3. Assess alternative methods of pond effluent prevention and treatment. Read moreRead less
A novel physical-digital approach for the assessing a large critical asset. This project aims to deliver an artificial intelligence-enabled decision-making tool to maintain and manage the floating covers of vast lagoons that treat raw sewage. The cover harvests the biogas released from the anaerobic digestion of sewage for electric power generation that exceeds the plant’s requirement. The approach involves an innovative thermographic technique and exploits transfer learning to adapt neural netw ....A novel physical-digital approach for the assessing a large critical asset. This project aims to deliver an artificial intelligence-enabled decision-making tool to maintain and manage the floating covers of vast lagoons that treat raw sewage. The cover harvests the biogas released from the anaerobic digestion of sewage for electric power generation that exceeds the plant’s requirement. The approach involves an innovative thermographic technique and exploits transfer learning to adapt neural networks trained on lab-scale and synthetic data to field implementation. The outcome is a machine learning framework to optimise biogas harvesting and renewable energy generation, and to avoid structural failure, that is capable of continuous improvement to take into account improved data and/or modelling capabilities.Read moreRead less
Flipping the mattress: infinite polyurethane recycling by synthetic biology. Australia is covered in billions of tonnes of plastic and yet <10% is recycled today. Polyurethane (PU) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from lacquer coatings to elastane clothing to durable foam padding in car seats, cushions and mattresses. Currently, there are few avenues for PU recycling and much ends up in landfill e.g., a single mattress produces 15-20kg of PU foam waste. Luckily, biodegradation of PU can occu ....Flipping the mattress: infinite polyurethane recycling by synthetic biology. Australia is covered in billions of tonnes of plastic and yet <10% is recycled today. Polyurethane (PU) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from lacquer coatings to elastane clothing to durable foam padding in car seats, cushions and mattresses. Currently, there are few avenues for PU recycling and much ends up in landfill e.g., a single mattress produces 15-20kg of PU foam waste. Luckily, biodegradation of PU can occur naturally via various microbial means and from insects, like Galleria mellonella larvae. The overall aim of this research project is to understand plastic biodegradation and translate nature’s solutions into flexible and efficient synthetic enzyme technologies that can sustainably recycle commonly used PU foams. Read moreRead less
Seafood CRC: A Business Plan For The Australian Barramundi Industry
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$3,550.00
Summary
The Business Plan is needed to define the priorities and allocate the financial and human resources available to the Asutralian Barramundi Farmers Association. The previously developed Strategic plan listed a large number of important projects, but these now need to be prioritised after consideration of: . available resources . what is critical to industry development now . what can be put off until more resources are avaialble . what can or will be done elsewhere in the wide ....The Business Plan is needed to define the priorities and allocate the financial and human resources available to the Asutralian Barramundi Farmers Association. The previously developed Strategic plan listed a large number of important projects, but these now need to be prioritised after consideration of: . available resources . what is critical to industry development now . what can be put off until more resources are avaialble . what can or will be done elsewhere in the wider industry even if the ABFA does not allocate the resources. The business plan will enable budgets to be set and industry development to be undertaken with a reasonable consideration of what is achievable. Perhaps most importanlty for a management plan. this will identify what is not going to be attempted. The industry and Association will be able to focus its efforts on what can be achieved. It will ensure resources are allocated efficiently and effectively. Objectives: 1. The development of a business plan, agreed by the Association and key industry stakeholders, that identifies the key strategic priorities to be achieved in the next three years, allocates responsibilties for managing the plan and identifies the financial and other resources required. Read moreRead less
South East Fishery Industry Development Subprogram: Strategic Planning, Project Management And Adoption
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$110,403.00
Summary
To achieve the complementary outcomes of sustainability and economic benefits to the stakeholders in the SEF, a whole of chain approach to R&D is required (which is in accordance with government direction on R&D planning). Current practice focuses on the biology and fishery management which has precluded more innovative ways of adding value. Following a workshop held in November 1999 (Canberra) a recommendation was made that FRDC develop a subprogram to support the industry development compone ....To achieve the complementary outcomes of sustainability and economic benefits to the stakeholders in the SEF, a whole of chain approach to R&D is required (which is in accordance with government direction on R&D planning). Current practice focuses on the biology and fishery management which has precluded more innovative ways of adding value. Following a workshop held in November 1999 (Canberra) a recommendation was made that FRDC develop a subprogram to support the industry development component of R&D for the SEF. This application will develop the subprogram over the next year and produce a Strategic Plan that incorporates a whole of chain approach. Objectives: 1. Coordinate the FRDC SEF Subprogram (applications, workshops, communication) 2. Conduct an annual research workshop to present research outcomes from the subprogram and to define research objectives for subsequent years. 3. Facilitate travel of industry representatives and the subprogram leader to biannual steering committee meetings. 4. Coordinate the preparation of a Subprogram newsletter, media releases, and workshop publications. 5. Integrate with other FRDC and externally funded SEF projects to ensure maximum leverage of industry funds and avoid duplication. Read moreRead less
Waste Fish And Fish Waste - A Study Of NSW And Qld Bycatch And By-product Availability
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$18,838.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. To provide a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the type, volume and seasonal availability of by catch and by products 2. Identify the significant weaknesses and gaps in existing data and current data collection procedures 3. Provide recommendations on how the information gaps may be rectified so that industry can take ful advantage onf the existing database and future studies on fish distribution and abundance or the effects of fishing on fisheries resourc ....Objectives: 1. To provide a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the type, volume and seasonal availability of by catch and by products 2. Identify the significant weaknesses and gaps in existing data and current data collection procedures 3. Provide recommendations on how the information gaps may be rectified so that industry can take ful advantage onf the existing database and future studies on fish distribution and abundance or the effects of fishing on fisheries resources Read moreRead less