Transitioning cobia aquaculture research and development in Queensland to industry

Funding Activity

Website
https://www.frdc.com.au/project/2017-143

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

Cobia production was instigated in Queensland as a business diversification and risk mitigation option for the marine pond-based aquaculture sector. BIRC has produced and supplied the entirety of cobia fingerlings to industry partners through a number of research projects. In early April 2019, RPP produced their first batch of cobia fingerlings from larvae supplied from BIRC. While commercial-scale methods for hatchery and fingerling production have been successfully adopted by farms, the industry still needs to demonstrate that it can be self-reliant and self-propagating by 2021, by producing seed from its own broodstock. Further, more effective feeding strategies are required for growout-sized fish (> 2 kg) which typically exhibit poor feed conversion ratios (FCR), impacting production efficiencies. This revised proposal seeks to seamlessly transition cobia R&D to a fully vertically integrated industry production model by (1) the supply of biosecure cobia broodstock and seedstock (fertilised eggs and larvae) to industry collaborators; (2) optimising feeding strategies using experimental trials; and (3) promoting project outputs through web-based media.


Objectives:
1. Expand cobia production: (a) supply of biosecure broodstock from BIRC to RPP; (b) bilateral exchange of broodstock management, reproductive knowledge and technical support between DAF and RPP; (c) on-demand supply of quality fertilised eggs and/or 1-2 day-old larvae from BIRC to RPP; and (d) optional fee for service ($10,000 per year) entry to future project participants, enabling access to BIRC seedstock through a pro rata arrangement.
2. Optimise feeding strategies for farmed cobia using commercially available finfish diets: (a) conduct a feed trial at BIRC in collaboration with RPP to test the effect of feed frequency of a commercially available fish diet on cobia growth performance (FCR, SGR, biomass); and (b) conduct a feed trial at BIRC in collaboration with RPP to fast track winter growth of cobia juveniles using a commercially available fish diet.
3. Contribute project deliverables to the DAF cobia aquaculture RD&E web portal.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 15-12-2019

End Date: 31-08-2021

Funding Scheme: Funding Scheme not available

Funding Amount: $510,560.00

Funder: Fisheries Research and Development Corporation

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

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ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

RAC QLD

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