Acquaculture News Roundup
A Global Solution To Accessible Tourism From Hervey Bay?
March 6, 2008Dan And The Kids’ Weather Station
March 11, 2008Here’s a roundup of current aquaculture news snippets courtesy of the Fish eNews fortnightly newsletter.
1. Australian Bight Abalone First Aquaculture Project To Achieve Carbon-Neutral Rating
The West Coast’s ABA has been successfully assessed by an environmental auditor and Dr Tim Moore of Balance Carbon has arranged for the company to buy carbon credits using the NSW greenhouse gas abatement scheme. The accreditation is expected to be of great help with international marketing.
ABA is having quite an effect on its base town, Elliston. The company currently employs 40 people, but by June next year expects to have 90. On Census Night 2006, the town and surrounds had a population of 377 – 188 employed. The company will spend $250 million over six years to develop. The project’s first 100-tonne harvest is currently in progress.
2. Hermit Park State School’s Barramundi Released In Townsville Weir
Keith Harveyson from the Twin Cities Fish Stocking Society explains that you must have a permit to release fish – only the Society and some fish industries have them – and he also says it’s important that the public doesn’t release fish, especially exotic aquarium fish.
Year 7 student Jarod Heron says,
”It’s been fun with the barras, I enjoyed looking after them and can’t wait till someone catches them and tells us how much they’ve grown.”
Hermit Park’s barra will be released in one of the three weirs in Townsville adding to the 1500 fish released so far this year. The fish, given to the school in 2007 by the Marine and Aquaculture Research Facility Unit at James Cook University are now 45cm in length. They’ll be released into one of the weirs in Townsville.
Barramundi were first tagged in 1985 and since then one million fish have been tagged, but only 8 to 10 per cent of tagged fish were caught. Keith says,
”I think it’s wonderful for all the kids to be involved with a great program like this and the environment.
3. New Centre For Cowell Area School’s Certificate In Aquaculture
Five years ago, the Cowell Area School on SA’s Eyre Peninsula east coast, introduced a Certificate in Aquaculture for its year 11-12 students. Now with support from a Federal Government grant for the project, the aquaculture centre is almost complete.
The school’s students have been heavily involved in the construction work, dealing with the framework, applying gyprock, painting and paving. The centre will provide facilities to allow education in many aspects of the seafood industry. Eventually it will be open to the public, showcasing what the students are doing. It will be officially opened in the middle of 2008.
4. 14 Week Training Course Available At Australian Fisheries Academy
The new course’s structure consists of:
- eight weeks training for Certificate II in Seafood Industry (Aquaculture)
- 4 weeks on-the-job training at seafood enterprises in the Port Lincoln area
- industry visits to aquaculture operations
- training in other licences and certificates
Participants include local and interstate people. The Federal Government provided $176,000 to SA’s Seafood Training Centre of Excellence to contract the Australian Fisheries Academy to run the first two courses. Assuming success, there may be applications to fund further courses.
5. SA Aquaculture Likely To Become State’s Fastest Growing Industry
With development progressing to more than $1 billion in retail value over the next ten years, SA now has almost 600 sites for aquaculture farming or research. Although currently dominated financially by the tuna sector, it’s expected the abalone, mussel and kingfish areas will build. There’s also growing interest in razor fish, sea cucumber and sea urchins.
6. Hong Kong Chefs Tour Tassal
Five of Hong Kong’s executive chefs in company with Minister for Economic Development and Tourism Paula Wriedt have toured Tassal’s atlantic salmon farm. The chefs have been sampling Tasmanian produce, and the outcome is agreement that Hong Kong consumers are hungry for Tasmanian seafood, with the main products sought being salmon, abalone and trout.
7. Port Lincoln The Right Place For Mussels
Mark Andrews decided to establish a mussel farm near Port Lincoln following a round-the-world search for a suitable spot because mussels grow quickly in the water in that area, and there’s a good natural spatfall. Production costs are also better. Now, after three years, his company South Australian Seafood produces 700 tonnes of mussels annually. It’s the largest mussel grower in SA, and is expected to grow to producing 1000 tonnes in 2008. The farm covers 168ha of water in Boston Bay and employs 8 people.
8. First Commercial Lobster Aquaculture Licence
Western Kingfish has been issued the first commercial lobster aquaculture license in WA, allowing the culture of Moreton Bay bugs, tropical rock lobster and western rock lobster. Company director Alan Savage advises the company intends establishing a small-scale pilot project for larval rearing and growout of Moreton Bay bugs and tropical rock lobster. The work will take place at the company’s Jurien Bay facility. Currently Western Kingfish is waiting for a ministerial exemption to allow collection of a small number of juvenile western rock lobster – pueruli – to provide for efforts towards the commercial feasibility of producing the species. An issue is that the western rock lobster takes much longer to grow to marketable size than does a tropical rock lobster. The wildcatch western rock lobster industry has experienced below-average catches in recent years, with fears that there’ll be one of the smallest harvests on record in two or three ye ar’s time. The prediction is based on Fisheries data showing the lowest puerulis settlement since records began.
9. Sea Star Threat In Tas
Northern Pacific Sea Stars are creating havoc across 280 nautical miles of Tasmania’s coastal water, from Bruny Island to Banks Strait between Cape Barren Island and the State’s north-eastern tip. Advice is the pest has destroyed the ecology, costing the shellfish industry millions. For example, the Sea Star has cost the Spring Bay Scallop Farm millions, with the business losing more than 15 million scallops. The farm has been forced to stop using lantern cages and begin bottom-culture, which is less productive. The farm now harvests less than one-tenth of the scallop product it grew in cages and has diversified to growing blue mussels. Attempts by the Department of Primary Industries and Water to eradicate the pest have failed, and it’s believed no effective control methods exist.
10. French Visitors To Learn More About Oyster Farming
Two prominent members of the French oyster industry are to study oyster farming practices in SA, and possibly to buy technology. They are guests of SEAPA Pty Ltd – manufacturer of plastic products for the aquaculture industry – which hopes to produce major sales of its oyster-growing technology in France. The country supplies some 150,000 tonnes of oysters annually to Europe, 80 per cent in the six weeks before Christmas. The French production is 10 times greater then that of Australia. SEAPA’s adjustable longline system provides for farmers to adjust the height of baskets in the water column to achieve optimum growth. The company already exports to Singapore, the U.S and New Zealand.
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Fisheries(Lobster Industry)and Government Relations.
The Australian Fisheries is amongst one of the oldest and popular industries in the world which works and operates in the cleanest environment due to its diverse marine fauna and fully protected laws which in return provides fishing industry a vast variety of sea food and adds to an economic growth to the government. According to the reports of Australian department of fisheries, the commercial fishing industry of Australia is the most valuable industry when compared with beef, wool and dairy industry. It is estimated that about 600 marine and fresh water sea food species are caught and sold in Australia and for overseas consumption which helps in contribution of Economic gains for the government and the domestic labour.
The development of Australian fisheries department could be traced back from 1834 when fisheries in Australia flourished in exports of inshore species such as crabs, lobsters and prawns. The records with the fishery department shows that the export of fishing continued till mid 1920’s and added some new species for expansion of industry .Thus this expansion in variety of sea food species made Australia one of the prime country known for its Fish Industry.
In the past two decades, operations regarding the fisheries had really developed in eastern and southern Australia with the development of new technology and fishing methods. Considering Australia with the perspective of fishing region it covers approximately 11 million square kilometres which is an impressive size in terms of fishing and marine activity. Thus, Apart from marine activity such as research or studies, Australia has also achieved a status of a sea food exporter within the domestic and international market which mainly concern Salmon, Prawns and Lobsters.
Thus in this Discussion Paper ,We would be putting light on Fishing Industry and Government relations in Australia .In defining the Fishing Industry we would be moving clause by clause unfolding the different business associations of the fishing Industry .In the second clause ,We would be seeing what kind of different strategies are adopted by the fishing industry to defend and represent its Interest .In the third Clause ,We would be putting light on opposition and confrontation faced by fishing industry by various NGO’s and Unions.
“Fishing Industry in Australia is the prime industry with the gross value of 1744 million dollar per annum which comprise of export of high value species such as lobster, prawns and salmon. According to the reports of Fisheries and agriculture department approximately 70 % of industry revenue is derived from exports to countries like Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan.”
In the recent years there has been a great challenge faced by the Australian Fisheries which has resulted in the decline of production sector .In other words the Industry is facing major challenge in relation to extinction of particular species such as lobster and salmon which is making officials concerned about the future challenges regarding fish industry on which government rely on serious terms of economic growth .Thus, In this part of assignment, we are going to put light on specific area of fishery industry by over viewing Industry of Rock Lobster which is very popular species for sea food both nationally and internationally .In result, I would be discussing the key competitors to the Rock Lobster industry and in the end of discussion we will be seeing what role is played by the government for industry performance and outlook.
In the Present Era the overcapitalisation of global fishing has led to depreciation in the fish stocks in Australian Fisheries as well as worldwide .Thus many studies are been carried out by government officials ranging from policy analyst to fisheries managers to overcome this problem in an effective and a approachable way .In result government of every country tries to work for the industry which faces hard times or is not able to perform well. Comparing Australia’ from fisheries perspective there is a great need of structural change and management procedures to be carried out to resolve the imbalance and disturbance between the capitalism in various fisheries and construct a finest level of relations between the industry and government .
Rock lobster industry is an important and growing industry in Australia. Under the Research carried out by AFMA in the year 2008, rock lobster industry fetches approximately 478.8 million dollars a year and provides full time employment to more than 3400 people .Thus in result Rock Lobster Industry is regarded as one of the most prestigious industry for economic growth in the domestic market as well as in international arena.
Taking an Example of International Arena :Australian Exports of rock lobster mainly comprises of Asian countries such as Japan, Hong Kong and china which are the main recipients of Australian sea food and adds half a billion dollars every year into regional economies which return helps the industry to improve fishing standards and techniques .
The change is industry whether its Rock Lobster industry or any other sea food industry takes place due to the global and local forces which are often beyond the control of the fisheries .The changes varies from economic, environmental and community forces. Thus many times initiatives are taken in by the forces which can put brakes or hold on positive change in the industry. In Australian Context the Southern part of Australian Lobster industry is a big picture or force which has developed and changed global sea food market. Thinking from historical perspective Southern Australian Fisheries was considered as the biggest export market to nations like USA and Europe in the year 1970’s.It was seen that due to globalisation and export of Rock lobster various retailers in USA such as Wal-Mart and Tesco emerged as global retailers. Thus during 1970‘s a significant progress was seen in the Fisheries Industry of Australia due to its trade as well as emerging market power in Rock lobster which added the country to boom economically.
The Current position of Rock lobster industry is going through a great transformation with a big supply and market chain in other words a new type of market has emerged within the sea food sector which is led by emergence of sea food retail stores creating their own supply and market chain. Thus many economic challenges are faced by the industry in present days due to an increase of retails stores that is restraining the growth and profitability of the industry.
The Culture of the industry is clearly defined by the way work is done in the industry. Considering the scenario of Rock Lobster industry in the current day we can clearly highlight that there is wide range of exploitation taking place in the sea food resource. In Australia government of each state has started commercial fishing on the basis of licensing which is totally catch and technology driven. In explanation to this several rules are implied or levied by the government to the fisheries sector which limit their access to sea creatures or fishes only to the specific period .Thus in result many industry such as Rock Lobster industry are driven to adopt best technology for harvest operation to catch the lobster. In the end Lobster has created a commodity culture among different sea fisherman who tends to get hold of as many lobsters they can in the harvesting season which is very short due to government restrictions.
Secondly, as the competition between the technologies is increasing amongst the various level of the Rock Lobster industry many fluctuations are seen in terms of consumer and supply chain which is the main problem felt by the government. In explanation to this as the productivity increases by the fisheries it gives a great increase in demand by the consumer but the major problem which government is facing is the loss of Marine Diversity .Thus, In search of more lobsters many Fish industries are exploiting Sea reserves and causing problem to the marine life in the seas and oceans.
Thirdly, the current approach of fisheries is harvesting which signifies that many trade controls is in the hand of parties or retailer sitting at the beach or processing level .In Result there is very little awareness among fishers about the market requirement as they are locked within the supply approach which makes them relatively weak sellers in the markets. Thus minimization of consumer preferences and sales margin through a combine value adding along the whole supply chain is minimised which preludes fishers from accessing value adding opportunities and better returns.
For Example: The price of Rock Lobster varies from season to season .The price paid to the fisher in the month of November is approximately 20 to 30 dollars per kilogram. Thus on other hand the fisher gets much better price from 40 to 50 dollars in the month of July and august .In the end, we can see that the beach price of the rock lobster strongly depend on the world market which holds a strong influence of lobster price in relation to Japanese market which is the major consumer of Australian Lobsters.
Market planning and development are the key aspects of every industry which determines how well an industry can preform with a well planned study of the market as well as how well an industry could be developed with the use of modern strategies and technology .Thus in this part of Assignment we are going to determine about how well fisheries in Australia is able to perform and develop so far .
In Australia, the current system in fishing industry wether its Rock Lobster industry or salmon industry is totally based on commodity selling and less emphasis is laid on product marketing. Secondly Fishers in the fishing industry have major drawback of having less understanding about the market needs and Consumer preferences. Therefore we can see the industry totally competes on price ignoring the customer needs and preferences. Fourthly Rock Lobster of Australia is the most wanted sea food in the world market but in the recent years the Australian markets have started feeling the challenges from the emerging market of Rock Lobster from Mexico and other seasonal producers are providing a tough competition in regards of cheap product rates. In the end, excessive competition between processors has resulted in unsustainable margin and price instability in the Rock Lobster Industry.
The Rock Lobster Industry in Australia is mainly concentrated in the Regional parts of Western Australia, Tasmania and South Australia which adds significant monetary growth to the Country Thus the study of Rock Lobster shows many rules and regulations which government agencies has imposed on the industry to make the trade of Rock lobster more regulated and to overcome various problems faced by the industry .In the end , In this part of Assignment we will be discussing about the Government and Rock Lobster industry Relations .Apart from that we will also discuss about the role of NGO’S and various Unions who oppose various strategies and working of the Rock Lobster Industry in Detail .
Considering the Commercial Sector of South Australia, Rock Lobster Industry is the only recreational institution which adds to the economic growth of the region. Firstly Government in South Australia Fishing Industry has imposed restrictions onto fishing activities by the means of Fishing Licence .Thus in result fishing of Lobster is now available as Recreational activity for the people who are allowed fishing of lobster but on the Restriction basis .
For Example: In South Australia, Lobster Pots are issued with the purchase of Fishing Licence which limits the users to store only specific number of lobsters. Thus, in result an implication of this rule has benefited the government a lot in the way of earning revenue for the state .Secondly Lobster Licence, keeps a track on illegal fishing of lobsters which remains untraced or uncontrolled by other methods.
In Accordance to the Reports of ABC News dated 13 February 2009 new restrictions are introduced to safeguard the Rock Lobster Industry .In relation to the new rules a decrease has been seen in relation to the Fishing Licenses by 30 percent .Secondly, the number of days for Lobster Fishing has been decreased from 6 to 4 days. Thus these steps and initiatives are taken to prevent and safeguard the number of Lobster catch per season which under fishing laws is no greater than 7800 Tonnes.
The other Environmental issues concerning the Rock Lobster Industry is to maintain the environmental integrity of Marine Park and the reef habitats. It is seen that various government agencies are becoming aware about the ecological threats which can affect the Rock Lobster Fishery .Thus Government specifically in the state of Victoria has taken various initiatives in regards to Petroleum production and exploration which is the sea activity and could cause problem for the sea habitat.
For Example: In the state of Victoria various Marine parks and sanctuaries are established by the government and NGO‘s to protect the Rock Lobster Species. According to the Numeric figure 6 % of Coastal area has been turned into Marine Park to protect the Habitat and reef from any harmful influence and threat,
Due to great opposition by NGO’s and Various Environmental agencies government in the state of Victoria has levied the catch and possession limit to the rock lobster fishing. In relation to the new rule a Fisher related to Commercial industry can only have two bags of Rock Lobster per day and that also changes season to season.
In the year 1995 due to opposition by many NGO’s the Government Issued the RLFMP act under the Fisheries Management .Under this new act, ecological sustainability was the prime objective of the government which would construct guidelines for the fisheries development relating to Rock Lobster Aquaculture and growth in future development .