Work begins in early 2005 on Shoalhaven Marine and Freshwater Centre

Oct 14, 2004

Work on the Shoalhaven Marine and Freshwater Centre, recently launched at the University of Wollongong’s Shoalhaven Campus in West Nowra, is set to begin in early 2005.

The centre will involve the establishment of a laboratory for research and industry training purposes; some office space for staff and postgraduate students; indoor tank facilities; and outdoor aquaculture ponds. It is expected to be completed by early 2006.

A marine research centre (Sealab) was originally to have been established at Huskisson through a combination of State and Commonwealth Government funding. However, the NSW Government is now providing only an advisory role.

The shift to the Shoalhaven Campus occurred following Federal Government funding of $660,000 to establish a collaborative facility, co-ordinated and led by the University, but in partnership with the Shoalhaven City Council. Centre staff plan to work in close collaboration with members of the region’s community and business organisations.

The objectives of the centre are to:

*create the infrastructure, educational opportunities, skills training, research and development, technology transfer and community linkages which will lead to long-term sustainable economic benefits for the Shoalhaven and south-coast region of NSW;

*assist in establishing long-term employment opportunities for the region through sustainable development of coastal based industries, such as aquaculture; and,

*provide significant community benefits in the Shoalhaven and south-coast region through a regional centre for coastal research and development.

The new site at West Nowra has allowed for an expansion in the scope of the original concept to include some demonstration tanks and ponds for freshwater aquaculture. This offers some immediate benefits in terms of providing the facilities required to carry out research, trials and demonstrations of fresh and brackish water aquaculture technologies that can be deployed throughout the region, according to Associate Professor Ron West, of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Wollongong.

He said aquaculture was one of the world's fastest-growing food-related industries and was currently producing about 25 per cent of the world’s fisheries product. Worldwide, the industry was valued at about US$44 billion. In 2001-2002, the Australian aquaculture industry was estimated to be valued at about A$800 million, but in NSW, the industry is relatively under-developed, with estimated production of only A$44 million in products, Professor West said.

The Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry expects the aquaculture industry to grow substantially over the next decade, and be valued at about A$250 million by 2010. In order to achieve this growth in an environmentally sustainable manner, considerable effort is required in terms of research and development, as well as in the extension of information to industry.

Professor West said that a major requirement in developing a sustainable aquaculture industry was to provide a strong technical assistance to proponents and to ensure research was carried out to reduce potential environmental impacts.

Aquaculture can be conveniently divided on the basis of the species in culture, into marine and freshwater. Marine species currently under culture in NSW waters include oysters, mussels and some finfish, such as snapper and mulloway. Potential exists to culture a number of other marine species in this region, such as abalone, scallops, pearl oysters and several fishes.

However, there are considerable financial and environmental issues that are currently restricting the expansion of marine aquaculture in NSW. Freshwater aquaculture has developed more rapidly, although it has also suffered from a lack of research, development and technology transfer, particularly on a regional scale.

Several species are in production, such as trout, silver perch, golden perch and freshwater yabbies. In addition, techniques developed in freshwater aquaculture have been used to re-establish populations of over-fished and threatened species, such as Murray cod, eastern freshwater cod and Macquarie perch.

Professor West said there were probably fewer negative issues associated with freshwater aquaculture in this State, but there was very little extension of current knowledge and of the potential of fisheries production to the relevant people in regional centres.

Capital costs are generally lower for freshwater aquaculture and existing farm dams and other equipment are often already available. There is a huge potential to develop a larger industry based around freshwater fish aquaculture, especially in association with existing farm-based enterprises, he said.

The Head of the Shoalhaven Campus, Ms Robbie Collins, said there was an enormous untapped potential for freshwater and marine aquaculture in the region between Wollongong and Eden, and the centre would provide the impetus for industry development.

Ms Collins said it was envisaged that the Centre would provide an ideal medium for focussing the interest and enthusiasm of potential aquaculturalists as they formulate and improve their farming practices.

She said the potential for development of aquaculture industries in the Shoalhaven region, and areas to the south, was extremely high, particularly farm-based pond and tank aquaculture, based on freshwater fish and crustacean species. Specialist training and courses would be offered through the centre, in co-operation with the TAFE and other specialists.

Professor West said there was an enormous scope and need for more freshwater aquaculture research into a whole range of topics (husbandry, production, diseases, water quality etc.) and species (silver perch, bass, barramundi, Murray cod, Macquarie perch and black bream).

“There has been no research to evaluate the potential of bass for production of market-sized fish. In addition several local species, such as black bream, may have very good potential for commercial aquaculture, but no research has been carried out.”

Professor West said facilities such as the proposed centre were of great value, not just for aquaculture research, but because they would provide an infrastructure for research and teaching of a large range of other topics, e.g. aquatic biology in general, aquatic organisms, reproductive biology (including gonadal cycles, eggs, larvae and juveniles), growth studies (known age fish), and evaluation of environmental variables.

“The facilities would provide an opportunity to see first hand the life cycles of different species of fish and their interactions with such things as water quality, disease and food. Biological research on key local species such as Macquarie perch, grayling and crayfish could also be the basis of the work at the centre. There is also an urgent need for further work with threatened freshwater species, conservation management and fish stocking in general,” he said.