Aquaculture Research
The Aquaculture Research Unit develops improved aquaculture technologies for existing and new aquaculture industries. Research themes include:
- Hatchery and breeding technologies for oysters and molluscs. A selective breeding program for Sydney rock oysters is designed to improve growth and disease resistance. Other research aims to remove remaining technical constraints to commercial hatchery production.
- Technologies and systems for finfish breeding and farming. Research on silver perch aims to reduce winter disease mortalities, expand culture into new water bodies such as farm dams, and develop breeding programs for superior stocks of fish. Research for other marine fish aquaculture aims to reduce hatchery and feed costs for snapper, mulloway and yellowtail kingfish. Australian bass are also bred for restocking programs.
- Fish feeds and feeding. Research on replacement of fishmeal in fish diets with Australian agricultural ingredients, nutritional requirements and feeding strategies.
A research centre was established in collaboration with Murray Irrigation Limited to develop technology for using saline groundwater for aquaculture. This research supports potential industries for farming marine and estuarine species in inland NSW.
Key research collaborations
Major R&D (research and development) programs are funded through the Fisheries R&D Corporation; Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; Aquafin Cooperative Research Centre (CRC); Seafood CRC; Cotton Catchment Communities CRC; Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; and the National Aquaculture Council. Formal industry collaborations are in place with the Select Oyster Company, and Southern Cross Shellfish Ltd. University linkages include the Queensland University of Technology.
Key research infrastructure
Th Aquaculture Research Unit uses NSW DPI facilities at Port Stephens and Grafton.
Aquaculture Research Advisory Committee
The Aquaculture Research Advisory Committee (ARAC) is a statutory committee that advises the Minister on the amount of contributions payable by the NSW aquaculture industries into trust accounts for aquaculture research and development and the expenditure of those trust funds.
Research Projects
Oyster research projects 2005-2006
Economic Research into Aquaculture
NSW DPI has conducted economic research anaylsis into the future of the Aquaculture Industry, in particular its effects on NSW primary industries.
Current Projects
Port Stephens Fisheries Centre
Technology and systems for finfish breeding and farming
- Aquafin CRC - increasing the profitability of snapper farming by improving hatchery practices and diets
- Inland saline aquaculture
- Genetic structure of mulloway populations
- Development of commercial and model demonstration trout farm using inland saline groundwater
Fish feeds and feeding
- Aquafin CRC - Feed technology for temperate fish species
- Feed technology for mulloway and kingfish research
- Improvement of juvenille production and feeds for kingfish
Hatchery and breeding technologies for oysters and molluscs
- Development of Akoya pearl culture in NSW
- Sydney rock oysters: overcoming commercial constraints to hatchery and nursery production
- Industry management and commercialisation plan for the Sydney rock oyster breeding program
- Securing and enhancing the Sydney rock oyster breeding program
- Building bivalve hatchery production capacity in Vietnam and Australia
- Ecological impacts of QX Oyster disease and its management strategy in the Hawkesbury River Estuary
- Paralytic shellfish poisoning - a molecular genetic probe for fast, accurate detection
- A novel molluscan biomonitor for assessing estrogenic effects of contaminants in estuarine and marine ecosystems
Grafton Aquaculture Centre
- Health management of silver perch
- Genetic improvement of silver perch
- Evaluation of aquaculture for cotton farms - cage culture of silver perch
- Ecology and conservation of the endangered eastern freshwater cod
- Freshwater fishes of the Clarence River System.
Scientific Outputs
The Aquaculture Unit has online summaries of its scientific outputs. In some cases the summary has the full outputs available as a PDF which can be downloaded. The scientific outputs are arranged by year of publication.
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 |
See a complete list of publications on oysters by NSW DPI staff dating back to 1889.
Scientists
Find a list of Aquaculture scientists.
Contact
Dr Geoff Allan
Research Leader, Aquaculture
Phone: 02 4916 3909
Email: geoff.allan@dpi.nsw.gov.au