In October, members of the SALCO team attended SRL Processors Industry Best Practices Workshops presented by the University of Tasmania and the University of Adelaide.
The workshops were an extension of a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) project aimed at improving survival of post-harvest SRL during holding and transport. The workshops were presented by:
- Dr Quinn Fitzgibbon, University of Tasmania. Lobster physiology and aquaculture.
- Dr Charles Caraguel, University of Adelaide. Aquatic epidemiology.
- Dr Stephen Pyecroft, University of Adelaide. Aquatic animal health.
The all-day workshops were attended by more than 60 Australian SRL industry members, including five of the SALCO & FLC team. The workshops covered a wide range of critical lobster holding principles including:
- lobster biology/physiology at capture, transfer, holding and shipping
- water quality – principles, monitoring and management
- aquaculture systems and maintenance
- handling, feeding and transport practices
- biosecurity principles
- traceability – pros & cons
- lobster health – monitoring and main disorders
Further to covering the state knowledge for the industry principles, the workshop presented an update on the FRDC project progress, an analysis of water quality measurement tools and presented a new simple tool for SRL stress assessment (hand held lactate meter). The workshops also gathered feedback from industry members about industry concerns and future research priorities.
Technical Manager Richard Hendry travelled from Christchurch to attend the Adelaide session. He’ll be circulating his observations in the new year.
