SARDI - Supporting Aquaculture Development
From sea to plate, the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) offers
an integrated research and development (R&D) capability to sustainably create, nurture and
grow aquaculture industries.
SARDI works closely with aquaculture industries to produce applied research outcomes and
timely delivery. It is uniquely set up to provide support across the whole spectrum of
industry aquaculture research needs, including:
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Developing novel technologies, species and sites.
Environmental assessment, monitoring and carrying capacity modelling.
Improving spawning, and larval and juvenile rearing of stock.
Developing improved and more cost-effective sustainable feeds.
Providing advice and support on selective breeding programs and aligned
molecular technologies.
Enhancing algal production and systems to produce biomass for a diverse range
of products.
Addressing disease and pest issues, through support with chemical registration,
monitoring and surveillance, evaluation of therapeutics and development of
improved husbandry practices.
Pre and post-harvest product safety and quality, including developing novel
products and packaging.
Trade and market access.
SARDI researchers work in a dynamic and integrated science environment, sharing
knowledge across disciplines including Aquaculture, Aquatic Animal Health,
Physiology/Immunology, Ecology, Genetics, Nutrition, Oceanography, Seafood Safety and
Product Quality and Value-adding.
SARDI researchers also work with many collaborators, in particular its Marine Innovation
Southern Australia (MISA) partners – Flinders University; the University of Adelaide; the SA
Museum; the SA Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources; Primary
Industries and Regions (PIRSA) and the SA seafood industry – as well as others nationally
and internationally. Collaborations enable SARDI to apply additional expertise and build
larger teams where they are required to deliver the desired outcomes.
SARDI’s aquaculture program has played an important role in the development of South
Australian aquaculture over the past 25 years having worked closely with most industries
during start-up and then subsequently to provide support with R&D priorities. SARDI has
also undertaken research projects with key collaborators interstate and overseas.
Organisms now farmed commercially in South Australia and on which SARDI R&D has been
based include: southern bluefin tuna, Pacific and native oysters, greenlip abalone, yellowtail
kingfish, barramundi, microalgae, trout, mulloway, blue mussels, yabbies, marron and a
range of aquarium species. These are farmed in the marine environment in sea cages and on
long-lines and racks, as well as onshore in recirculation systems, flow-through raceways and
tanks, and static or low-flow rate ponds.
SARDI conducts apply-orientated R&D with aquaculturists on their commercial farms, but
often prior to this at a smaller scale in more environmentally controlled tank systems at the
South Australian Aquatic Sciences Centre, the Lincoln Marine Science Centre, or at the South
Australian Aquatic Biosecurity Centre. Product innovation, safety and quality research is
undertaken at the Plant Research Centre, Waite Campus, the Lincoln Marine Science Centre,
and at the facilities of commercial seafood processors, wholesale and retail companies or at
other sites along the sea-to-consumer supply chain.
Integrated Science Capabilities
Production Innovation
SARDI aquaculture research supports the expansion of aquaculture production in South
Australia and beyond, and to improve the competitive advantage of aquaculture industries
in an international marketplace. Research also helps minimise the risks that new and
existing aquaculturists may encounter.
Expertise covers:
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Genetics, Reproduction and Biotechnology: cryopreservation, population genetics,
physiology/immunology, genetic improvement, polyploidy manipulation and
selective breeding.
Micro and macro-algae: carbon sequestration, physiology, production systems,
product assessment and wastewater treatment.
Nutrition and Feed Technology: development of cost effective diets for optimum
productivity, health and product quality of fish and shellfish and the environment,
evaluation of new and existing diet and feed technologies, and feed development for
emerging aquaculture industries.
Propagation and Systems: propagation, larval and juvenile rearing of marine finfish
and shellfish species, sustainable aquaculture production systems, design of
hatchery, live feed, larval rearing and nursery facilities, and systems development for
saline groundwater aquaculture production.
Environment
SARDI addresses many of the key issues related to the sustainable management of marine
environments associated with aquaculture. These include aquaculture carrying capacity,
climate change, farm site selection and the interaction between aquaculture and the
environment.
Expertise covers:
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Environmental Monitoring: development and use of molecular techniques for cost
effective assessment of environmental impacts of fish farms. This supports
environmental compliance requirements for the tuna and other finfish industries.
Oceanography: development of models of ecosystem processes – as well as nutrient
inputs and waste nutrients produced by farmed finfish and industrial resources – to
determine ecological carrying capacity for finfish aquaculture and site selection.
Integrated Multi-tropic Aquaculture: seaweeds are being evaluated and trialed for
both aquaculture and their potential to remove waste nutrients from fish farms.
Aquatic Animal Health
SARDI Aquatic Animal Health and Welfare research seeks to develop sustainable solutions to
aquaculture and fisheries diseases by:
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investigating the epidemiology of disease species
developing techniques to improve disease and pest detection
enhancing the knowledge and use of biosecurity procedures to reduce risks
increasing awareness of disease and pest issues through communication, in
particular the provision of scientific and technical advice to managers, and
participation in education and training.
Optimum health outcomes are supported by novel methods for monitoring the health of
fish and invertebrates, and by working with the Aquaculture Environment and Nutrition
Groups. The Aquatic Animal Health and Welfare Group is undertaking research projects on
the health of farmed and wild crustaceans (e.g. prawns), finfish (e.g. sardines, tuna and
yellowtail kingfish) and molluscs (e.g. abalone and oysters) and investigating a range of
diseases associated with parasites, disease treatments and their registration, epizootics of
viruses, disease related biosecurity and pathophysiology.
Expertise covers:
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Marine pests: disease management, fish pathogens and parasites, nuisance and toxic
microalgae, fish veterinary science and genetics.
Risk Analysis: development of molecular tools for the detection of marine pests.
DNA-based molecular diagnostic testing capabilities are being extended to develop
and validate assays to identify and quantify pathogens and marine pests in a range of
environments.
Seafood Safety and Product Innovation
SARDI’s Food Safety and Innovation Seafood Program includes two main research areas. The
Seafood Safety and Market Access Group aims to protect the health of seafood consumers
and enhance Australia’s position as a trusted supplier of seafood. The Seafood Innovation
and Value-Adding Group seeks to develop new products, enhance product quality and
improve cool chain and processing efficiencies to maximise the post-harvest value and
commercial competitiveness of Australian seafood industries.
Expertise covers:
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Risk Analysis and Risk Communication: identification of food safety hazards –
including chemical contaminents, toxins and microbial – across the supply chain,
ranking of hazards in terms of risk, and quantitative risk assessments to support
improvement in supply chain hygiene and market access.
Technical Market Access: provision of information on existing international
regulatory standards for Australian seafood exporters, technical input into the
development of new international regulatory seafood standards, and resolution of
technical barriers to trade.
Food Chain Statistical Services: provision of statistical services to advise sampling,
market surveillance, process control and validation.
Post-Harvest Processing and Handling: investigation of the impacts of post-harvest
handling on control of product quality and assessment of the resultant shelf-life
through microbial, chemical and sensory techniques; evaluation of processing and
packaging technologies to optimise efficiencies, achieve satisfactory return on
investments and meet market requirements.
New Product Development: the development of new seafood products – from
concept to test marketing – that are safe and cost effective, and innovative use of
existing, cost effective technology to provide alternative products from waste
materials or under-utilised lower grade food products.
Facilities
South Australian Aquatic Sciences Centre (SAASC)
The SAASC is a purpose-built marine and freshwater research laboratory complex located at
West Beach, Adelaide, in South Australia. The aquaculture-related infrastructure includes:
Experimental Pool Farm
The pool farm has 80 fibreglass tanks of varying size for research from 1 KL to 20 KL
capacity. Filtered seawater, recirculated seawater, fresh bore water and aeration can be
supplied to the tanks. The system allows researchers to conduct replicated experiments that
mimic commercial farming or natural environment conditions.
Indoor Aquaria Room
The 250 square metre indoor aquaria room is serviced with 200 L of salt water per minute
and 150 L of freshwater per minute and has 32 temperature programmable tank points (1130C). A large number of moveable, free-standing tanks of varying sizes provide for a highly
versatile work environment enabling experiments to be conducted simultaneously under a
range of conditions with sufficient replication. Available tanks range in capacity from small
vessels to 2 KL fibreglass and plastic tanks.
Shellfish Hatchery
The shellfish hatchery is designed to support the aquaculture industry, including the
development of hatchery techniques for novel species, and improving hatchery and
breeding techniques of existing species (e.g. selective breeding, cryo-preservation and
ploidy-manipulation). Key taxa on which R&D has been or is being undertaken are: abalone,
cockles, mussels, oysters and scallops. The facilities enable broodstock conditioning and
spawning, and larval and spat rearing, as well as research on shellfish biotechnology,
genetics, immunology, physiology and reproduction biology. The facilities have also been
used for determining the environmental optima and tolerances of native shellfish species.
Finfish Hatchery
The finfish hatchery is used for the conditioning of broodstock, egg incubation, larval and
juvenile rearing, and the production of live feeds. The hatchery supplies researchers with
fertilised eggs, larvae and fingerlings for research into morphological and ontogenetic
development in optimised controlled environments. The hatchery is also set up for rearing
fingerlings under semi-commercial conditions to supply to industry for pilot-scale
assessment of grow-out on commercial farms. The key taxa that have been or are being
investigated are: King George whiting, mulloway, snapper, southern bluefin tuna and
yellowtail kingfish.
Algal Production and Analytical Facility
For aquaculture purposes, microalgae are produced in a range of vessels from 250 mL flasks
to 500 L plastic bags to support shellfish and finfish R&D at SARDI, pilot scale commercial
algal production on farms, environmental studies, and on-site training courses. SARDI’s
microalgal collection is also used by the University of Adelaide and Flinders University
students and some commercial shellfish hatcheries. The continuous production system used
to produce microalgae for bivalves utilises pasteurised sea water and produces a range of
algal species with the desired nutritional profile 24 hours per day.
For growing and processing algae for low and high-value products other than aquaculture
feeds, there are nine 20 KL raceways and two 7.5 KL photo-bioreactors outdoors, and a
computer-controlled LED and carbon dioxide aquaria / tank systems for physiological
studies indoors. A wide range of analytical equipment in dedicated laboratories also exists
for monitoring the performance of algae, quality of the water in which they are grown, and
quality of algal products produced.
A dedicated system of 24 x 4 KL tanks has also been recently established outdoors, for both
algal ecosystem and production research.
Laboratories
The general aquaculture laboratories provide researchers with ready access to the
necessary facilities, including large autoclaves, balances, microscopes, a laminar flow
station, fume cupboard, feed preparation equipment, milli-Q water system, filtered
seawater supply and an image analysis system.
A modern fish ageing laboratory for otolith reading has specialised embedding and
sectioning equipment, binocular and compound microscopes, and the latest computer
image analysis systems for the enhancement of the otolith images and rapid fecundity
analysis.
Controlled Environment Rooms (CER)
Four programmable CERs are available to enable the simulation of a range of seasonal or
climatic conditions. Each CER is supplied with electricity, together with ambient sea and
freshwater. Room temperature (0-40C), humidity (0-100%), day length and light intensity
can be controlled. Each CER has facilities to recirculate water with small aquaria or tanks.
Seafood Safety, Quality and Innovation Facilities
Most of SARDI’s Seafood Safety, Quality and Innovation research is based at the South
Australian Plant Research Centre at Waite Campus, Urrbrae, Adelaide – as well as selected
commercial sites along the supply chain – using the following infrastructure:
Microbiological and Molecular Biology Diagnostic Laboratories
The Plant Research Centre laboratories are Physical Containment Level 2 (PC2) facilities
developed for the analysis of microbiological pathogens. Analyses undertaken in these
facilities contribute to the assessment of seafood processing performance, shelf-life
assessment, industry benchmarking, and safety evaluations of new product types. The
laboratories contain standard microbiological equipment and specialised equipment
including real-time PCR, tools for DNA extraction, biological safety cabinets and -80°C
freezers for sample preservation and storage.
Product Development Kitchen
The product development kitchen houses a number of appliances including blast freezer,
chillers, packaging equipment, hot smoker and standard food preparation and cooking
equipment, and is suited for performing concept and pilot assessments. Auxiliary equipment
includes 11 programmable CERs for product holding and shelf-life assessments.
Sensory Facility
The modern sensory facility features independent tasting booths with controlled
temperature and lighting, a computerised data collection system, fully equipment kitchen
and meeting room. Sensory testing of products, packaging and branding lead to improved
product formulation and quality and consumer appeal while minimising business risks.
Other Facilities
South Australian Aquatic Biosecurity Centre (SAABC)
The SAABC, a Physical Containment Level 2 facility (PC2), provides aquatic animal health
researchers with biosecure conditions for the study of aquatic pathogens and pests at a
scale that supports meaningful applied research. It is co-located with the University of
Adelaide’s new Veterinary Health Centre at Roseworthy Campus, north of Adelaide, with
access to veterinary specialists and the University’s adjacent Veterinary Diagnostic
Laboratories for research. Its size and flexibility means that it can accommodate several
projects simultaneously. It includes marine and freshwater recirculation facilities and a unit
comprising filters, a heater and UV system, which together are capable of decontaminating
all described life stages of aquatic pathogens and all aquatic pests. Multiple tanks of 3 L, 200
L and 5 KL size are installed with a recirculated water supply, biofilters, aerators and UV
sterilisation.
Lincoln Marine Science Centre (LMSC)
Located on the shores of Boston Bay in Port Lincoln, the LMSC is ideally suited to
aquaculture, fisheries and post-harvest product research and tertiary education. Used as a
regional research centre by Flinders University and Primary Industries and Regions South
Australia (PIRSA), including SARDI and the Shellfish Quality Assurance Program, the centre
provides modern facilities for research, extension and teaching at the heart of South
Australia’s thriving aquaculture and fishing industries.
Southern Australian Integrated Marine Observing System (SAIMOS)
SAIMOS provides infrastructure and expertise supporting research into the role of the
Southern Ocean on South Australia’s climate, marine ecosystems and seafood production.
SARDI researchers have a diverse range of equipment for use (e.g. gliders, HR RADAR for
measuring wave height and period, moorings, underwater current meters, water samplers
and water quality sensors) to develop hydrodynamic biogeochemical models and software
for helping aquaculture, fisheries and natural resource managers make decisions involving
regional aquaculture carrying capacity, optimal placements of aquaculture zones and leases,
larval crustacean and fish dispersal, and effects of climate change on marine ecosystems.
Research Vessel
The 25 metre long, 200 tonne marine research vessel, Ngerin, is designed for biological and
oceanographic studies in coastal and offshore waters of southern Australia, including
aquaculture environmental assessment, fisheries surveys and species abundance and
biodiversity mapping associated with ecosystem studies. It is equipped with trawl
equipment, hydraulic winch, computer facilities, wet and dry laboratories and seawater
tanks. A number of smaller vessels are also available to support marine aquaculture,
fisheries and ecosystem research and development.
Contact:
Mr Steven Clarke,
Science Initiatives Leader
SARDI Aquatic Sciences
Tel: +61 8 8207 5443
E: steven.clarke@sa.gov.au
Professor Xiaoxu Li,
SARDI Aquaculture
Program Leader
Tel: +61 8 8207 5464
E: Xiaoxu.li@sa.gov.au
Dr Marty Deveney,
SARDI Marine Biosecurity
Program Leader
Tel: +61 8 8207 5434
E: marty.deveney@sa.gov.au
Ms Alison Turnbull,
SARDI Seafood Safety
Program Leader
Tel: + 61 8 8303 9623
E: Alison.turnbull@sa.gov.au