Aquaculture Health Laboratory, Waterman Bay
As the seafood industry develops, aquatic diseases and other problems that require immediate attention will inevitably appear.
The WA Government has committed $1.2 million to build a state-of-the-art Aquatic Animal Health Research Laboratory in 2017 at the collaborative Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre (IOMRC) facility at Waterman Bay.
The Aquaculture Health team provides research services and specialist advice relating to medium to long term disease issues in aquatic animals of economic significance to support development and sustainability of the WA aquaculture and seafood industries. The co-location of the laboratory with strategic IOMRC partners (namely, the University of Western Australia (UWA), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)), fosters collaboration on applied research projects focused on supporting expansion of the WA seafood Industry.
The team develops applied research projects in line with the needs of the seafood industry, which require the use of controlled experimental conditions to study the development of a disease or the response of animals to stressors. The Aquaculture Health team is uniquely placed in its ability to maintain the long term capacity to respond rapidly to any emerging threats. The team currently leads research projects on abalone and pearl oyster health, in which the ultimate objective is to improve the productivity of the abalone and pearling industries.
Current aquaculture health research projects
FRDC 2016-009 - Perkinsus olseni in abalone - Development of fit-for-purpose tools to support its management
AIMS - North-West Shoals to Shore Research Program (NWSSRP)
FRDC 2019-196 – Investigation of common microorganisms and pathways in pearl oysters affected by health issues
FRDC 2019-150 – Feasibility study – Assessment of the pearl oyster farming industry capacity to retrospectively investigate stock health concerns
FRDC 2019-147 – Risk factors and management strategies associated with summer mortality in Australian abalone