Mono-seed Oyster Farming and Selective Breeding to Counter POMS in Australia. Matt Cunningham Australian Seafood Industries

Transcription

1 Mono-seed Oyster Farming and Selective Breeding to Counter POMS in Australia Matt Cunningham Australian Seafood Industries

2 3 Parts to todays presentation: Brief summary of the Australian Pacific Oyster industry Brief description of Australian Seafood Industries (ASI) A more detailed description of our success in breeding for POMS resistance

3 Australian Oyster industry prior to POMS Three growing regions Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales Pacific oysters (70%) and Sydney Rock oysters (30%) Production: 10K t per annum Farm gate value: $ 70 M / year About 300 small to medium sized enterprises (Pacific Oyster) Two main hatcheries Markets: domestic half-shell

4 Australian oyster industry Half Shell Oyster Ready to consume

5 Industry metrics

6 Growing methods Mostly intertidal (90%) Submerged on high tide Exposed on low tide

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10 Growing methods Seed input at 2-10mm Growout time months depending on location Start in small mesh size increasing as the Oysters grow

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14 Growing methods Rack and Rail fixed Adjustable long lines Baskets can be moved up higher or lower Low for shell growth High for hardening and meat condition prior to market

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16 Australian oyster industry

17 Australian oyster industry

18 Growing methods Some sub-tidal farming (10%) Oysters always submerged

19 Australian oyster industry

20 Australian oyster industry

21 Growing methods Oysters graded into size classes throughout the grow out Oysters transported to land base and then returned

22 Australian oyster industry

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25 Growing methods Grading systems are highly mechanised

26 Australian oyster industry

27 Australian oyster industry

28 Market Oysters predominantly sold on the domestic market Small percentage exported Grown in pristine environments High demand for product

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30 Selective breeding Advantage of hatchery production(mono seed) versus naturally caught spat is that selective breeding is possible Research commenced in 1996 into Pacific Oyster selective breeding and was lead by University of Tasmania

31 Australian Seafood Industries (ASI) company background Formed in 2004 Owned by Pacific Oyster industry in Tasmania and South Australia Aim 1: To commercialise efforts in Pacific Oyster breeding Aim 2: To ensure the program was producing Pacific Oysters in line with industry expectations

32 ASI company background Small company 4 full time employees Income from spat levy of $2.80 per thousand spat Board of 6 4 independent directors 2 shareholder appointed directors Industry Technical Reference Group Growers, hatcheries and researchers, provide advice to ASI Gain strength through collaboration CSIRO, IMAS, NSW DPI etc

33 Breeding program Full pedigreed population Produce 80 single pair mated families per year Use Estimated Breeding Values (EBV s) to measure traits, inbreeding managed Prior to POMS commercially important traits were growth rate, meat condition, shell shape and general survival

34 Inbreeding calculator- low inbreeding

35 A New Challenge! Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome POMS

36 The Spread of POMS Ostreid herpesvirus 1 Affects only Pacific oysters New mircro-variant with high virulence Outbreaks: France New Zealand Mar 2010 NSW Australia Nov 2010 TAS Australia Jan 2016

37 The Spread of POMS Sydney Region New South Wales Central Coast SPREAD IN NEW SOUTH WALES: Georges River Nov 2010 Sydney Harbour 2011 Hawkesbury River Jan 2013 Hawkesbury R Sydney H Georges R

38 The Spread of POMS: Hawkesbury DAY 1 10 AM: First sighting (30% mortality on one lease) DAY 1 5 PM: mass mortality on that lease DAY 3: 10 million dead oysters ($3M loss) DAY 8: Entire system affected Marra 5 km Porto Mooney Mullet Ck

39 The Spread of POMS: Tasmania SPREAD IN TASMANIA: DAY1: First mortalities (transfers stopped) DAY 2: High mortalities DAY 4: OsHV-1 confirmed DAY 5: State borders closed DAY 7: High mortalities transfer sites DAY 16: Disease spread confirmed

40 The Consequences (2016 outbreak) PIPECLAY LAGOON 17% survival >50 million dead Survival affected by: Size and density Position Handling Large genetic effects 15% survival unselect 35% survival first gen. select Pittwater Pipeclay Lagoon 5 km Blackman Bay

41 Disruptive change of highest order Growers in affected lost most growing stock High lay-off of staff, skilled staff likely permanently lost Uncertain futures for oyster businesses in affected regions Seed supply to entire Australian industry disrupted Seed stocks lost and national supply channels stopped Re-structure of entire hatchery industry Breeding program faced upheaval on multiple fronts No seed sales = no cash flow New traits, new challenges and large increase in the breeding activity

42 Australian Industry strategy Maintain quarantine barriers Modify farming practices Develop resistant stocks

43 Developing resistant stocks The science challenge: Genetic control of resistance? How can we measure resistance? Breeding Goal Stock with 70% survival by 2016 and commercially available by 2018 Work had commenced prior to Tasmanian outbreak

44 FIELD CHALLENGE NOV 2012 ADULTS (AGE 12 MONTHS)

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46 SURVIVAL AT 14 DAYS = 0%

47 52% 5% 8% 0% 3% 25% 2% 3% 0% 3% 3% 0% 2% 2% 0%

48 7 LIVE 43 DEAD

49 45 LIVE 5 DEAD

50 Family performance (one year old stock)

51 Family performance (one year old stock)

52 Family performance (one year old stock)

53 Family performance (one year old stock)

54 Family performance (one year old stock)

55 Family performance (one year old stock)

56 Family performance (using survivors)

57 Genetic trend Using survivor s First test First selection

58 Genetic trend

59 Family performance (spat 2 months)

60 Family performance (spat survivors)

61 The future Continue to breed for increased POMS resistance in spat genomics? The Tasmanian industry has seen significant recovery, stocking levels approaching pre-poms levels High levels of POMS resistance in very young spat will allow industry to fully recover

62 In conclusion Selective breeding is a very important part of the Pacific Oyster Industry in Australia Without ASI the Pacific Oyster industry would have been decimated One of the many great examples of why selective breeding is so important in Aquaculture Hopefully offers hope to Taiwanese industries facing similar challenges eg small abalone

63 To find out more Or We are interested in collaborating with international partners in applied breeding research

64 Acknowledgements CSIRO Peter Kube Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) Fisheries Research and Development Corporation Australian CRC program Australian Oyster growers