QUARTERLY UPDATE - MARCH 20098
AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
The Aquaculture Development Council (ADC) is focused on furthering the aquaculture industry in Western Australia through funding various projects.
Open Ocean Aquaculture
In the first quarter of 2009 (January – March), the ADC continued to progress its key project, the Open Ocean Aquaculture (OOA) Project. The OOA Project comprises a number of sub-projects, including a communications strategy, governance framework and environmental baseline data project. During the first quarter, the ADC:
• continued to progress the Governance Framework. The consultants are currently liaising with the private sector to ascertain potential investment interest and preferred frameworks from the private sector viewpoint;
• continued to pursue options for providing tenure in Commonwealth waters;
• successfully completed implementation of the OOA Communications Project and decided to keep the information line open for a further three months;
• continued to liaise with relevant Commonwealth departments seeking short term options for progressing the OOA Project as soon as possible in spite of legislative impediments;
• successfully completed the benthic mapping of the proposed Aquaculture Zone in conjunction with Fugro. Documentation was delivered to the ADC in March 2009.
Roadmapping
In addition to focusing on the OOA Project the ADC, in collaboration with Mr Andrew Duff of VPS, continued to progress the outcomes of the Aquaculture Innovation Roadmapping Workshop series. The final reports presented by MBA students from the UWA School of Business were assessed and those of a suitable quality with the potential for further follow up work to be conducted were identified.
The ADC is now progressing further actions for the Aquaculture Feed Concept and the SPF Hatchery Concept. Both concepts require further scoping studies to be undertaken to verify their potential. Further information on the overarching Roadmapping Project can be found at www.finfish.org
For further information on these projects, please contact Michelle Hanlon, Senior Management Officer ADC on 9482 7377 or michelle.hanlon@fish.wa.gov.au