Judi Marshall

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Tasmanian Abalone Biosecurity Framework
Judi Marshall WWF Abalone Aquaculture
Dialogue Melbourne, April 29-30, 2008
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Today's talk

• Background
• Objectives
• Risk assessment results
• Framework template
• Expected outcomes

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Tasmanian Response

• Prohibition on Victorian abalone vessels
  operation in Tasmanian waters.
• Ganglioneuritis listed as a notifiable disease in
  Tasmania.
• Abalone product of non-Tasmanian origin
  prohibited in Tasmanian waters February 2007.
• Moratorium on new abalone farms and flow through
  processor facilities.
• Closure of Bass Strait zone March 2007.

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Impact on Tasmania

• Restrictions on recreational and commercial
  fishing activities in Bass Strait and King
  Island. including requirement to land all
  commercial abalone from around King Island on
  King Island.
• No processing King Island abalone in premises on
  mainland Tasmania that discharge into the marine
  environment.
• Prohibition on possession of abalone and rock
  lobster for recreational fishers in certain
  waters with all recreational abalone and rock
  lobster to be landed in Tasmania

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Objectives Biosecurity Policy

• Tasmanias biosecurity policy objective is to
  protect and enhance Tasmanias biosecurity status
  for the benefit of Tasmanias industries,
  environment and public well-being, health,
  amenity, and safety.
• Two key elements are
• -Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP)
• -Shared responsibilities.
• Tasmanias ALOP is a high or very conservative
  level of protection aimed at reducing risk to
  very low levels, while not based on a zero risk
  approach.

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Risk Assessment Process

• Delivered strategically identified risks across
  all fishing and farming sectors
• Used the precautionary principle
• All risks above very low have been integrated
  into the Abalone Biosecurity Framework

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Biosecurity Risk of Wild Sector

• High Risks
• Emergency Response for the Abalone Wild Fishing
  Sector
• Movements of live animals from the wild into live
  holding facilities within Tasmania
• Movements of live animals from the wild into
  processing facilities within Tasmania
• Movement of equipment and personnel from Victoria
  or other state to Tasmanian waters
• Movement of equipment and personnel by commercial
  divers around the State

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Biosecurity Risk of Wild Sector

• Health surveillance program for the wild and
  farmed sector
• Moderate Risks
• Collection of live animals from the wild for farm
  brood stock.
• Unloading of abalone for processor pick up where
  abalone is repacked on wharf or boat ramp

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Biosecurity Risk of the Processing Sector

• Extreme Risk
• Processing of whole interstate abalone
• High Risk
• Sale of abalone viscera as bait to commercial and
  recreational fishers.
• Discharge of water from processor facilities into
  the marine environment

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Biosecurity Risk of the Processing Sector

• Moderate risk
• Discharge of water from live holding facilities
  into the marine environment.
• Inappropriate disposal of waste materials such as
  viscera, and shell into the marine environment.
• Movements of contaminated equipment from
  processing facilities to divers.
• Movement of live animals to other processing
  facilities (ie between processors).
• Processing of partially processed interstate
  abalone for canning purposes

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Biosecurity Risk of Farmed Sector

• High Risks
• Movements of abalone for purposes of emergency
  harvest from aquaculture facilities into
  processing facilities.
• Movement of live animals to ocean based marine
  farms

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Biosecurity Risk of Farmed Sector

• Moderate Risks
• Discharge of water from farms into the marine
  environment
• Movements of live animals from the wild into
  facilities as brood stock.
• Movement of live animals to other land based
  aquaculture facilities.
• Movements of live animals from aquaculture
  facilities into processing facilities.

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Biosecurity Risk of Farmed Sector

• Low risks
• Movement of equipment and personnel to other land
  based aquaculture facilities.
• Unintentional transfer of live animals from farm
  to the marine environment via feral or escaped
  stock
• Inappropriate disposal of shells and waste
  material into the marine environment

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Common Risks Between Sectors

• Need for an emergency response plan
• Movement of animals interstate and intrastate
• Translocation of equipment (including boats, farm
  equipment, fish bins)
• Discharge of waste water from all sectors
• Disposal of animal waste from all sectors
• Biosecurity surveillance program

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Framework Template

• Biosecurity Regions
• Key Sectors
• Major Aspects
• Additional Activities
• Health Surveillance
• Emergency Response

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Biosecurity Regions
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Key Sectors
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Major Aspects
a. Fish health b. Equipment c.
Personnel d. Waste water e. Animal
waste f. Who to contact
Baseline Protocols
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Additional Activities
a. Fish health b. Equipment c.
Personnel d. Waste water e. Animal
waste f. Who to contact
Additional Protocols
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Additional Activities

• Regional Biosecurity - fishing in high risk zones
• Collection of broodstock for farming sector

• Broodstock holding facilities
• Translocation between farms
• Sea-based marine farming

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Health Surveillance
Active surveillance Passive surveillance
Health Surveillance Plan
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Health Surveillance

• Passive
• Educate fishers and aquaculture operators
• System for submission for testing catch
• Active
• Targeted active surveillance High risk areas
• Broodstock health surveillance

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Emergency response
Isolation Zoning Surveillance
Eradication
Emergency Response Plan
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Emergency response

• ISOLATION of any outbreak
• Management controls on movements
• ZONING (Biosecurity regions)
• SURVEILLANCE
• Passive Active
• ERRADICATION

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Expected Outputs

• A biosecurity strategy to minimise risk in the
  abalone sector
• Documented risk assessment
• Documented and agreed performance requirements in
  the commercial wild harvest fishery, recreational
  fishery and marine framing sectors
• High level protection of abalone stocks to
  disease outbreak
• Emergency Disease Response plan at the ready
  should a disease outbreak occur.