The need for this project is to activate and engage industry in viable options towards climate resilience by 2030. This includes the need to demonstrate that immediate options exist and are viable and meaningful, while also gaining support for a clear plan to transform the industry and supply chain with support both internally and beyond the sector. The key needs are:
01 | Industry awareness of the problems and solutions around climate change and resilience is below where it needs to be ....The need for this project is to activate and engage industry in viable options towards climate resilience by 2030. This includes the need to demonstrate that immediate options exist and are viable and meaningful, while also gaining support for a clear plan to transform the industry and supply chain with support both internally and beyond the sector. The key needs are:
01 | Industry awareness of the problems and solutions around climate change and resilience is below where it needs to be to activate broad transformation. There is little action towards climate resilience (1 player) in comparison to other agricultural sectors.
02 | There will be increasing competition within the protein market to validate and promote sustainable practices and positive contributions to the environment/climate.
03 | Leaders and innovators in the industry are attempting to act in isolation with few resources to support industry and supply chain coordination and acceleration.
04 | Change around the edges that can be achieved by some stakeholders operating alone will not deliver the transformation at a scale or pace that is required to meet growing and broadly felt consumer expectations that indicate demonstrable action on climate change.
05 | There is a surplus of tools, resources and research around climate change and resilience, but to this point, little of that work has been translated into forms fishers find usable and valuable.
06 | There is a need to identify early adopters and innovators in the space to lead new ways operating into the future.
07 | There is an FRDC funded project to undertake a Lifecycle Assessment being concluded early November. This work has been preliminarily identified fuel, transport, and refrigeration as key challenges requiring new solutions/opportunities for industry.
08 | Propulsion and fuel have been identified as key challenges in wild catch fisheries achieving climate resilience and reducing carbon emissions, and will be the focus of this project. Objectives: 1. To understand challenges facing the commercial wild-harvest sector relating to a changing climate 2. To determine opportunities to respond to those challenges, and validate solutions 3. To engage with industry leaders and innovators to explore and validate viable, feasible and scalable options towards climate resilience 4. To demonstrate rapid and practical progress towards climate resilience and elements of SIA’s Our Pledge 5. To build partnerships and relationships with global leaders to enable advancement of prioritised solutions that will enable improved climate resilience Read moreRead less
Know & Show Your Carbon Footprint - Discovery Phase
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$35,000.00
Summary
This project will be an initial discovery phase to inform scoping of overall approach.
Deliverables include: Consultation across fishing and aquaculture stakeholders at least 38 key fishing and aquaculture stakeholders. • Identification of the functional and non-functional requirements to create K&S functionality for the included sectors. • Identification of the data and modelling requirements to create K&S module/functionality for the included sectors. • Assessment ....This project will be an initial discovery phase to inform scoping of overall approach.
Deliverables include: Consultation across fishing and aquaculture stakeholders at least 38 key fishing and aquaculture stakeholders. • Identification of the functional and non-functional requirements to create K&S functionality for the included sectors. • Identification of the data and modelling requirements to create K&S module/functionality for the included sectors. • Assessment of any current solutions/calculators provided relative to the market requirement. • Evaluate current reference and benchmarking data versus what is required to support accurate, automated carbon accounting, and, ultimately inform decision-making that enables productivity whilst reducing carbon emissions. • Understand the gap between knowing your carbon footprint and being able to make informed decisions that lead to reductions in emissions. • Identification of the data and modelling requirements to create a module and/or functionality for the included sectors. • Identification of the missing calculators, features, functionality and underlying data and research required to enable all sectors to participate and benefit from the platform. • Documented solution design for creation of functionality identified during discovery for addition to the core infrastructure. • Report detailing the results of the carbon footprint calculation drivers / needs / existing knowledge, tools & data, gap analysis, and solution design. This will inform the Contributor and AIA in respect of further investment in the K&S solution.
Objectives: 1. Complete discovery phase to inform scoping of 'Know & Show', for consideration Read moreRead less
Geostationary Observations for Regional Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GORGE). Using satellite measurements it is possible to pinpoint emissions of greenhouse gases. This project (GORGE) will map these emissions throughout Asia and Australia, including the burgeoning emissions from megacities. It will allow real-time monitoring of the effects of climate change policies as well as the effects of climate change on forests and agriculture.
Aquafin CRC - Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture Subprogram: Environmental Control Of Growth And Early Maturation In Salmonids
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$333,571.00
Summary
1. To accurately predict maturation rates and optimize photoperiod regimes to prevent early maturation.
Ambient environmental conditions mean that the Tasmanian salmon industry will always suffer from high maturation rates due to its high water temperatures and increased light intensity. Additional artificial lighting in Tasmania has been shown to reduce maturation by up to 30%; increase growth rates significantly; and delay maturation by 8 weeks (Porter et al., unpublished). While thes ....1. To accurately predict maturation rates and optimize photoperiod regimes to prevent early maturation.
Ambient environmental conditions mean that the Tasmanian salmon industry will always suffer from high maturation rates due to its high water temperatures and increased light intensity. Additional artificial lighting in Tasmania has been shown to reduce maturation by up to 30%; increase growth rates significantly; and delay maturation by 8 weeks (Porter et al., unpublished). While these strategies have improved seasonal production and have been estimated to be worth $8-16 million per year (TSGA report), seasonal fluctuations in environmental conditions and fish stocks still produce variability within their effectiveness. Trials to date have highlighted the need for increased light intensities both between sites and seasons depending on the results required. Therefore further work into the use of increased light intensity and plasma melatonin production is required.
2. To better understand the timing of oocyte maturation in relation to varied environmental conditions.
a) The development of oocytes within the gonads needs to be initiated well in advance of the fish spawning. At present it is unknown precisely when this occurs and what physiological parameters are required to allow maturation to proceed. The timing of this “gating” period will be determined as this is undoubtedly the most effective time with which to apply environmental manipulations to inhibit the maturation process to continue. The “gating mechanisms” i.e. size and energetic status will be investigated to more accurately determine the timing and duration of the application of artificial lights.
b) One hormonal candidate for the transduction of information between growth and reproductive processes is insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). The majority of research has investigated the interactions between the GH/IGF system and maturation during the latter stages of oocyte maturation i.e. secondary oocyte growth and development. Consequently there is a paucity of information on the impact of IGF-I on the initiation of oocyte maturation and primary oocyte growth and development. Determining the role of IGF-I at this stage would assist in our understanding of the interaction between growth and reproductive processes, and thus provide additional tools to control the timing of maturation in commercial operations. Objectives: 1. To reduce early maturation and increase growth rates using artificial photoperiod 2. To better understand the physiological and environmental mechanisms controlling sexual development in Atlantic salmon 3. To accurately determine the intensity and duration of light required to alter growth and reproductive processes in teleost fish 4. To assess the effects of seasonal variation on growth and reproduction and be able to adjust photoperiod manipulations accordingly to reduce the variability of results. 5. To develop and introduce the transfer of technology from the Tasmanian salmon industry to other sectors of South Australian aquaculture. Read moreRead less
Blue Carbon And The Australian Seafood Industry: Workshop
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$50,803.00
Summary
The Australian seafood industry aspires to continue improving its sustainability in many areas, including reducing its carbon emissions and ultimately achieving carbon neutrality. The 2017 National Seafood Industry Leaders called for the industry to strive to become carbon neutral by 2030. There are many aspects to this, such as improving fuel efficiency and evaluating land transport options, but some emissions are inevitable. To offset these emissions, the seafood industry might choose to inves ....The Australian seafood industry aspires to continue improving its sustainability in many areas, including reducing its carbon emissions and ultimately achieving carbon neutrality. The 2017 National Seafood Industry Leaders called for the industry to strive to become carbon neutral by 2030. There are many aspects to this, such as improving fuel efficiency and evaluating land transport options, but some emissions are inevitable. To offset these emissions, the seafood industry might choose to investigate carbon markets. Investments in blue carbon could also provide added value to the industry, say, through better fish nurseries, or through the social benefits of being seen to proactively nurture the ecosystems that support them. However, the mechanisms to allow the seafood industry to pursue this are poorly developed. Impediments include the paucity of blue carbon opportunities in existing regulatory markets, and uncertainty about the most appropriate financial mechanisms for blue carbon investment.
The industry would benefit from a clear guide that outlines the current (and likely future) opportunities, the risks, a realistic assessment of the benefits, and a set of options for potential investors to pursue. To facilitate this, we will hold a meeting of key seafood industry stakeholders: at this workshop we will inform stakeholders about the current state of knowledge and opportunities, ask the extent to which the industry aspires to be carbon neutral, and whether blue carbon investments are perceived to be relevant. We will identify the major impediments to the industry achieving its desired goals, and plan concrete actions that can be taken to achieve them. These will be compiled into a plan to inform the FRDC on what actions to invest in, and how much investment would be needed.
Objectives: 1. Inform and understand aspirations of the Australian seafood industry with respect to carbon neutrality 2. Map the aspirations against current opportunities in Australia and overseas 3. Identify actions that can be taken by the seafood industry and the FRDC that will help move the industry towards meeting aspirations 4. Synthesise 1-3 into a plan that also identifies enablers and constraints that the industry needs to be aware of, and develop recommendations about the best steps Read moreRead less
Enhanced Prediction of Landfill Gas Emissions Through Geosynthetic Systems. Landfill gas represents an opportunity for electricity generation and carbon abatement: it need not be managed solely for environmental, health or safety risk reasons. However, our ability to predict gas collection and fugitive emissions from landfills capped with geosynthetics liners, in consideration of the myriad of factors that control these processes, is imperfect. Building on recent advances in unsaturated soil mec ....Enhanced Prediction of Landfill Gas Emissions Through Geosynthetic Systems. Landfill gas represents an opportunity for electricity generation and carbon abatement: it need not be managed solely for environmental, health or safety risk reasons. However, our ability to predict gas collection and fugitive emissions from landfills capped with geosynthetics liners, in consideration of the myriad of factors that control these processes, is imperfect. Building on recent advances in unsaturated soil mechanics, this project aims to conduct cutting-edge experimental and theoretical research to develop an experimentally-validated theory of gas migration through geosynthetics systems that is expected to lead to major improvement in performance and provide integrated design tools which are much needed but not currently availableRead moreRead less
Improved predictions of greenhouse gas transfers in landfill composite liner covers containing geomembrane defects. The Australian Greenhouse Office indicated that methane accounted for 85 per cent of the waste sector's annual greenhouse emissions in 2008, and stressed the need to undertake a range of activities to reduce these emissions. Models and theories derived from this project will address specifically the above issue leading to enhanced economic benefits.
Travel Bursary: Symposium On Responsible Fishing Technology For Healthy Ecosystems And Clean Environment
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$6,500.00
Summary
Attendance to Symposium on Responsible Fishing Technology for Healthy Ecosystems and Clean Environment Objectives: 1. Attendance at Symposium onResponsible Fishing Technology for Healthy Ecosystems and CleanEnvironment
FRDC-DCCEE: Human Adaptation Options To Increase Resilience Of Conservation-dependent Seabirds And Marine Mammals Impacted By Climate Change
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
Climate change is already impacting species from a range of trophic levels around Australia. In recent years, shifts in species distribution have been documented at a range of lower trophic levels in Australia (Hobday et al 2007), including phytoplankton (Thompson et al 2009), intertidal invertebrates (Pitt et al 2010), and coastal fish (Last et al 2010), and are now underpinning management responses. However, for Australia’s iconic higher trophic level conservation-dependent marine taxa, such a ....Climate change is already impacting species from a range of trophic levels around Australia. In recent years, shifts in species distribution have been documented at a range of lower trophic levels in Australia (Hobday et al 2007), including phytoplankton (Thompson et al 2009), intertidal invertebrates (Pitt et al 2010), and coastal fish (Last et al 2010), and are now underpinning management responses. However, for Australia’s iconic higher trophic level conservation-dependent marine taxa, such as seabirds (and shorebirds) and marine mammals, there is a knowledge gap regarding responses to climate variability and change. These species are protected throughout Australia and in some cases are recovering from previous anthropogenic impacts. Resolution of climate change impacts from other anthropogenic threats is needed for these species, in order to implement appropriate and timely adaptive management responses. Unfortunately, for most species, evidence of responses to environmental variability and the functional processes driving these affects is limited (but see References in Attachment 1). This is seen by managers as a major impediment to ongoing conservation management and planning in the face of climate variability and change. In addition, monitoring approaches for some of these species may also need to be reassessed and modified in order to better detect the impacts of climate change. Efficient ongoing monitoring is also required to allow adaptation responses to be validated. Results from this proposal will support adaptation by researchers undertaking the monitoring and adaptation by managers. Furthermore, options for enhancing the adaptive capacity of species impacted by climate change will fostered as a result of this project. (References provided in Attachment 1). Objectives: 1. Connect researchers, managers and policy makers, to focus on climate-ready monitoring and adaptation options for conservation-dependent seabirds and marine mammals. 2. Link ongoing monitoring programs around Australia for seabirds and marine mammals with relevant wildlife and conservation management agencies. 3. Extract climate signals for selected time series around Australia using cutting-edge statistical approaches. 4. Develop protocols for monitoring impacts of environmental variation on indicator species and develop an indicator suite of spatial and temporal metrics for climate change impacts. 5. Combine the indicator metrics to develop multi-species productivity indicators for Australian regions. 6. Provide practical adaptation guidelines for science and management, including on-ground monitoring protocols Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100079
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
Experimental facility for extreme air/sea interaction studies. The level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which cause global warming is greatly influenced by interactions at the air/sea interface. This infrastructure will allow in-depth studies of these interactions and contribute to much improved strategies to control greenhouse gases.