Members workshop Day Two

Aquaculture Association of Queensland (AAQ) Commercial Hatchery Code of Best Practice

THE ISSUES

·        In order to satisfy environmental concerns, hatcheries contributing to recreational stocking need to demonstrate that they are not going to cause harm to genetic diversity of native fish in open waters. This includes all Queensland waters.

      Impoundment and farm dam stocking has the potential to cause fish to become part of a breeding population should they escape either down stream or up stream. It is therefore necessary that these hatcheries maintain a broad gene pool within each batch of fish.

·        In order to satisfy environmental concerns, hatcheries, when delivering fingerlings need to demonstrate that they are not going to cause environmental harm through the undesired movement of non-target species.

     When delivering fingerlings hatcheries need to be able to demonstrate that only the fingerlings ordered are in the consignment. The consignment must not contain other fish species, or aquatic insects, or any life stages of amphibians, including tadpoles. This requirement extends to hatcheries providing fingerlings to all sectors, including grow-out facilities.

·        In order to satisfy environmental concerns, hatcheries need to demonstrate that they have the ability to minimise transferee of disease when delivering fingerling consignments. This requirement extends to hatcheries providing fingerlings to all sectors, including grow-out facilities.

In September 2000 the WWF, (World World Life Fund) hosted a workshop for the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. The workshop was attended by AAQ President, Bruce Sambell. Stocking fingerlings was identified as a potential threat to the fish of the river basins. Disease, genetic pollution, and unwanted translocations were considered to be major threats to the natural populations of native fish. It was also a significant concern that there was no means of identifying hatcheries from other aquaculture sites.

One of the outcomes of this workshop was that there needs to be some sort of hatchery accreditation.

NSW has produced its own hatchery quality assurance scheme.

The AAQ executive with assistance from DPI & Fisheries staff are developing the AAQ Commercial Hatchery Code of Best Practice. The code will focus on the risks identified at the WWF workshop. The code will focus on the outcomes desired rather than how to achieve these outcomes. This will allow for a variety of production systems to operate under the code. This will also allow for the introduction of new technology as it is developed. A "prescriptive" code, or "Q.A." can be difficult to adapt when new production methods are developed.

The code will...................

1.    Assist Queensland hatcheries with the uptake and development of their own On Farm Health Management and Genetic Plans.

2.    Assist hatcheries in developing their own strategies to eliminate Movement of Non Target Species and provide Appropriate Information about Stocking Areas and Endemic Species to customers.

All comments, suggestions and positive ideas for progressing this document are most welcomed. Please contact either of the following for feedback on the document – Bruce Sambell, Chris Lupton or Rod Cheetham. (contact details are at the end of the document)

1. Outcome: Ecologically Sustainable Development

·        Comply with the AAQ Freshwater Finfish Environmental Code of Best Practice.

·        Advanced fingerlings (over 100 mm ?? in total length) sold for stocking, the hatchery will need to demonstrate that the saleable progeny do not contain residues that will exceed maximum residue levels once the fingerling has reached legal edible size.  

2. Outcome: Maximise Genetic Variation for Stocking of Queensland Waters (aquaculture grow out species excluded).

3. Outcome: Maximise the Health of Broodstock and their Progeny. 

4. Outcome: Approved Chemicals and Authorisations. 

5. Outcome: No Movement of Non Target Species.

6. Outcome: Stocking of Appropriate Species.

7. Outcome: Reliable and Field Proven Method for Counting Larvae and Fingerlings.

At the workshop the suggested methods to achieve these outcomes will be covered and discussed. Input from members will be received and the final code will then be developed.

Contact Details: