ACIAR aquaculture mini-projects (03/2008)
Thursday, 20 March 2008 00:00

By Ben Ponia

 

Project leaders for the ACIAR-funded aquaculture mini-project scheme met in Fiji in February to develop small, flexible project proposals that will help aquaculture development in the Pacific region to overcome bottlenecks. The meeting was also an opportunity to learn about ACIAR post-graduate scholarships, which are open to students at the University of the South Pacific.

 

Five projects, with a forecasted total budget of AUD95,000, will be developed into final proposals. A further nine projects, with a projected budget of approximately AUD115,000, will be further developed into concept notes (see Table 1).

 

Project funding will target the eight ACIAR Pacific Island countries, although non-ACIAR countries are also invited to explore opportunities to collaborate on these projects.


 Table 1: Mini-projects formulated during the project leaders meeting 


Project Title Targeted Countries Project Size
 ACIAR-approved project concepts for implementation
Half pearl (mabe) trials to assess key factors affecting pearl nacre quality and growth Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga Medium
Sandfish sea cucumber (Holothuria sabra) restocking and sea ranching trials Fiji Large
Locally available feed sources for subsistence tilapia fish farmers Samoa Small
Status of significant diseases in wild populations of tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) in the Pacific Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands Small
Clownfish 'Nemo' hatchery breeding and village grow-out trials Vanuatu, Solomon Islands Medium
 Project concepts submitted to ACIAR for approval
Freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium lar,trials Vanuatu Medium
Intensive Nile tilapia cage culture in inland lakes Papua New Guinea Small
Small-scale Nile tilapia economic modelling Papua New Guinea Small
Locally sourced diet for herbivorous fishes (e.g. rabbitfish, milkfish) Solomon Islands, Tonga Large
Artificial base for live rock cultivation Tonga Small
Bivalve spat collection (pearl and edible oyster) Fiji, Vanuatu Medium
Preliminary literature reviews for aquaculture project concepts on mud crab, nursery grow-out for giant clam, and comparison of growth between Mossambique tilapia and Nile tilapia    

 


Dr Tim Pickering from the University of the South Pacific provided an update on the ACIAR post-graduate scholarships, which he is coordinating. Five of the eight awarded scholarships are aquaculture related and most will be associated with the upcoming mini-projects. The aquaculture scholarship awards were awarded to:

 

 

 Jone Varawa (Fiji)  MSc marine peaneid shrimp cage-culture;

 Marilyn Vilisoni (Fiji) MSc pearl oyster spat recruitment;

 Shirleen Bala (Fiji) MSc; aquaculture

 Pranesh Kishore (Fiji) MSc pearl mabe;

 Marie Satoa (Samoa) PgDip local feed sources for tilapia feed formulation;


 

There is also possibility for MSc research on sea cucumber restocking.


 

The meeting was held at the Hot Springs Hotel in Savusavu, Fiji. This location was chosen because Justin Hunter Pearls Ltd offered its facilities for mini-project research. The pearl farm will be used as a site for pearl mabe and spat collection research. The pearl oyster hatchery will be used for technology transfer and sea cucumber breeding. Sea cucumber ranching trials are also expected to take place in the vicinity of Savusavu.


 

The Australian commissioned agency for the ACAIR aquaculture mini-projects is James Cook University of North Queensland. The project coordinator on behalf of the Pacific is the SPC. Collaborating agencies include the University of the South Pacific and WorldFish Centre. ACIAR funding is approximately AUD1.2 million dollars over a four year period.


 

For further information on the ACIAR mini-projects contact Ben Ponia ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Cathy Hair ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).