From the Food Security Forum 2014: Good food, good health: delivering the benefits of food security in Australia and beyond - 17 March 2014

1. FACULTY OF
VETERINARY SCIENCE
Aquaculture in south east Asia
- mutual benefits
FARM ANIMAL AND VETERINARY PUBLIC HEALTH
RICHARD WHITTINGTON

2. Aquaculture
Population 2014 6 billion
2030 9 billion
Fish 16.6% global
protein intake
from animals
Urgency: meet seafood demand in an
environmentally and economically
sustainable way

3. Many types of farmed “fish”
›!Finfish
›!Shell fish
›!Crustaceans
›!Others

4. Seafood and developing countries
›! High nutritional value
-! low saturated fats
-! low carbohydrates
-! high value protein
-! high micronutrients - vitamins, minerals, polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids
›! Small quantities can be effective in addressing food and nutritional security
among the poor and vulnerable populations
›! Cash crop for small holders
›! Export potential

5. Importance of aquaculture
World Bank 2013
Aquaculture

6. Aquaculture
Aquaculture
Capture

8. Australia’s regional aid program for aquaculture
Nutrition
Expansion
Diversification
Shellfish production
GrouperGrouper
Diversification
Nutrition
Biosecurity and disease control
New development,
Increase productionIncrease production
Pearl
development
Inland
aquaculture
Seaweed
industries
Community
aquaculture
Western Pacific
Inland & coastal

9. Drivers and constraints for aquaculture
Drivers
›! Increasing demand
›! Fish are a traditional food
›! Wild harvest peaked years ago
›! Familiarity with fish culture
›! Technological innovation
›! Government support
Constraints
›! Feed – unreliable, unsustainable
›! Disease – 50% loss
›! Environment – sustainable
›! Market access – food safety to
have secure export markets
›! Insufficient supply of “Seed”
›! Climate and weather
Australia’s overseas aid program through ACIAR addresses constraints
identified in each country

10. Benefits for Australia
1.! Poverty alleviation: promoting increasing prosperity and stability in our region
2.! Biosecurity awareness: engagement in emerging issues
3.! Applying technology: testing technical applications at broad scale in a range of
environments
4.! Product development: access to a large industry to innovate e.g. vaccines.
5.! Additional funding for research on issues of direct relevance to Australia
6.! Research on shared resources, leading to bilateral agreements for sustainable
harvest
7.! Work on issues of relevance to Australia that are not yet present here (eg diseases)
8.! Capacity building and professional development of mid-career scientists through
knowledge transfer, development of leadership and project management skills
9.! Improving communication and extension skills and understanding how knowledge
transfer occurs
10.! Personal networks in trade and resource management
11.! Market awareness
12.! Improving Australia’s reputation in the region

11. Acknowledgements
›! Dr Chris Barlow, ACIAR
›! The University of Sydney team
-! Dr Paul hick
-! Dr Mike Rimmer
-! Dr Joy Becker
-! Dr Navneet Dhand
-! Mrs Alison Tweedie
-! Ms Marion Saddington
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