2009/741 Visit by Dr Dr Clive Talbot, Nutreco Aquaculture Research Centre, Norway

By Mike Thomson

This visiting expert grant allowed Dr Clive Talbot, a research scientist from Nutreco Aquaculture Research Centre, Stavanger, Norway, to visit Clean Seas Tuna's (CST) Yellowtail Kingfish (YTK) production and grow-out facilities. Throughout the course of his visit, Dr Talbot:

• Reviewed CST's YTK farming activities with a particular focus on feed management issues
• Analysed historical growth and performance of YTK, and produced a growth model
• Appraised the facilities available for diet development work and recommended potential funding models for a research farm
• Gave a presentation to key staff of generic best feed management practices using examples from Yellowtail culture in Japan and Europe

The information gathered through these activities and throughout this trip assisted with the functioning of CST's YTK hatcheries and allowed further development of aquaculture practices. As a result of this trip, there are plans to further improve feed and feed management, which currently account for 60-80% of the total production cost. 

This development has taken the form of implementation of the improved CRC project 'Sustainable feeds and feed management for YTK' which ultimately aims to reduce the feed conversion ratio from 2.1:1 to 1.7:1. Furthermore, the growth model that was produced by Dr Talbot during this trip will assist in judging the relative performance of year classes, sites and various test diets, regimes and feeding technologies.

The recommendation of funding models for the research farm will hopefully assist in the establishment of a self-sustaining commercially centred research and development farm for temperate marine finfish production using international best practice.