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Benchmarking harvest methodologies in the Australian barramundi industry

Benchmarking harvest methodologies in the Australian barramundi industry. Ryan Wilkinson NCMCRS – AMC, University of Tasmania, Launceston Ph: (03) 6324 3800 Email: Ryan.Wilkinson@utas.edu.au. What is animal welfare?. Often difficult to define

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Benchmarking harvest methodologies in the Australian barramundi industry

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  1. Benchmarking harvest methodologies in the Australian barramundi industry Ryan Wilkinson NCMCRS – AMC, University of Tasmania, Launceston Ph: (03) 6324 3800 Email: Ryan.Wilkinson@utas.edu.au

  2. What is animal welfare? • Often difficult to define • Famous five freedoms (Mellor & Stafford, 2001) • To guarantee good welfare, animals should be free from: • Hunger and thirst • Undue environmental challenge • Disease and injury • Behavioural restriction • Mental suffering

  3. What about fish welfare? • Fish experience fear and they have anatomical features indicating they are capable of experiencing pain • Aquaculture will expose fish to many different physical, chemical and biological‘stressors’ • Transport, handling, grading, confinement, crowding, disease treatment, air exposure, sub-optimal environmental conditions….. • Many of these experienced during the harvest stage

  4. Commonly used measures of fish welfare Injury and disease Genes on/off Behaviour Brain biochemistry Immune system Fish welfare Hormones Nutritional condition Metabolic state Reproduction Growth (Huntingford and Kadri., 2008)

  5. Goals of the DAFF – Australian Animal Welfare Strategy • Ensure the welfare needs of animals are understood and met • Facilitate the development and implementation of national systems to deliver consistent animal welfare outcomes and prioritise ongoing improvements • Support people to make ethical decisions regarding animal welfare supported by knowledge and skills • Encourage Australia’s active engagement in international partnerships and developments to improve animal welfare

  6. “Good welfare means good production” (Poli et al., 2005) Public perception Marketing Product acceptance Production efficiency Quality Quantity

  7. Generalised view of harvest in commercial aquaculture Percussive stunning Electrical stunning Anaesthesia Removal from pond/cage Bleeding Transport to processors Period of fasting Crowding Fish ready for harvest CO2 narcosis Size Empty GI tract Density Behaviour Anoxia Cold-chain Condition Alter fat content Duration Damage Behaviour Deformities Texture alteration Water quality Air exposure Consciousness Effective bleed out Alter flavour Temperature Immobility Water quality Light Insensible to pain Available energy Behaviour Behaviour Damage Damage Available energy Water quality Anoxia Critical considerations…welfare and product quality Live chilling Spiking

  8. Stress and product quality • Stress impacts many post-mortem biochemical processes • The magnitude of the impact depends on the degree of stress Stress Glycogen ATP Creatine phosphate Glucose IMP Lactic acid pH TASTE Inosine Hypoxanthine Protein breakdown Rigor mortis Water holding capacity Bacterial activity Proteases Rigor resolution ODOUR TEXTURE (adapted from Poli et al., 2005)

  9. Project objectives • Compare current harvest methodologies employed by commercial farmers (to be done voluntarily and anonymously) and determine effects on the physiological stress response and flesh quality in fish • Identify critical control points in harvest which may be contributing to reductions in product quality attributes • Collate information and suggest cost-effective industry best practice methodologies for the maintenance of product quality attributes Time line: July 2011 – May 2012

  10. Commercial harvest – pond sampling protocol Pre-crowd Pond crowd Brail Ice transfer        ‘Unstressed ‘ control fish    

  11. Blood samples Cortisol Glucose Lactate pH Rigor measurements Blood samples Cortisol Glucose Lactate pH Temperature loggers Sydney Fish Markets Quality index assessment

  12. Blood samples Cortisol Glucose Lactate pH Fillets removed Fillet yield Viscera weight Visceral fat Liver weight Right fillet Fillet firmness Drip loss (4 days) Gaping Blood spotting Subjective colour Subjective smell Left fillet Proximate composition Flesh lactate Flesh glycogen Flesh ATP etc…

  13. Cage, Tank and Purge system trials • Pond based farm(s) • Cage farm • Tank farm • Purge system trial to be conducted if available • Similar sampling regime

  14. Useful tools for industry? Hand-held glucose meter Hand-held lactate meter Digital firmness tester Twitch tester Validated with laboratory based measurements…

  15. Farm involvement • Pond based farm(s) • Cage farm • Tank farm • If you wish to be involved in the project: • Phone: 03 6324 3800 • Email: Ryan.Wilkinson@utas.edu.au • OR – contact Dr Richard Smullen

  16. Thank you…

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