Project Name: “Spiny lobster aquaculture development in Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia (FIS/2008/021) "
Budget 224,030 AUD (for Vietnam component)
Duration 3 years, from 1 Sept 2009 to 31 Feb 2013
Line Ministry Vietnam Academy for Science and Technology
Implementing agencies Institute of Oceanography (IO) , Nha Trang University (NTU)
Project leader: Le Lan Huong
Location Vietnam
Objectives
1. Long-term goals and objectives:
To assist Vietnam to effectively manage and further develop its lobster farming industry to meet market requirements and in a manner which is economically and environmentally sustainable.
2. Short team goals and objectives:
a. To improve feeding practices through development of practical, cost-effective manufactured lobster diets
b. Environmental improvement, sustainability
c. Improved knowledge of the seed resource and its sustainable exploitation
d. Assessment of alternative land-based systems
e. Understanding of economics
Project summary
This project will support the sustainable development of lobster farming in Indonesia to meet strong global demand, primarily from China, for tropical lobsters at high prices (>$US60 /kg). It will also address sustainability issues for the existing lobster farming industry in Vietnam and provide verification of lobster growout at commercial scale in Australia. The project will adapt lobster farming technologies developed in Vietnam and apply them in Indonesia to establish a village-based industry which will generate significant economic and social benefits to impoverished coastal communities. Such adaptation will include modification of technologies and/or definition of regulatory frameworks to ensure problems that the Vietnam industry now faces, are avoided in Indonesia. The applicant is mindful that negative environmental consequences, as per the Vietnam industry, must be avoided, and this proposal seeks to ensure that outcome.
Indonesia is in a strong position to establish a clean and sustainable lobster farming industry based on capture of wild lobster seed and their growout in sea cages. To facilitate this development, existing technology can be adapted from an established industry in Vietnam. The on-growing of the ornate lobster, Panulirus ornatus, has been a successful village-based industry in Vietnam where an abundance of naturally settling lobster seed has facilitated the establishment of more than 30,000 lobster sea cages. Production of cultured lobsters in 2007/08 was estimated to be about 2,000 tonnes, worth AUD$100 M.
Lobster farming is a particularly attractive opportunity for Indonesia because capture of seed lobsters and their growout involves simple technology, minimal capital and is ideally suited to village based enterprises. It will provide significant benefit to the economic and social fabric of impoverished communities throughout Indonesia. Existing export market chain infrastructure exits through ports in Bali, Surabaya and Medan for wild captured lobsters, which can also be used for farmed lobsters. Market opportunity for farmed lobsters is strong and growing, as clearly defined in a market chain assessment for tropical lobsters performed in 2008 by Wild Oceans Pty Ltd (SMAR/2007/228 ACIAR Publication FR2009-06).
The proposed project will adapt existing technology from Vietnam, apply it in Indonesia where lobster seed resources have been identified and assist in its further expansion throughout Indonesia. Negative environmental impacts experienced in Vietnam will be avoided by facilitating immediate uptake of pellet diet feeding which is likely to be both cost-effective and much cleaner, and by effective planning for growout development that meets carrying capacity benchmarks defined from research in Vietnam. A substantial lobster seed resource (> 600,000 per annum) has been identified in Lombok alone (through project FIS/2001/058) and a small growout industry has recently been established. Exploitable seed resources are likely to exist elsewhere in the archipelago, upon which a significant lobster farming industry can be developed. The project will provide quantified assessment of lobster seed resources at a range of sites throughout Indonesia (NTB, NTT, South Sulawesi and Aceh), through application of standardised seed collectors. In sites where seed availability is confirmed, 'best management practice' demonstration grow-out farms will be established to extend the technology to local communities and to stimulate farming activity. The Indonesian Directorate General for Aquaculture will have a core role in lobster farming development planning to ensure carrying capacity of proposed farm areas is not exceeded and local environments are sustained. The Marine Aquaculture Development Centre in Lombok will have the primary role of seed assessment, demonstration farms and extension, and in providing research support for lobster nursery husbandry and feeds development.
A component of project work will be performed in Vietnam in response to issues and problems identified from FIS/2001/058, primarily environmental and disease related. Linkage to Vietnam will provide significant benefit to the Indonesian activities by facilitating on-going adaptation of Vietnam lobster farming technologies for Indonesia. The Vietnam-based work will consist of environmental assessments (with Institute of Oceanography) to gauge the impact of lobster sea cage farming and specifically the relative contribution from traditional 'trash-fish' feeding practices as compared with use of manufactured pelleted feeds. The output of this work will be twofold; i) confirmation of the cost and environmental effectiveness of pellet feeds (cf trash fish feeding) and ii) measure of carrying capacity for lobster sea-cage farming, of particular value to the developing Indonesian industry. An assessment of land-based farming systems for lobsters will be performed by Nha Trang University as a possible alternative to sea-cage systems. Results will have application in Vietnam, Indonesia and particularly Australia where sea cage farming faces substantial constraints.
The Australian component of the project will assess commercial-scale, land-based growout systems to prepare the Australian aquaculture sector for the likely availability of hatchery-reared lobster seed. Hatchery technology is currently being commercialised in Queensland through a partnership between Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries (QPI&F) and Lobster Harvest Pty Ltd. In the first instance, lobster growout will be developed as a potential diversification or alternative for pond-based production on prawn and barramundi farms. Development for indigenous communities will also be pursued by establishing a pilot growout system in an indigenous community (possibly Torres Strait, Lockhart River or Yarrabah) which initially will simply fatten small, legal size lobsters from the local fishery. CSIRO will also contribute to the project in the area of manufactured feeds development, which will have application in the three countries.
The project activities in each country are distinct and complementary, maximising the use of project funds for both science and industry benefits. The proposed project has the advantage of using existing momentum and expertise established in a current project (FIS/2001/058) which finishes soon.