Welcome to the December 2024 update from the Blue Economy CRC where we highlight the news, project updates, events and achievements over the last quarter.
2025 Participants Workshop
M4 generating power from ocean waves
Leteisha Prescott PhD Graduate
Futures of Seafood update
Tinderbox kelp harvest
Project report releases
New project launches
Publications
Ocean wave energy webinar recording
Happy holidays!
Paranaple Convention Centre, Devonport
27th – 29th May, 2025
We are delighted to announce the 2025 Participants Workshop will be held at the Paranaple Convention Centre in Devonport on the 27th – 29th May, 2025.
Each year, the Blue Economy CRC management and leadership team bring together our research and industry Participants, strategic partners, friends and PhD students from all over the globe for a showcase of our last 12 months of activities and achievements along with looking forward to what lies ahead as a collaborative team with the single goal of growing a sustainable blue economy.
Keep an eye out for registrations and accommodation bookings opening in January 2025.
The M4 (Moored MultiModal Multibody) Wave Energy Converter (WEC) has successfully been deployed into King George Sound in Albany WA has commenced transmitting data on the power generation from ocean waves.
Over the next six months, the 22-metre, 42-tonne, surface-riding device is expected to generate renewable energy from wave motion while gathering crucial performance data, providing insights into the technology’s effectiveness as a clean energy source for Australia’s Great Southern region.
This marks a step in Australia’s efforts to harness renewable energy from wave motion with the device designed to capture wave-generated energy while providing data on its efficiency and potential as a sustainable energy source.
“It is a world-first, a fully open-sourced wave energy generator for which all data gathered during the operation will be displayed on the specific website and be made available to the public domain. By doing so, we plan to uplift the whole ocean wave energy industry, sharing the lessons learnt during the project and bringing confidence to investors and users. As such, this project is of international significance”. MERA and UWA Oceans Institute Director, Christophe Gaudin.
PhD Scholar Leteisha Prescott recently returned home from her internship in Finland with Professor Katja Anttila’s laboratory at the University of Turku and submitted her final thesis, becomong our 2nd Blue Economy CRC PhD Graduate.
"The three months spent integrated in Katja’s laboratory was extremely inspiring and enjoyable. Exposure to the Finnish trout industry, expanding my scientific community, and adding new skills to my toolbelt are only some of the invaluable opportunities and experiences I gained. After returning home, I am now extremely excited to share these new research findings with our local, the New Zealand’s and Australia’s salmon aquaculture industries, and to develop new projects to continue exploring the benefits of exercise training for robust and resilient finfish."
On behalf of the Blue Economy CRC we congratulate Leteisha on the completion and approval of her thesis. We hope you enjoy reading about Leteisha’s journey and research.
Join Angela Williamson and Veronica Papacosta for the Futures of Seafood December update via webinar on Wednesday, 11th December at 12pm (AEDT).
The study, which commenced this time last year, will deliver an industry-informed program of work to support a secure, resilient, and thriving Australian seafood community.
It will reinforce the seafood stakeholders’ commitment to fair and equitable access, industry-led research and innovation, and trusted stewardship of our coasts and oceans. The Futures of Seafood project will foster a deeper understanding of the seafood industry, ensuring it is deeply valued by all.
Microscopic Kelp Planting Yields Bumper Harvest in 6 Months
This month, our Offshore Kelp Mariculture project team successfully harvested giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, from the Tinderbox kelp lease.
This major phase 1 project milestone comes just 6 months after the initial outplanting of hatchery-reared microscopic juveniles on 18m diameter rings and 60m grow lines. The team harvested 48m out of a total of 360m of grow line with the average plant size ranging from 1.6m to a maximum length of 3.4m in just 6 months.
In total, approximately 3.6 tonnes of Macrocystis has been grown at the Tinderbox lease.
As project lead, Associate Professor Jeff Wright states, “The growth achieved after only 6 months at the Tinderbox site is impressive and it is likely production will be higher at other sites. We now have routine optimised hatchery and grow-out methods for Macrocystis which provides great opportunities for growing Macrocystis in other projects and contexts such as in deeper offshore environments.”
'What we Heard' Report - Bass Strait Aquaculture Research Trial in Commonwealth Waters
The Blue Economy CRC is delivering a targeted research portfolio to understand challenges and opportunities for sustainable ocean economic development in Australia.
As part of this, the Blue Economy CRC is proposing to establish, commission, operate, evaluate, and decommission a multi-species aquaculture research trial in the Commonwealth Waters of Bass Strait.
This research trial is fundamental to building awareness, confidence and readiness to support the governance reform required to introduce multispecies aquaculture into Commonwealth waters. To date, the Blue Economy CRC has led an open conversation with interested stakeholders as the research governance, regulatory and policy framework has been developed by the governments – attending community, industry, government and research meetings and events.
This shifted to a targeted consultation on the proposed research activity and new trial site in late August and through September to complement and support the formal approval processes of the proposed Research Trial.
The formal consultation program is focused on consulting with First Nations, communities and stakeholders adjacent to the proposed Trial site on the research and findings to date, the Research Trial site and activity profile and also gain feedback on “what matters” regarding sustainability attributes and marine values.
This consultation has focused on the physical in-water research proposal.
The Blue Economy CRC 2023 - 2024 Annual Report is now available for viewing. This year’s report highlights an overview of our research, milestones and outcomes, a snapshot of project profiles and an update on our education and training program.
We’d like to thank our Participants for their contribution to, and involvement in Blue Economy CRC. Without you, the work we do would not be possible.
We invite you to follow the link below to download the 2023 -2024 Annual Report.
Why the Future of Australia’s Marine Economy Depends on Public Trust
Marine industries and the ‘blue economy’ are growing quickly as the ocean is increasingly seen as a boundless, untapped resource.
Aquaculture offers the promise of growing food production to improve food security, while offshore renewable energies will be vital in our renewable energy transition. Governments are working hard to navigate this space, with the Australian Government currently considering its long term Sustainable Ocean Plan.
The ‘social license to operate’ is often invoked in the context of marine economy industries like aquaculture and offshore wind. But does the concept help or hinder ethical outcomes?
Renewable energy projects are central developments in our global aims toward climate change mitigation.
This requires significant investment, development, and governance processes that are respectful of place-based cultures, values, and biodiversity.
It is important to fully understand the relevance of social acceptance in our journey towards the decarbonisation of energy systems. There has been very varied social acceptance associated with the siting of offshore wind developments and the associated infrastructure, as well as social and ecosystem impacts over time.
Our latest project, 'Developing models and tools to quantify offshore production of aquaculture' commenced late late October with Project Lead, Dr Scott Hadley says “We are excited to bring together industry partners, TASSAL, Petuna, Tasmanian Oyster Company, BMT, FRDC and Echoview with NRE and researchers at IMAS and CSIRO to look at improving our understanding and management of offshore aquaculture”.
Testing hydroacoustic technology to measure biomass of macroalgae has commenced with the deployment of a multibeam echosounder at the Blue Economy CRC Macrocystis aquaculture site at Tinderbox in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel.
This work is in conjunction with Echoview with expertise in hydroacoustics: “Echoview Software is excited to be a partner in this project. This research will develop advanced hydroacoustic tools and techniques that support cutting-edge, sustainable aquaculture management practices.”Dr. Haley Viehman, Echoview.
The hydroacoustic work will involve recruiting a PhD student to learn the technology and develop its application for aquaculture. The PhD is now open for applications.
Experimental Platform for Aquaculture Production (EPAP)
The final phase of EPAP involves an extensive experiment to investigate differences in feed efficiency among groups of salmon, now underway at IMAS-Taroona. The project team is exploring relationships between feed efficiency among four family phenotypes; families are classified as having high or low growth rates and high or low fillet fat.
The research started in May using approximately 1000 Atlantic salmon with an initial average weight of 150 grams. After 6 months some of these families have achieved an average weight of approximately 1.6 kg, with some individuals have attained 2.4 kg. It is exciting that our preliminary results show a strong correlation between the combination of the above-mentioned phenotypes (traits) and feed efficiency.
EPAP will help understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of feed efficiency and growth by using OMICS to identify potential biomarkers for application beyond EPAP. Results are informing the Tasmanian Atlantic salmon industry selective breeding programs, to allow choices about improving feed efficiency that potentially support more sustainable offshore aquaculture.
The Blue Economy CRC held a highly anticipated and well-attended webinar at the start of December on Ocean Wave Energy in Australia.
The webinar presented the status, opportunities and challenges of wave energy in Australia, hearing from experts behind the hot-off-the-press comprehensive report detailing the Australian wave resource, the markets and integration potential for wave energy, as well as the regulatory, environmental, social and cultural factors.
In-depth analysis of the value of wave energy, in terms of its ability to complement wind and solar resources and guarantee power when needed while reducing energy storage requirements were presented.
View the recording of this webinar via the link below.
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