Businesses invited to gain from lobster production breakthrough

In a breakthrough for aquaculture, the university’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies has developed a unique scalable “closed-loop​” aquaculture system that makes it possible to establish a new commercial industry for sustainable rock lobster production. 

Despite the high value of the crustaceans, until now their long and complex lifecycle has made them impossible to produce in a commercially scalable hatchery process.  

The research is particularly advanced with the tropical rock lobster species, Panulirus ornatus​, said the university’s deputy vice-chancellor for research, Brigid Heywood. 

“This breakthrough has created exciting commercial opportunities for Australian companies interested in establishing rock lobster aquaculture ventures​. 

“Importantly, it also opens the door for other species that can benefit from our advances in hatchery systems design, nutrition and disease control​,” Prof. Heywood added. 

The director of the research program, Greg Smith, said the technology had been transferred to a commercial vehicle and researchers are keen to partner with others to trial the process in pilot commercial facilities. 

“This world leading science, developed from over seventeen years of lobster research, has significantly reduced disease, shortened larval duration, and overcome long standing density and metamorphosis challenges​. 

“While further research will optimise commercial benefits and allow us to scale-up, we have demonstrated our hatchery process at our research facility in Taroona in mass-rearing tanks which can annually produce tens of thousands of juveniles suitable for stocking commercial grow-out facilities​.” 

The University of Tasmania is now seeking partnerships with Australian companies to participate in its Hobart research hub, and has invited expressions of interest from potential industry partners in developing a pilot commercial rock lobster hatchery. 

It is also interested in trialling use of the technology for slipper lobster, western rock lobster and crabs, and evaluating the suitability of the lobster feed formulation for other established aquaculture species. 

After selection, the partner organisations will benefit from access to the school’s research capacity and the funding leverage secured by the Australian Research Council’s Industrial Transformation Research programme.