❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses the cause of past pilchard kills and the risks associated with using imported forage fish in sea-cage aquaculture, seeking to understand potential impacts on local fish stocks.
AnsweredQoN 1059Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
Further to my question without notice 1009 of 17 November 2004 on the pilchard kills of 1995 and 1998 and their relationship to marine fin-fish farming at Port Lincoln, I ask - (1) What do fisheries biologists and fish pathologists of the Western Australian Department of Fisheries consider to be the most plausible cause of those fish kills? (2) What are the implications for the use of imported forage fish in sea-cage grow-out systems off southern Western Australia? Hon KIM CHANCE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank Hon Dee Margetts for some notice of the question. (1) The weight of evidence is that the pilchard herpes virus was introduced to Australian waters in South Australia and was transmitted in either frozen pilchards or ballast water. The more likely source has been identified in research reports by Department of Fisheries’ scientists as being frozen pilchards. (2) The use of imported frozen fish in sea-cage grow-out systems represents a low risk of an exotic pathogen infecting Australian pilchards, although if an infection occurs, it is likely to have significant negative impacts on local fish stocks. Sea-cage grow-out systems in southern Western Australia should be encouraged to use Australasian-sourced forage fish or sterile pellets to minimise any potential impact.
(1) What do fisheries biologists and fish pathologists of the Western Australian Department of Fisheries consider to be the most plausible cause of those fish kills? (2) What are the implications for the use of imported forage fish in sea-cage grow-out systems off southern Western Australia? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Dee Margetts for some notice of the question. (1) The weight of evidence is that the pilchard herpes virus was introduced to Australian waters in South Australia and was transmitted in either frozen pilchards or ballast water. The more likely source has been identified in research reports by Department of Fisheries’ scientists as being frozen pilchards. (2) The use of imported frozen fish in sea-cage grow-out systems represents a low risk of an exotic pathogen infecting Australian pilchards, although if an infection occurs, it is likely to have significant negative impacts on local fish stocks. Sea-cage grow-out systems in southern Western Australia should be encouraged to use Australasian-sourced forage fish or sterile pellets to minimise any potential impact.
(2) What are the implications for the use of imported forage fish in sea-cage grow-out systems off southern Western Australia? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Dee Margetts for some notice of the question. (1) The weight of evidence is that the pilchard herpes virus was introduced to Australian waters in South Australia and was transmitted in either frozen pilchards or ballast water. The more likely source has been identified in research reports by Department of Fisheries’ scientists as being frozen pilchards. (2) The use of imported frozen fish in sea-cage grow-out systems represents a low risk of an exotic pathogen infecting Australian pilchards, although if an infection occurs, it is likely to have significant negative impacts on local fish stocks. Sea-cage grow-out systems in southern Western Australia should be encouraged to use Australasian-sourced forage fish or sterile pellets to minimise any potential impact.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Dee Margetts for some notice of the question. (1) The weight of evidence is that the pilchard herpes virus was introduced to Australian waters in South Australia and was transmitted in either frozen pilchards or ballast water. The more likely source has been identified in research reports by Department of Fisheries’ scientists as being frozen pilchards. (2) The use of imported frozen fish in sea-cage grow-out systems represents a low risk of an exotic pathogen infecting Australian pilchards, although if an infection occurs, it is likely to have significant negative impacts on local fish stocks. Sea-cage grow-out systems in southern Western Australia should be encouraged to use Australasian-sourced forage fish or sterile pellets to minimise any potential impact.
I thank Hon Dee Margetts for some notice of the question. (1) The weight of evidence is that the pilchard herpes virus was introduced to Australian waters in South Australia and was transmitted in either frozen pilchards or ballast water. The more likely source has been identified in research reports by Department of Fisheries’ scientists as being frozen pilchards. (2) The use of imported frozen fish in sea-cage grow-out systems represents a low risk of an exotic pathogen infecting Australian pilchards, although if an infection occurs, it is likely to have significant negative impacts on local fish stocks. Sea-cage grow-out systems in southern Western Australia should be encouraged to use Australasian-sourced forage fish or sterile pellets to minimise any potential impact.
(1) The weight of evidence is that the pilchard herpes virus was introduced to Australian waters in South Australia and was transmitted in either frozen pilchards or ballast water. The more likely source has been identified in research reports by Department of Fisheries’ scientists as being frozen pilchards. (2) The use of imported frozen fish in sea-cage grow-out systems represents a low risk of an exotic pathogen infecting Australian pilchards, although if an infection occurs, it is likely to have significant negative impacts on local fish stocks. Sea-cage grow-out systems in southern Western Australia should be encouraged to use Australasian-sourced forage fish or sterile pellets to minimise any potential impact.
(2) The use of imported frozen fish in sea-cage grow-out systems represents a low risk of an exotic pathogen infecting Australian pilchards, although if an infection occurs, it is likely to have significant negative impacts on local fish stocks. Sea-cage grow-out systems in southern Western Australia should be encouraged to use Australasian-sourced forage fish or sterile pellets to minimise any potential impact.
(1) What do fisheries biologists and fish pathologists of the Western Australian Department of Fisheries consider to be the most plausible cause of those fish kills? (2) What are the implications for the use of imported forage fish in sea-cage grow-out systems off southern Western Australia? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Dee Margetts for some notice of the question. (1) The weight of evidence is that the pilchard herpes virus was introduced to Australian waters in South Australia and was transmitted in either frozen pilchards or ballast water. The more likely source has been identified in research reports by Department of Fisheries’ scientists as being frozen pilchards. (2) The use of imported frozen fish in sea-cage grow-out systems represents a low risk of an exotic pathogen infecting Australian pilchards, although if an infection occurs, it is likely to have significant negative impacts on local fish stocks. Sea-cage grow-out systems in southern Western Australia should be encouraged to use Australasian-sourced forage fish or sterile pellets to minimise any potential impact.
(2) What are the implications for the use of imported forage fish in sea-cage grow-out systems off southern Western Australia? Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Dee Margetts for some notice of the question. (1) The weight of evidence is that the pilchard herpes virus was introduced to Australian waters in South Australia and was transmitted in either frozen pilchards or ballast water. The more likely source has been identified in research reports by Department of Fisheries’ scientists as being frozen pilchards. (2) The use of imported frozen fish in sea-cage grow-out systems represents a low risk of an exotic pathogen infecting Australian pilchards, although if an infection occurs, it is likely to have significant negative impacts on local fish stocks. Sea-cage grow-out systems in southern Western Australia should be encouraged to use Australasian-sourced forage fish or sterile pellets to minimise any potential impact.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied: I thank Hon Dee Margetts for some notice of the question. (1) The weight of evidence is that the pilchard herpes virus was introduced to Australian waters in South Australia and was transmitted in either frozen pilchards or ballast water. The more likely source has been identified in research reports by Department of Fisheries’ scientists as being frozen pilchards. (2) The use of imported frozen fish in sea-cage grow-out systems represents a low risk of an exotic pathogen infecting Australian pilchards, although if an infection occurs, it is likely to have significant negative impacts on local fish stocks. Sea-cage grow-out systems in southern Western Australia should be encouraged to use Australasian-sourced forage fish or sterile pellets to minimise any potential impact.
I thank Hon Dee Margetts for some notice of the question. (1) The weight of evidence is that the pilchard herpes virus was introduced to Australian waters in South Australia and was transmitted in either frozen pilchards or ballast water. The more likely source has been identified in research reports by Department of Fisheries’ scientists as being frozen pilchards. (2) The use of imported frozen fish in sea-cage grow-out systems represents a low risk of an exotic pathogen infecting Australian pilchards, although if an infection occurs, it is likely to have significant negative impacts on local fish stocks. Sea-cage grow-out systems in southern Western Australia should be encouraged to use Australasian-sourced forage fish or sterile pellets to minimise any potential impact.
(1) The weight of evidence is that the pilchard herpes virus was introduced to Australian waters in South Australia and was transmitted in either frozen pilchards or ballast water. The more likely source has been identified in research reports by Department of Fisheries’ scientists as being frozen pilchards. (2) The use of imported frozen fish in sea-cage grow-out systems represents a low risk of an exotic pathogen infecting Australian pilchards, although if an infection occurs, it is likely to have significant negative impacts on local fish stocks. Sea-cage grow-out systems in southern Western Australia should be encouraged to use Australasian-sourced forage fish or sterile pellets to minimise any potential impact.
(2) The use of imported frozen fish in sea-cage grow-out systems represents a low risk of an exotic pathogen infecting Australian pilchards, although if an infection occurs, it is likely to have significant negative impacts on local fish stocks. Sea-cage grow-out systems in southern Western Australia should be encouraged to use Australasian-sourced forage fish or sterile pellets to minimise any potential impact.
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