Summary

Step 1. Optimise harvest and transport procedures to minimise initial stress and mortality.

Step 2. A comprehensive diet development program to optimise roe quantity and quality both ‘in-season’ and ‘out-of-season’

Phase 1. Maximising roe quantity

Phase 2. Testing of specific feeding stimulants in diets to maximise feeding rates

Phase 3. Maximising roe quality

Program

New and Emerging Animal Industries

Research Organisation

The University of Melbourne

Objective Summary

The project targets three key bottlenecks to industry development:
1) unacceptably high mortality rates during initial collection of urchins;
2) unsuitability of currently diets to consistently produce roe of high quality and quantity; and
3) an inability to supply product to the market consistently through the year due to the seasonality of gonad growth.
To address these bottlenecks, we have two project objectives. Objective two addresses both bottleneck 2 and 3 above. The objectives are:
1) To optimise initial harvest procedures to minimise initial mortality and loss of growth due to stress
2) To design optimal diets that maximise roe quantity and quality for both in-season and out-of-season production runs
All aspects of the project are targeted to reduce the costs of roe enhancement at each stage of the process.