ARC Research Hub for Sustainable Onshore Lobster Aquaculture

Have you ever considered alternative ways to appreciate your research or wondered how other people interpret the outputs that you have endlessly agonised over. Well in the ARC Research Hub for Sustainable Onshore Lobster Aquaculture we are all acutely aware of outputs, so to take a different slant on the research that we routinely undertake we invited the University of Tasmania's Creative Arts and Media School to spend some time with our researchers and provide their interpretation of what we do... So for a truly unforgettable experience if you happen to be in Hobart on the 4th of October you can join us for an exhilarating event where the lines between science and art are blurred. For those that can't make it I will post some of the outputs. You will experience a world where Lobster research meets the creativity of fine arts, music, dance, theatre, installations, digital media and communications. This ground breaking collaboration will explore the exciting crossroads of science and the arts, sparking curiosity and pushing all the traditional boundaries. This event is about breaking conventions and showcasing our research in vibrant and innovative ways. The Creative Arts and Media School's annual creative lab exhibition is your gateway to this spectacular fusion. We can’t wait to emerse ourselves and all those who can attend in the Creative Lob exhibition at the Hedberg, the Universities cutting edge performing arts campus. See you there at the Hedberg on Fri 4th October from 5:30-8:30 pm.

Very happy to announce the scheduling of a 'Crustacean and Shellfish Research Underpinning Aquaculture and Fisheries Enhancement' session at the Aquaculture Horizons 2025 Conference, being held in Lisbon, Portugal from the 28 -30 April, 2025. I will be co-ordinating this session and am planning a mix of presentations, panels and a workshop to get everyone involved in knowledge sharing and build those strong research and industry links. The conference website provides information on abstract submission and conference registration https://lnkd.in/gMND22JR As always get in early with submission of abstracts (closing 30th Nov, 2024) and conference registration so we can plan a comprehensive program. We especially would like a diverse range of participants, from hard core aquaculturists, industry sector, people involved with restocking of many different species, those organisations that support restocking efforts and researchers working on difficult to rear species (there are so many :). Everyone has an experience to share and an insight into developing a strong Aquaculture and Fisheries sectors. This is a chance to hear how some people have done excellent things and how they have gone about it, as well as the pitfalls to avoid. I am excited to see what we can achieve when we collaborate.

☀️ Cet été, 𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑒 a ouvert ses portes à une nouvelle espèce : la Grande Cigale de Mer (𝘚𝘤𝘺𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴) ! Deux femelles grainées, c’est-à-dire pourvues d’œufs, ont été récupérées par nos équipes pour 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘢î𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 et ouvrir la voie à des 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 é𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 de cette espèce protégée 🤿  Ces travaux sont effectués dans le cadre du programme 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫 financé par l’Agence de l'eau Rhône Méditerranée Corse. Actuellement, de petites larves de stade II, âgées d’un peu plus d’un mois, se trouvent dans nos bassins 🔬 Une réussite exceptionnelle quand on sait que dans la littérature scientifique l’élevage des larves de Cigale de Mer ne dépasse pas le 5e jour 📚🎓 Secrétariat d’État chargé de la Mer et de la Biodiversité Pierre Boissery Università di Corsica Pasquale Paoli CNRS CNRS Délégation Côte d'Azur

It has been a busy couple of months in the publication space for our staff and students across the ARC Research Hub for Sustainable Onshore Lobster Aquaculture, with 5 publications in A1 journals. As always it is a pleasure lead such a great team of people who are achieving at the highest level across multiple fields. A quick scan of the recent publications is testiment to the research diversity in this group. Congratulations to all those involved. Kropielnicka-Kruck, K., Fitzgibbon, Q.P., Trotter, A.J., Carter, C.G., McRae, J. and Smith, G.G., 2024. Functional morphology and ontogeny of mouthparts and mouth aperture of Panulirus ornatus and Sagmariasus verreauxi: Implications towards formulated feeds development. Aquaculture, p. 741503. https://lnkd.in/gKjJCRCf Lewis, C.L., Glendinning, S., Codabaccus, B.M., Carter, C.G., Fitzgibbon, Q., Smith, G.G., Elizur, A. and Ventura, T., 2024. Changes in the physiology and chitin metabolism in cultured juvenile Panulirus ornatus across the moult cycle. Aquaculture Reports, 38, p. 102308. https://lnkd.in/gtNCppSi Bennett, E., Paine, E.R., Hovenden, M., Smith, G., Fitzgibbon, Q. and Hurd, C.L., 2024. Short-term hyposalinity stress increases dissolved organic carbon (DOC) release by the macroalga Sargassum fallax (Ochrophyta). Journal of Phycology. https://lnkd.in/gHvEXidv Sutherland, C., Henderson, A.D., Giosio, D.R., Trotter, A.J. and Smith, G.G., 2024. Sensing pre- and post-ecdysis of tropical rock lobsters, Panulirus ornatus, using a low-cost novel spectral camera. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12, 987. https://lnkd.in/gegGz7Hc Farhadi, A., Vazirzadeh, A., Jeffs, A.G. and Lavery, S.D., 2024. Genetic insights into the population connectivity, biogeography, and management of fisheries-important spiny lobsters (Palinuridae). Reviews in fisheries science and aquaculture, 1-33. https://lnkd.in/gtUXbAHa

Congratulations go out to two of our PhD students in the ARC for Sustainable Onshore Lobster Aquaculture for submission of their thesis for examination. A big day in their academic careers, now the wait for results before they can really celebrate 🥳 Charles Sutherland is a graduate engineer with his project focused on 'Sensing of pre-moult in the tropical rock Lobster, Panulirus ornatus'. The reason for this focus is due to the vulnerability of lobsters to cannibalism when they are moulting, if this can be accurately predicted intervention may be possible to initiate to limit cannibalism. See some pics of ultrasound footage of a lobster to assess the premolt phase in lobsters and the relevant ultrasound parameters. Tara Kelly has a biological science background with her project also focused on cannibalism in lobsters, with a title of 'Cannibalism in tropical rock lobsters: Behaviour, chemical communication, and implications for aquaculture'. Tara was interested in, when, why and what triggers cannibalism, undertaking extensive behavioural, molecular and biochemical studies to understand what makes these animals behave the way they do. Schematics of behavioural equipment to monitor lobster responses to cues are shown. We as individuals, and the Hub in general are extremely proud of the research that these two excellent researchers have undertaken in the quest for knowledge about this interesting aquaculture candidate, the tropical Lobster, Panulirus ornatus.

Congratulations to Tom Banks, a PhD candidate on the ARC Research Hub for Sustainable Onshore Lobster Aquaculture project. Today Tom gave his final seminar prior to submission of his PhD thesis. Tom is based at the University of the Sunshine Coast and investigated 'RNA interference in Achelatan lobsters - exploring and understanding mechanisms of gene silencing to promote aquaculture biotechnology.' His thesis focused on 3 key aims, achieving a range of inciteful outcomes. Aim 1. Neuropeptide expression in the tissues of the slipper lobster, Thenus australiensis, with a focus on the function of insulin-like androgenic gland hormone. Outcomes - Established the 1st transcriptome for T. australiensis, and 1st neuropeptidome. - Identified novel reproductive roles for some neuropeptides in T. australiensis. - Identified IAG and showed it expresses prior to secondary sex characteristics. - Silenced IAG and showed impaired spermatogenesis, which may support sexual manipulation in this species. Aim 2. To identify and compare core RNA interference machinery in Panulirus ornatus and T. australiensis and determine differences which may contribute to silencing capacity. Outcomes - Identified key RNAi genes for P. ornatus and T. australiensis. - Mapped expression of these genes across tissues and life stages. - T. australiensis seemingly has a more robust and active RNAi system. Aim 3. To characterise RNA interference mechanisms and determine silencing capacity across life stages in P. ornatus. Outcomes - Showed different silencing capacity across P. ornatus life stages. - Possible gap in larval dsRNA uptake - Larvae sequester dsRNA in the antenule gland. - RNAi highly effective in juveniles across tissues. - Animals react to dsRNA and induce 'antiviral' state.

Found my way to the Northern regions of Norway and paid a visit to the Norwegian Lobster Farm, 🦞. It was a pleasure to meet Asbjorn Drengstig, the owner and brains behind the facility. His is truly a story of dedication, belief and as he said, learning from his failures. Anyone with a sizable amount of time in this industry knows that every day is a challenge, but one we relish. One thing that really struck home was 'synchronicity' at work. It was amazing was the parallel development of ideas and technologies on different lobster species on the opposite sides of the world.

The European Lobster program at the North Sea Science Park is focused on the hatchery production of European lobsters and the restocking the coastal regions around Hirtshals. There are plans to supply seedstock to populate new regions in the expansion of the harbour. The process involves collection of berried broodstook from the fishery, collection of newly hatched larvae, growing the first 3 larval stages in upwelling systems and culture in aquahive systems before release into their new homes in the fishery.