ACIAR Project FIS/97/73 - Library - Network of Aquaculture Centres ...

NACA is facilitating enhanced communication amongst grouper aquacultureresearchers by pursuing reports of research findings from participating institutions, andcompiling and publishing this information in regional aquaculture magazines, and onthe NACA grouper web site.ResearchAdherence to timetable / staff engagedThe commencement of the project was delayed in regard to the signing of projectdocumentation with overseas agencies. Consequently, there were some minor delaysin commencing some project activities. This, plus the prolonged DPI recruitmentprocedure, caused a delay in recruiting the ACIAR project biologist to NFC.Two additional staff have been employed under the ACIAR project at NorthernFisheries Centre, Cairns, and NACA, Bangkok.Dr Shannon McBride has been employed by the Queensland Department of PrimaryIndustries at the Northern Fisheries Centre since November 1999 to assist withresearch under the ACIAR project. Her duties include the development of improvedlarviculture techniques for grouper, and a detailed assessment of the ontogeny of thedigestive enzymes in grouper larvae. This work is being carried out in closecollaboration with DPI-funded researchers at NFC. A copy of the recruitmentadvertisement for this position is appended (Appendix 1).Mr Sih-Yang Sim has been employed (full-time, but part-time funded by the ACIARproject) at the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific secretariat offices inBangkok. Mr Sim’s duties involve coordination of the Asia-Pacific GrouperNetwork, including compilation and distribution of the electronic newsletter,provision of material for inclusion in the ‘Grouper News’ section of regionalaquaculture magazines, and maintenance of membership lists of network participants.Methodology and Principal Experiments / Analyses1 Project administration1.1 Project meetingsThe initial project meeting was held at the Research Station for Coastal Fisheries,Gondol, Bali, Indonesia, from 12–14 July 1999. The project meeting was attended byrepresentatives from all participating research institutions, and also by Mr RonaldRakiman, ACIAR Country Manager, Indonesia. A summary of the meeting discussionis included in Mike Rimmer’s trip report for this project trip, which is summarised inAppendix 7.The next project meeting will be held in Cairns, Queensland, Australia on 24–25 July2000.1.2 TrainingThere has been considerable discussion of training needs during the project visits andat the initial project meeting at Gondol. The ACIAR project in its original versionhad only one training exercise listed: one person from each laboratory was scheduledto visit Australia for training in analyses of small samples for fatty acids, lipid classesand vitamins. This training has been carried out only with staff from Gondol: MrACIAR Project FIS/97/73 – Annual Report – June 2000 8