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NEWS continued… CAWTHRON INSTITUTE TURNS 92 2013 marks 92 years for the Cawthron Institute. The research centre has made significant gains across a range of specialist areas including selective breeding in aquaculture, developing internationally recognised testing methods and new methods to extract high value compounds from algae. Exciting research is also happening in the area of environmental monitoring where the institute is adapting cutting edge DNA testing to help better protect marine and freshwater environments. New infrastructure and technology investments include the expansion of the Cawthron Aquaculture Park and construction of a $5 million high-tech laboratory building to enhance analytical testing capabilities. At the same time, Cawthron is developing science leaders dedicated to finding new ways to make science work for others by ensuring that their research is focussed on delivering tangible outcomes. All of this helps reinforce the Institute's goal of taking their scientific expertise and applying it to research that supports environmental protection and sustainable development of primary industries. MIGRATORY BIRDS UNDER INVESTIGATION How bar-tailed godwits know when to migrate is the focus of a joint investigation by scientists at Cawthron Institute and Massey University. The combined genetic and behavioural research project examines how the godwits "know" when to undertake their epic annual 18,000 kilometre migration from New Zealand to their Alaskan breeding grounds. Led by Drs Andrew Fidler of Cawthron Institute and Phil Battley of Massey University, the three-year project is supported by the Marsden Fund. The project may provide insights into how climate change could affect the birds' migration patterns. A concern, according to the researchers, is that if climate change leads to increasingly earlier springs in their Alaskan breeding grounds and godwits are unable to adapt their schedules to this change, then they could arrive too late to breed. "This research may give us some idea of how rapidly godwits can evolve changes in their migratory behaviour so as to adapt to climate change," Fidler says. FRENCH VISIT BOOSTS ALGAE KNOWLEDGE A recent visit by a team of French scientists has boosted Cawthron Institute's research into toxic river cyanobacteria. The visit was part of a Royal Society Dumont D'Urville funded exchange to share knowledge and improve understanding of benthic cyanobacteria or blue-green algae, which is an increasing problem in both New Zealand and French waters. Benthic cyanobacteria produce a deadly natural toxin that poses a serious health risk to people and animals that use the rivers, killing over 60 dogs throughout New Zealand in the last five years. Cawthron Institute scientists are currently conducting research to determine optimal conditions for growth and toxin production for these algae. This knowledge will be of assistance to river managers predicting when and where problems might occur. Cawthron Institute scientist Dr Susie Wood, a world expert on cyanobacteria, says the collaboration with her French counterparts from the National Institute for Agricultural Research and University of Paris VII, provided valuable insights which will help in future research, risk assessment and management of the algae. LETTERS ORNAMENTAL TROUBLE Dear Sir Cheers for the copy of the latest New Zealand Aquaculture magazine. Firstly, do you have evidence that the ornamental fish industry is growing? We would be keen to see it because talking to the retailers does not echo your statement. We believe it is a shrinking industry, as the younger generation takes hold of the latest technology available. We could also argue that the fish being released into the New Zealand market are healthier than they were 10–15 years ago and the equipment available today makes fish keeping so much easier thereby reducing losses and therefore repeat sales. Attached to this letter are the current Biosecurity New Zealand standards for importing ornamental fish into New Zealand. The standards were last reviewed 4 April 2011 and as a result of the review that took over five years, the minimum quarantine period was reduced to 28 days from 42 days, fish were classified as either high risk or low risk, high risk fish had to meet new requirements and the allowable list was reduced from genus level to species level. As for the new requirements on the high risk fish, some fish now require off-shore testing, but there is a catch to that clause. There are no guidelines for the tests so some of the high risk fish are effectively banned from import. Goldfish were also added to the allowable list but they must meet 10 different conditions before release into the New Zealand market and the chances of that happening are pretty slim. As far as the day-to-day operation of the facilities is concerned, we have Ministry for Primary Industries here every two weeks. We have to report every week and any high risk fish that suffer more than 10 percent mortalities over a three to four day period must either be submitted for testing or destroyed. A lot of the supervision comes down to the supervisor's interpretation of the standard, to the point where we failed an annual inspection because the supervisor's interpretation of the standard had changed over the year when the standard remained the same. Do they get wiser with age? The process of gaining approval to use antibiotics is probably a seven day process. By the time everybody puts their 10 cents worth in, because approval comes from higher up the food chain, the fish are dead so it is not worth even trying to get approval. Biosecurity New Zealand have got the New Zealand aquaculture industry at heart and do their best to protect it through the conditions of the import health standard for ornamental fish. Gaining a biosecurity clearance at the end of quarantine is no longer a walk in the park as it used to be in days gone by. Enjoy the reading anyway. Richard Woolley, Highway Fisheries, Te Puke MAY/JUNE 2013 ■ NZ AQUACULTURE ■ 9