Biosecurity and Stock Health Policy

Purpose. Sets the rules that protect farmed stock from disease and pests and that govern how stock health is monitored, treated and reported.

1.Commitment

Coastline will manage the hatchery, sea farm and oyster leases under a veterinary health plan approved by the consulting aquatic veterinarian, and will comply with the Aquaculture Act 2001 (South Australia), lease and licence conditions, and the requirement to report notifiable aquatic diseases. Prevention through hygiene and movement controls is the first line of defence.

2.Movement controls

Stock, equipment, boats, nets and vehicles must not move between the hatchery, the sea farm sites and the oyster leases without disinfection recorded in the Farm Stock and Water Quality Log. Fingerlings must be health screened and certified before transfer from the hatchery. Visitors and contractors must follow the site entry rules and must not have visited another aquaculture site within 48 hours without disinfection.

3.Monitoring

Stock must be observed at every feed for behaviour, feeding response, mortality, lesions, flashing, gill condition and parasites. Mortalities must be removed daily, counted by cage and recorded. A rise in mortality above the trigger in the health plan, or any unusual sign, must be reported to the Sea Farm Manager the same day.

• Daily mortality removal and count
• Feed response recorded at every feed
• Monthly gill and skin checks on a sample
• Water temperature and oxygen recorded twice daily

4.Disease response

When disease is suspected, the affected cage or tank must be isolated, movements stopped, samples taken as directed by the veterinarian, and the regulator notified where the disease is notifiable. Treatments must only be given on veterinary direction, recorded in the Chemicals and Treatments Register with withholding periods, and stock must not be harvested inside a withholding period.

5.Predators and pests

Predator exclusion nets and bird nets must be inspected on the net inspection schedule. Seals and birds must be excluded without harm, and any interaction with a protected species must be recorded on the Protected Species Interaction Report Form and reported as required by the environmental regulator.

6.Records

Health, mortality, treatment and movement records must be kept for at least seven years and made available to the regulator, the veterinarian and auditors on request.