Development of cultivation methods for Bull Kelp Durvillaea spp.

About the speaker: 

Jeff Wright is a seaweed biologist with expertise in the reproduction, demography, ecology and aquaculture of seaweed. He has greater than 25 years research experience, has published > 90 papers and graduated > 45 Honours/Masters/PhD students. His current research focuses on seaweed aquaculture R&D and he leads several projects where he works with multiple industry, government and research partners.

Organisation:

The Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) at the University of Tasmania is internationally recognised for excellence in marine and Antarctic research. IMAS has expertise across three centres: Ecology and Biodiversity, Fisheries and Aquaculture and Oceans and Cryosphere. IMAS houses world-class laboratories and teaching spaces, cultivates new research and educational opportunities and is enhancing its capacity with the development of a fisheries and aquaculture precinct at its Taroona campus.

Presentation:

Bull kelp, (Durvillaea species), has a strong market demand due to its high biomass, high levels of alginates and presence of plant bio-stimulants. However, Durvillaea has not been previously cultivated and industry currently relies on the collection of beach-cast Durvillaea to meet demand. In this presentation, I will highlight our work developing cultivation methods for Durvillaea. We now have optimised hatchery methods that can routinely supply Durvillaea seedlings for cultivation in the ocean and are currently working on grow-out methods for at-sea production.