Question Time

South Australian Research and Development Institute

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:22): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Primary Industries on the topic of SARDI.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: Yesterday, I asked a question in this chamber about significant deaths to SARDI oyster cultures, as well as losses to the snapper breeding program. The minister said in her reply that:

My understanding is that there have been a number of mortalities in several programs in SARDI. The cause of those is being investigated and, until that cause has been established, it would be inappropriate…to be saying that these would be due to a particular matter.

Information from Robarra barramundi hatching notes the following timetable. On 14 October, significant numbers of their fish stock were suddenly detected as unwell and on 15 October the owner of Robarra received a text from one of their hatchery managers that said:

Not sure what's going on with our larger fingerlings, I'm trying to work that out with (the vet), but I will have to cancel…order today and most likely Robe transfer on Thursday. Trying to work out if it's a parasite or bacterial, I haven't seen this before…

It is the opposition's understanding that, over the course of the next few weeks, significant numbers of fingerlings and fish have died of unknown causes, with fish also becoming unwell. According to the owner, nothing was found in pathology and there are suggestions that it appears that some sort of toxic external insult has occurred. According to a Department for Environment and Water sign at West Beach, there is a dredging trial that has been running in the months of October and November, in the same area as both SARDI and the barramundi hatchery business. My questions to the minister in relation to the investigation are:

1. Who is investigating the cause of the significant fish and oyster culture deaths at SARDI West Beach?

2. As part of the thorough investigation that the minister alluded to yesterday, will Robarra be included in this investigation, seeing as they, too, are reporting significant fish deaths at their hatchery?

3. Again, as a question and not as an assertion, as the minister wrongly implied yesterday: will the activity of sand dredging be looked at as a possible external cause or factor within the thorough investigation?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:25): I thank the honourable member for her question. In mid-October, a high number of mortalities of snapper larvae, oyster spat and barramundi broodstock and fingerlings occurred at the PIRSA South Australian Aquatic Sciences Centre and the co-located Robarra barramundi hatchery. These mortalities have impacted a number of government programs that are found at the research facilities at West Beach. Also, the private barramundi nursery and hatchery at Robarra, which is co-located at the West Beach facility, has also incurred losses of barramundi broodstock and fingerlings. I am advised that the mortalities occurred from mid-October 2024.

Testing of snapper larvae and oyster spat has shown no findings to explain the mortalities and no findings consistent with infection due to notifiable diseases. The investigation is continuing. Government departments are investigating, and I will happily take on notice the specific queries. I would be very surprised, however, if Robarra was not included, given that they are co-located and also have suffered losses. So the inclusion, in terms of seeking information, would of course include them.