The hatchery production of spiny lobsters has been a technical and biological challenge addressed through aquaculture research for decades. Hatchery technology to produce the tropical rock lobster Panulirus ornatus has been successfully developed by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania based on over 20 years of science. The life cycle of P. ornatus has been closed, and this has enabled the emergence of a new aquaculture industry in northern Australia. The hatchery technology has now been transferred to Ornatas, to implement at a commercial scale.
Ornatas has invested over AUD20 million from 2019-2022 in hatchery and farm infrastructure, operations and research, with a further AUD14 million committed for infrastructure development by 2025. The company plans to produce 1,000 tonnes of premium quality export product, with a value of over AUD140 million, and employ 120 people by 2032. Construction of the purpose-built hatchery facility began in 2020, and now thousands of tropical rock lobster puerulus and juveniles are routinely produced in each batch. The short-term hatchery production target is 100,000 puerulus per annum by 2025, with staged increases to 2032.
Despite hatchery production success, ongoing technical challenges include juvenile cannibalism and development of a commercially manufactured feed for grow-out. These topics form core components of R&D through the Australian Research Council, ‘Industrial Transformation Research Hub – Sustainable Onshore Lobster Aquaculture’. In addition, an improved understanding of grow-out production systems, biosecurity requirements, feeding strategies and growth performance are essential to produce market-ready, premium lobster product. This is the focus of research through the ‘Pioneering Tropical Rock Lobster Raft Grow-out for Northern Australia’ project supported by the Cooperative research Centre for Developing Northern Australia. Ensuring the growth of this new aquaculture industry requires strong research collaboration, effective translation of science, critical infrastructure, strategic business partnerships, committed investment, sustainable practices, and capacity building of people.