Biosecurity is the procedures or measures taken to protect people, industries and the environment from the negative impacts of pests and diseases. Inadequate biosecurity measures are a significant threat to industry, with the potential to decimate production and prevent growth.

In 2018, an FRDC-funded project assessed the level of biosecurity knowledge in national aquaculture industries, and the biosecurity practices being used in each sector. It also attempted to identify the specific needs of each sector, to support industry in developing and implementing enterprise-level biosecurity plans.

CSIRO is also working on methods to effectively identify biosecurity threats to farmed Atlantic salmon. These include sensors that monitor physiological data, as well as responses to minimise the identified threats such as selectively-bred disease resistant animals.

At the Experimental Aquaculture Facility (EAF) at IMAS Taroona, biosecurity research is conducted on a range of fish sizes through an EAF partnership with Huon Aquaculture and aquafeed manufacturer Skretting Australia. This ensures rapid industry uptake of research findings.

The EAF also has the capacity to undertake AGD research, in conjunction with these sub-optimum environmental conditions. To explore the effects of moving salmon farming off-shore, the EAF facilities can be modified to focus on swimming, respiration and energy expenditure.