Exploring the potential of bath sponge aquaculture in Torres Strait

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Exploring the potential of bath sponge
aquaculture in Torres Strait

• Alan Duckworth, Carsten Wolff, John Morris,
  Samson Lowatta, Simon Naawi, Paul Lowatta and
  Patterson Mosby
• Australian Institute of Marine Science
• Yorke Island Community Council
• Torres Strait Regional Authority
• CRC Torres Strait

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Colleagues
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Surveyed Torres Strait for a good bath sponge

• July 2004
• 4 locations
• 25 sites
• 10,000 m2 surveyed

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• Coscinoderma bath sponge abundant at Yorke
  Islands
• Sponge up to 50cm in length
• Quality spongin
• MOU between AIMS and YICC
• 5 sponge divers from Yorke

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Developing a good farming method

• Farming methods
• Mesh panels spider panels (SP) and monofilament
  panels (MP)
• Threaded line nylon line (NL) and polypropylene
  line (PL)
• Mesh panels then threaded rope (nursery) SP NL
  and SP PL
• Two sites Masig and Kodall Islands
• 216 Coscinoderma explants (sponge pieces)
• December 2004, ran for 9 months

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Final survival and growth among farming methods
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Finding a good farming site and examine
importance of farming season
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• Sponges transplanted in summer and winter
• Farmed at 6 and 12 m, but results combined for
  analysis

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Sponge survival and growth after 6 months
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Optimal initial explant size
Small 40 cm3
medium 100 cm3
large 300 cm3
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Optimal harvest regime

• Maximize amount of biomass for explant
  production, without damaging wild population
• 1/3 and 2/3 of biomass removed

Dec 04, after harvest
Dec 04, before harvest
Mar 06
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Sponge growth after harvesting
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In 2007.