Background of Principal

Name: Derek Cropp

Contact Details:

Ph (03) 62 234 430

Mobile (0419) 314 640

Fax: (03) 62 234 431

Email Derek.Cropp@aquatech-aust.com.au

Website www.aquatech-aust.com.au

Academic Record:

Tertiary: Bachelor of Science with Majors in Zoology and Physical Geography. University Of Tasmania.

Bachelor of Science with Honours; Thesis Topic,"Community Development on Small Artificial Substrates."University Of Tasmania.

Other Qualifications:

Federation Aust. Underwater Instructors Divers; 'C' Card, 1977 (NASDS).

Winston Churchill Fellowship,1986/87.

Coxswain's and Engine Drivers Ticket, 1988

Restricted Radiotelephony Operator's Certificate, 1991

ADAS Occupational Diver AS2299-Certificate Part No. 03804-Issued 1998

Senior First Aid Certificate, St John Ambulance Australia, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007

Industrial Operator and Radiation Safety Officer Licensee-Electronic Products, 2002-2004

2003 ADAS Occupational Diver AS2299-Certificate Part No. 03804-Issued 1998, 2003

AUSTSWIM Teacher of Swimming & Water Safety, 2005

SLST Bronze Medallion 2007

SLST Advanced Resuscitation Certificate 2007

Professional Associations:

Member of Australian Institute of Biology (MAIB).

Australian Marine Sciences Association (AMSA), Past Member

National Shellfisheries Association (NSA) USA.

Winston Churchill Fellowship Association and past Committee Member.

Tasmanian Aquaculture Council-Past Member (2 years)

Tasmanian Abalone Growers Association-Past Treasurer & Vice Chairman

Tasmanian Lobster Growers Association Inc. - Past Committee Member

Consulting Experience:

In recent years he has been heavily involved as a Specialist Advisor (Aquaculture) to the Batavia Coast Marine Centre project, which cost in excess of $11M.  He conducted initial site assessments, water quality assessments, seawater supply investigations and was a member of the facility concept design and design development teams.

Most recently, as Production Manager at Marinova Pty Ltd, one of Australia’s newest Marine Biotech companies, he has been responsible for the harvest of Undaria seaweed which exceeds 150 t annually.

He was heavily involved in concept development and design development of a state-of-the-art GMP facility (Cambridge, Tasmania, >$3M) for the production of seaweed extracts and various other nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products.  As Production Manager he has also conducted and overseen the preparation of ISO Quality Assurance documents, registration and audits.

During 2007/2008 he is also consulting as a Specialist Advisor on the Marine Physical Containment (PC2/PC3) facility for the South Australian Government.

As a consultant for a private company he successfully applied for grants exceeding $300,000 for abalone pearl and wastewater projects.

He previously applied for and was Biologist in Charge of the Fishing Industry Research & Development Committee funded project "Aquaculture of the saucer scallop Amusium balloti" ($361,900; 1989-92, W.A). Other successfully completed DPI funded projects (FIRTA) have involved abalone and scallops (FIRTA 83/52) and scallops (FIRTA 84/93).

Major consultancy projects have been or are being completed for:

• Abrolhos Pearls and Latitude Fisheries
• FRDC project on development of the Akoya pearl industry at the Abrolhos Islands, WA.
• Dept. Housing & Works, WA: Marine Centre, Geraldton, WA (member of Architectural Services group)
• Paspaley Pearling Co. Pty Ltd (WA/NT-pearl oysters)
• ANZ Bank-Agribusiness (Qld)
• M.G. Kailis Group of Companies (W.A.-pearl oysters, tropical abalone, brown tiger prawns, tuna, algae)
• The Tasmanian Department of Primary Industry (Division of Sea Fisheries- scallops)
• Western Seafarms Ltd (W.A.- scallops, pearl oysters, edible oysters, trochus, algae)
• Australian Fisheries Service/Australian Fisheries Management Authority (ACT.- Observer Program, Tuna)
• Central West College of TAFE (W.A.-site assessments & development proposals, water quality sampling, analysis & advice)
• Aquatas Pty Ltd (Tas.- abalone, seaweed, scallops, mussels)
• Seafarms (Tas.- abalone, scallops)
• Abalone Hatcheries (Tas.- abalone, artificial diets, seaweed, oysters)
• Furneaux Shellfish (Flinders Is., Tas.- abalone, scallops, seaweed, rock lobster, seahorses)

and on a smaller scale:

• Primary Industry & Resources South Australia [PIRSA] (Fisheries Observer Program)
• Promak Technology (New Zealand) Ltd /Kiwi Co-op Dairies Ltd (artificial abalone diet)
• University of Tasmania at Launceston (scallops)
• Huon Atlantic Salmon (Tas.- abalone)
• Latitude Fisheries (W.A.-abalone)
• Heltoc Pty Ltd (Tas.-abalone)
• Ocean Foods International (W.A.- abalone, scallops)
• Buckland Fisheries Pty Ltd (S.A.- scallops)
• Kinhill Engineers (S.A.- oysters)
• Cape Bruny Shellfish (Tas.-oysters)
• Fishing Industry Training Board of Tasmania (scallops)
• Fiomar Industries (Tas.-submersible buoy) and Empress Abalone Ltd (New Zealand-abalone, pearls)
• Coral Coast SCUBA Ventures Ltd (Fiji-rock lobsters)

Most of the above projects have been research and development orientated initially. Many are now operating on a commercial basis.

Recently completed 5 highly successful years as Project Manager/Consultant for the Pearl Oyster Hatchery in Learmonth, Western Australia operated by Broome Pearls Pty Ltd and Exmouth Pearls Pty Ltd (part of the M. G. Kailis Group of Companies). This project involved all development aspects from site selection, design of facility, construction, commissioning, staff training and full commercial spat production over the initial 5year period until pearls were produced from hatchery oysters.

Hatchery experience is extensive and includes the species:

• Pecten fumatus
• Amusium balloti
• Chlamys asperrimus
• Chlamys scabricostata
• Chlamys australis
• Chlamys farreri
• Chlamys nobilis
• Equichlamys bifrons
• Patinopecten yessoensis (Scallops)
• Pinctada maxima
• Pinctada margaritifera
• Pinctada albina
• Pteria penguin (Pearl Oysters)
• Crassostrea gigas
• Saccostrea commercialis
• Saccostrea echinata
• Ostrea angasi (Edible oysters)
• Haliotis iris
• Haliotis rubra
• Haliotis laevigata
• Haliotis sp.-hybrid
• Haliotis asinina (Abalone)
• Tectus pyramis (Trochus) and
• Panope abrupta (American Geoduck).

Experience with some of the above species was gained whilst overseas. Many of these are Western Australian species.

Other relevant activities have been:

• Member of a small team establishing and running Australia’s first Pearl Technician training course in Western Australia, as part of a Nationally accredited TAFE seafood training package.
• Joint involvement in preparation of major Information Memorandum for capital raising and expansion of public unlisted company (Tasmania).
  
• Preparation of Environmental Management Plan and major Development Application for abalone farm in Tasmania - approved without amendment;
  
• Full economic review and financial assessment of expanding aquaculture operations for Financial Institution (SA & Qld
  
• Involvement in conducting Environmental Surveys of Marine Leases (Tasmania);
  
• Design of large wastewater ponds for aquaculture wastewater system;
  
• Key involvement in design and installation of large concrete raceway systems for high density prawn culture and stock enhancement (WA);
  
• Jointly developed and costed major aquaculture facility proposal with Quantity Surveyors & Engineers (WA)
  
• Jointly prepared Application for multi-species Aquaculture Licence (WA)
  
• Organisation and conduct of selective breeding program in pearl oysters, preparation of literature review (WA);
  
• Key member of commercial rock lobster puerulus collection and culture group (Tas);
  
• Involvement in installation and maintenance of submersible pumps and saltwater supply system for Abalone Farms Australia (Tasmania). System exposed to >4 m waves routinely.
  
• Involvement in water quality analysis, design, installation, maintenance and upgrading of saltwater intake system and waste saltwater system for Exmouth Pearls Pty Ltd Hatchery (as Project Manager) at Learmonth (WA). System survived Category 3 and Category 5 Cyclones with limited damage and remained operational.
  
• Involvement in site selection, design, construction, operation and maintenance of pearl oyster/shellfish hatchery for Exmouth Pearls Pty Ltd (as Project Manager) at Learmonth (WA).
  
• Design upgrade, install and maintain saltwater supply and filtration system for Western Seafarms Ltd Hatchery at Oyster Creek Carnarvon (WA)-taken over by Morgan Pearling Co.
  
• Design, installation and maintenance of small scale saltwater supply and waste saltwater system for Furneaux Shellfish (Tasmania). Design of large commercial scale saltwater intakes, storage, supply system and drainage system.
  
• Design, development and marketing of high quality longline roller for use in the aquaculture industry Australia-wide; units now utilised in the scallop, mussel and pearl oyster industries. Involvement in the successful development of a submersible self-release buoy (Fiobuoy) for use in the marine industries.
  
• Participant in Microalgae for Mariculture Workshop 1990; run by CSIRO and the Tasmanian University.
  
• Contracts with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA, previously Australian Fisheries Service), Canberra, as a Foreign Fishing Vessel Observer (Japanese Longlining-Tuna) were completed in June, 1991 and 1992. Participation in AFZ Tuna Operations Workshop, Canberra, October, 1991. Major consultancy contracts to consolidate, review, and summarize Observer reports for the Tasmanian, Australian East and West Coast, and total AFZ Tuna seasons, were completed annually for AFS/AFMA for the years 1991 to 1994/95 inclusive.
  
• Part-time (50%) Teaching Fellow/Assistant Lecturer at the National Key Centre for Research and Teaching in Aquaculture, University of Tasmania at Launceston (1992 - 1994). Subjects taught were Zoology, Algology and to a lesser extent, Molluscan Culture.
  
• Commencement of PhD studies on Abalone Pearls with the University of Tasmania at Launceston in 1992. Not finished due to work commitments.
  
• Collaborating Biologist on FRDC and CRC funded abalone research at Marine Shellfish Hatcheries (Bicheno, Tasmania) in conjunction with University of Tasmania at Launceston and CSIRO Division of Oceanography (Hobart).
  
• Collaborating Biologist on FRDC Prawn production and reseeding project. Collaborating Biologist on SPIRT Tropical abalone project with University of Queensland and CSIRO Cleveland, (Queensland)
  
• Supervising biologist for commercial feeding trial of abalone with artificial diet; conducted for Promak Technology (NZ) Ltd /Kiwi Co-op Dairies Ltd.
  
• Member of Strategic Plan Working Group for Tasmanian Aquaculture Industry.
  
• Supervision of fishing industry based survey work.
  
• Research & Development for a self-tipping Japanese style scallop dredge modified to Tasmanian conditions. Project in Conjunction with Engineering Dept. University of Tasmania.
  
• Safe completion of in excess of 600 hours underwater.
  
• Safe completion of in excess of 550 days at sea on vessels up to 44 m in length and operating in numerous areas of Australia and many overseas countries.
  
• Completed a number of economic feasibility, site assessment and industry development studies (some of which are published) on a range of species for a number of clients. Shellfish handling equipment and longline technology details included.
  
• Scientist in marine farming Research and Development operation and abalone operation.
  
• Management of successful consultancy business for 13 years.
  
  

Over the last 21 years, numerous scientific, industry and teaching lectures have been presented throughout Australia, and in China, Japan, Canada, Hawaii and New Zealand. Some of the more recent lecturing (apart from teaching) has been conducted at, for or through:

(a) The National Key Centre for Aquaculture 1989, 1990, 1995 (Tasmania),
(b) the Australian Institute of Marine Science 1988 (Queensland),
(c) the First Australian Shellfish Aquaculture Conference 1988 (W.A.)
(d) the First and Second Australasian Scallop Workshop (Tasmania); 1988 & 1993.
(e) The First International Pearl Conference, Exposition & Auction. Pearls '94
(Hawaii, USA). "An Overview of Pearl Production Techniques in Australia."
(f) GWN Marine Expo & Blessing of the Fleet, Aquaculture Conference & workshops, 1995, Jurien, WA.
(g) TAFE Regional College- Keynote Speaker, Shellfish Seminar and workshop, 1997, Geraldton,WA.

Conducted extensive liaison with Fishing Industry members and working groups, Police and general public, media channels, filming of National News and Current Affairs features and preparation of promotional video for public company capital raising and numerous media articles and Ministerial brief's. Publication of numerous research proposals and reports including many refereed scientific papers in addition to 17 AFMA Observer Program reviews. Editing work has included refereeing Papers for the Internationally recognised Journals "Aquaculture" (published by Elsevier-The Netherlands) and Journal of Shellfish Research (USA); and reviewing Funding Applications for the Foundation for Research, Science & Technology, New Zealand.
Professional Experience in Project Management over a diverse range of topics is extensive and incorporates a wide range of disciplines. Project development has involved a variety of tasks with long-term negotiation and liaison between various companies, government departments and research facilities essential. Coordination and direction of team members has required dedicated leadership, guidance and frequently the training of staff. A demonstrated ability for ‘hands-on’ work has been instrumental in the success of a variety of operations.

List of Published Articles

Abalone Pearls from Bass Strait - article

Hatchery culture potential of the scallop Chlamys australis in Western Australia - article