SeaBOS AMR Keystone project

The seafood industry faces a growing challenge in managing AMR, arising from various sources in seafood farming, including water, feed, additives, and processing practices. These risks not only threaten regulatory compliance but also jeopardize market trust in seafood products.

With large, complex corporations requiring robust evidence to guide their investments in AMR mitigation, the industry needs science-based methods to identify AMR sources and implement practical solutions. This challenge underscores the urgency of addressing AMR across the seafood value chain to ensure sustainable and responsible production practices.

This pilot project, supported by SAAFE and the SeaBOS Consortium (Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship), aims to develop a strategic sampling protocol and methodology for identifying AMR determinants in seafood farming. Initially focused on shrimp farms in Thailand, the project will compare field results with metagenomics analysis conducted in Australia to ensure robust, validated insights.

These findings will contribute to the SeaBOS antibiotics stewardship roadmap and enable seafood companies to address AMR risks effectively. The project not only seeks to identify AMR sources but also establishes a collaborative framework between researchers, industry stakeholders, and global seafood producers to drive impactful change.

• Develop protocols to identify the diversity and sources of AMR genes in shrimp farming, focusing on inputs like water, feed, additives, and processing water
• Design and test strategic sampling methodologies in Thai shrimp farms, with results verified through metagenomics analysis at UniSA
• Generate evidence that supports investment in larger-scale AMR mitigation projects by demonstrating the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed methods
• Contribute to the SeaBOS antibiotics stewardship roadmap, providing actionable insights for companies to adopt commercial solutions

In doing so, the project seeks to create new knowledge that strengthens decision-making processes and paves the way for future, more comprehensive studies in the seafood industry.

Seafood Producers, Consumers, Society at large

Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS)

University of South Australia; Stockholm Resilience Centre; University of Queensland