Charles Sturt University –
Charles Sturt University will lead the FishTech initiative as part of a partnership between Australia and Lao to boost food security and climate resilience in the Mekong region in Southeast Asia.
The initiative is part of an expansion of the Mekong Australia Partnership (the Partnership) between the Australian Government, the Government of Lao, the Government of Cambodia and The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), which will focus on construction of fish passages in water management structures designed to improve rice productivity.
The Australian Deputy Ambassador to Lao PDR, Mr Dan Heldon, announced at an event in Vientiane on Thursday 9 June the allocation of $5 million by the Australian Government over three years (2022 ending in 2025) to the FishTech initiative.
The initiative will be led by Professor in Fisheries and River Management in the Charles Sturt Gulbali Institute of Agriculture, Water and Environment (the Gulbali Institute) Dr Lee Baumgartner.
“The University will bring together the Charles Sturt Inland Fisheries Research Group and engineering team to create solutions for fish and irrigation across Southeast Asia,” Professor Baumgartner said.