Fish farming in Western Australia

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Fish farming inWestern Australia is an experimental part of the state's seafood sector. Prominent operators and lessees include Indian Ocean Fresh Australia and Huon Aquaculture, and the primary commercial species are yellowtail kingfish in the Mid West aquaculture zone and barramundi in the Kimberley aquaculture zone. Pink snapper is another species considered as a sea cage fish farming prospect. The Mid West aquaculture zone lies between Geraldton and the Abrolhos Islands, and the Kimberly aquaculture zone is in Cone Bay north of Derby. The sector is represented by Erica Starling as spokesperson for the Marine Fishfarmers Association.

Contents

History

A short lived aquaculture course was offered by Curtin University in Esperance from 2003 and ceased in 2006 due to a lack of enrollment. [1]

In 2006-2007 the ASX-listed company Western King Fish Ltd invested $8 million in aquaculture projects at Jurien Bay including a Yellowtail Kingfish venture. The company went into receivership less than 18 months later after a disease outbreak and high fish mortality. [2]

Indian Ocean Fresh Australia has had a series of successful trials growing mulloway initially in 2008, then Yellowtail kingfish in 2011, supported by the West Australian government. Indian Ocean Fresh Australia's yellowtail kingfish sea cage operation is located in Geraldton's Champion Bay.

Kingfish broodstock was initially caught at the nearby Abrolhos Islands and eggs were hatched and cultured after six weeks at the Challenger Institute of Technology in Fremantle. Once the fingerlings reached a minimum weight of one gram, they were transferred to the Batavia Coast Maritime Institute and fed until they were large enough to be transferred into farm's floating sea cage. Early production was sold to the domestic Australian market. [3]

Further trials followed. In 2016, roughly half of the stocked yellowtail kingfish died after a cleaning operation. [4] The first commercial stocking occurred in September 2016, using fingerlings transported from Fremantle. [5]

In 2018, Huon Aquaculture announced its intent to establish a yellowtail kingfish farm in the Mid West aquaculture zone capable of producing 500 tonnes of fish in its first year, before scaling to maximum production capacity of 24,000 tonnes. [6]

In September 2020, Indian Ocean Fresh Australia announced that it would suspend its kingfish farming operations for at least 12 months, [7] after a difficult year of supply chains disrupted by COVID19 border closures and lockdowns. [8]

Zoning

The Mid West aquaculture zone, some 3000 hectares in size, was proposed in 2013 and received environmental approval in 2017. [9] Indian Ocean Fresh Australia's competitor Huon Aquaculture has the largest lease in the zone, some 2,200 hectares, but as of August 2020 had not commenced any fish farming activity within it. [10] The Kimberley aquaculture zone received environmental approval in 2014. It covers some 2,000 hectares and allows for the production of up to 20,000 tonnes of fish, including barramundi. [11]

Government support

The sector's development has been supported by the Royalties for Regions scheme. [3] In 2011, the West Australian government allocated just under $2 million to develop aquaculture zones near Geraldton and another at Cone Bay in the Kimberley. [12] The Kimberley aquaculture zone commenced production of barramundi in 2014. [9] The 2016 trial was partly funded by the West Australian government and proceeds from the sale of fish were being returned to the Government. [4] In 2020, the West Australian government announced that it would project manage the $7 million development of a hatchery at Geraldton to produce yellowtail kingfish at a rate of 200,000 bi-monthly. [10]

Related Research Articles

Aquaculture Farming of aquatic organisms

Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic plants, algae, and other organisms. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the harvesting of wild fish. Mariculture commonly known as marine farming refers to aquaculture practiced in marine environments and in underwater habitats, opposed to in freshwater.

Barramundi Species of fish

The barramundi or Asian sea bass, is a species of catadromous fish in the family Latidae of the order Perciformes. The species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region from South Asia to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia.

Macquarie Harbour

Macquarie Harbour is a large, shallow, inlet, located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. It is approximately 315 sq.km, and has an average depth of 15m, with deeper places up to 50m. The inlet is navigable by shallow-draft vessels. The main channel is kept clear by the presence of a rock wall on the outside of the channel's curve. This man-made wall prevents erosion and keeps the channel deep and narrow, rather than allowing the channel to become wide and shallow. A reported Aboriginal name for the harbour is Parralaongatek.

Yellowtail amberjack Species of fish

The yellowtail amberjack, yellowtail kingfish or great amberjack is a large fish found in the Southern Ocean. Although previously thought to be found in all oceans and seas, recent genetic analysis restricts S. lalandi proper to the Southern Hemisphere waters. However, they are found in northern hemisphere waters during certain times of the year. The fish was given its name by Monsieur de Lalande, a naturalist who first informed Valenciennes of the existence of this species. No one is sure why he used the word Seriola to name the fish, but the second word lalandi was derived from his surname Lalande.

<i>Sepia apama</i> Species of cephalopod known as the giant cuttlefish and Australian giant cuttlefish

Sepia apama, also known as the giant cuttlefish and Australian giant cuttlefish, is the world's largest cuttlefish species, growing to 50 cm (20 in) in mantle length and over 10.5 kg (23 lb) in weight. Using cells known as chromatophores, the cuttlefish can put on spectacular displays, changing color in an instant. Sepia apama is native to temperate and subtropical waters of Australia, from Brisbane in Queensland to Shark Bay in Western Australia and Tasmania to the south. It occurs on rocky reefs, seagrass beds, and sand and mud seafloor to a depth of 100 metres. In 2009 the species was listed at Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to an observed declining trend at that time.

Southern bluefin tuna Species of fish

The southern bluefin tuna is a tuna of the family Scombridae found in open southern Hemisphere waters of all the world's oceans mainly between 30°S and 50°S, to nearly 60°S. At up to 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) and weighing up to 260 kilograms (570 lb), it is among the larger bony fishes.

Aquaculture of tilapia

Tilapia has become the third most important fish in aquaculture after carp and salmon; worldwide production exceeded 1.5 million metric tons in 2002 and increases annually. Because of their high protein content, large size, rapid growth, and palatability, a number of coptodonine and oreochromine cichlids—specifically, various species of Coptodon, Oreochromis, and Sarotherodon—are the focus of major aquaculture efforts.

Longfin yellowtail Species of fish

The longfin yellowtail, also known as the almaco or silvercoat jack, deep-water, falcate, European or highfin amberjack, rock salmon, longfin or yellow kingfish, is a game fish of the family Carangidae; they are in the same family as yellowtail and amberjack. They are carnivorous and feed, both day and night, on other, smaller fish such as baitfish and small squid. The flesh is thick and dense, like tuna, and easily may be passed off for white albacore if prepared as sushi.

Aquaculture in New Zealand

Aquaculture started to take off in New Zealand in the 1980s. It is dominated by mussels, oysters and salmon. In 2007, aquaculture generated about NZ$360 million in sales on an area of 7,700 hectares. $240 million was earned in exports.

Aquaculture in Australia

Aquaculture in Australia is the country's fastest growing primary industry, accounting for 34% of the total gross value of production of seafood. 10 species of fish are farmed in Australia, and production is dominated by southern bluefin tuna, Atlantic salmon and barramundi. Mud crabs have also been cultivated in Australia for many years, sometimes leading to over-exploitation. Traditionally, this aquaculture was limited to pearls, but since the early 1970s, there has been significant research and commercial development of other forms of aquaculture, including finfish, crustaceans, and molluscs.

Seafood in Australia comes from local and international commercial fisheries, aquaculture and recreational anglers. It is an economically important sector, and along with agriculture and forestry contributed $24,744 million to Australia's GDP in year 2007–2008, out of a total GDP of $1,084,146 million. Commercial fisheries in Commonwealth waters are managed by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, while commercial and recreational fishing in state waters is managed by various state-level agencies.

Aquaculture in Canada

Aquaculture is the farming of fish, shellfish or aquatic plants in either fresh or saltwater, or both. The farmed animals or plants are cared for under a controlled environment to ensure optimum growth, success and profit. When they have reached an appropriate size, they are harvested, processed, and shipped to markets to be sold. Aquaculture is practiced all over the world and is extremely popular in countries such as China, where population is high and fish is a staple part of their everyday diet.

Huon Aquaculture

Huon Aquaculture is a large aquaculture and food processing enterprise located in Tasmania. Founded in 1986, Huon has grown to become second largest salmon producer in the state, after ASX listed Tassal, it employs 487 Tasmanians and produces 25,000 tonnes of salmon annually. It is a majority family and employee owned company listed on the ASX

Oceanic Victor

Oceanic Victor is an Australian privately owned company which runs marine tourism facilities on and adjacent to Granite Island, Encounter Bay, South Australia. The company's main attraction is a floating at-sea aquarium containing Southern blue fin tuna and other marine species. The facility is located within a Habitat Protection Zone of the Encounter Marine Park and opened to the public on 2 September 2017. Since 2019 it has been open intermittently while work has been undertaken on the causeway to Granite Island and owing to COVID19 restrictions in 2020. As of 2021, the attraction is in Port Lincoln where it is undergoing maintenance. It is expected to reopen in 2022 once work on the causeway is complete.

Australis Aquaculture, LLC is a producer and marketer of ocean-farmed barramundi, headquartered in Greenfield, Massachusetts, which is solely focused on offshore aquaculture, and operates its own barramundi farm in Vietnam. Australis is widely considered responsible for popularizing barramundi to North America.

Craig Foster is the CEO of Clean Seas, an ASX-listed Australian seafood company with interests in southern bluefin tuna and yellowtail kingfish farming. He was appointed to the position in 2012 after working in the salmon farming industry in Tasmania. There he managed research and development at the state's largest salmon hatchery and also worked as the Managing Director of fish feed producer, Gibsons Ltd. In 2001, he was working for Pivot, and assisting in the development of barramundi farms in the Northern Territory.

Clean Seas Seafood Ltd is an Australian seafood production company specialising in the sea-cage aquaculture of Yellowtail kingfish. It was established by The Stehr Group in 2000, and became the first Australian company fish farming in South Australia to be listed on the ASX in 2005. The company was established by "tuna baron" Hagen Stehr, whose son Marcus remains one of the company's directors. Clean Seas has shore and sea-based fish farming facilities at Arno Bay, aquaculture leases in Fitzgerald Bay and near Port Lincoln and a processing facility at Royal Park in Adelaide. Its tuna interests were originally held by the private company Australian Tuna Fisheries Pty Ltd. Clean Seas' ambition to control and commercialise the lifecycle of the Southern bluefin tuna has not been realised.

Fitzgerald Bay

Fitzgerald Bay is a large bay located between Point Lowly and Backy Point in South Australia's upper Spencer Gulf. The bay's shoreline consists mostly of pebble beaches and sparse grey mangroves. In the 2000s the bay was used for the farming of yellowtail kingfish until their closure circa 2011 in response to high levels of fish mortality. Understanding of the environmental impacts of yellowtail kingfish farming is limited. As of 2021, fish farming has not returned to Fitzgerald Bay, but aquaculture zones remain in place, and Clean Seas is authorised to restock fish farms there. There are approximately forty shacks and coastal homes sparsely distributed along the fringe of Fitzgerald Bay whose interests are represented by the Cultana Jenkins Shackowners' Association.

Fish farming in South Australia is a major economic contributor to the state's seafood sector. The most valuable species is the Southern bluefin tuna, which is caught in the wild then transferred into sea cages in southern Spencer Gulf where they are fed locally caught sardines. The second most valuable species is the Yellowtail kingfish, which is farmed near Port Lincoln and Arno Bay. A tourist venture called Oceanic Victor located in Encounter Bay allows paying customers the opportunity to swim in a sea cage with the Southern bluefin tuna and handfeed the fish. Prominent companies in the fish farming sector in South Australia include Clean Seas and Tony's Tuna International.

Anthony Cheshire is a scientist, former public servant and former Chief Professor of SARDI Aquatic Sciences in South Australia (2000-2005). During his time in the role, his research work supported the development of the state's Southern bluefin tuna seacage aquaculture sector. He also participated in various scientific discoveries, including the discovery of 8 new species of jellyfish collected from the Great Australian Bight and other field research trips.

References

  1. ↑ "Lack of interest ends south-east aquaculture course". www.abc.net.au. 2005-12-20. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  2. ↑ Jose, Lucinda (2016-05-16). "WA Mid West aquaculture trial harvest begins". ABC Rural. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  3. 1 2 "Farmed fish hit the shelves as a pilot project takes off". www.abc.net.au. 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  4. 1 2 "Yellowtail kingfish farmed at Geraldton die". www.abc.net.au. 2016-08-31. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  5. ↑ "First Mid West commercial stocking of yellowtail kingfish". www.abc.net.au. 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  6. ↑ "Huon plans 24,000-tonne fish farm for Western Australia". www.abc.net.au. 2018-10-12. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  7. ↑ "Yellowtail kingfish farm on ice as oversupply and instability see market flounder". www.abc.net.au. 2020-09-17. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  8. ↑ "Yellowtail kingfish farm on ice as oversupply and instability see market flounder". www.abc.net.au. 2020-09-17. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  9. 1 2 "Jobs to be created after aquaculture zone approved". www.abc.net.au. 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  10. 1 2 "Fish nursery to be built by Government after private proposals rejected". www.abc.net.au. 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  11. ↑ "Kimberley aquaculture zone given environmental green light". www.abc.net.au. 2014-02-18. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  12. ↑ "Funds to help bolster aquaculture". www.abc.net.au. 2011-12-19. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
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