The Western Australian Fish Foundation convened a workshop during 2007 to discuss the implications of the highly successful project ‘’Restocking the Blackwood River Estuary with the Black Bream Acanthopagrus butcheri’’ funded by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. In this project, 220,000 hatchery reared fish were marked and restocked, bred from 100 locally caught broodstock, with high survival that was monitored over 8 years.
The aim of the Workshop was to discuss the results and implications of the study, to understand the current environmental condition of the Blackwood River Estuary and to determine what issues should be addressed in the future.
The evidence presented pointed to a general decline in the health of the environment of the Blackwood River Estuary over an extended period since the early 1970s. Research also clearly indicated a significant reduction in black bream catch by recreational fishers from the system over the past 25 years.
The high survival of the introduced bream and the low cost of the project led to calls for a halt to the extraction of bream and for ongoing restocking to maintain fish stocks in the Blackwood Estuary. The complete report can be found here.
One of the problems associated with large-scale aquaculture production in remote areas is cost-effective post-harvest processing. This is particularly the case in Western Australia, a State characterised by large distances, few major regional centres, an extensive coastline, a general lack of infrastructure in remote areas and, consequently, high costs.
The Western Australian Aquaculture Development Council recently commissioned a feasibility study to determine the most practicable economic solutions for processing fish produced by aquaculture in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Although targeting the Kimberley region, this study provides information on processing options fundamental to aquaculture in any remote area globally. It provides an in-depth analysis of post-harvest processing, which can be applied as a key input to a comprehensive, bankable feasibility study for aquaculture production in remote regions generally.
What does the Finfish Project mean for those already involved in the Western Australian Aquaculture Industry and those that we hope will be inspired to get involved?
As stated in previous posts on this site, the Food and Agriculture Organisation has predicted that by 2030 an additional 37 million tonnes of fish will be required to meet global demand.
While 2030 seems a long way into the future, this shortfall will not occur overnight, rather it will grow as world population increases and wild stocks diminish.
How does this impact what we are trying to achieve within the Western Australian Aquaculture Industry?
Noting the predicted global shortfall, there is clearly an opportunity here for a variety of business enterprises in Western Australia to assist in overcoming the predicted fish supply shortfall through innovative developments in aquaculture technologies that will vastly improve the manner in which finfish are farmed globally.
By bringing together a ‘meeting of the minds’ including representatives from the existing Western Australian Aquaculture Industry, potential investors, technology and engineering based company representatives, those involved in the aquaculture industry globally and government, there is a huge potential for first class innovations to be identified.
Innovations with the potential to change the face of global aquaculture will invariably attract interest from international aquaculture ventures already producing large quantities of finfish and from there, partnerships and relationships can evolve.
So, there is the potential for developing valuable intellectual property and sharing that through various joint ventures/alliances with aquaculture ventures located overseas.
But what about those already farming finfish in Western Australia? By participating on-line you will contribute to the potential technologies identified and can later explore their use locally to increase the efficiency of production.
Still not convinced? Click here for more reasons to get involved.
