ID :
14794
Mon, 08/04/2008 - 10:04
Auther :

Farmed fish production 'set to double'

(AAP) - Fish farmers will push to double Australia's aquaculture output by 2015 to meet growing international demand for quality seafood, an industry leader says.

Craig Foster, chairman of the National Aquaculture Council, said regional areas would stand to benefit from the industry's expansion though increased investment and jobs.

The industry will begin its bi-annual forum of the Asia-Pacific aquaculture industry
in Brisbane.
Mr Foster said the planned doubling of production came after a decade of investment
in research and the environmental sustainability of aquaculture.
"We believe it's readily achievable and we're well on the way to getting there," he
said.
"While most of Australian aquaculture's $793 million value is produced in South
Australia and Tasmania now, opportunities are clear for Queensland, Western
Australia and the Northern Territory where access to suitable farming sites is
available," Mr Foster said.
Species which will drive this increase in fish production include Tasmanian salmon,
yellowtail kingfish, barramundi and southern bluefin tuna. New performers mulloway
and cobia are also establishing quickly.
Mr Foster said targets of 100,000 tonnes of fish production by 2015, set by industry
were realistic and achievable.
He said Tasmanian salmon production would need to double, yellowtail kingfish to
increase its output five-fold and barramundi to triple to meet these targets.
The produce of aquaculture is varied and also includes the staples of prawns and
oysters. Prawn growers in Queensland are also gearing for major expansion in the
next five years.
"Apart from our own local market, it is the Asian, European and American markets
which are hungry for quality Australian seafood," Mr Foster said.
"Aquaculture will play a major role in meeting this demand."
He said aquaculture was necessary to ease pressure on wild-catch fisheries which
were increasingly depleted, particularly in Europe and Asia.
"The wild-catch sector cannot meet demand for this premium product so farmed product
will step up to fill the gap.
"Farming fish can also be done year-round and so is not restricted to seasonal
cycles, as in the wild."
Mr Foster said Tasmanian salmon was a good example of solid business growth in that
it had gone from being worth nothing in the early 1980s to more than $272 million
per annum today.
Federal Fisheries Minister Tony Burke will open the conference at Brisbane's
Convention and Exhibition Centre at 9am (AEST) Monday.

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