Fisheries Minister Peter Tinley has welcomed a call for tenders to fit-out a marine finfish nursery facility in Geraldton.
When operational the nursery is expected to produce 200,000 juvenile yellowtail kingfish every two months – supplying both new and existing commercial aquaculture operations in Western Australia.
The McGowan Government’s support for the Albany shellfish hatchery, which opened in December 2017, has already helped one sector of WA’s aquaculture industry start projects and trials to meet demand for shellfish spat that has vastly outstripped initial expectations.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) Fremantle hatchery will support Geraldton’s new marine finfish nursery by supplying yellowtail kingfish at a size of one gram.
The tiny fish will then be nurtured at the new nursery until they reach 50g before their transfer to offshore commercial aquaculture operations.
The new nursery, located at the Batavia Coast Maritime Institute, is the first module in a facility that will allow the addition of extra modules to accelerate the growth of aquaculture projects and create regional jobs.
As stated by Fisheries Minister Peter Tinley:
“The building blocks for WA’s aquaculture industry are a key component in the McGowan Government’s strategy to meet growing demand for aquaculture products.
“Developing a world-class aquaculture industry has enormous potential for increasing economic development and boosting jobs in regional WA.
“The investment of $7 million over three years to build and operate the Geraldton marine finfish nursery is an important step in expanding WA’s aquaculture industry and delivering economic benefits to our whole community.
“The demand for spat from Albany’s shellfish hatchery has been extraordinary. So it is very encouraging to acknowledge this next step – marine finfish – on the future growth path the state’s aquaculture.
“This much-needed nursery will not only deliver services to existing commercial operators, who’ve been aquaculture pioneers, but offer incentive for new operators who invest in WA.”
