Aquaculture
Aquaculture has become a major supplier of seafood to the nation and the world.
In Australia we currently eat an average of
16kg of fish and seafood per year. 10 years ago it was 8kg. This
increase in consumption is driven in part by the growing awareness of
the health benefits that come from eating seafood.
According to one study, by 2050, Australia could have a population of 25 million with a predicted per
capita seafood consumption of 23 kg per person per year.
Our wild-catch fisheries are a limited, but renewable resource, and no
matter how sustainably they are fished they will never be capable of
meeting this kind of demand to feed the nation. Aquaculture will also need to
play an important role in helping to re-stock depleted wild harvest
fisheries.
In Western Australia we are farming mussels, yabbies, marron,
barramundi, trout and abalone, yellowtail kingfish and oysters.
Australian South Seas Pearls are Western Australia's most valuable aquaculture
activity. Black Pearls are also harvested on the North West Coast.
For More Information
Department of Fisheries
Aquaculture Council of WA
Aquaculture Innovation
Australian Aquaculture Portal