Justine Arnold to Lead Team to Japan

Senior WAFIC Resource Access Officer, Matt Pember, Scholarship Award Winner Justine Arnold and Executive Officer, Mannie Shea.

Senior WAFIC Resource Access Officer, Matt Pember, Scholarship Award Winner Justine Arnold and Executive Officer, Mannie Shea.

Young achiever, Justine Arnold, has won the Premier’s Agriculture and Aquaculture Entrepreneurship Program – a program that offers a $30,000 scholarship to farmers and individuals engaged in the agriculture or aquaculture sector to enable them to develop and pursue their idea through exposure to international best practice and leaders in their field.

As part of the program, Justine will lead a small team of experts on a “Knowledge Quest” to Japan to be briefed on management strategies and techniques developed for warm water kingfish culture. Learning from experienced Japanese kingfish farmers and researchers, Justine and her team will gain insights into skills and techniques required for the rapidly emerging aquaculture industry in WA.

Justine said that the win will allow for the potential of better management strategies and farming practices in WA and an increased support for aquaculture in WA.

“Yellowtail kingfish culture in WA spans less than 10 years and it will be of enormous value to examine management strategies and systems developed in Japan for warm water kingfish culture, and to gain insights into skills and techniques required for our rapidly emerging industry in WA,” she said of the scholarship.

Justine is the Aquaculture Technical Manager at Indian Ocean Fresh Australia (IOFA), a company that specialises in marine finfish aquaculture and has played a key role in the development of a commercial aquaculture industry in the Mid-West of WA. Her position sees her managing farming operations which include feeding, harvesting, husbandry, overseeing fish health monitoring and learning how to develop and manage people.

Justine also had an integral role in the Yellowtail Kingfish aquaculture project in Geraldton, working with renowned researchers from all around Australia on this project.

On her role in the aquaculture industry, Justine said that she enjoys the challenges that come with working in the industry.

“You are working with the environment and are at the perils of what mother nature throws at you. Everyday something new is happening, there is still so much that is unknown about farming YTK in warm waters around the Mid-West and we are always learning,” she said.

Chief Executive Officer of WAFIC, John Harrison, commends Justine on her successes and wishes her the best on her personal development journey.

“Justine has a long list of achievements such as mentoring a school based trainee from the local high school and was awarded the recipient of the Women’s Industry Seafood Network Community (WINSC) personal development scholarship.”

“She has travelled the world – to Scotland, Melbourne, Sydney, and Cairns to visit various aquaculture facilities and seafood markets to further her knowledge and understanding of various aquaculture industries around the world, and apply this to her role at IOFA.”

“As a recipient of the Premier’s Agriculture and Aquaculture Entrepreneurship Program, Justine will have the opportunity to learn from respected leaders and apply these learnings to her job for the benefit of the sector.”

“She is a reminder of the ongoing positive contributions made by young people in the seafood industry and we can be sure that the Western Australian aquaculture industry will be in very capable hands for the future,” he concluded.