MPA Fish Farms Pty Ltd is doubling production of barramundi at its Cone Bay ocean farm from 1,000 to 2,000 tonnes per year. The plan is to expand capacity to 5,000 tonnes a year.
The high-quality saltwater barramundi command a premium price in Australian markets and there is projected demand from global markets.
The Cone Bay facility is on remote Turtle Island, one of more than 1000 unspoilt islands in the Buccaneer Archipelago in the Kimberley.
On the island, hand-reared fingerlings are delicately shifted to sea cages, where they reach market size at about six months. A twice-daily racing tide gives the barramundi plenty of exercise, resulting in fish in excellent condition, creating a top-quality product with an even spread of fat.
The company has built a relationship with the Australian Institute for Applied Aquaculture Research, based at Challenger Institute of Technology in Fremantle. MPA Fish Farms proposes to send broodstock from Cone Bay to the Institute, where staff supervise the spawning and rearing processes before sending the juvenile seed stock back to Cone Bay for ‘growout’. More than 800,000 juvenile barramundi are returned to Cone Bay each year.