Marine finfish production and research
Marine Fish Hatchery, Fremantle
DPIRD’s Marine Finfish Hatchery in Fremantle supplies commercial quantities of barramundi and yellowtail kingfish juveniles to industry and supports the expansion of the industry through its targeted research projects.
The Marine Finfish Hatchery was first established in 1993 as part of the TAFE system with the brief to assist in the development of the mariculture industry in Western Australia. Previously known as the Australian Centre for Applied Aquaculture Research (ACAAR), the hatchery is an outstanding facility for marine finfish aquaculture research and globally recognised and respected.
The ACAAR facility and its staff were transferred into DPIRD in July 2018. The team has flourished in the new environment and continues to deliver outstanding results for the emerging WA marine aquaculture industry.
The Marine Finfish Hatchery has been:
- providing juvenile barramundi to an operator since 2010; and
- holding broodstock and conducting research into the culture of yellowtail kingfish since 2002, having now become a world-class research group for yellowtail kingfish aquaculture and research.
Proposed Marine Finfish Nursery, Geraldton
Government has provided $7 million in funding for the construction of the Geraldton Marine Finfish Nursery Facility (Nursery) to be located at a site in the Batavia Coast Maritime Institute, Geraldton.
A functional marine finfish nursery that can produce juvenile seed stocks for start-up commercial growout farms is essential to attract investment in the Western Australian (WA) marine finfish aquaculture industry.
The Nursery's ability to provide seed stocks for grow-out in the sea cages of new and existing operations is central to the creation of new jobs and the growth of the local economy.
Estimates indicate hundreds of direct jobs will be created when the nursery is operating at full capacity, including indirect job opportunities for local businesses supplying raw materials, goods, services, trades, transport and, eventually, tourism.
Current marine fish research projects
FRDC Project 2016-117 Addressing current health issues confronting warm water culture of yellowtail kingfish
FRDC Project 2018-125 Evaluation of practical technologies for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) remediation in marine fish hatcheries
FRDC Project 2017-206 Assessment of the Inflamark method as a sensitive and cost effective measure of oxidative stress in cultured fish
FRDC Project 2018-101 A trivalent vaccine for sustainable yellowtail kingfish growout
FRDC Project 2017-030 Increasing production and value of yellowtail kingfish aquaculture in warm water through improvement in feeds and disease resistance.