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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-12-01 Daily Xml
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AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY

532 Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (15 September 2009).

1. How many carp traps have been produced and where are they located?

2. Have the carp traps been made available to the public and if so, at what cost?

3. If the traps are not currently available, when will the department make them available and provide guidance on their use and placement?

4. Is there a market for the trapped fish and if so, does it present a business opportunity to be exploited?

5. What has the Food Safety Research Program on Barramundi cost to date and what are the anticipated costs in 2009-10?

6. How are the findings of this research expected to benefit South Australia and to what extent in terms of export income?

7. Is barramundi farming seen as an opportunity for South Australian aquaculture and if so, where is it anticipated it might be established and pursued?

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development): I am advised:

1. Two carp traps have been produced for research projects in the South Australia Murray Darling Basin. The first research project involves one carp trap located in the fishway at Lock 1 at Blanchetown, and the second project is located at Lake Bonney (near Barmera).

2. Carp traps are not presently available to the public.

3. Carp traps will be made available to community groups/NRM Boards etc through consultation with SARDI Aquatic sciences at the completion of the Lake Bonney research trial (due Dec 2009). Further, SARDI is currently preparing a draft decision support package that will provide guidance on the selection and implementation of carp management options at wetland inlets.

4 Current markets for carp include crayfish bait, fertiliser industries (e.g. Charlie carp) and a limited domestic fish market (principally in Sydney and Melbourne). There is also unlimited demand from overseas markets which currently cannot be filled by the sole carp exporter (K&C Fisheries, Sale, Victoria). The overseas market is a business opportunity that could be exploited further. The development of new carp products and markets could be explored. SARDI has a business review/development proposal on this topic.

5. The costs to date for the Food Safety Research Program on Barramundi have been $6,600 (GST inclusive) and the anticipated costs in 2009-10 (in terms of delivering the EU residue control program) will be $3,300 (GST inclusive). The research work for industry was done by SARDI on a full cost recovery basis. The EU residue control program is an annual program which is run by SARDI on a full cost recovery basis.

6. Approximately 100 -125 T (valued at $10.70/kg) of barramundi is produced in SA which is eligible for export. The work has facilitated access to the EU market and more recently to the Russian market.

7. Barramundi Farming in SA is limited to land-based enterprises where temperatures can be controlled. These licences generally consist of closed recirculating and semi closed tank and drainage systems.

Currently PIRSA Aquaculture has 31 active licences for the culture of Barramundi with one licensed Barramundi Hatchery. The spatial distribution of land-based barramundi aquaculture is not limited as licences are actively operating in the Adelaide, Yorke Peninsula, Lower Eyre Peninsula, South East and Kangaroo Island regions.

The latest EconSearch report suggest that freshwater finfish production has been steady over the past 3 years, but has grown considerably in value (400-450 tonnes valued at $4.5 million).

The Barramundi Industry in SA is still developing but is a key component of the freshwater finfish industry in SA.

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