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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-05-17 Daily Xml
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Aquaculture Industries

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:15): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Will the minister inform the chamber about the developments within the aquaculture and seaweed industries in South Australia?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:16): I thank the member for his question. The aquaculture industry is an important driver in our state's economy. In South Australia in 2019-20, the industry generated both directly and indirectly approximately 2,507 full-time equivalent jobs. In the same year, the total value of seafood production from aquaculture was approximately $229 million, not far in fact in total value from their wild catch counterparts at $232.8 million. This represents around about 16 per cent of Australia's total aquaculture production and 14 per cent of the gross value of aquaculture production in 2019-20.

Aquaculture is in fact the fastest growing livestock industry in Australia—about 7 per cent growth per year—and is expected to increase to $2 billion by 2027, to meet increasing global seafood demand. The South Australian aquaculture industry is diverse, with major sectors including Southern bluefin tuna, yellowtail kingfish, oysters, mussels, abalone, freshwater finfish, yabbies and marron.

An emerging aquaculture sector that is likely to diversify and grow the industry even further is the emergence of seaweed farming. Research is happening locally at SARDI's West Beach site, and trials have been conducted on several existing licences on the Lower Spencer Gulf. I am advised that the first aquaculture licence approved to commercially farm seaweed was granted to the Narrunga Nation Aboriginal Corporation, which has partnered with CH4 Global.

The potential for this industry was noted in PIRSA's Zoning In: South Australian Aquaculture Report, released in 2021, where it explained that the seaweed/algae aquaculture industries will likely contribute significantly to regional South Australia and have the capacity to create 3,000 jobs in our state alone and up to 9,000 nationally by the year 2040.

Seaweed products cover a range of areas that really are or have the potential to be a part of most people's everyday lives. These include food and nutrition, biofertiliser, animal feed, bioremediation and climate change adaptation, to name just a few. Though its nutritional value, easy harvest and fast growth have been known about for many centuries, the impact it can have as just one of the tools to combat climate change is becoming better understood all the time. There is a growing awareness of the ability of seaweeds to offset nutrient inputs, for example, wastewater treatment plants and aquaculture, sequester CO2 and reduce methane output in cattle through adding it to their feed, which potentially offers huge opportunities for our state.

Our government looks forward to the research continuing at the SARDI West Beach site, along with its commercial partners and all others who are pioneering the seaweed industry in our state. This will of course put South Australia on the map once again for its leadership, quality and skill within the seafood and aquaculture industries.

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