New industry: on-land aquaculture

You used to go fishing in the sea but now, fish are grown on the land, using the latest technology for on-land aquaculture from the Ben Gurion University of the Negev. To combat the risk of depleting fish stocks, the WA Department of Fisheries, the University of Western Australia and Murdoch University, are involved in the development of abalone aquaculture at Albany. The value of established aquaculture production has fluctuated over the last three years. In 2004/05, aquaculture production was estimated at $1.1 million. The value of yabby production has increased from $416,000 in 2002/03 to $448,000 in 2004/05.

A large number of yabbies are grown commercially in farm dams and are marketed in Australia and overseas. Trout and oyster production have fluctuated in the past three years. One of the largest producers of oysters in Western Australia is located in Albany. The Albany Aquaculture Park contains two sites leased for oyster and abalone production and continues to be an important resource for the development of aquaculture in the Region. The State's first abalone hatchery was established in the Great Southern in 1998. Since then, additional land-based abalone facilities have been constructed at Bremer Bay.