Western Australia

NEW: Download the Final Project Report: Sarre G.A and Partridge G.J. Inland Saline Aquaculture: A new marine industry for the WA Wheatbelt

Policy and Strategic Direction - The State Government approach to ISA development

ISA Sector Development Activities and ISA Investment Information

ISA Contacts - Who can you talk to for technical, business or licensing assistance

State Research & Development - What research has been undertaken, is underway, or planned for the future

Commercial Production - What commercial activities are underway

Planning and Approvals – Planning and licensing requirements

Policy and Strategic Direction

The Western Australian State Government has expressed a commitment to support the development of an aquaculture industry in Western Australia ( Industry Strategic review ). However it does not present a specific position regarding the development of inland saline aquaculture in the State and appears to have adopted a regional and species, rather than systems, based approach industry promoting growth.

There are some references to the potential for ISA on the WA Fisheries web site:

http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/aqua/index.html

And the WA Fisheries Regional Development Plans make reference to the potential for the utilisation of saline bore water for ISA:

http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/aqua/broc/devplan/gassum.html

The Proposed Strategy for the Development of the Western Australian Aquaculture Industry ( Aquaculture Review Recommendations ) released recently by the Minister for Agriculture makes one recommendation related to ISA. Recommendation No. 19 recommends that an examination be made of the viability of establishing an inland saline pilot prawn farm.

However WA Fisheries no longer commits resources to ISA research nor does it actively promote ISA development in regional Western Australia. The Western Australian ISA research effort is being driven by researchers from Challenger TAFE, CY O’Conner TAFE, Western Australia Department of Agriculture, and Murdoch University. Collectively, these organisations make up the Inland Saline Aquaculture Applied Research Group ISAARG.

Researchers involved in ISAARG have a range of complementary research projects underway and have adopted a cautious approach to industry development.

Encouragement of commercial investors is considered premature in light of the early stage of the research effort. However, group members are convinced that ISA has the potential to make a significant contribution to salinity management:

“We believe that Inland Saline Aquaculture will be an essential component of salinity management in the future because unlike many other adaption strategies, it can be effectively integrated with engineering solutions to treat salinised land”

Doupe, R. G., Lymbery, A.J. and Starcevich, M.R. 2003, Rethinking the Land: The Development of Inland Saline Aquaculture in Western Australia. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability Vol1, No1, 2003.

Researchers have been quick to identify the potential for ISA to operate in association with Government sponsored engineering projects such as those initiated in 1997 under the State Salinity Action Plan by the Department of Agriculture. The Rural Towns Program (RTP) has been assisting rural towns through the implementation of a groundwater pumping program, which aims to reduce the impact of rising groundwater tables on rural infrastructure. This is being achieved by pumping saline water from beneath threatened towns and diverting it into evaporation basins.

More recently in its Regional Development Policy, the Department of Local Government and Regional Planning identified the need to develop new regional industries and diversified regional economies and highlighted aquaculture as a potential new industry.

Regional Development Policy, Regional Western Australia - A Better Place To Live Department of Local Government and Regional Planning, 2003 http://www.dlgrd.wa.gov.au/rdpmain.html

ISA Sector Development Activities and ISA Investment Information

WA fisheries website has a very comprehensive range of information for potential aquaculturists.

http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/aqua/index.html

The following web page outline potential investment opportunities:

http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/aqua/broc/species/aqinvestment.html

Prior to the rationalization of the Western Australian aquaculture extension service, extension officers were active in the promotion of ISA in the Wheatbelt and other areas of the State.

Trendall, L. and Pitman, D.R (1998) The outback ocean: A resource assessment and industry development options for aquaculture using inland salt water. Perth: Department of fisheries.

The Wheatbelt Development Board ( http://www.wheatbelt.wa.gov.au/contact.htm ) continue to support farm diversification into aquaculture however, like other agencies responsible for economic development, a measured approach to ISA development has been adopted in recognition of the R&D still required to determine its commercial viability.

An article in Austasia Aquaculture provides an overview of the research being undertaken at Challenger TAFE and elsewhere to identify systems that can commercially produce fish in inland saline water.

O’Sullivan, D. 2003 Inland Saline Research in WA. Austasia Aquaculture Aug/Sept 2003

Researchers at Challenger and CY O’Conner TAFE are involved in research extension activities and are working with a number of local agricultural farmers to trial the production systems that have been developed.

A number of market reports have been prepared to assess the marketability of the species being considered for ISA in WA. An example is:

Robinson, B.T. 2000 A financial analysis of options for producers of inland saltwater trout, Robinson. Rural Consulting, Albany.

ISA Contacts

The WA Fisheries website and the Aquaculture Council of Western Australia website contain useful aquaculture contacts.

http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/aqua/broc/species/aquaind.html#groups

Following are the contact details for the members of Inland Saline Aquaculture Applied Research Group ISAARG:

Greg Jenkins, Challenger TAFE, greg.jenkins@challengertafe.wa.edu.au

Gavin Sarre CY O’Conner TAFE, sarreg@northam.training.wa.gov.au

Rob Doupé, Murdoch University, r.doupe@murdoch.edu.au

Richard George Western Australia Department of Agriculture

Page 161 Gooley, G & Gavine, F. 2003, Integrated Agri Aquaculture Systems – A Resource Handbook for Australian Industry Development RIRDC Publication No 03/012 Project No MFR-2A (03-012)

State Research and Development

Researchers involved in the Inland Saline Aquaculture Applied Research Group ISAARG Challenger TAFE have been active in undertaking ISA related research.

The Final Report for the group can be downloaded from the below link:

Sarre G.A and Partridge G.J. Inland Saline Aquaculture: A new marine industry for the WA Wheatbelt

Ongoing work of the group is outlined in the following article:

O’Sullivan, D. 2003 Inland Saline Research in WA. Austasia Aquaculture Aug/Sept 2003

Recently completed work includes:

Partridge, G.J. (2002). Evaluating the suitability of saline groundwater from Lake Toolibin, Western Australia for culturing barramundi (Lates calcarifer), mulloway (Argyrosomus japonicus) and snapper (Pagrus auratus). Aquaculture Development Unit Challenger TAFE

Partridge, G. J. and Furey, A. 2002, Culturing snapper in Dumbleyung – A case study for determining the potential for inland saline groundwater to grow marine fish in Western Australia. Proceedings of the 8th National Conference on Productive Use and Rehabilitation of Saline Lands

Partridge (2002) investigated the variability of saline ground water and identified a number of impediments to growth and production that may be found in certain water sources (e.g. requirements for degassing, filtering/flocculation, buffering, dilution and supplementation). Also, it showed that saline water is available in some locations that is suitable for ISA without treatment.

Partridge & Furey (2002) presented a process for assessing the suitability of a water source for ISA

Researchers at Challenger TAFE have undertaken trials to assess the suitability of various fish species for ISA, for example:

Partridge, G.J. and Jenkins, G.I. (2002) The effect of salinity on growth and survival of juvenile black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri). Aquaculture 210, 219-230

Researchers at Murdoch University have been very active in undertaking ISA related research with a focus on incorporating aquaculture into salinisation solutions and defraying the cost of infrastructure for salinisation remedies. ( ISAoutput ) provides a list of Murdoch University ISA related research.

Commercial Production

A number of small scale commercial projects are underway in WA:

A small quantity of trout is being produced either in static farm dams or small recirculation systems. Two groups of agricultural farmers are involved, the Salt Water Trout Alliance and the Western Inland Fisheries Cooperative. Further small scale ISA is being undertaken in the Gascoyne region where Ornamental fish are being produced.

Planning & Approvals

WA aquaculture approvals processes are well documented and presented on the WA Fisheries website on a species by species basis.

http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/aqua/index.html

WA Fisheries has a well documented translocation policy and approvals processes in place.