Industry Profile

Snapshot of South Australian Aquaculture Industry

Aquaculture in South Australia

South Australia is a State of opportunity, and few sectors demonstrate this more clearly than the aquaculture industry.

Innovation and creativity based on an exchange of expertise and cooperation between industry, aquaculture organisations, research institutions and the public sector has been the hallmark of the aquaculture industry throughout its development in South Australia. These qualities go a long way towards explaining the success of the industry.

In total, the value of aquaculture industry output was estimated at over $325 million. This activity generated business turnover (output) of $252 million in other South Australian industries. In terms of employment, there were over 1,170 jobs generated directly in aquaculture, over 200 jobs generated directly in downstream activities and almost 1,240 flow-on jobs generated in other sectors of the State’s economy in 2001/02.

While farm gate growth is impressive, it tells only part of the story. South Australia’s aquaculture industry supports a much broader range of second and third tier suppliers in the form of boat builders, feed suppliers, net makers, training providers, business service providers and the like. The industry also supports other industries involved further along the supply chain such as processors, wholesalers, retailers, transport companies and so on. And finally, while industry participants invest some of their profits back into aquaculture, they also invest in other areas such as property development and diversified enterprises.

Since the South Australian Government’s support of aquaculture through the initial funding package known as the Farmed Seafood Initiative (FSI) in the 1990’s, the aquaculture industry has been developing and maturing.

The industry’s target is to achieve $1bn in gross revenue by 2010 from the South Australian aquaculture industry from farm gate sales of around $650 million. The industry is currently responsible for the employment of approximately 2,200 people, and this is targeted to increase to 6,000 by 2010.

There has already made a great deal of progress, but South Australia’s potential is far greater than this. To a large degree, the aquaculture industry has only made use of some of the opportunities offered by the marine environment. Indications are that there is a great potential for further growth, not only in more established sectors such as tuna and oyster farming, but also in marine finfish, shellfish, biotechnology and land-based aquaculture.

South Australia has particular natural advantages as an aquaculture location and we must protect these environmental factors to ensure there is stable and sustainable growth. It is therefore essential to provide a comprehensive legislative, regulatory and administrative framework.

There is increasing recognition that natural resource management requires a focus on stakeholder and community knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, as well as highlighting the contexts in which they occur. This understanding enables decision-making that is responsive to wide ranging interests and concerns and increases the effectiveness of consultation, public education, marketing and communications programs.

The world population is growing, and greater purchasing power in fish-eating regions such as Asia is resulting in unprecedented demand for seafood, providing export opportunities for the State. The Government has a keen interest in supporting regional communities where people want to live and operate their businesses – because this is where the opportunities are to be found.

Because of the State’s special advantages as an aquaculture location, there is no reason to believe South Australia will not remain an attractive option for the management operations of existing aquaculture businesses compared to other States and overseas. With the advantages offered by a unique coastline, access to resources and globally competitive expertise, it is expected the industry will continue to grow with a firm basis in South Australia if it remains sustainable, productive, competitive and innovative. International investments in aquaculture in South Australia should be seen as a wise adaptation to global markets and a way of introducing new technologies and expertise that have been proven overseas.

The general interest in the aquaculture industry has been high in South Australia. As a consequence, there is an active dialogue between government and industry on the development of strategies for this sector to grow.

Importantly, from a State perspective, this new and developing industry is greatly assisting economic and regional development through:

  • The development of export products and markets for South Australia.
  • Support for other regional industries benefiting from aquaculture developments including processing, transport, tourism and other related services.
  • Provision of new youth job opportunities as the majority of people employed in aquaculture are less than 30 years old.
  • The injection of incomes and jobs into the regions of South Australia, many of which are economically and socially disadvantaged.
  • Diversified training and employment opportunities in all aspects of the industry from research and development through to farming, value adding and marketing.

Enquiries

Enquiries relating to aquaculture in South Australia can be directed to:

PIRSA Aquaculture

Phone: (08) 8226 0314
Fax: (08) 8226 0330
14th Floor, 25 Grenfell Street ADELAIDE 5000
GPO Box 1625 ADELAIDE SA 5001

South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI)

Phone: (08) 8200 2400
Fax: (08) 8200 2481
SA Aquatic Sciences Centre
PO Box 120 HENLEY BEACH SA 5022
www.sardi.sa.gov.au