December 26, 2024 | 17:39 GMT +7

  • Click to copy
Sunday- 07:02, 24/11/2024

Aquaculture company hopes to create inland fish farm industry at Waikerie

(VAN) Fish and seaweed could soon be farmed at a site in Waikerie by an Adelaide-based aquaculture company. Previous research has found the concept is technically viable, but has not yet been widely replicated in Australia.
John Carragher examines saline groundwater extracted from a site in Waikerie. 

John Carragher examines saline groundwater extracted from a site in Waikerie. 

An Adelaide-based aquaculture company wants to develop an inland fish farm hundreds of kilometres from the sea, using reserves of saline groundwater pumped deep from under the earth.

A-Culture has purchased a 50-hectare site near the Riverland town of Waikerie, in South Australia, where it plans to grow yellowtail kingfish.

It is not the first time the company has tried to launch a project reliant on the state's stocks of salty water, which have long been a threat to the health of the River Murray.

A-Culture aquaculture scientist John Carragher said Waikerie was the ideal location for the project because of its potential to grow a sustainable supply of marine fish all year round.

"The water is half-strength sea water and … a good intermediate temperature for growing local species like yellowtail kingfish," Dr Carragher said.

The scientist said the saline groundwater had a consistent temperature of around 20 degrees Celsius.

Dr Carragher said he hoped the site could one day host up to 20 individual farms — each capable of producing 240 tonnes of fish annually.

In addition to growing marine fish, a small-scale trial will also take place on the site to investigate how to use waste from the farm to grow asparagopsis seaweed.

The seaweed has been a focus of studies around Australia, investigating whether its use as a livestock feed supplement can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"Our wastewater from the fish farm will go through seaweed aquaculture, and we'll be growing high-value seaweeds for either the food industry or to feed to cows to reduce the amount of methane they produce as they're grazing," Dr Carragher said.

A proven method

Research conducted in Waikerie by the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) between 2004 and 2008 proved the aquaculture model was technically viable for the Australian market, and demonstrated marine fish were capable of surviving and growing in the groundwater.

According to a report released by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) in 2023, research into inland saline aquaculture has "considerable support" from federal and state governments, including in South Australia.

But the report claimed commercial development had not proceeded "as expected" in Australia, mainly due to the "failure to secure long-term water security" of sufficient quantity.

Dr Carragher acknowledged a key challenge for the project was securing funding due to "bad publicity" from failed aquaculture projects elsewhere.

But former SARDI scientist and current FRDC research manager, Wayne Hutchinson, said most of the challenges with inland fish farms and water supply had been solved.

"It's just a question of where the markets are, what scale it needs to operate at.

"To make these things work now you need a scale of operation approaching thousands of tonnes."

HD

(ABCNews)

China and Japan expected to discuss seafood ban

China and Japan expected to discuss seafood ban

(VAN) Beijing imposed the ban last August after Tokyo began releasing treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant despite Chinese opposition.

Food and nutrition crisis deepens across Sudan as famine identified in additional areas

Food and nutrition crisis deepens across Sudan as famine identified in additional areas

(VAN) FAO, WFP and UNICEF urge immediate humanitarian access and action to avert what could become the worst hunger crisis in recent history.

How to repair the planet? One answer might be hiding in plain sight

How to repair the planet? One answer might be hiding in plain sight

(VAN) We tend to look at environmental problems in isolation. A holistic approach would be more effective, a new report says.

Georgia farmers still grappling with $5.5 billion in Hurricane Helene storm losses

Georgia farmers still grappling with $5.5 billion in Hurricane Helene storm losses

(VAN) Twisted equipment and snapped tree limbs still litter Chris Hopkins’ Georgia farm more than two months after Hurricane Helene made its deadly march across the South.

US poultry sector prepares for mass deportations

US poultry sector prepares for mass deportations

(VAN) The US poultry processing industry has long relied on illegal workers, but huge adjustments are going to have to be made after President-elect Donald Trump takes power on 20 January 2025.

The future is dry: Why soil is the sexiest climate solution

The future is dry: Why soil is the sexiest climate solution

(VAN) Drought is projected to affect 75% of the world's population by 2050. Take that in.

Environmentalists call for a revision of poultry welfare standards

Environmentalists call for a revision of poultry welfare standards

(VAN) Voice of Animals, a Russian NGO, has prepared amendments to the draft veterinary regulation in the poultry industry, which is scheduled to come into force on 1 August 2025.

Read more