High Value Aquaculture in Sustainable Rural Landscapes

Fish farming for the future
Better fish stocks for profitable aquaculture

The challenge
Aquaculture is Australia's fastest growing primary industry, expected to be worth $1.4 billion by 2005. However, the Victorian aquaculture industry lags behind its interstate competitors, making up less than three per cent of the national value of production.

The strategy
To use advanced genetic and reproduction techniques to breed elite strains of selected fish for the Victorian aquaculture industry, while protecting wild fish biodiversity.

The project

• Select the fish genotypes best suited to the aquaculture environment and international market demands.
• Discover gene markers for traits of importance to consumers and producers.
• Propogate selected lines of key aquaculture species, eg. Murray cod, golden perch, and silver perch.
• Develop breeding programs to ensure the genetic diversity of fish used for restocking wild populations.