More government support for a growing salmon farming industry
Salmon farmers in British Columbia are looking with envy at the level of support for an expanding salmon farming industry in places like New Zealand and Australia. As many other news outlets reported in recent days, Cameron Whiteley of the 123-year old newspaper The Advocate explains the expansion plans for the three different companies currently operating within the huge Macquarie Harbour basin outside the idyllic town of Strahan, which now “reels in federal funding”;
TASMANIA'S three major producers of salmon are fierce market rivals but an industry expansion on the West Coast shows they can also be considered business partners. Tassal, Petuna and Huon Aquaculture are collaborating to develop a AU$ 67 million (~€ 47.8 million) facility near Strahan, which will be known as the Macquarie Harbour Aquaculture Hub.
The companies will share infrastructure at the hub, providing added efficiencies and productivity gains. A government funding boost of $7 million for the project has been granted, under the Regional Development Australia Fund. Construction work is expected to begin within a few months with the hub expected to be fully built by August next year. The project is set to bring 100 jobs during the construction phase and a further 163 jobs once the facility is built.
Company directors and CEOs joined with government and local council representatives in Strahan yesterday to mark the announcement. The project will provide employment for West Coast job seekers while also encouraging families to relocate to the town. Braddon Labor MHR and Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries Sid Sidebottom said in Strahan yesterday: ``We hope to see a good demand for real estate and people moving with their families here and that will have wonderful implications both for the economy and also for the social
The Tasmanian Salmonid Growers Association will own and operate the hub on behalf of the salmon producers operating in Macquarie Harbour. ``This centralization of activities means companies will be able to utilize shared facilities as operational and production requirements increase,'' association chief executive officer Adam Main said. The facilities of all three major companies are currently scattered around Strahan.
