Some regions are supporting aquaculture development- others not so much
Opinion
As an inquiry into some disappointing returns of salmon to the Fraser River near Vancouver comes to a close, critics of the region’s salmon farming industry are fuelling the media fire, creating an image of a rampant outbreak of a deadly virus that is sure to kill millions of Pacific salmon- a virus that surely must have come from salmon farms. The problem is that no such virus has yet to be found, and no disease outbreak has ever happened due to the presence of such a virus. So one would expect that the saner minds of elected politicians would see through the rhetoric and make decisions based on sound- rather than pseudo- science. One can only hope- the inquiry is due to deliver its final report sometimes in June next year.
Meanwhile, ABC News reports that a local government in Western Australia is recognizing the importance of producing more high quality, sustainable seafood and in the process, supporting local businesses by providing funding to set up zones specifically aimed at aquaculture development;
The Mid West Development Commission says the region's developing aquaculture industry has been given the boost it needs to become commercially viable. The Western Australian Government recently allocated almost $2 million to help develop two aquaculture zones off the WA coast. The zones will be established near Geraldton in the mid-west and Cone Bay in the Kimberley. The money will be used to help operators fund strategic environmental assessments required to cultivate fish.
The commission's Murray Criddle says there is a market for cultivated fish that operators can now capitalise on. "There's an indication for the requirement for food around the world that a fishery has to be developed and aquaculture in this area is something that could certainly be of enormous benefit to the region," he said.
Erica Starling has already established a fish farm industry in the mid-west called Indian Ocean Fresh. She has been selling cultivated fish since the start of the year and says the funding will go a long way to sustaining the industry. "This will help form a very solid basis for the industry in Western Australia and for the state to develop and grow to its full potential," she said. "When aquaculture is conducted in an orderly and sustainable manner it has the potential to provide a stable and consistent supply of healthy, fresh fish for all of us."
