Scope for freshwater aquaculture to expand

摘要

Still in its infancy, freshwater aquaculture in Australia is developing at a less-than-spectacular rate, but prospects look good. It currently accounts for only a small percentage of national aquaculture production. In 2000/2001, freshwater production amounted to about 4500 tonnes, or 12.2 percent of total aquaculture production. This contrasts sharply with the global situation, where about 45 percent of total aquaculture production is in freshwater products. If overseas trends are any indication,freshwater aquaculture in Australia appears to be dragging the chain in achieving its potential share of the market. "Our initial hopes in the mid-1990s for growth in freshwater aquaculture have failed to materialise to any great extent," Matthew Dadswell, of the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (AFFA), says. He notes that, unlike marine aquaculture, there does not appear to be any significant foreign investment going into freshwater aquaculture -- not a favourable sign forthe short- to medium-term prospects of the industry.