“Quicklook” Assessment of Greater Adelaide's Assets & Challenges ...

• An international reputation for a clean and unpolluted environment.
• Availability of land in a range of climates providing for the potential culture of a
range of species.
• A geographic location enabling swift transport of product to both the domestic
and international markets (loss of Ansett is a major problems for some seafood
export sectors).
• The government of South Australia recognises the economic importance of
aquaculture to the State and will continue to support this expanding industry to
ensure aquaculture fulfils its maximum potential i .
Focus Group
The Adelaide Knowledge Hub Project Group hosted a focus group following a
presentation from the SARDI group. 3 major areas addressed by the SARDI group
were:
1. Environment
2. New species and technologies
3. Economic returns for existing industry sectors.
They also stated that Port Lincoln is the main center for the fishing industry – prawn and
tuna, abalone and rock lobster, etc. It was further noted the primary industries are
aquaculture, capture fisheries, and recreational fisheries.
Observations and discussions were active as well as productive. This paper has taken
the knowledge transfer from the meeting and arranged into areas of Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats, Issues, and Areas of Discussion. It is meant to be
a critical analysis in order to approach areas for improvement, be utilized for internal
analysis, and hopefully help increase the quality of the SARDI service.
Strengths
• Recognized objectives with stated dual purpose –development and sustainability
• The aquaculture industry as a whole is on an upscale growth curve. The fishing
industry is static due to the sustainable exploitation level having been reached,
aquaculture is becoming increasingly important , aquacultured product is
producing an improved quality fish which is resulting in a higher market value and
improved profitability. An example is tuna aquaculture which has resulted in
product being sold at about $3 to $8 per kilo to 30 to $40 per kilo; with the weight
of fish also having doubled so getting more per fish than would have otherwise
been possible for a quota limited fishery.
• New species and technologies – Oysters are about a $10M industry and oyster
culture has little environmental impact; regional agriculturists and families have
been facing an increasingly difficult economic environment; research in about
1984 looked at farming Pacific and native oysters in suitable sites around the
state; showing the feasibility. This initiated the expansion of the industry over the
last decade. Existing intertidal areas available for farming are almost fully utilised
COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE
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