The most recent ABARES Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics demonstrated that aquaculture had kept its steady expansion within the Australian seafood industry.
According to ABARES Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville, the aquaculture sector has maintained its recent rise, accounting for 56 per cent of the gross value of fisheries production (GVP).
“In 2020-21 aquaculture GVP increased by 9 per cent to $1.7 billion, largely due to increased production of salmonids in Tasmania and prawns in Queensland,” Dr Greenville said.
Dr Greenville stated that aquaculture has grown in the last two decades, contributing to increased fisheries productivity.
“In recent years, the aquaculture sector has been broadening the composition of species produced, with an increased emphasis on prawns and finfish varieties, like barramundi and kingfish,” Dr Greenville added.
Dr Greenville said Tasmania had had a lot of success with aquaculture. He stated that Tasmania had the greatest fisheries and aquaculture GVP in 2020-21, accounting for 38 per cent of the national total, followed by Western Australia with 14 per cent, and South Australia with 13 per cent.
He added that in the same year, Tasmania’s fishery and aquaculture GVP climbed by 10 per cent to $1.18 billion.
“In contrast, the GVP of wild-catch species decreased by 12 per cent to $1.4 billion in 2020-21, largely due to lower prices received for rock lobster in export markets. Lower rock lobster production value was driven by trade and pandemic disruptions continuing to limit opportunities in export markets,” Dr Greenville said.
According to Dr Greenville, the GVP of Australian aquaculture and fishing as a whole fell by 1 per cent to $3.09 billion in 2020–21.
“Australians consumed around 356,000 tonnes of seafood in 2020–21, equivalent to 13.9 kilograms per person. And while imports made up 62 per cent of that total, this share has declined from the peak of 69 per cent in 2013–14,” Dr Greenville stated.
The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation is providing funding for Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics 2021 on behalf of the Australian Government.
