Shrimps
A worker shows prawns at the main fish market in Sao Paulo, October 27, 2007. A total of 85 wholesale companies sell salmon from Chile, shark from Uruguay, tuna from Brazil, merluza from Argentina and prawns, sardines and squid from all over fill the stalls in the predawn hours. Last year it sold nearly 46,000 tons of fish. Reuters

In view of plans by the Northern Australian government to expand the aquaculture industry in the state, a committee will conduct hearings in Queensland on Aug 24, 26 and 27. Northern Australian MP Warren Entsch, chair of the committee, said that the state could capitalise on global and Australian demand for prawns, fish, shellfish and other aquaculture species.

Entsch cites as a good example the proposed Sea Dragon Project that plans to expand on the North Australia and Northern Territory border. At full production, the project is expected to generate 100,000 tonnes yearly of premium black tiger prawns and $800 million in exports.

The MP hopes to get a bigger share of the global market for aquaculture products, particularly tiger prawns in which out of the 7 million tonnes produced yearly, 3.9 million tonnes are produced through aquaculture. China is the largest producer at 1.2 million tonnes a year, followed by Vietnam at 0.5 million tonnes and Indonesia, India and Ecuador tied up in third place with 0.3 million tonnes. Australia produces only 4,000 tonnes a year.

Despite Australia’s ambition to get a bigger share of the market, Entsch says that new aquaculture projects must have minimal impact on the Great Barrier Reef. That’s the reason why the reef’s Marine Park Authority is one of the six witnesses to be presented at the hearings in Cairns, Townsville and Brisbane.

Project Sea Dragon is Australia’s largest prawn farm given major project status by the WA and NT governments, reports ABC. If the project pushes through, it could provide jobs for 1,600 full-time employees.

According to Ian Trahar, executive chairman of Seafarms Group, it plans to use WA’s Port of Wyndham to export the prawns that Project Sea Dragon would harvest. He said the company expects first shipment to Asia would be by 2018.

The five others include Sea Farms Group which is the proponent of the Sea Dragon Project, the Australian Prawn Farmers Association, Pacific Reef Fisheries which proposed a new prawn farm at Guthalungra, James Cook University and the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

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