Petuna Aquaculture today officially opened the doors to a new state-of-the-art recirculation hatchery in Cressy, injecting $10 million into Tasmania’s growing aquaculture industry.
Cressy II will enable Petuna to further improve its operational capacity and sustainability, using world-leading technology to recirculate the water its fish are living in, through mechanical and biological filters, saving
95 per cent water use.
Petuna CEO, Dr Mark Porter, said the new hatchery system, developed in partnership by Norwegian company Aquatec and Petuna’s Infrastructure Manager Kevin Chilman, used less than five per cent of the water of traditional systems.
“This $10 million investment allows Petuna to unlock significant growth potential, with the capacity to grow
3.5 million high quality smolt through temperature, light and oxygen control,” Dr Porter said.
“Not only does it help improve the juvenile quality, but it also maintains and reinforces Petuna’s commitment to the Tasmanian environment and sustainable practises.
“This is exemplified by Petuna being the only company in the world to have two species accredited with Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) as well as attaining the first BAP hatchery accreditation in the southern hemisphere.”
Dr Porter said aquaculture was a showcase industry for Tasmania, with the capacity for strong future growth, delivering premium products that were sought after from all around the world.
“In the 2015 financial year, Tasmanian salmon and ocean trout sales hit 48,000 tonnes and returned $640 million in revenue,” Dr Porter said.
“With the industry expected to reach $1 billion from 87,000 tonnes of production by 2030, sustainable aquaculture will be critical in providing sustainable food solutions for Australia and the world’s growing population.”
Aquaculture now provides more than 50 per cent of the world’s seafood requirement and is acknowledged as being the fastest growing food sector, with global production expected to double by 2030.
Salmon and trout account for 49 per cent of the total aquaculture production within Australia.
Dr Porter said Petuna was Tasmania’s biggest mixed seafood producer, providing over 350 jobs across the state.
“The construction of the hatchery itself provided employment for more than 70 Tasmanians and Cressy II’s ongoing operation will allow us to maintain our current growth strategy which, in less than 12 months, had seen 26 jobs created in Tasmania,” he said.
Petuna was established 65 years ago by Peter and Una Rockliff, whose vision was for Tasmania to be internationally recognised for quality and unsurpassed environmental excellence. It is now jointly owned by the Rockliffs and Sealord Group, which has brought with it a worldwide fishing, processing and marketing network.
Petuna CEO, Dr Mark Porter
