Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute Technical Report No 37 Integrated Agri-Aquaculture Systems Investment Portfolio Edited by: Fiona Gavine and Geoff Gooley May 2002 Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute Private Bag 20 Alexandra 3714 © The State of Victoria, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, 2002 This work is copyright. Apart from any use under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. ISSN: 1328-5548 ISBN: 1 74106 020 6 Copies available from: Librarian Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute PO Box 114 Queenscliff VIC 3225 Phone: (03) 5258 0259 Fax: (03) 5258 0270 Email: [email protected] Preferred way to cite this publication: Gavine, F. M. and Gooley, G. J. (2002). Integrated Agri-Aquaculture – Investment Portfolio. Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute Report No. 37. Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute: Snobs Creek. Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Victoria. 50pp. General disclaimer: This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS.............................................................................................. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................................................................... ii 1 INTRODUCTION TO INTEGRATED AGRI-AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS ...... 1 1.1 The Victorian Opportunity ..........................................................................................................1 2 TYPES OF INTEGRATED AGRI-AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS...................... 5 2.1 Farm Diversification ...................................................................................................................5 2.2 Inland Saline Aquaculture ..........................................................................................................7 2.3 Aquaponics ................................................................................................................................9 3 SETTING UP AN AQUACULTURE OPERATION ........................................ 11 3.1 Legislation And Regulation ......................................................................................................11 3.2 Site Selection and Risk Management......................................................................................13 3.3 Economic Viability....................................................................................................................14 3.4 Business Planning....................................................................................................................15 3.5 Key Investment Criteria............................................................................................................16 4 MANAGEMENT OF AN AQUACULTURE OPERATION ............................. 17 4.1 Water Quality ...........................................................................................................................17 4.2 Feed Management...................................................................................................................17 4.3 Health Management.................................................................................................................17 4.4 Stock Management ..................................................................................................................18 4.5 Control of Predators and Pests................................................................................................18 5 AQUACULTURE PRODUCE........................................................................ 19 5.1 Harvesting and Post-Harvest Handling....................................................................................19 5.2 Marketing of Aquaculture Produce...........................................................................................21 6 REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING.................................................. 23 7 APPENDIX 1: AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS ................................................. 27 7.1 Pond Culture ............................................................................................................................27 7.2 Cage Culture ............................................................................................................................29 7.3 Recirculating Aquaculture Systems .........................................................................................31 8 APPENDIX II: AQUACULTURE SPECIES.................................................. 33 8.1 Barramundi...............................................................................................................................33 8.2 Eels (Shortfin and longfin)........................................................................................................35 8.3 Murray Cod ..............................................................................................................................37 8.4 Ornamental Species.................................................................................................................39 8.5 Atlantic Salmon ........................................................................................................................41 8.6 Silver Perch..............................................................................................................................43 8.7 Trout.........................................................................................................................................45 8.8 Yabbies – Freshwater Crayfish................................................................................................47 9 Contact details for IAAS ............................................................................. 49 Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute, Snobs Creek i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Investment Portfolio was compiled and edited by Fiona Gavine and Geoff Gooley of the Aquaculture Program, Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute, Snobs Creek, Victoria. The project was funded jointly by the Science Technology and Innovation Initiative and Fisheries Victoria. The contribution of the following people to this document is gratefully acknowledged: Fish species: Richard Gasior and Nathan O’Mahoney Aquaponics: Geoff Wilson Inland saline aquaculture: Chris Hazelman Recirculating Aquaculture Systems: Annie Giles Dr Brett Ingram, Peter Lawson and Brendan Larkin also assisted with checking for factual errors and editing. Front cover acknowledgemnents: Main picture, ISIA; cow grazing, ISIA; tomatoes, ISIA; Barramundi and watercress, Glenn and Danielle Sheehan; Irrigation channel, MaFRI; Irrigation system, MaFRI. ii Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute, Snobs Creek 1 INTRODUCTION TO INTEGRATED AGRI-AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS Aquaculture is a rapidly growing industry in Australia with each state and territory adopting different species and culture methods according to their climate and natural resources. In Victorian inland waters rainbow trout is the largest aquaculture sector producing 1,500-2,000 tonnes of fish per year. Rainbow trout are coldwater fish and the industry is based (primarily) the north-east of the state. The culture of warm water native fish, such as Murray cod and silver perch has expanded rapidly in recent years and they are commonly grown in tanks or ponds. Yabbies are grown throughout Victoria and can be harvested from farm dams or grown in commercial quantities in purpose-built ponds. Although aquaculture production is dominated by large-scale operations, there are many opportunities for small to medium-scale ventures to exploit. A variety of species can be grown in systems which could make use of resources and infrastructure already available on your farm. If your farm has a reliable supply of good quality water then aquaculture may provide an opportunity to diversify your on-farm activities. The integration of aquaculture into existing farming systems, or Integrated Agri-Aquaculture Systems (IAAS), is a rapidly developing new rural industry in Australia. Research into the technical and economic viability of IAAS has highlighted three main types of integration: • Farm diversification through the use of irrigation water for aquaculture and land-based crops, agro- forestry or pasture. Diversification into aquaculture can improve your farm’s productivity through high- value, market-focussed products and increasing your return from each megalitre of your valuable water resources. • Inland saline aquaculture - the use of shallow saline groundwater for aquaculture. Where farmland has been degraded by salt intrusion, inland saline aquaculture may offer an opportunity to recover productivity from otherwise unproductive resources and offset the costs of measures to deal with salinity. • Aquaponics - aquaculture wastewater subsequently used for hydroponics. For farms where aquaculture is the primary enterprise, wastewater can be used for irrigation or the hydroponic production of fruit and vegetables. The information in this portfolio is designed to provide basic information about production systems and species for potential investors in Integrated Agri-Aquaculture Systems (IAAS). It also gives examples of how the systems