Western Australia’s Government has declared a development zone for large-scale fish farms.

Barramundi sea cages in Cone Bay

Barramundi sea cages in Cone Bay

Fisheries Minister Ken Baston said the new Kimberley Aquaculture Development Zone, covering almost 2,000 hectares near Broome in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, would support production of up to 20,000 tonnes of fish per year - up from the current tonnage of 7,000 tonnes.

At Cone Bay to declare the development zone open, Mr Baston said an existing barramundi farm could soon be joined by other commercial developments.

Comprehensive studies confirm the zone’s capacity to support the annual production of up to 20,000 tonnes of finfish without significant environmental impact.

“By starting a fish farm in a declared zone, operators do not need to spend years and hundreds of thousands of dollars on environmental approvals and consultation, because these approvals have already been done by the State Government,” the Minister said.

Mr Baston said such zones would provide an economic boost for WA, with ‘investment ready’ locations and more jobs on offer sooner.

Topics