International aquaculture history was made when the South Australian Clean Seas Tuna Company, with support from the Australian Seafood Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), successfully achieved a high degree of spawning in captive Southern Bluefin Tuna resulting in the production of millions and millions of eggs – a world first.
Scientists from the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) said they were especially proud of the break-through result, after being associated with the project for many years. USC Professor Abigail Elizur said, “This is a triumph of planning and persistence with great Australian entrepreneurs. Clean Seas Tuna have broken the mould and have shown that it is biologically possible to spawn giant tuna”.
It has been reported that there are now so many larvae that even if only a few per cent survive, then the number of captive tuna now will exceed all those in the entire history of Australian aquaculture.
Clean Seas Tuna has created this breeding phenomenon all indoors.
Dr Len Stephens, Managing Director of the CRC summarised the breakthrough as innovative and the first step to commercialisation, “We now have the potential to commercially open a new path to revolutionise the tuna industry and see captive Australian tuna aquaculture grow to a multibillion dollar sector. This is what great science is all about – taking a risk. I commend Clean Seas Tuna and the participant scientists for thinking outside the square and pursuing this very impressive challenge”.
