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General News

19 February, 2020

Aquaculture looking strong in Queensland

The Queensland aquaculture industry is booming with over 600 jobs being provided, an extra 100 jobs over last year.

By Rhys Thomas

Aquaculture looking strong in Queensland - feature photo

The Queensland aquaculture industry is booming with over 600 jobs being provided, an extra 100 jobs over last year.

With 525 full-time positions being filled at the end of the last financial year to 623 full-time positions now, the aquaculture industry is growing rapidly seeing an 18.7% increase.

Hundreds of more jobs will be provided if Queensland stays on track according to the annual Aquaculture Production Summary, with the goal of making Queensland the aquaculture capital of the world.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner sees more than just numbers when it comes to Queensland’s growing industry.

“Having a strong aquaculture sector and sustainable commercial fishing industry will also mean more fresh and tasty Queensland seafood on the tables around Australia and across the world,” he said.

“The prawn industry continues to recover from white spot disease as affected farms restock their ponds.

“The total value of prawn production has gone up by 7.6% making $80.4 million and the number of farms went up by four to 20.

The overall value of Queensland’s aquaculture industry has increased by 3.7%, making $118.4 million with a 6.1% increase of total production compared to last year.

The minister added, “A very bright future is ahead for aquaculture in Queensland with the recovery of the prawn sector and the development and investment of more aquaculture farms across the state.”

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