Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has conducted successful breeding trials for a new white-flesh fish variety, which has potential to add more than $1 billion to the economy.
As consumer demand continues to grow for Australian-sourced white fish, there’s an opportunity to diversify aquaculture and cultivate species at scale, efficiently and in a sustainable way. CSIRO’s aquaculture research and development spans breeding and genomics through to health, nutrition, and production processes.
Research indicated the oyster pompano (Trachinotus anak) would be the ideal white-flesh fish for developing in northern Australia’s tropical climate. A new Pompano industry would help Australian aquaculture reduce its reliance on around 100,000 tonnes of white-flesh fish imports.
Lead scientist, Dr Polly Hilder, is speaking at CSIRO’s AgCatalyst2024 event to highlight the need for developing nutritious protein sources while prioritising sustainability and welfare.
“The Pompano is a robust, sociable fish endemic to northern Australia that grows really quickly and tastes great, making it an ideal candidate for adapting to our aquaculture environments,” said Hilder.
“We're bringing a new species to Australian plates to give consumers more options, while opening up new export opportunities to strengthen Australia’s white-flesh fish industry. We’re now working to scale production processes in commercial trials with industry.”
By partnering with industry to bring Pompano to the mainstream market, CSIRO aims to create a new, sustainable Australian white-flesh fish industry in the near future to diversify the market and reduce reliance on imports.
The organisation’s National Protein Roadmap stated industry ambitions to produce 50,000 tonnes of white-flesh fish could create more than 1000 jobs for Australia. Through initiatives such as Pompano breeding, CSIRO aims to create an additional $13 billion in science and technology driven protein opportunities by 2030.
“We’re applying innovative circular economy approaches designed around welfare that make use of resources end-to-end – from capturing value from production processes, through to utilising the whole fish at the consumer end,” said Hilder.
“For example, fish waste is high in phosphorus and nitrogen nutrients and can be turned into valuable byproducts such as fertiliser capsules.”
