The New South Wales government has invested $7.4 million into South Coast aquaculture projects, in the first round of funding from its new $20 million Aquaculture Industry Development Program.
Ten aquaculture businesses have been selected for the first round of funding, across the local Bega and South Coast oyster, kelp and seafood sector. The projects aim to expand production and sustainability, create more jobs and drive economic growth.
The New South Wales government launched its Aquaculture Vision Statement in September 2024 in collaboration with the industry to target a doubling of the sector’s economic output to $300 million by 2030. The $20 million Aquaculture Industry Development Program was announced last year to turbocharge seafood production.
The funding comes from the Regional Development Trust, with a goal to increase regional aquaculture and commercial fishing industries access to new and expanding markets, and
leverage opportunities associated with environmental and market changes to position New South Wales as the market leader in sustainable seafood and marine bioproducts.
The program is investing $7.4 million in this first round, with co-contributions from the proponents of $6.9 million. The selected projects include:
- Ocean2Earth – $1,882,750
Expand innovative marine waste recovery and biofertiliser manufacturing capability from pilot scale to industrial scale. Enabling the sector to access a cost-free, environmentally compliant outlet to process unavoidable seafood by-products and create new local skilled jobs and value-add capabilities. - Wapengo Rocks Wild Organic Oysters – $1,284,798
Replacing traditional methods with automated on-water infrastructure with 10,000 additional units, solar power, reduce water fouling and grow premium product. - Tollgate Oysters – $959,491
Develop collaborative and expansive oyster farming infrastructure on existing leases that are presently under-used and fixed to traditional farming systems. Introducing new on-water floating bag systems, installation of a complete wet storage system and purpose-built processing and holding sheds. - Auskelp Pty Ltd – $896,805
Purchase, modify and operate a specialised offshore research vessel based at Eden to expand planting, collecting and preparing kelp, plus installing permanent specialist equipment. Vessel will enable large scale seeding of kelp lines and efficient harvesting. Deployment will enable trialling up to 100 one-hectare rigs. - Ritchie Oysters Pty Ltd – $684,435
Supporting modernisation, resilience and expansion by replacing traditional methods with automated on-water infrastructure with 10,000 additional floating units and onshore processing to meet growing demand for premium product. - Sandingroove Oysters – $544,465
Expanding automation, cold-chain capacity and solar power to better control fouling, improve oyster health and survivability, doubling production from 55,000 dozen to 110,000 dozen oysters per year, and increasing job creation opportunities. - Sapphire Coast Oysters – $465,188
New equipment and upgrading of the oyster nursery will improve outcomes for growing Pacific Oyster spat (oyster larvae) through to a strong juvenile size allowing for the supply and restock of oyster farms. Plus, double production size from 55,000 dozen to 100,000 dozen oysters annually by 2030. - OysterLife Unit Trust – $348,480
This will support Batemans Bay operations to transition towards net-zero by decommissioning fossil-fuel based operational equipment with electric alternatives and adopting cleaner energy solutions across its operations. - Ballantyne Commercial Fishing – $211,000
Upgrade freezing and refrigeration systems to increase bait and catch capacity, to improve fish handling efficiency, storage hygiene, food safety and market outcomes. - Glasshouse Rock Oysters – $139,148
Upgrade from manual to automated oyster grading equipment to improve processing capacity and increase stock security. Installation of 2,000 new floating oyster basket units will reduce stock losses during weather events and improve product quality.
New South Wales Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty, said the funding boost to the aquaculture industry is a game changer for the South Coast – delivering expanded production, plus higher sustainability and resilience that will create jobs and economic growth.
“This funding program is new to the industry and demonstrates the state government’s commitment to growing this coastal industry with an ambitious vision and timetable,” said Moriarty.
“Our seafood products are amongst the best in the world, and we need to boost production, enhance supply chain efficiency and security, so that our local businesses can take advantage of market demand for quality and low carbon footprint seafood.
“The South Coast has unique qualities that our Government wants to protect and promote to the rest of Australia and the world, and these local businesses are showing how we can do this together. We have set out to advance a circular marine economy that can grow the industry while protecting the environment, be resilient and create new businesses and jobs for the future,” she said.
Further announcements of successful recipients under the Aquaculture Industry Development Program will be made in the coming weeks. Head to nsw.gov.au/regionaldevelopmenttrust for more information.
