Aquaculture in cages is a technique being increasingly used throughout the world - now NSW cotton farms are about to try it for producing silver perch commercially.

Fish farming is being assessed for its potential on cotton farms to increase returns on valuable irrigation water.

A two-year NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) research project aims to determine the feasibility of growing the native fish silver perch in cages in cotton farm dams.

“Aquaculture is the fastest growing food-producing industry in the world, and has great potential in Australia,” said NSW DPI senior research scientist, Dr Stuart Rowland, based at Grafton.

“At the same time, water for irrigation is a substantial and recurring cost to cotton farmers, who seek to add value to their investment.”

Dr Rowland said a solution might be in the intensive culture of silver perch, which can return around $3000 a megalitre in pond culture.

“Silver perch also perform very well in cages, a technique being increasingly used for many species throughout the world, due to ease of husbandry and management, and protection from birds,” he said.

“Cages also enable the use of existing water bodies such as dams on cotton farms.”

The new project, titled “Evaluation of the potential for aquaculture on cotton farms – cage culture of silver perch”, is a collaborative research project involving NSW DPI, Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, and the University of New England, through the Cotton Catchment Communities Co-operative Research Centre.

The project aims to identify the best conditions – such as stocking density, cage design, diet and disease control – for the intensive culture of silver perch in cages.

Conditions will then be evaluated using trials on cotton farms.

“If successful, the integration of fish farming will provide cotton farmers with a diversification that adds significant value to irrigation water, and increases the efficiency of water use and environmental sustainability,” Dr Rowland said.

“The involvement of the highly professional cotton industry could also enable silver perch to realise its potential and become one of Australia’s largest fisheries.”

Economic and marketing studies have suggested that if production costs could be decreased by 20 to 30 per cent and farm gate prices reduced to $6 per kilogram for whole fish, silver perch could be retailed at $9.99/kg and sold as a boneless, skin-on fillet for just under $20/kg.

At those price levels, the demand would expand enormously and silver perch would have a tremendous future.

Dr Rowland said there was a solid basis for a significant increase in silver perch production over the next 10 to 20 years.

Contact Dr Stuart Rowland, Grafton, (02) 6640 1691, stuart.rowland@dpi.nsw.gov.au