Awards showcase exciting growth in aquaculture

NSW Government today said the winners of the 2004 Sydney Royal Aquaculture Competition were leaders in one of the most exciting growth industries in the country.

Tribute was paid to the winners, announced this afternoon, and all the entrants, who were helping to promote aquaculture as a mainstream primary industry.

The awards are about supporting the development of environmentally sustainable quality farmed seafood.

Aquaculture represents about 30% of total Australian seafood production. It is also one of the fastest growing industries in Australia - in fact, it hit the $50 million production mark for the first time in 2002-03 in NSW alone.

This represents a 10.8% increase on the previous year and is largely due to the success of the farmed prawns and oyster industries.

Importantly, aquaculture also generates many jobs for rural and regional NSW.

The oyster industry provides directly for 900 jobs and indirectly for another 1600, through wholesaling and processing. There are also more than 230 estuary prawn trawl fishers in NSW.

The Government's vision is for everyone in NSW to eventually have access to freshly caught, local seafood - from Bourke to Dubbo and Forbes.

Awards such as this are an important part of that vision and the NSW Government was again proud to sponsor the 2004 Sydney Royal Aquaculture Competition, which was added to the Royal Agricultural Society's Fine Food Show awards in 1999.

Particular tribute was paid to this year's aquaculture winners - Tathra Oysters, on the South Coast; Gold Coast Marine Aquaculture and Pacific Reef Fisheries.

For more information on the winners, see www.sydneyroyalshows.com.au.