Aquaculture, or fish farming, contributes to around a third of Australia’s yearly fish production and is the country’s fastest growing primary industry.
In actual figures, this equates to approximately 80,000 out of 240,000 tonnes of fish per year. That’s a lot of fish for frying! Keep reading to find out how Global Tanks is helping out aquaculture farmers with our rotomoulded products!
Why aquaculture?
As the world’s population increases so does the global demand for seafood. The world’s commercial fisheries simply can’t keep up with the amounts of fish needed to meet this demand on a sustainable level; other marine life relies on the oceans fish as well as humans.
Aquaculture is a viable, eco-friendly solution for providing food for people, as well as keeping wild fisheries from becoming depleted.
In Australia, we farm ten species of fish but mainly produce southern bluefin tuna, Atlantic salmon and barramundi.
What other benefits does aquaculture have?
Apart from just providing food for the masses, as a relatively young industry, aquaculture has a lot of potential for growth and is providing lots of educational opportunities in Australia.
Melbourne Polytechnic offers aquaculture as a major in their Bachelor of Agriculture and Technology degree program. Students learn the ropes for running a seafood farming business as well as food security and safety, something that is increasingly concerning to people.
Teaching aquaculture in a tertiary environment also means innovations in fish farming can be experimented with. For instance, students managed to improve the flavour of the Murray cod which traditionally tastes ‘muddy’, increasing its potential for both local and overseas markets.
Some other benefits that the aquaculture industry is having in Australia include:
- Boosting numbers of fish in rivers and lakes for recreational fishing.
- Restoring endangered species.
- Providing ornamental fish for aquariums.
- Providing opportunities for Indigenous communities to participate in the industry.
Aquaculture tanks
Global’s roto-moulded aquaculture tanks are perfect for agricultural use because they’re tough, durable and made from food grade polyethylene plastic. Global supplies a range of circular tanks in 2000 litre, 3000 litre and 5000 litres, which are suitable for fish, chemicals and fertigation. These tanks are also UV stabilized for Australian conditions.
Our circular polyethylene aquaculture tanks are used in flow through hatchery systems which have the following benefits:
- Water is reused by re-circulating it through filters and pumping it back into the tank.
- Proper water circulation maintains higher oxygen levels for improved fish health and growth rates.
- Higher fish densities are safely maintained.
- Smooth, fish-friendly surface reduces fin and scale damage and infections.
Contact us to find out more about Global’s roto-moulded products today!
