Queensland Groper on track for Dinner Plates

[Gad]

Taken from Tues 27-11-12 DAFF email newsletter

The spectacular success rate in spawning Queensland groper at a State Government research facility in Cairns is bound to attract keen interest from potential aquaculture investors, and even more interest from sea-foodies.

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) scientists have completed four monthly spawning events since July with Queensland groper broodstock.

DAFF principal aquaculture scientist, Richard Knuckey, said Queensland groper, known as the giant of the grouper species, was protected in Queensland waters and only available to consumers through farmed stock.

“The success of the spawning program means Queensland groper could soon become a popular food fish in Australia and a lucrative export product,†Dr Knuckey said.

“Queensland has cornered the local market in groper farming, with DAFF’s Northern Fisheries Centre having the only broodstock under full photo-thermal control within the south-east Asian region.

“We have been successful in extending the natural spawning season by replicating daylight and outdoor temperatures indoors without the limitations of the randomness of the wild.

“This is a real breakthrough and builds on our early success when we achieved one spawning a year.

“The success of the project will give investors the opportunity to be research partners and have access to fish and their progeny for growing out and marketing.â€

Dr Knuckey said the broodstock for the project were originally collected in 2007 as 10 to 20 kg juveniles and then acclimatised to captivity in the environmentally-controlled recirculated broodstock systems at the Northern Fisheries Centre.

“It takes time to condition and mature Queensland groper broodstock and for such a gigantic fish (up to 300 kg) the larvae are incredibly small and delicate, which makes it difficult to rear larvae to the juvenile stage,†Dr Knuckey.

“Spawnings over four consecutive months show we are on the right track.â€

“We have already supplied Queensland groper fingerlings to our long-term research partner, Francois Naude’s Coral Sea Farm near Ingham, and a new recirculation aquaculture facility on the Sunshine Coast.â€

As part of the department’s extension work with industry, Queensland groper eggs have been supplied to Shu Quan Huang’s hatchery at Tropical Mariculture in Cairns.

“This is the first time that a commercial hatchery has successfully raised Queensland groper fingerlings, opening opportunities to expand supply to aquaculture farms,†Dr Knuckey said.

“Coral Sea Farm recently collected several thousand more fingerlings from Tropical Mariculture.â€

The Queensland groper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) is a fast-growing finfish with a strong overseas market and untapped domestic potential as a delicious, fillet fish.

It grows faster than other grouper species and can be a commercial product six to eight months after entering the grow-out phase.

The Queensland groper project focused on research to help commercialise new finfish species and to support the development and sustainability of Queensland's aquaculture industry.

Dr Knuckey said expression-of-interest tender documents were available on-line so potential investors could pick up this technology and make Queenslander groper available to domestic and overseas consumers.

He said the Northern Fisheries Centre continued its success with another groper species, gold-spot grouper, at Coral Sea Farm and in recirculation aquaculture systems in Queensland and Perth.

“Gold-spot grouper are already being grown and harvested and are now being sold on the New South Wales and Western Australia market,†Dr Knuckey said.

“We are looking at similar success very soon with the Queensland groper.â€

For more information visit www.fisheries.qld.gov.au or call Fisheries Queensland on 13 25 23.

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