Bellarine Times
Tuesday 11 June 2013
VOL 6. No 24
www.bellarinetimes.com.au
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Cheers to that – the state government announced a raft of tourism grants recently with local wine festival Toast to the Coast receiving some money. See page 6 for details. Photo: CORMAC HANRAHAN
Local mussel partnership goes from strength to strength
MUSSEL POWER BY DEAN WEBSTER
THE state government has moved to ensure the viability of the region’s mussel industry by continuing their partnership with a local aquaculture organisation. Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Peter Walsh last week announced that a collaboration between the government and mussel industry group Victorian Shellfish Hatchery (VSH) would continue for another three years. “This continued collaboration shows how government and industry can work together to apply research in a commercial setting and help to build a profitable Victorian seafood industry,” Mr Walsh said. “This partnership is positive news
for jobs and investment in Victoria, and it is a great result for consumers who are now seeing more locally grown and harvested mussels on the menu.” Mr Walsh said Fisheries Victoria teamed with industry in 2008 when mussel harvests were at a low point, due to the poor availability of wild spat (baby mussels) in Port Phillip Bay. “The collaboration led to the operation of a state-of-the-art shellfish research hatchery at Queenscliff where techniques were successfully developed to grow spat in the hatchery and transfer them to open water farms. “This partnership has turned this sector around. Since the start of the hatchery, annual industry production of mussels has more than doubled, with 951 tonnes produced in 2010-11.
“Production is expected to break current records within the next two to three years.” VSH was formed as a collaboration between the three main mussel growers in Victoria. VSH partner and mussel farmer Peter Lilley said the partnership with Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) was critical to the survival of the mussel industry. “We tried to collect our own spat in the aquaculture fishing reserve in the bay to no avail. “We would not be able to farm without the hatchery joint venture at Queenscliff.” The new three-year lease agreement will allow industry to further develop production of mussel, oysters and possibly scallops.
During this time the VSH will progress its work to transition to its own purpose-built commercial hatchery. The benefits of accessing Fisheries Victoria’s research hatchery will continue to be shared with the wider industry, with 20 per cent of production made available to other mussel farmers. “Interest from the farmers has been very positive, with more wanting to acquire hatchery mussel spat and diversify into oysters,” Mr Walsh said. Mussel farmer and VSH partner Lance Wiffen said the industry had reestablished itself as a major producer. “This year we should reach record mussel production and see locally grown oysters on menus,” Mr Wiffen said.
Peter Walsh with Mike Williams at DEPI’s Queenscliff centre looking at mussel spat under the microscope.
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