Celebrating Petuna opens $13m RAS Hatchery in cressy

Petuna Aquaculture has opened the doors to a new state-of-the-art RAS (Recirculation Aquaculture System) facility at its hatchery in Cressy, injecting $13 million into Tasmania’s aquaculture industry and removing the company’s reliance on flowthrough hatchery technology for its salmon stock.

Cressy III will enable Petuna to further improve its environmental and sustainability credentials, using world-leading technology to recirculate up to 99 per cent of the water its fish are living in, through mechanical and biological filters.

Petuna Acting Managing Director, Gary Neill, said the new hatchery system used less than five per cent of the water of traditional systems and would allow the company to grow its salmon to a larger size on land, reducing the time they needed to be at sea.

“Cressy III is an integral project for Petuna, demonstrating our commitment to continual improvement in environmental sustainability, with 100 per cent of the waste planned to be used on a neighbouring farm,” Mr Neill said.

“The development includes the construction of a third RAS facility at our Cressy hatchery, transitioning the site to full RAS and eliminating reliance on the traditional flow-through system, providing a controlled environment for our fish to thrive.

“The facility will give us greater ability to control the water quality and temperature in the tanks, including improved nutrient management, to create optimal conditions for our young fish as they grow and develop.

“We researched globally to identify the best methods of developing Cressy III, and we’re proud to open one of the most innovative new systems in Australia, as part of our sustainability strategy to invest in the world’s best technology.

“In conjunction with implementing this global technology, we are also very proud of the fact that 70 per cent of the total $13-million build was carried out by local Tasmanian companies.

“Our commitment to sustainability is exemplified by Petuna being the first company in the world to have two species accredited with Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) Four Star as well as attaining the first BAP hatchery accreditation in the southern hemisphere”.

Tassal has completed its acquisition of MPA Fish Farms Pty Ltd and MPA Marketing Pty Ltd (“MPA”), which operate Australia’s only ocean-based barramundi farm at Cone Bay, Western Australia.

This secures the future of more than 50 local jobs in the Kimberley region.

As Australia’s largest vertically integrated seafood grower, processor, marketer and seller with nearly 2,000 people employed across Australia Tassal