There is an opportunity to develop a collaborative, whole of chain approach to launching this new species so that the market is carefully developed and supplied with fish of consistent quality at economically sustainable prices. This project provides an avenue for DEEDI to work with the Queensland aquaculture sector to bring another species, suited to pond aquaculture, to farm- and market-ready state. For PRF it represents an opportunity to lead the market in Australian cobia production and marketing, and to establish the company as a vertically integrated producer of both prawns and cobia.
Final report
Cobia is a high quality high performing aquaculture species overseas and is capable of providing good economic returns from pond-based production. However, the culture of this species has not yet been developed in Australia. Queensland, and in particular, Pacific Reef Fisheries (PRF) has the technical capability and infrastructure to produce cobia for the marketplace and to target the appropriate market sector for the product.
This project aims to build on previous research by PRF and the Department for Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) to develop an Australian Cobia aquaculture industry.
