Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I mentioned a few days ago to EB that I'd heard someone in Gingin had applied for and received permission to translocate and grow redfin. You can see the application by Sun Kissed Yabbies Pty Ltd at the below link. It's already expired for public comment, but interesting to note that they've also got permission for Murray Cod and Black Bream translocations

We might actually be able to have some variation in WA outside of the standard 3 (trout, SPs, and barra) - that can only be a good thing !!

http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/sec/cominv/publiccomment/F43938.pdf

Awesomeness, hmm, might need some more tanks

A GOOD THING? the only red fin I want to see is in a pan, I don't think we will be able to have them in AP as such with out a license, Bream etc are not a pest, I think it will be good if they get them out of welly dam though.
TM was on about some mob around Collie talking of the same sort of thing

Yeah thats the Collie Aquafarm Nocky, they have also applied for a licence to farm Redfin. Thing is that just because someone is licenced to farm a species dosent mean that they can sell the fry/fingerlings. I know of several farms that have Murray Cod licences but are only allowed to sell to the food market. If these Redfin licences get granted I bet the same conditions will apply.

awsomeness x2 I say! I will be looking for more tanks myself and some big solar panels!!

redfin are awsome! sure they can be a pest like most things, but I am greatfull we have them here and I hope we get more of a chance in the future to make the most of them "resposably"

I have some great memorys of catching kg + reds and eating them for lunch after catching them in the morning is part of that awseome memory not to mention getting a feed of maron the same night from the same water! and those memorys aren't that long ago!

I herd Dreaks brook weir (in warrona) has been filled in, does any one know if this is true? can't emagin it my self, but I have herd that's whats happend?

Yep, good points TM, but I still reckon it's a step in the right direction. Tight rules for the species are fine. I'd happily grow WA endemic species if there was anything big enough to eat, but there isn't (yes, I acknowledge the cobbler) so something has to give or the freshwater finfish aquaculture industry in WA is going to be fairly limited in scope and size.

Grunta, Water Corp shows it at 33% of capacity: http://www.watercorporation.com.au/D/da ... m?id=18319

I cant see how the current rules restrict the size of the industry here Chilli as you can pretty much farm all species that are suitable for our climate and conditions at the moment. I dont think that fisheries will ever allow Murray Cod or Redfin Perch to be sold as fingerlings for the AP enthusiast. Murray Cod especially would have a huge impact on wild Marron populations in public waters if they ever found there way into them. Fisheries main priority will always be to protect the recreational marron fishery and the native fish populations.

The fact that Redfin carry ENH virus, which can impact on other species... such as Silver Perch, MacQuarie Perch, Trout... and others, like the Southern Pygamy Perch....

And the general requirements for hatchery certification... and specific cetrtifications required to translocate fish into WA....

I don't think there is buckles chance that any hatchery would either be allowed to produce fingerlings.... or would even want to...

I'm dubious that WA Fisheries will actually allow Redfin to be farmed... other than perhaps in a RAS system...

And personally.... I wouldn't stock them... unless isolated within their own system.... and only if that system is either never stocked with other species... or thoroughly sterialised before it is restocked with another fish species...

I agree with most rupert, but I wouldn't stock them because they are an utter pain in the ass, I doubt they could be stocked in the same quantities as Trout or SP, my experiment with 20 was the biggest mistake I ever made and led to other drama's including dead yabbies and dead trout, maybe ok having a couple but to feed say 50+ would be near impossible, they will not take pellets, this was confirmed by the New Zealand mob that are farming them, they love brine shrimp and worms, really to expensive and messy to feed them, those who followed my woes will remember that I had them feeding on mince, after a couple of days the spewed it back up, and the feeding them gambusia trial was a complete disaster, 20 fish massacred 500+ of them in a couple of hours, leading to another mass clean up, take it from me Red Fin in suitable numbers to run an AP system are not a viable fish for AP, I agree they are nice tasting but I would either have a couple in system or catch them to eat from waterways when you want, I would severely doubt anyone could honestly and successfully run an AP system on Red Fin, again this is from experience

No need to worry about the EHN virus in WA Rup as to date it has never been recorded here.
I imagine if these guys do get approval to farm Redfin their initial stock will have to come from the wild somewhere in WA. They could then easily breed up numbers on farm to increase production.
You could be right in that they may restrict farming them in RAS systems as the guy near me doing Murray Cod has to do likewise even though he plenty of ponds.

The "Collie" proposal was based on having them contained in cages...

Which is a bit silly as the Collie Area is full of them anyhow

If you can't sell me anything other than SP and trout fingerlings TM, that's restricting the industry. Backyard production is a growing facet of that industry and it's limited to 3 species, due to lack of any other fingerlings.

With regard to the WA Govt trying to preserve the marron fisheries, that's a bit of a joke when they actively stock trout into the ecosystems, which are great devourers of juvenile marron. An example of the research showing this is below;
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a919414713
61% of overall diet is a lot of marron !

The defense of trout stocking because it's a popular pastime activity (and worth tax dollars), is pretty weak, and I'm willing to bet that Murray Cod fisheries would be just as popular and just as valuable. Thye're just too scared to change anything.
They could make it make it mandatory that only triploids are sold - that would mitigate the risk to at least the same point as currently selling trout fingerlings.

Mate, I think they can, but they need a more sophisticated setup than you or I have, and completely different feeding regime to what we're used to.

Not really, as the backyard farmer will still be buying the same number of fish whether that is comprised of 3 or 5 different species. What other fish would you like to have available?? Apart from the guys doing Jade Perch in the warmer regions I dont see any other great successes on this site.


That figure came from a drinking water catchment which are typically infertile waters with not much aquatic life apart from marron and shrimp in them so what are the Trout supposed to eat? The survey was conducted by Murdoch University who are very anti Trout. I could have done a similar survey from a number of other waters and I could guarantee you that Marron would comprise less than 10% of the Trouts diet. Trout have been introduced into WA waters since the late 1800's and some of the best Trout waters in the state such as Harvey & Waroona Dams, Warren, Blackwood & Donnelly Rivers are coincidentally also still some of the best Marroning waters.


The advantage of stocking Trout over Murray Cod is that they dont grow anywhere near as big as Cod so even if they do prey on Marron can only eat them at a small size. A fully grown Cod would be able to eat a fully grown Marron with ease.


The thing with Triploiding is that you never get 100% of the fish being sterile so you will always run the risk that some spawning will occur from the fish that remain fertile. The Trout hatchery in Pemberton currently estimate that only 60% of their Tripoid Trout are actually infertile.