Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Timmy, are you joking? Tilapia are vegetarian and they are great fish for eating. They are easy to reproduce and they grow quickly. The scum they suck is called algae. Research Timmy, research.

pretty tasteless compared to trout or bream though? i'd love to grow out bream but i cant justify the cost. maybe if i could feed them only a free food source like BSF

I do my research. tilapia are a common low grade fillet. in many fish farms they feed the other fishes crap to them, then sell the tilapia off to fertiliser factories.
their main points are ease of breeding, toughness and ability to eat any muck you give them.

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/c ... toc-F.html

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/c ... toc-F.html

There are some (though few) benefits to having studied some law and worked in regulation for years :-/

Ouuuch..... Theres a lot of lawyer speak in there...

I did find the regulation that Johhnie mentioned though, as below.



So far as I can see, If you have bought the fish locally, then there's no problem, you just can't take it to other areas within the state. And if it gets diseased you must kill it.... At least that how I read it..

Timmy - have you ever tried a properly purged silver or jade perch. They are very tasty.

VB -i've had golden perch before and that was good. I imagine jade/silver aren't bad properly purged.
I can't help it if my tastes are refined ok!

. I think it is a matter of preference like anything in life. I don't think trout are anything to get excited about. Am hoping farmed barra are okay since I have 98 in the shed. Sorry for the OT Johnnie - I'll clean it all out later on.

have had both trout and Jade perch home grown in my AP.

Jade perch beat the shit outta trout for taste and flesh quality, but you gotta go with what the melbourne weather gives you

i agree with stevo.....I have trout in my system...........I have always thought trout to be plain in taste.......but I still wouldnt knock em back, just depends on what you cook em with...........but as for flesh "quality" I disagree with stevo unless he is talking about how the meat stays together......not sure quality is the right term, trout are definitely not a low quality fish....some fish suit some dishes better than others.....is like the difference between beef n lamb...one flakes more readily and the other holds its shape

Hi Folks

Is there any chance that we could have a "sticky" thread or category whereby legislative aspects regards Western Australia can be found in one place?

I think it is pretty important that we have this imformation ready to hand as responsible fish keepers. Especially in Australia where the ecosystem is so fragile in regard to introduced species out-competing native species.

May I suggest extracting any info to do with WA from this particular thread and putting it in one category. I am not sure how best to do it. Maybe each of the Aussie States could have their own threads within a Fisheries department or fish keeping laws and regulations category and perhaps include regulations in other parts of the world on one or several separate threads within the category.

Just an idea.

And a good one I think Johnnie.... one for each state, yep

Thanks Rupert.

For us WA people I am hoping that Gordon Motherwell (Translocation Officer WA Dept Fisheries) will be able to point us in the right direction and help make things a little clearer for us all very soon.

I thought there were already threads for this - but I can't find them

Sticky would be a good idea.

I really think that people need to do some reading themselves (ie of the legislation and subordinate legislation). I'm sure it would be great if Gordon came on and gave some advice or info, but fact is that in the end the law is as set out in the legislation and supporting regs, rules, guidelines etc and it will be expected that people know and follow these.

Hi everyone

I am the Translocation Officer at the Department of Fisheries, Western Australia. I see there has been some communication about the use of tilapia in aquaponics in WA and what permits/licences, if any, are required. I would like to clarify this issue and make sure the correct information is available on this forum to anyone practicing or considering starting an aquaponics system in WA. This will hopefully avoid any inappropriate/illegal translocation of non-endemic fish into or within the state.

The movement of non-endemic fish can pose a variety of adverse effects on the receiving ecosystems. Introduced aquatic organisms can displace local marine and freshwater species through predation, harassment, competition or habitat modification. They also have the ability to impact gene pools and introduce or spread diseases or parasites. Hence, managing and monitoring aquatic organism movements is important to protect local aquatic communities and their environments.

Moving tilapia into or within the state for ornamental purposes does not require translocation approval as they are not listed as a noxious or restricted species in WA (see link below). However, the translocation of non-endemic species, such as tilapia, for non-commercial aquaculture or aquaponics does require translocation approval under Regulation 176 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994. The movement of any non-endemic fish into or within WA, outside of ornamental purposes, requires translocation authority/approval from Fisheries. In addition, fish listed as a noxious or restricted species may only be imported into WA, for any purposes, with translocation approval or authority from Fisheries in accordance with a policy relevant to that species. http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/pub/Rest ... /index.php

There is no prescribed fee to apply for translocation approval and once we have received your completed application form, provided by myself, the whole process takes about 6-8 weeks. Translocation authority is required for commercial aquaculture (or aquaponics) and recreational stocking purposes, as these pose a bigger risk to the environment and native fish stocks. This process takes about 10-12 weeks once we have received your completed application form and currently has a prescribed fee of $135. An aquaculture licence would also be required for such commercial aquaculture operations, these are available on the Fisheries website (www.fish.wa.gov.au). Most translocation authorities and approvals last for a maximum of 12 months.

If you are unsure of your responsibilities regarding translocation approval/authority requirements please contact me for advice. I won't always be able to respond to queries on this forum so it's best to use my work email. (gordon.motherwell@fish.wa.gov.au)

Thanks

Gordon Motherwell

Gordon Motherwell
Translocation Officer
Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program
(08) 9482 7251