Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

From fisheries stats a couple of years ago WA had 457 aquaculture licence holders of which only 53% were productive. Of those, 78% were farming Marron/Yabbies and the next highest were Mussels and Ornamental fish. Farming crustaceans requires far less work, is less risky and you get a better price per kg than you do for fin fish. You'll also find that most farms are part of another farming enterprise.
Tea, you still havent found the biggest one. Its down my neck of the woods with some 98 ponds!!

So ... there's some good information there about the profitability of pond based aquaculture....

Now... anyone have stats concerning RAS startups vs commercial success....

And of those that might be operating... startup costs and scale....

I'm going to suggest a half a million probably only gets you a fighting chance of stayed afloat for a year...

Yeah, just reading some of the RAS Tilapia production models over here in the US is scary. To be compeitive with imports you need to raise something like 1.5 million lbs/yr MINIMUM to be compeitive in the wholesale market. It's all about finding that niche. Ive got a vietnamese store that will pay 4.50/lb live for them when its hard to get $2 filleted. Gotta find that niche.

they were just the ones around me... well north of the burbs anyway.
dident look south.... yet... what you think I`m a fish farm voyure

Not 100% sure, but I'm fairly confident that one is going to be for sale later this year, if not already !

The second photo on the list has been on the market for at least 6 months. Its even advertised in the latest Austasia Aquaculture magazine.

1.1 Mill for that place... anyone got some spare cash!... will pay you in fish

Reads better in the ad than it looks in the photo

Might look better if it had some water in the ponds!!

You'd have to do a lot of pumping to keep water in those ponds..

and pumping water ain't cheap.

And getting the water licence/quota... isn't either...

Yeah a large fish/marron farm near me recons his 60 day power bills are now over $5500 !! When you've got a lot of ponds all with 1 or 2hp paddlewheeels and pumping water to top/fill em up it dosent take long for the costs to add up.