“Our industry produces prawns, barramundi, oysters, red-claw crayfish, soft shell crabs, Murray cod, jade and silver perch, pearls and pearl oyster meat and scallops.  All are native Queensland species.  But, there is a lingering perception that “farmed” seafood is not quite the thing on the menu.”

This was the opening statement in an invitation that was sent out to a select number of influential food industry people to attend a taste of Queensland seafood sensation call “Farmed and Fabulous”.

Click the links on left for details of each product served. 

The invitations were sent out on behalf of the members of the Queensland Aquaculture Industries Federation (QAIF).

The event was sponsored by the Department of State Development, the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Virgin Airlines and Fino Food and Wine, and held in the Coronation Hotel’s ‘Lure’ restaurant, Brisbane, on the 12^th of March.

Invitees included interstate food critics, Karen Hardy, food and wine writer for the Canberra Times, Lyndey Milan, food director for the Women’s Weekly and channel 9’s TV cooking host, Michelle Southern of Good Taste magazine, Joanna Saville from the Food Lovers Guide to Australia.

Local writers from the Courier Mail and a number of Brisbane restaurants, Virgin Airlines, the FRDC, DPI & F and Queensland Farmers Federation were also represented.

The night was opened by the Hon Desley Boyle, Minister for Tourism Regional Development and Industry, the Hon Tim Mulherin MP, Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries and Dr Trevor Anderson, President Queensland Aquaculture Industries Federation.

Once all the speeches were out of the way, the attendees were treated to some of the finest tasting seafood not only in Queensland, but in the world. Guests stood in the large function room mingling and chatting to representatives from the following industries: Barramundi, prawns, oysters, pearl meat, soft shell crab, sea scallops, red claw crayfish Silver Perch and Murray Cod.

FARMED AND FABULOUS SOME FACTS

• Aquaculture in Queensland is a regionally based industry farming entirely native species.
• The value of production is about $75 million
• The main species grown are :

-          Silver perch

-          Jade perch

-          Murray cod

-          Barramundi

-      Golden perch

-      Sleepy cod

-          Prawn (banana, tiger

-          Crabs

-          Redclaw Crayfish

-          Rock Oysters 

-          Pearls Industry

-          Queensland scallops

• Prawns and Barramundi are the largest sectors.
• Farmed seafood is the environmentally sustainable way to produce seafood:
• With wild caught fish globally becoming overfished and depleted, seafood is increasingly being farmed.
• We believe Queensland produces some of the best and most exciting farmed seafood with a wide range of native species produced in an environmentally sensitive and caring manner.
• Unlike most other states where sea cages are used, most Qld aquaculture is produced in land based waterways that mimic the natural environment the fish live in.
• The industry is still new.  Whilst some species, such as oysters have been farmed for hundreds of years, domestication of many other species occurred very recently.  This is why farmed seafood is producing new and exciting products for consumers that might once only have been enjoyed by intrepid anglers.

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