Hundreds if not thousands of yellowtail kingfish have escaped the Providence Bay fish farm in this week’s pounding seas off Port Stephens though the operator said it had no real way of knowing just how many until recovery efforts are completed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Huon Aquaculture released a statement on Friday afternoon after it had experienced four days of severe weather at the Marine Aquaculture Research Lease.
The farmed Yellowtail Kingfish have undergone routine health checks and are sourced from local genetic stock and as such are not considered a biosecurity risk.
A spokeswoman for Huon said the nearest wave buoy to the lease recorded wave heights of more than 11 meters.
“One of the company’s five pens were damaged during the weather event and farmed Yellowtail Kingfish have escaped,” she said.
“The company is well prepared for such an event and has initiated its Escapee Recapture Protocol to recapture fish.”
Each pen is designed to hold between 15,000 and 20,000 of the fish – much lower than the 60,000 to 100,000 salmon stocked in Huon’s Tasmanian pens. The escaped fish are smaller than 50 centimetres with the legal catch size being 65cm.
“Given the recapture response is complex with multiple vessel movements and divers supporting operations, it is requested that vessels stay clear of the lease,” the spokeswoman said.
“A thorough and swift internal investigation will be undertaken in conjunction with Huon’s research partners, the NSW DPI, once the recapture response at the MARL site has been completed, however early indications suggest that equipment design is not the lead cause of equipment failure.”
Escapee Recapture Protocol includes attracting escapees back within the confines of the net through feeding. This is based on the principle that farmed yellowtail kingfish have a vigorous response to commercial feed pellets.
It is considered unlikely that any wild fish will respond to the pellets but if they do, and are captured, they will be released.
The project is a collaboration between NSW DPI and Huon Aquaculture to determine the viability and sustainability of Yellowtail Kingfish aquaculture in sea pens.
The pilot scale farm also researches the response of equipment during severe weather noting that the pilot farm is currently considered to be the roughest conditions of any aquaculture operation in Australia.
