Queensland’s large and fruitful coastline means the state is home to a diverse range of industries, all of which provide their own unique set of apprentice opportunities to people.
While most jobseekers are familiar with what mining and construction can offer them, how many are aware of what aquaculture is contributing to Queensland? Essentially, aquaculture is the marine equivalent of agriculture, and sees businesses farm fish and other marine life to service both international and domestic demands for these products.
According to the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, aquaculture offers a number of different employment solutions, especially as the sector works to become more sustainable and even open up tourism opportunities.
Innovation grants hit the aquaculture sector
For any industry to grow and remain competitive, the businesses and employees that operate within it need to be able to innovate. However, this is difficult in cases where businesses may not have access to the necessary capital or resources.
A recent announcement from the Queensland government is set to change this, with a new report on the state’s aquaculture industry promising further growth and more sustainability initiatives.
According to Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Leanne Donaldson, the sector is likely to grow significantly in the coming years and become a force in the Queensland economy.
“Aquaculture has the potential to develop into a much larger industry and the Government is very keen to see it expand, to not only supply local seafood but support regional jobs growth,” she explained.
“Queensland’s aquaculture industry employs more than 450 full-time equivalents, has a gross value of production of over $120 million and represents more than 38 per cent of the total state value of fisheries production.”
However, growing the industry is no easy task. As it’s one that focuses on environmental factors, any major industry developments need to protect surrounding ecosystems and not sacrifice sustainability for the sake of progress.
The state government also wants to make it easier for new businesses to join the industry, ensuring there are new entrants as well as further competition within the industry. To do this, it’s promising further investment in the creation of aquaculture development areas and more transparency around the prices of environmental offsets.
By Leanne Macnamara, Public Relations Coordinator
