Huon Aquaculture is preparing to invest $110 million to expand its existing freshwater Atlantic salmon nursery, building a new recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) at its Whale Point site in Port Huon, Tasmania, Australia.
The Whale Point expansion will allow Huon to continue growing fish longer on land, which means fish that go to sea will be larger and spend less time in the marine environment.
This project highlights Huon’s continuous innovation, pioneering technology and practices which cement the company as a global leader in aquaculture.
The project is a significant investment in regional Tasmania, generating about 150 jobs during construction and eight permanent jobs at Huon once the facility is operational. Huon plans to start building the new facility in early 2025, pending approvals, and aims to be fully operational by 2027.
Huon led the use of RAS facilities in Tasmania with the opening of its first nursery at Whale Point in 2019.
Huon Aquaculture CEO Henry Batista said the $110 million investment will enable Huon to deploy cutting-edge technology to grow bigger fish on land.
“Huon salmon can already spend most of their lifecycle on land and this expansion strengthens our land-based farming capabilities,” Mr. Batista said. “This investment will also further improve water use at Whale Point, increasing the amount of water recycled in the RAS to 99%. The remaining 1% of water is used in our aquaculture operations and filtered waste from the facility is used by local farmers to grow produce like cherries.
“This investment allows us to utilize our existing land and offshore marine farming sites to meet growing demand for our premium Tasmanian salmon, while providing a significant boost for the construction industry and local businesses.”
Huon employs approximately 1,000 people across its Australian operations.
BC Electrical is among the local businesses set to work on the project and Automation Engineer Ryan Flint said the new RAS facility would generate ongoing work for his company.
“During the construction phase of this project, we’re predicting that we will need to employ an additional 5-10 staff members. Beyond the construction phase, the new facility will create additional ongoing work for our business particularly in maintenance work, once the new nursery is operational," Flint said.
