Aquaculture

The Indigenous community of Palm Island, located approximately 60 kilometres off the coast of north Queensland, has very limited employment opportunities for its 3,000 inhabitants. With no industry, and an underdeveloped business sector, unemployment rates on the island are over 90%. The people of Palm Island identify the lack of employment opportunities as the most significant social issue impacting on quality of life on the island.

<a href="http://www.isx.org.au/data/resources/files/Territor_ Q_Gumatj.pdf"> Gumatj Enterprise An Article from Territory Q</a><p>

<a href="http://www.isx.org.au/data/resources/files/Jack_T.wmv"> A Short Movie on Gumatj Initative and the Jack Thompson Foundation</a><p>

Balkanu is aiming to attract investment in fish farming on indigenous lands in Cape York.

Balkanu is an indigenous business development organisation based in Cairns. We work closely with indigenous communities, land trusts, and individuals throughout Cape York. Our objective is the development of new business and investment on the Cape, working with indigenous people to grow the local economy.

David Wilson has spent many years studying yabby development. With local Indigenous entrepreneur Peter Moore the pair have exciting plans for franchisees to develop a first class yabby farming network. Indigenous landholders and communities that have an interest in aquaculture may be perfect partners and franchisees for the future business.

Our goal is to develop a centre that will provide skills, knowledge and awareness for emerging Indigenous Communities/outstations/new homelands looking at ways to establish their communities for future sustainability using alternative applications of power and water and the establishment of ventures for the focus of sustainability, life style and profit. <p>
The enterprise will hold a sustainable community development focus and provide research and training for Indigenous governance in the areas of:<p><ul>

<b>The Community</b>
Pandanus Park, ideally situated on the Fitzroy River and Great Northern Highway south of Derby, is establishing a grow-out farm for the production of the giant freshwater prawn or Cherabin for the local and domestic markets. The community has established a small training facility growing Cherabin and barramundi with members undertaking level 2 and 3 aquaculture training. Feasibility study, marketing and business planning has been undertaken, the site cleared, and licensing and approvals underway.<p>

<b>The Community</b>
Rumble Bay community, situated on the east coast of the Dampier Peninsula in an ideal location for aquaculture, is developing an edible oyster farming project. Currently there is no edible oyster aquaculture or fishing industry in the north west of Australia and oysters supplied to the region are transported from the eastern states or New Zealand, usually frozen and thawed. <p>

Bardi Ardyaloon has established a tropical aquaculture hatchery near the Bardi community at One Arm Point, on the Dampier Peninsula. The hatchery was established to produce the top-shell Trochus niloticus which is an established Indigenous fishery in the community for the sale of the Mother-of-Pearl quality shell. As trochus stocks were indicated to be in decline the hatchery produces juvenile trochus for restocking purposes to support the commercial fishery and for sale to the aquarium industry in the eastern states.<p>