June 22, 2006

Australis' hatchery in the US comes online

Australian aquaculture company Australis Ltd has announced its new US hatchery is now fully operational The hatchery in Turners Falls, Massachusetts is capable of producing 1 million juvenile barramundi. 

Australis' managing director Josh Goldman said the facility would improve the reliability and cost of the company's fingerlings supply and would enable the company to push past the 1,000 tonne level in future. 

The new hatchery would be expanded from its current capacity of 2 million fingerlings a year up to a total of 7 million, sufficient to support the company's medium-term growth target of 5,000 tonnes a year. The new site would also have a grow-out facility.

In May, the company announced the resumption of the expansion of its US$2.6 million North American barramundi hatchery in Massachusetts.

The expansion of the hatchery and grow-out facility at Turners Falls is due for completion in November, and will expand capacity by 43 per cent, to 1,000 tonnes a year.

First sales from the expanded facility are expected to occur in February 2007.

The company believes that its expanded customer base and marketing efforts would create demand to support the increased capacity.

Australis has established a national wholesale distribution network in the US and also sell to retail chains.

The company said its facility in Turners Falls is the US' largest indoor aquaculture facility. The company was also one of the foremost companies to establish barramundi as a seafood trend in the US.