Species

Sponges 

In response to growing interest in sponge aquaculture a Sponge Aquaculture Development Group was formed in 2003. This group has been instrumental in raising funds for a 2 year programme to examine the feasibility of sponge farming in the Northern Territory. [more]

Reef Fish Aquaculture 

As the aquaculture industry develops around the world there is increasing interest in investigating the potential of new species for aquaculture. [more]

Redclaw Crayfish Aquaculture  

Redclaw (Cherax quadricarinatus) is a species of freshwater crayfish native to the westerly and northerly flowing rivers of Queensland's Gulf of Carpentaria, the easterly and northerly flowing rivers of the Northern Territory and also the southerly flowing rivers of Papua New Guinea. [more]

Prawn Aquaculture  

In Australia, prawn farming generally refers to the farming of marine or brackish water species (often termed shrimp in other countries) as opposed to fresh water 'prawns' such as cherabin. [more]

Pearl Oyster Aquaculture  

The production of pearls from the silver-lipped pearl oyster, Pinctada maxima, is currently the only molluscan aquaculture industry in the NT with an estimated annual value of $18M. [more]

Ornamental Aquaculture  

Ornamental aquaculture is the culture of plants and animals for sale into the aquarium market. This includes: freshwater and marine fish, a wide variety of aquatic plants and even amphibians. [more]

Mud Crab Aquaculture 

The mud crab (Scylla serrata) is a highly regarded and valued table food item in both Australia and Asia. Mud crab aquaculture is not currently under taken in the NT but it has been carried out in a number of Asian countries for many years. Mud crab farming in these areas is generally based on catching juveniles from the wild and using them to stock into mangrove enclosures, pens or ponds for grow out. Aquaculture can supply crabs to a range of markets. As well as the markets for the regular hard shelled crabs there are also niche markets for egg-carrying females, and soft-shelled crabs. [more]

Microalgal Aquaculture 

Spirulina is the only commercially grown algae in the NT. Spirulina is a microscopic spiral shaped blue-green fresh water algae that grows naturally in warm, highly alkaline lakes in subtropical areas around the world. [more]

Cherabin Aquaculture 

Cherabin (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) is a large species of freshwater prawn whose natural geographical distribution stretches from India through to Papua New Guinea, Northern Australia and North to Indonesia and the Philippines. [more]

Barramundi Aquaculture 

Barramundi, Lates calcarifer, is an important coastal, estuarine and freshwater fish in the Indo-Pacific region. It supports extensive commercial and recreational fisheries in Australia and Papua New Guinea and provides the basis of an expanding aquaculture industry in Australasia, where it is also subject to wildstock exploitation. [more]