State to build $7 million Geraldton finfish nursery

The State Government will spend $7 million over the next three years to build a state-of-the-art marine finfish nursery in Geraldton to breed yellowtail kingfish.

Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly, speaking in Geraldton today, said the facility would help fast-track the growth of the Mid West aquaculture industry and create thousands of jobs in regional WA.

He said the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development would oversee construction of finfish nursery at the Batavia Coast Maritime Institute in Geraldton.

The juvenile kingfish would be supplied to existing and new commercial operators within the Mid West Aquaculture Development Zone to grow in open water farms using sea cages.