Aquaculture parks

Albany Aquaculture Park

The Albany Aquaculture Park (AAP), located on Murray Road, Torndirrup, was established to provide 4 serviced lease sites for proponents to undertake commercial aquaculture of temperate species. 

The parks close proximity to Frenchman Bay provides access to high quality seawater, suitable for the culture of marine shellfish and was the site of Western Australia’s (WA) first shellfish hatchery. 

In 2018, the department built and commissioned the Albany Shellfish Hatchery on sites 3 and 4 at the AAP. The Albany Shellfish Hatchery (ASH) supplies seed (spat) of rock oysters, blacklip pearl oysters, Akoya, and mussels for commercial grow-out (farming) operations in WA.  

The ASH has enabled significant expansion of shellfish aquaculture, particularly around Albany, facilitating in the creation of over 25 direct jobs in regional WA. The state has contracted a highly experienced hatchery operator to run the ASH, with department oversight of the operation through an advisory committee. 

Tenancies 

Prospective tenants at the AAP are required to apply for a sub-lease to secure tenure at the site along with an aquaculture licence to permit the aquaculture activity. This process can be undertaken in parallel to expedite approvals. 

Broome Tropical Aquaculture Park

The Broome Tropical Aquaculture Park (BTAP) was established to promote the growth of the aquaculture industry in the Kimberley region, overcoming barriers to growth by providing ready access to sites equipped with the necessary supporting infrastructure to enable aquaculture of marine species.  

The BTAP is operated by the department's Aquaculture Research and Development directorate. It is situated on 4.3 hectares of Kimberley Port Authority land at Gantheaume Point, Broome.   

The BTAP is divided into 8 sites, with 7 serviced sites available for subleasing for aquaculture related activities ranging between 4792 to 7166 m². Sites within this size range are suitable for establishing low volume, high value aquaculture operations such as: 

• hatcheries 
• nurseries for producing marine species 
• production of tropical ornamental species 
• research and development activities.  

The final site is reserved for department equipment and houses the park’s common user infrastructure. 

Common user infrastructure 

The BTAP site is equipped with common user infrastructure including pipes, pumps and monitoring equipment for the supply and discharge of saline groundwater for the purposes of undertaking aquaculture activities.   

Saline groundwater (SGW) is pumped from a 100 m deep bore located on the department's Service Site (Site 8) and each tenanted site is provided with a metered connection to service the site. The bore accesses the saline aquifer below the freshwater lens on the peninsula and provides water suitable for the aquaculture of most marine species.  

The department holds a groundwater licence to withdraw up to 450,000 kilolitres of SGW per year to supply the BTAP site. The department operates the saline groundwater supply system under an approved operating strategy. 

Tenancies 

Prospective tenants at the BTAP are required to apply for a sublease to secure tenure at the site along with an aquaculture licence to permit the aquaculture activity. This process can be undertaken in parallel to expedite approvals.