Tassal’s Proserpine prawn farm is looking to up its production with a submission of plans to expand operations at its Whitsunday farm.
The farm, the largest in the country and which only recently brought in its largest haul in its three years of operation, is looking to fill more plates with more Whitsunday prawns.
In an effort to meet the ever-increasing demand, the company is aiming to produce 5350 tonnes of their black tiger prawns annually – up from their current roughly 3000 tonnes.
The current farm comprises 325 hectares of production ponds, and Tassal’s expansion would see the construction of a further 210 hectares worth.
The stage four expansion also includes plans for 59 hectares of water treatment ponds, two new pumping stations and inlet channels.
The planned ponds would be fed by the Gregory River and would be completed in stages: the first 69 ponds over 112ha and the second comprising 57 ponds over 98ha.
“Stage 4a is planned to commence in July 2022,” Tassals referral states, with the caveat the expansion obtains Commonwealth environmental approvals.
Tassal’s proposal states the new stages are connected to the existing farm and feed from the same intake channels, making them an extension, rather than an independent entity.
The company stated they were in the “early concept planning phase for future major expansion to the east of the existing farm”.
“While some infrastructure would be shared between the existing farm and future stages (e.g. hatchery facilities), the future farming operations would be largely independent,” the referral reads.
The completion of the project would see the creation of an extra 60 jobs on the site – not including those for local contractors who would benefit from the construction work.
The expansion would see the ponds operated from the mission control centre on the Proserpine site, which also runs Tassal’s two other farms in Mission Beach, Queensland, and Yamba, New South Wales.
The farm has seen constant progression in its operating system since Tassal, Australia’s largest aquaculture company, took over the once Fortune Group owned site in September 2018.
Alongside other aquaculture north of Rockhampton, the Tassal farm will contribute to the industry which is expected to be worth $1.34b by 2030.