Uarah Fisheries at Grong Grong is attempting to establish an export market for live golden perch (pictured) in China.
The aquaculture farm will export tens of thousands of native golden perch fingerlings to China as demand grows for Australian fish.
Uarah has bred 50,000 fingerlings that will be matured in Chinese fish farms for sale in the local market.
Uarah Fisheries managing director John Yu said there was a taste in China for Australian fish that had been boosted by the popularity of Murray cod.
He said that appetite for cod was not being met, which had created an opportunity to export other species.
“No-one is growing golden perch at the moment for China, though there are some Murray cod growers — but it’s a premium fish and they don’t have enough to meet demand,” Dr Yu said.
Golden perch, also known as yellowbelly, can grow to about 23 kilograms but commonly grow to about 5kg and can cost $30 to $32 per kg in Australia.
Uarah Fisheries exported one batch of golden perch fingerlings before the Covid-19 pandemic, but impacts on airlines stopped further sales.
Dr Yu said there had been strong interest from buyers in China since golden perch exports resumed.
“We only started talking about resending golden perch again last year and someone already asked for 10 million fingerlings, which we simply can’t produce,” he said.
Flinders University professor of aquaculture Jian Qin said the taste of golden perch would appeal to Chinese consumers.
“The advantage of the perch species is that they won’t have these little bones [that are present in Chinese fish],” he said.
China has roughly 53 times the population of Australia and Dr Yu says that makes exporting a worthwhile enterprise.
“The scale is so much different — you’re talking about a 100-fold difference in demand,” he said.
Dr Yu wants to expand golden perch production but says that will depend on finding qualified aquaculture staff.
“Getting workers is one of the most difficult things for aquaculture and we have been having difficulty,” he said.
This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 13 June 2024.
