Australian prawn and barramundi farmers are this morning (Wednesday) calling on all political parties to support better country-of-origin labelling for the seafood industry.At their industry conference on the Gold Coast, farmers and industry have vowed to unite and pass a motion of support demanding that all sides of politics support a system of clear labelling for cooked seafood. Australian Prawn Farmers’ Association president Nick Moore said while there were current requirements for labelling... ...Read more »

Barramundi Farmers Association president Marty Phillips announced new tests today that can tell Australian Barramundi from the Asian fish of the same species. New research by Associate Professor Dean Jerry at James Cook University, supported by the Australian Barramundi industry and the Seafood Research Centre, allows the identification of the fish. Asian Seabass and Barramundi, while technically the same species, have significant and identifiable genetic differences. According to Mr Phillips, the... ...Read more »

A new project led by The University of Sydney seeks to improve existing methods of detecting a fish disease which is damaging the barramundi industry in Australia.Thanks to a major breakthrough in DNA-detection technology in 2009, a new test is available for the nervous necrosis virus-a serious disease affecting over 35 species of fish worldwide. In Australia, this disease has mainly affected the production of barramundi, with losses of up to 100 per cent occurring in some hatcheries. Professor Richard... ...Read more »

Red Rooster’s latest offering, the Wild Barramundi Burger, has drawn criticism for what some see as misleading advertising. The burger contains cheaper imported South-East Asian barramundi, known in the region as Asian Seabass. “Barramundi. The most prized of all fish. Sought after by the finest restaurants and the keenest fisherman. Of course, the secret is knowing the best spot,” reads the marketing copy for the burger. In this case, the best spot is South-East Asia, and the quality... ...Read more »

Australis Aquaculture Limited, a publicly listed Barramundi farming company, has gone into voluntary administration after failing to gain access to the credit needed to repay a $2.75 million loan. They have appointed Mr Mervyn Kitay of WHK Horwath as Voluntary Administrator of the company. “The Administrator is being appointed following many months of fundraising activity within an exceptionally challenging debt and equity environment,” the company advised in a statement. “To date,... ...Read more »

Australis Aquaculture, Ltd. has announced that Safeway, Inc., America’s third largest supermarket retailer and the 10th largest general retailer, will begin offering Australis Barramundi at all 1,740 of its stores this week. Josh Goldman, Australis Managing Director, was excited about showing the quality of Australian seafood to American consumers via the offering of Australis’ fresh and frozen Barramundi in the full‐service seafood section across the Safeway system. “We are proud... ...Read more »