Australian fisheries and aquaculture production buoyed by continued growth in 2022

Aquaculture has had another successful year within the Australian seafood industry, according to the latest edition of ABARES Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics.

David Galeano, Acting Executive Director of the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARES), said the gross value of fishery and aquaculture production (GVP) in 2021-22 increased by eight per cent to $3.42 billion, with aquaculture exceeding the value of wild-catch.

​“Over the last two decades we’ve seen aquaculture continue to grow, helping to boost overall fisheries production,” Mr Galeano said. “The share of aquaculture in total Australian fisheries and aquaculture GVP in 2021-22 was 56 per cent, driven largely by an increased value of salmonids.”

​Mr Galeano added that the total value of fishery and aquaculture products exports increased by two per cent to $1.28 billion in 2021-22, largely reflecting the increased export values of salmonids and abalone.

​In 2021-22, Australians consumed around 350,000 tonnes of seafood in 2021-22, equivalent to 13.8 kilograms per person. While consumption of seafood was less than chicken, pork and beef, it was above lamb and sheep meat consumption for the year.

“The value of fishery and aquaculture products imports increased by 2% to $2.19 billion in 2021-22, driven mostly by an increase in the value of prawns,” said Mr Galeano.

​Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics 2022 is supported by funding from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation on behalf of the Australian Government and is available on the ABARES website here.