A fish farm the size of Eagle Farm's runway, will produce as much income as 30,000 acres of sustenance grazing?

All that is required is the development capital and reliable water, most of which could even be salt? And finish some salt tolerant or ocean going varieties. Some of which like blue finned tuna, command premium prices.

Moreover, some of our aquifers are nearly as salt as undiluted seawater, but produce reliable flows you can bank, and out beyond the black stump.

Fish farming in Estuaries needs zero tolerance regulation, least over exploitation, oxygen depletion and pollution ruins the environment for everyone, including recreational fishers. Estuarine enclosures must therefore, be both limited and sustainable.

A big bank balance and a plethora of influential friends shouldn't alter that! Nor should a greed driven competitor be able to stake a claim in an already occupied estuary.

There are plenty of places still comparatively undeveloped, where Johnny come lately can try their luck, and first in first served, should inform fair go regulation, enclosure and bag limits etc!

Otherwise, it's an invite to open slather or mischievous vexatious claims or alleged native title rights, claim jumping etc, ad nauseum.
Alan B.

Wonder how many of these 1,400 people will be foreign on 457 visa?

What a joke.
Coming to the coast near you there in Australia.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100622112558.htm

JF Aus It may not be as bad as your link insofar as over there they just kept opening farm after farm way too many.

Here it is confined to an area, but the adverse effects on other species that could be the problem.

Copy the article and send it to the Minister, make sure he sends a receipt for it, that way you can have a great story for the media if it fails environmentally.

Phillip S,

Google: four corners salmon farming Tasmania.
I can't post the link here because at the moment I am on very slow internet and smartphone in a remote part of Solomon Islands.

The 4 Corners program reveals Tasmania fish farmers trying to cut back to prevent nutrient pollution but a bigger fish farmer is going against them including with WWF environment group paid for approval.

On Queensland those rivers and estuaries are part of the GBR ecosystem, even if the GBRMPA boundary tries to claim otherwise.

The Austtalian east coast sediment dispersal system shows how nutrient overload is flowing into GBR waters feeding algae that is smothering and kiling coral and bay seagrass food web nurseries.

Consequences include fish devastation, lost pro fishing livelihood and loss of amatuer fishing and impact on coastal community economies.

This all already involves need for Australia to import fish even sometimes to feed aquaculture.

It's economic madness.

Mainstream media has me blacklisted and or gagged.

JF, so not only are we facing imminent ruin but you (The Hero!) are being prevented from saving the day. Mate you have your hand on it!
Problem is too much Government interference. Greenie's lies listened to to first and foremost and everyone else wanting a hand out.
The author is correct it is an absolute joke but then again so much in Australia is.