Silver Perch - Description

The silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) is a native freshwater fish whose natural distribution extends through most of the Murray Darling Basin, including the western drainage of New South Wales. Most silver perch are produced using pond culture (static, aerated earthen ponds with no discharge of effluent water to rivers). There is some interest by farmers in the use of tank recirculation systems, although this technology is unproven for silver perch growout.

Farming Production

In the 1970s, scientists at the Inland Fisheries Research Station, Narrandera, in New South Wales began research into the hormone induced spawning of inland native species, including silver perch. This technology was first made available to industry in 1982. Since that time, a thriving hatchery industry has existed based on the production of murray cod, golden perch and silver perch. In the 1990s the NSW Fisheries Grafton Aquaculture Centre began research into the growout production of silver perch in ponds, which has allowed the development of a viable silver perch farming industry in New South Wales.

In New South Wales, 278 tonnes of silver perch was produced in 2001-02. With an average farm gate price of $8.81 a kilogram, the gross value of production of Silver Perch in New South Wales was $2.45 million (table 2; NSW Fisheries 2003). Production in 2001-02 was higher than in the previous year, when increasing feed costs and the saturation of some higher value markets such as live markets in Sydney resulted in some fish being held back.

Production of farmed silver perch in Queensland was 44 tonnes in 2001-02, valued at $337 000 at the farm gate.

Silver perch is also farmed in Western Australia, where it is an introduced species.
The silver perch Growers� Association in that state is working on developing a code of practice and marketing strategies for exporting their product.

Some 26 tonnes of silver perch valued at around $260 000 was produced in Western Australia in 2001-02 (G. Maguire, Department of Fisheries, personal communication, March 2003). Total growout production of silver perch in these three states in 2001-02 was 348 tonnes valued at $3.05 million at the farm gate. Silver perch is one of a number of warm water native finfish species farmed in small quantities in Victoria and South Australia, along with murray cod, golden perch, native catfish and jade perch.

( REF. Australian Aquaculture. Industry profiles for selected species)

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