Hatchery Quality Assurance Program (HQAP)

Aquablue Seafood has a brand new state of the art fish hatchery, designed to the highest standards of hygiene and safety. This hatchery was purpose built to meet the new hatchery quality assurance regulations being implemented into NSW. The No.1 hatchery was one of the first infrastructure projects completed at Aquablue.  No.2 hatchery has been completed for some time and No. 3 hatchery comes online in April 2008.

The Hatchery Quality Assurance Scheme (HQAS) accredits NSW fish hatcheries for the production of native fish fingerlings for recreational fishing enhancement stocking programs and aquaculture production.  Recreational fishing enhancement of native species is undertaken in NSW in accordance with the Freshwater Fish Stocking Fisheries Management Strategy (FMS). Relevant stocking programs include the dollar for dollar program, Australian bass enhancement program, impoundment stocking program and relevant individual stocking under section 216 of the Fisheries Management Act 1994.

The HQAS implements the Hatchery Quality Assurance Program (Rowland and Tully, 2004) for Murray cod, golden perch, silver perch and Australian bass.  The HQAS cover all aspects of our aquaculture farm and operation.  Some of the areas covered include:

• Approvals.  (Permits and licences, etc.)
• Site characteristics.  (water supply, etc.)
• Ponds and tanks.  (Drainable, cleanable and aeration, etc.)
• Hatchery infrastructure.  (Filters, drainage and chemicals, etc.)
• Water Quality Maintenance.  (Equipment, meters and monitoring, etc.)
• Disease and Health Management.  (Health managements Plan, sterilization and quarantine, etc.)
• Chemicals.
• Broodstock and Breeding.  (Genetics, breeding and tagging, etc.)
• Records.
• Dispatch.

Aquablue will be inspected again in May 2008 as the final step in receiving accreditation.  All hatcheries in NSW that produce fingerlings for stocking under the FMS, must be accredited by August 2008.