Warwick Lee is a Senior Marketing Officer (Rural Market Development) with the Department of Primary Industries and is attached to the Queensland Fisheries Service. During the past 5 years Warwick has been working with the silver perch industry on marketing issues including: analysis of price trends, developing export markets, marketing strategies, collaborative marketing and quality issues.  In particular, he has been instrumental in developing an industry Food Safety Plan and lately Product Standards.

At this conference Warwick will focus on two topics:

·        Marketing strategies for new and existing growers;

·        Product Standards for the freshwater finfish industry.

Marketing strategies for new and existing growers

The freshwater finfish industry was developed about 20 years ago and is mainly based on silver perch.  Silver perch are mainly grown to satisfy the demand for a fish of 500-900gms that can be kept alive for 1-2 weeks and meets Asian restaurant requirements as a good steaming fish, including white flesh, good texture and moderate to high oil content, in a competitive price range.  Ruello (1999) in an assessment of the silver perch market forecasted market saturation of about 800 tonne for the Asian restaurant market.  He indicated that growers would have to seek export markets or reposition silver perch into the fillet market.  The latter strategy would however result in a farm gate price decrease from current $7-8 per kg to $5-6 per kg to achieve a retail price for fillets of under $24 per kg.  It is therefore necessary for growers to continually review their marketing strategies as the industry continues to develop.

Product Standards for the freshwater finfish industry

Draft Product Standards for aquaculture freshwater fish have recently been developed and released for industry comment.  The Standards are a set of guidelines to assist silver, jade and golden perch (perch) growers in marketing their products.  Their purpose are to set industry standards for a range of product specifications for live, whole fresh chilled and processed (gilled & gutted and fillets) perch.  Product specification issues addressed include size gradings, defects, packaging and temperature requirements.

Introduction of standards for seafood products are gaining increasing acceptance, particularly in industries that are implementing supply chain management.  The recent introduction of a Code of Practice for harvest prawn has resulted in considerable savings in the industry, improved public acceptance of product and a more effective supply chain.

The Standards build on the current industry draft Food Safety Plan and other HACCP based plans that growers may have implemented.