It's good news for the aquaculture industry in the MIA, which is continuing to go from strength-to-strength.

More and more primary producers in the area are taking up the chance to be involved, with the government committing to grow the value of Australian aquaculture to $2 billion by 2027.

Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod's group manager of hatcheries and business development Ian Charles, said the government had been pushing the $2 billion growth target for some time.

"From memory that target was set for 2020, but it has been extended out ... it keeps us in the spotlight thought which is good," he said.

"While this is in politicians minds, at least funding and grants are more likely to be applied to our industry.

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"This industry is really important to our area. It's a brand new industry to the MIA.

"It's not duplicating anything. People aren't having to push out citrus trees if they want to take this up."

The House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee recently met with the Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment recently as part of its inquiry into the Australian aquaculture sector.

Committee chairman Rick Wilson MP noted that while the day-to-day operations of aquaculture enterprises are regulated by state and territory governments, the Commonwealth holds several key functions which directly affect the sector.

These include biosecurity and environmental management, aquatic animal health, food safety, national research programs, and market access and trade.

The government is currently implementing a National Aquaculture Strategy as part of its plan to grow the industry's value to $2 billion.

At a local level, Mr Charles said aquaculture was having a huge impact on the area's economy.

"It's also efficient use of water, our water is basically being used twice if we need to - once for growing fish and again for growing crops if we need to," he said.

"There's the employment factor in our area. Our business has gone from a handful of employees to around 45 people now, so it's good in that sense as well."

The pandemic has impacted on the industry as demand shifts, but like most, adapting and new ideas continues to propel Aquna forward.

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