A NEW abalone feed manafacturing operation in southern Adelaide opened yesterday.
Yumbah Aquaculture, which has sites near Port Lincoln and on Kangaroo Island, is the largest abalone producer in the Southern Hemisphere.
The addition of the Lonsdale-based Yumbah Aquafeeds allows it to vertically integrated onshore aquaculture business, owning and managing every step from from production to sales.
Yumbah director Anthony Hall said Yumbah Aquafeeds employed six full-time staff and supplied four Yumbah Aquaculture farms at Port Lincoln, Kangaroo Island, Narrawong in Vic, and Bicheno in Tas.
The company is named after a word in the Yaygirr language for “large shellfish”, and a significant part of its business is based in SA, with two farms, a distribution centre and now abalone food production.
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Industry and Skills Minister David Pisoni said Yumbah Aquafeeds was an encouraging initiative for South Australian aquaculture.
“Overseas and interstate markets are hungry for SA’s world-class seafood and demand is well and truly outstripping supply for premium seafood,” he said.
About 120 tonnes of abalone feed is produced on site every month, using a mix of wheat, soy, vitamins and minerals, and a trial is under way using new biodegradable packaging also produced in SA.
