APRIL 2, 2015: A prawn farming venture at Guthalungra, south of Ayr, has my full support and I am keen to see this project go ahead.Pacific Reef Fisheries general manager John Moloney and Australian Prawn Farmers Association president Matt West brought a feast of prawns and their message for the future of their industry to Canberra recently.They have a plan to overcome environmental obstacles which should see the industry reach new heights of productivity.Here are some of the facts of their case.The Australian prawn farming industry is a world leader in production and management, underpinned by years of scientific research into sustainable practice.The industry’s environmental credentials are the envy of other overseas operations.However no new farms have been approved by regulators in the past 12 years.There is a demand for more Australian prawns and there are operators ready to go to provide the product.The other plus for the region is the establishment of this prawn farm at Guthalungra would create more than 100 jobs at a time when jobs are desperately needed.I will be lending Australian Prawn Farmers Association members my full support to get this happening.APFA president Matt West said: "We are proposing a comprehensive Stewardship Action Plan be adopted by the entire industry - one that would be professionally developed and engage all stakeholders.""There are stringent environmental conditions to be met for prawn farms, and rightly so."But 46 independent CSIRO studies have stated unequivocally that prawn aquaculture discharge in estuarine systems is assimilated rapidly."This plan would enable us to pursue our vision for where we see the industry in the future and most importantly map out a co-operative but enforceable, bench marked strategy for how we get there."Background Information:

•  Australia's prawn industry is currently worth almost a billion dollars a year - only 6% is supplied by Australian aquaculture
• APFA members sell all they can produce and production per hectare is now at peak levels
• We need to expand to meet continued Australian demand for our premium product
• APFA contends growth from $70m to $412m annually is realistic and achievable, within just a few short years

PHOTO CAPTION: Pacific Reef Fisheries general manager John Moloney serves up some prawns at Parliament House.