A fresh catch for Australian plates

A new white-flesh fish variety could soon work its way onto Australian plates, following successful breeding trials by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO.

The Pompano (Trachinotus anak) has been identified as the suitable white-flesh fish for developing in northern Australia’s tropical climate.

Lead scientist Dr Polly Hilder will speak at CSIRO’s AgCatalyst2024 event today, highlighting the goal to produce a highly nutritious protein source while prioritising sustainability and welfare.

“The Pompano is a robust, sociable fish endemic to northern Australia that grows really quickly and tastes great, making it an ideal candidate for adapting to our aquaculture environments,” Hilder said.

“We’re bringing a new species to Australian plates to give consumers more options, while opening up new export opportunities to strengthen Australia’s white-flesh fish industry.

Following promising initial market testing with chefs and consumers, the agency is working to scale production processes in commercial trials with industry.

An initial market study, conducted by Fishtales, involving chefs found the Pompano is versatile, easy to prepare and tastes great.

MasterChef Australia judge and co-owner and chef at Three Blue Ducks Andy Allen will highlight the Pompano’s culinary qualities in a live cooking demonstration at AgCatalyst2024.

“I’ve had some time to work with this fish in my kitchen at home and it tastes great as a mildly sweet, high-quality white meat that is firm but finely flaked,” Allen said.

“I’ve been able to use the whole fish in a variety of ways — from simply cooking the fillets in olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon, to getting a bit wilder by crisping up the wings and using the head in a couple of different ways too.

“It’s awesome to think we can breed this fish here in Australia sustainably and supply it to consumers in the future.”

A new Pompano industry would help Australian aquaculture reduce its reliance on around 100,000 tonnes of white-flesh fish imports, while helping to sustainably meet growing demand for seafood, according to CSIRO.

By partnering with the industry to bring Pompano to the mainstream market, CSIRO hopes to create a new, sustainable Australian white-flesh fish industry in the near future to diversify the market and reduce reliance on imports.

“We’re applying innovative circular economy approaches designed around welfare that make use of resources end-to-end — from capturing value from production processes, through to utilising the whole fish at the consumer end,” Hilder said.

“For example, fish waste is high in phosphorous and nitrogen nutrients and can be turned into valuable by-products such as fertiliser capsules.”

CSIRO’s National Protein Roadmap states that industry ambitions to produce 50,000 tonnes of white-flesh fish could create more than 1000 jobs for Australia. It’s one of a suite of future protein solutions CSIRO is working on to meet growing global protein demand, sustainably.

Images: Supplied