An updated overview of the Australian freshwater crayfish farming industry

Abstract

Production figures from the Australian freshwater crayfish farming industry are reported. The information is examined and discussed at a national, state, and species level. Although production in most sectors of the industry has increased slowly over the last ten years, the industry has not developed as rapidly as generally anticipated with total annual production remaining well below the 500 tonne mark. Factors contributing to this lack of progress include susceptibility to climatic variability, socio-economic issues, and slow uptake of proven production technologies by the industry/farmers. Industry impediments and limitations are discussed along with recent advances and future prospects.