Aquaculture Potential in WA Marron has received significant attention from researchers, farmers and investors. Consequently, there is now a good understanding of the basic biology and aquaculture requirements of the species. During early attempts at marron farming in the 1970s, very little was known about the animal. The technology for farming marron has been developed and published by researchers from the Department of Fisheries and refined by individual farmers. Generally there is now a reliable supply of juveniles for stocking ponds. However, production within and between commercial production ponds has been too variable and research and extension activities have been directed towards identifying the major causes of this variability. Research activities include individual farm surveys and assessments, feed trials in commercial ponds, assessment of all-male crops, and initial economic analyses aimed at updating the work by Treadwell et al. (1991). Future research priorities may include breeding programs to reduce size variation (based on initial findings by Morrissy et al. 1995b). Until a nutritionally complete diet has been developed for this species, the intensive battery culture of marron does not appear to be viable. Informtation courtesy of the WA Department of Fisheries | 