Australia's largest barramundi farm has harvested a record 180 tonnes of fish in the lead-up to Easter.
The Humpty Doo Barramundi farm, located near Darwin, has expanded in recent years and now employs around 150 people who look after millions of fish across 200 hectares of ponds.
Managing director Dan Richards said it took two years for the fish to reach harvest size.
"Our teams right across the farm have been working hard to grow these fish, and now in the last two weeks, they've been working hard to harvest, chill them down, pack them and send them off around the country," he said.
He said 180 tonnes was more barramundi than any barra farm had ever produced in a week in Australia's history.
"And for us, it's about 50 per cent up on an average week," Mr Richards said.
To put the farm's record weekly harvest into perspective, the Northern Territory's wild-caught barramundi industry produces around 200 to 250 tonnes annually.
Mr Richards said Australia still imported a lot of fish, and he was looking forward to the federal government introducing country of origin seafood labelling legislation.
"There is a lot of food fraud going on, where people don't know where their seafood is from," he said.
"So to have truth in labelling is really exciting and will be transformational for our industry."
Wild-caught numbers decline
The lead-up to Easter has not been as productive for commercial barra fishers operating along the NT coastline.
The wild-caught industry faces several challenges, including losing access to key fishing grounds.
The lack of fresh wild-caught barramundi is noticeable in shops around Darwin.
NT Seafood Council chief executive Katherine Winchester said some retailers don't have any wild-caught barra to sell at the moment.
"It's probably one of the first Easters where consumers will rock up to the shops and they won't see wild-caught barramundi or much king threadfin salmon," she said.
"Because boats are closed from [fishing] areas near Darwin, we're not seeing those smaller boats delivering fresh barra into the markets.
"There are some boats further out, fishing in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and there's just been an unload at Nhulunbuy, but that won't get back to Darwin in time for the Easter weekend."
Ms Winchester said she could not remember a tougher time for the wild-caught sector.
"It really is a challenging time. Around Australia, there are so many things impacting access to fishing grounds," she said.
"Demand from consumers is what keeps the industry going, and the record harvest at Humpty Doo Barramundi shows people can't get enough of local seafood."
