New research shows that WA’s commercial fishing and aquaculture operators inject nearly $1-billion dollars into the WA economy and create more than 6,000 local jobs each year.
The research from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) models the annual net contribution of the sector to the WA and Australian economies.
In 2017-18 Fishing and Aquaculture contributed $989 million dollars to the WA economy and an additional $394 million from WA to the Australian economy.
The sector also employs thousands of Western Australians. The research shows that the sector provides 6,281 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs, contributing $438 million to household incomes across the State. Another 2,857 full time jobs are generated by the WA seafood industry in the rest of Australia.
WA Fishing Industry Council (WAFIC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Alex Ogg said that the figures demonstrated the local seafood industry’s crucial role as a major employer and economic contributor to WA and the nation.
