Why did Hallidays Point Fish Farm Fail??
Hallidays Point Fish Farm & Hatchery operated from March 1987 until 4th July 1999.
In retrospect This farm was quite special.
It was the first farm in NSW to operate as private catchment and private disposal.
It was vertically integrated with hatchery, nursery and growout capabilities. Indeed, these were the reason it survived and prospered commercially.
It took 12 months of pleading with banks to get the $60,000 funding to begin construction.
Initially, we purchased a large drott. A D600 C Hannamag, which is a German built metal track machine with rippers and a 3.5 cubic meter 4 in 1 front bucket instead of blade. A 22 tonne tractor with 140 horsepower. The bucket allowed for the placement of good quality clay around the walls and the weight allowed for adequate compaction. To this day the 25 ponds do not leak.
The land was cleared and ponds constructed over several months but the farm began producing fingerlings after only a few weeks. We constructed the hatchery and the nursery ponds first and within 3 months we had turned over $20,000 in fingerling sales.
Altogether the farm took 450 hours of machine time to construct. The Hannamag cost $22,000 and did $30,000 worth of earth works. We spent $5000 on fuel and sold the machine for $17,000.
The fish farm sold fingerlings of silver perch, yellow belly, Bass, Koi, Catfish and goldfish. It also had a small growout operation of 3-5 tonnes of silver perch per two year cycle. In those days silver perch were $24.50 per kilogram live.
The fish farm also exported fingerlings and broodstock into China and Taiwan and we acted as consultants to the Chinese Government on a few occasions.
We designed RAS systems (The Pod) and built the largest recirculating aquaculture facility in the country, at Taree NSW. It is still in operation although it lacks technical input as do many RAS systems in this country.
We also developed breeding and spawning technology for freshwater native species which was cutting edge at the time.
Hallidays Point Fish Farm ceased on the 4th of July 1999 because of an Apprehended Violence Order. I slapped my ranting drunken bi-sexual female partner across the face for punching me and spitting in my face at 4 am in the morning. And I would do it again. At 8.30 am I was simply escorted off the property and, legally, not permitted to come within 100 meters. Her self-centered actions destroyed not only the business but the lives of all involved. Such destruction is common in today's Australia and considered fare and just. Well its far from fare and just and yet accepted law. The man is always wrong and will remain wrong. And a lie is worth a million dollars in real estate.
At that time, the farm had approximately $200,000 worth of stock in Australian Native Species plus many thousands of dollars in broodstock of goldfish and other alternate species.
All of those fish were simply left to bird predation and starvation. The fish stocks included, irreplaceable, imported broodstock of goldfish and Koi as well as Bass, Yellow Belly and unrelated strains of Silver Perch.
Under Australian Law it was illegal to enter my place of business and that was, simply, the end.
Through the courts, I initially gained permission to access the farm for two hours per day to feed the fish. However, I ended up in goal for breaching the restrictions of an AVO. Yes, I was goaled for walking down the driveway to leave the farm even though my ex-partner was not even home. Nine months and $30,000 later, the charges were dismissed in court. My life and work of twenty years, destroyed. At age 44 I owned an old kombi, a surfboard and a real hate for how police operate. Especially same-sex women officers. Read into that whatever you like.
I stood up in court to defend myself because surely they would see I was innocent. I was laughed at and told I had no rights and was guilty.
Greed played its usual role as well
. And I have not had a birthday or Christmas with my two sons in 18 years.
Such is the Australian Legal System.
Australian Fisheries Research is no better.