That was over a hundred years ago and we now enjoy the benefits of their forward thinking, which was frowned upon by most at the time, mad men taking water to the desert.

There are two species increasing their invasive distribution across the earth’s surface humans and the common yabbie (cherax destructor).

Well just stop right there the yabbie a pain in the backside heavily invaded our supply channels, digs holes in my rice banks kill them all I say the thoughts of some.

I have fond memories of catching them as a kid we would take them home boil them up and reap the rewards of another successful catch.

European crayfish have been decimated by the crayfish plague, Scandanavia has a huge yabbie festival which imports yabbies’, and with Asia demanding a high quality product no it couldn’t be could it, a win win situation they can have ours but for a price. 

I want to revisit the gift of the madmen that took water to the desert could the agricultural delivery system be utilized as well?

With the correct research could Murrumbidgee Irrigation act as a caretaker of an aquaculture component for its members?

If you average channel width at 5 metres the delivery system is in excess of 1000 hectare. 

A 1000 plus hectare aquaculture business already invaded by the yabbie within an agricultural environment of world class industries with sales networks to these countries already in place. Doesn't sound as silly as taking water to the desert. 

To describe a yabbie simply they breed like rabbits and tolerate extremes of water quality few species can tolerate so the question must be asked pest or profit? Industries that may benefit from research into yabbie production include the RICE industry and the horticulture and vegetable producers with onfarm storages. 

Coleambally irrigation should utilize the opportunity to investigate the potential as well with the 5 metre channel width average they have just under 300 hectares of surface water area delivering water to their shareholders. Does the horticulture and vegetable industries have 300 hectare of onfarm storages for their drip and row cropping systems? 

Read somewhere the other day the 2013 rice crop was 110 000 hectare 

As a member of the NSW Aquaculture Association I am organizing an Aquaculture field day for Friday March 13, 2015 to be held in Griffith. 

Through our local member Michael McCormack I am inviting NSW Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodkinson and let her see first-hand the underutilized resources we have in our irrigated region. 

Graeme Bowley from Port Stephens fisheries and his expertise with licensing requirements within NSW will be invited as well. One can only ask and see what is achievable and no guarantee they can attend but one will try.

The day will involve presentations from the NSW Aquaculture Association, a field trip and at the end of the day a research setting agenda with industry and the minister to see where to from here. 

It wouldn’t be a yabbie field day without a lunch of this delicious little creature traditionally boiled and in a variety of Chinese dishes to tempt the tastebuds and hopefully wet the appetite of an irrigation area to further diversify income and possibly another world class industry with enormous export potential.

Surely in this environment of Government buy back, water trade, inter valley trade, water use efficiency, global warming, high security, low security, fluctuating allocation, varying environmental policies and processes we can explore potential of an under utilised resource for owners of the water shareholders.

The NSW Aquaculture Association Industry participant’s already enjoy $20 a kilo farm gate.

Therefore in a perfect world shouldn't local farmers above the stress and uncertainty of their own agricultural pursuits expect royalties annually from the delivery system of their agricultural water already utilized by the yabbie? The rice industry foresee the invasion of their rice paddocks and reap enormous rewards from something that is inevitable. Onfarm water storages looked at as aquaculture production cells.

In an irrigated environment my mind boggles with opportunity and potential and am sure those few mad forefathers are looking over my shoulder heckling one another why didn’t we think of that?

Controversial oh my god but this is an opportunity for shareholders and industry to get an unbiased production based Snapshot at the regions potential.

Any interest can be directed to the NSW Aquaculture Association website just send an email and the more interest the more certainty the day will go ahead.John Townsend