Port Lincoln's Pilchard fishing and Bluefin tuna farming industry received a boost last week when the announcement was made that the annual Pilchard quota could more than double.
Fisheries scientists have tabled a report to the Australian Fisheries Minister recommending that the Pilchard quota increase to 36,000 tons.
Fishing companies have already been expanding freezing and processing facilities to cope with an expected increase, and the allocation is estimated to deliver more jobs to the region and a requirement for more and bigger boats, according to the industry.
This year's quota allocation of 17,700 tons already made the Pilchard fishery the State's largest by volume.
While fisheries around the world tend to operate on a percentage of 25 % of the spawning biomass, the new quota is believed to be of 15%.
Australian Fisheries Director Will Zacharin said he was fairly confident the Pilchard quota would increase by the recommended amount, however the Minister had the final say.
The increase was the result of the stock assessment, which showed healthy fish numbers, but it was also important to realize the Pilchard stocks were very volatile and numbers could decrease just as significantly in the near future.
"The numbers of these pelagic fish is highly variable and will go up and down," Zacharin said.
"We have to be very careful in how we exploit these fish and we also have to leave a certain percentage behind for other fish and marine mammals."
There was some discussion among the Pilchard and tuna industries as to how the increased quota would be handled by the 14 license holders.
Tuna industry spokesman Brian Jeffriess said the buoyancy of the Pilchard stocks was great news and disproved those who said the fishery could not recover.
The increased harvest could potentially meet about half the tuna farms' demand for feed, but there would always be a need to import additional fish.
"The issue is getting a reliable supply and not to be reliant on one source," Jeffriess said.
The quota was cut right back to below 6000 tons following the Pilchard kills of 1995 and 1998, which were thought to be caused by the herpes-like virus.
Bigger boats, freezers to meet new quota:
Fishing companies have built thousands of square feet of freezer space in recent months in preparation for an anticipated increase in Pilchard catches.
Fisheries SA on Friday announced that it is recommending that the quota increased to 36,000 tons.
At least four tuna companies have undertaken major expansions of their blast and plate freezing facilities, with yet more still being planned.
One of the investments has been the development of the fishing vessel Andrew Wilson, which not only will catch more fish but also has the capacity to blast freeze up to 100 tons.
The converted dredging vessel will be able to travel further afield not having to worry about rushing back to land-based factories, according to the Pilchard Fishers Association President and the vessel's co-owner Norm Craig.
"The boats can catch the fish but they can't always make it back to shore in time," Craig said.
"And even if they do the onshore infrastructure has been lacking."
The Andrew Wilson has not always been a fishing vessel.
Its new owners Norm Craig and Branko Sarunic, who operate Velvet Fisheries, purchased the 37.5-metre ship from an Adelaide engineering firm.
The ship's most recent endeavors include the raising of the downed Whyalla airlines aircraft and the laying of moorings for the Collins-class submarine projects.
The vessel was built in Brisbane and launched in 1961 as a grab-hopper dredge for the SA Harbours Board, operating for almost 40 years.
Now the vessel has had a complete refit and at a cost of $1.5 million has been transformed into a purse seiner/freezer boat dedicated to catching Pilchards not only for the tuna farms but also for bait and human consumption.
The old dredging and other machinery above and below decks were removed and replaced with new pumps, electronics, brine tanks and a net bin at the rear of the vessel.
A team of carpenters was sent down into the hold to build the large blast freezer below decks, while below the water line bow and stern thrusters were fitted.
Craig has calculated the vessel can hold either 80 tons of block frozen tuna feed, 60 tons of frozen Pilchards for the recreational bait market or 50 tons of more carefully handled product destined for people's dinner tables.
On top of that there is capacity for 120 tons of fresh, chilled tuna feed with specialized hydraulic fish pump that can handle at least 50 tons per hour.