Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development

What do you get a shark researcher for Christmas? A whale carcass of course! 🐋 As whale carcasses break down, they release an oil-based residue that attracts sharks over a large area. When a whale carcass is reported off the coast, our team can use this as a tagging opportunity 🦈 We tagged 8 sharks in one trip when a whale carcass was reported on Hassell Beach near Albany this year!

How cool are this year’s WA Rural Women’s Award finalists? 🤯

🐿️ Restored habitat for numbats 🌡️ Removing 365,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere 🌱 Boosting business for WA plant nurseries Round 3 of the Carbon Farming and Land Restoration Program will see $3.2 million allocated to support 6 reforestation and 2 soil carbon projects on WA farmland 🎉

Our new fish translocation system just launched 🧑💻🐟 Whether you’re stocking your dam, trying out aquaponics or buying fish for the live seafood trade - if you plan on moving live non-endemic fish into or within WA, you need to check if approval is required 🚚 Approvals help make sure we protect endemic fish populations, biodiversity and the community from pests and diseases.

81 WA food and beverage businesses have been awarded vouchers to access expert advice 👨🏫 Businesses will work with consultants to boost their business resilience, sustainability, competitiveness, scale, export preparedness and marketing and sales. Stash Coffee in Denmark will receive help to develop an e-commerce strategy focussed on community engagement to boost online sales.

We’re on the lookout for 4 new Executive Directors 👀 👩 Who: Executive Director Broadacre Systems, Executive Director Intensive and Irrigated Plant Systems, Executive Director Animal Systems, Executive Director Agribusiness Food and Trade 📍 Location: Perth or regional WA locations 💼 Term: Full-time, Senior Executive Service contracts (up to 5 years)

Showcase your food and beverage business on the world stage 🌏 Expressions of Interest are open for WA businesses to join us at key trade exhibitions in Asia and the Middle East in 2025. Our team will organise the stands, so you can focus on wowing international buyers. To lodge an expression of interest by 31 December, visit the form below 👇

When it comes to watermelon, a slice is never enough! Our Carnarvon Research team have been conducting trials to determine the best melon varieties for the climate 🍉🍈 They've trialled over 150 rockmelon, honeydew and watermelon varieties 😋

En route to 100 new WA jobs ✈️ Foodfolk Australia will use a $1 million matched grant to purchase new equipment and expand to new premises at Perth Airport, allowing the business to increase its share of the Australian aviation and ready-made meal market. The upgrade will allow Foodfolk to triple its meal production– and create 100 new local jobs over the next 3 years!

This Christmas, we're on a see-food diet 😋 For the first time this festive season, WA grown rock oysters will be widely available in shops and restaurants throughout WA! These oysters start their life as spat in our Albany shellfish hatchery and nursery, and are then sold to Leeuwin Coast to grow-out and harvest in Albany's pristine Oyster Harbour 🦪