Tony Butler is a member of the sixth generation of the Butler family of Newstead. Tony runs a dry-land cropping, sheep breeding, and wool-growing enterprise with other family members. In tandem with these activities, he also operates an aquaculture business.
One of the frustrations Tony experiences as a conventional dry-land farmer is a total lack of control over the environment. During years of relentless drought, he felt a distinct lack of confidence in the security of his future. In 1999, after attending an "Introduction to Aquaculture" course, Tony set up a small recirculation system in a converted piggery on the farm and began his aquaculture enterprise, farming Murray Cod. In honour of the river in the region, he named his new venture Loddon Valley Cod.
With its firm white flesh and delicious flavour, Murray Cod is believed by many chefs to be among the best tasting fish in the world. Prior to European settlement, Murray Cod was an important food source for aboriginal people, being the largest and most abundant of the native fish species. So strong was their respect for the majestic Murray Cod that many aboriginal groups living along the Murray River made the fish a central animal in their mythology.
Contributing to its legendary status is the fact that Murray Cod can live for up to 60 years and grows to an enormous size. The heaviest landed fish was reported to have weighed 113.5 kg and measured 180 cm. Country newspapers of the late 1800s often recorded the landing of a five-foot plus monster cod and stories of titanic struggles were rife among drinkers in inland pubs. Murray Cod was then extremely common and supported a substantial commercial fishing business which continued into the early twentieth century. Until the 1950s Murray Cod was the most abundant native fish in the Murray-Darling River system.
Due to factors such as the regulation of river flows, the loss of riverside vegetation, bank erosion caused by cattle and the removal of fallen logs from rivers, Murray Cod is today a vulnerable species. All commercial netting of Murray Cod has been banned in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales.
Thanks to Loddon Valley Cod, lovers of fine food in the Daylesford Macedon region, and beyond, can enjoy the superb flavour of this premium fish. Tony supplies Loddon Valley Cod to local restaurants in this region and, in a move that's akin to taking coals to Newcastle, to Tellers in Swan Hill. Other restaurants along the Murray River are also showing a keen interest.
Raising Murray Cod in an aquaculture environment is an extremely exacting business. In the recirculation technology of an intensive fish-farming facility, physical and biological filtration is needed to control ammonia levels, and oxygen and ozone are used to maintain dissolved oxygen levels and to ensure water quality. At Loddon Valley Cod there are 2,500 Murray Cod in the system and to keep them in optimum condition, the water temperature is strictly controlled at 22-23°C. Carnivorous and voracious, the cod feed on a diet of pellets formulated from high-protein fishmeal. These are made for farmed Barramundi but are also suitable for cod.
In the wild, 30% of the Murray Cod population has low growth characteristics and in times of drought the largest fish are the first to die out. In a controlled aquaculture system, larger fish are selected for brood stock, ensuring a supply that's consistent in size. When the cod are three years old, they weigh 2-21/2 kg, the preferred size for most chefs. The fish are sold to restaurants gilled and gutted on ice, and are also available live if desired. While Tony currently sells to only a selected number of restaurants in spring and summer, his aim is to supply more restaurants all year round. To reach and maintain that level of production, during the winter months of 2004 Tony plans to expand his aquaculture system.
Farming Murray Cod is a personally rewarding experience for Tony. For a start, the processing wastage rate is well under 10%, extremely low compared to wastage rates in dry-land farm animals. Another reason for Tony's satisfaction with his aquaculture venture is that he supplies a premium quality product to satisfy an increasingly discerning consumer demand.
Chefs in the region see Tony's expertise in farming Murray Cod as a cause for celebration. Order it when it's on the menu at Lake House, Campaspe House - or at any one of a number of fine dining establishments - and you'll begin to understand their enthusiasm for this legendary fish.
Product Availability:
Directly supplies restaurants during summer and spring months but aiming for year-round supply
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- Address
- "Joyce's Park", Newstead, Victoria, Australia, 3462
- Telephone
- 03 5476 2291
- Fax
- 03 5476 2670
- Town
- Newstead
- Contact
- Tony Butler
- Organic
- No
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