Restocking Kununurra's waterways with barramundi brings around $7.6 million a year to an isolated Western Australian town, but local fishers are worried that revenue source is about to run dry.
In an email seen by the ABC, North Regional TAFE announced it was consulting stakeholders "regarding the proposal to cease . activities at the Broome Aquaculture Centre (BAC) by the end of 2023".
The centre has bred East Kimberley barramundi for the past decade to restock almost half a million juveniles into Lake Kununurra each year.
"Our initial response [to the proposed closure] was one of shock. I didn't see it coming," said Damien Thomas, vice-president of the Lake Kununurra Barramundi Stocking Group.
When the Kununurra Diversion Dam was built to form the lake in 1963, it meant species like barramundi, which migrate to saltwater estuaries to breed, were prevented from recreating without human intervention.
"[We have] a sole dependency on the Broome Aquaculture Centre," Mr Thomas said.
A 2022 study by the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) found the northern Australia aquaculture industry would need between 1,400 and 2,300 new skilled staff by 2030 to support the industry's projected growth.
North Regional TAFE wrote in its email to stakeholders that the "decision to cease BAC activities is based on the lack of employment demand for aquaculture-trained students".
In a statement to the ABC, North Regional TAFE said the number of students enrolled in aquaculture-related courses had dropped from 139 in 2019 to 24 in 2023.
The TAFE said it planned to make use of existing aquaculture traineeship programs "which align with local industry's skill requirements" into the future.
But for John Hutton of Maxima Pearling Company, this is no solace.
"There is a massive need for skilled and semi-skilled people [in the industry]," Mr Hutton said.
"But if there's not a training facility somewhere in the Kimberley, I'm not sure how that's to be executed."
Recfishwest's Andrew Rowland agreed.
"It will be a massive loss to the whole Kimberley region."
Each year, keen fishers flock to Kununurra to cast their lines on the freshwater lake, where the absence of saltwater crocodiles makes it a safe, family-friendly experience.
And, as word spreads about the size and quantity of barramundi stocks, so too does the interest in the region.
Last year, the annual Apex Kununurra Barra Bash enticed 700 families from across the country in its biggest event yet.
"At the moment our estimate is $7.6 million a year that barramundi brings as economic value to the local community," Mr Thomas said.
"And we captured that data during COVID, so it's a very conservative estimate."
The same study projected that figure would rise to $9.8 million annually in coming years.
"There's a lot of people coming in to fish our barramundi and we have the best barramundi genetics in the country; we need to keep them going and keep people coming."
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), which owns the Broome Tropical Aquaculture Park on which the TAFE operates, said the Broome Aquaculture Centre remained an important facility.
"North Regional TAFE will continue to supply juvenile barramundi for one further release as part of the Lake Kununurra Barramundi Stocking Program in 2023," a spokesperson said.
"The contract, supported under the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund, concludes at the end of 2023.
"DPIRD will work with key stakeholders, including Recfishwest, the Lake Kununurra Barramundi Stocking Group and the Miriuwung Gajerrong Rangers to investigate options for the continuation of the program."