Cognis Wins the 2010 Premier’s Award for Developing the Economy of Western Australia with their Nutremia Project

The coveted Premier’s Award for Excellence in Public Sector Management was bestowed to the team of Cognis Australia Pty Ltd. and Department of Fisheries Western Australia (DoFWA) during a ceremony held November 4. The team was awarded first place in the category of Developing the Economy for the world’s first production of carotenoid-enriched artemia (brine shrimp), a critical feedstock for aquaculture.

10 Nov 2010 --- The annual Premier’s Award for Excellence in Public Sector Management is presented to the most outstanding performance and service delivery by agencies, work teams or individuals. This year, 44 applicants were in the running across 5 categories of awards. The award was granted just seven months after Cognis Australia unveiled the state-of-the-art facility for production of carotenoid-enriched artemia (brine shrimp), a critical food for young fish and prawns. This high quality artemia addresses the gap in the quality and quantity of this aquaculture feedstock, leading to reliable and sustainable improvements in fish farming practices.

The Developing the Economy category winner must deliver positive outcomes that promote opportunity, support the economy, and respond to changing priorities to prepare for the future. Applicants had to demonstrate dynamic, ethical leadership practices, provide innovative solutions for the public sector, as well as demonstrate positive social, economic and/or environmental impact.

“We are very pleased to be awarded the coveted Premier’s Award for Developing the Economy. It’s a public recognition of the commitment to excellence demonstrated by the joint team, and the resulting benefit to the economy and sustainable aquaculture,” commented Roger Taylor, accepting the Award on behalf of Cognis.

“Winning the Premier’s Award for Developing the Economy is the icing on the cake for our team. This project represents a long-term dedication to providing a much-needed natural resource to the aquaculture industry, and recent production is exceeding our original expectations in terms of quantity and nutritional content,” commented Boyd King, Cognis Nutremia Product Manager and key driver for the project.

DoFWA Chief Executive Officer Heather Brayford was delighted with the honor and recognition the Premier’s Award has brought to DoFWA’s pioneering team led by Dr. Sagiv Kolkovski.

“This is a great affirmation of the world-class quality of work from Dr. Kolkovski and the greater team, as well as the Department of Fisheries’ commitment to developing sustainable aquaculture opportunities in Western Australia,” she said. “Playing a key role in developing this sustainable food source for the aquaculture industry is very much in line with our ethos: fish for the future. “