Tag Archives: rock lobster
Researcher urges caution on rock lobster catch limit increase
Seafood industry players say they will welcome an increase in catch limits for rock lobster and Pacific bluefin tuna if a proposal by the Oceans and Fisheries Minister gets the green light. However, a researcher is warning that increasing catch limits for rock lobsters is too risky. Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has reviewed catch limits for spiny red rock lobster in the Hauraki Gulf, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty region, known as CRA 2, as well as Otago or CRA 7, and for Pacific bluefin tuna in TOR 1 (all of New Zealand). Consultation opened on Friday. The rock lobster fisheries were valuable for the economy and culturally, Jones said. “The fisheries provide jobs, bring significant export income for New Zealand, and are popular with recreational fishers. It’s important that we strike the right balance between getting the most value possible from these fisheries while ensuring their sustainability. This is reflected in the proposals.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:52
San Remo rock lobster priced for Christmas
Light catches for the opening of the rock lobster season have seen prices for live crays at the San Remo Fisherman’s Co-op rise to a wallet stretching $120 a kilogram. One lobster weighing two and a half kilograms will set you back $300 cooked or claw-snapping live. Ryan Stephens, Seafood Manager of San Remo Fisherman’s Co-Op said the two biggest lobsters caught so far this season are still in his tanks waiting for one or two lucky families this Christmas. “The best crays are the older ones with coral on their shell,” said Ryan. “Cleaner-looking crays have moulted and grown a new shell.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:55
Australian rock lobster will soon be exported to China again — here’s what it means for the industry and consumers
China’s ban on Australian rock lobsters is expected to be lifted by the end of the year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced. Rock lobster fishers say China is “by far” their biggest market and the impact on coastal WA communities will be significant. However, it could mean Australians will end up paying more for the prized delicacy once exports resume. Australian rock lobster fishers soon will be able to export their prized catches to China again, after four years out in the cold. The welcome development was announced yesterday following a meeting between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Vietnam. Exports are expected to resume by the end of the year, in time for Chinese New Year in 2025. Here’s what it means for Australia. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:15
Rock lobster counting continues a 55-year project that reliably predicts its $240 million per year future
A program recording baby lobster numbers along the WA coast has been running since 1968, creating an invaluable data set. It allows scientists to reliably predict the health of the $240 million per year rock lobster industry into the future. Researchers continue to haul puerulus counters out of the water at nine sites along the coast every month. Fishing is a game of risk and reward the world over, but off the Western Australian coast the odds of a good catch are stacked in crayfishers’ favour. The $240 million per year western rock lobster industry, WA’s most valuable fishery, which was worth as much as $400m pre-COVID — has the unique ability to predict its catch four years into the future, all thanks to the work of a curious scientist more than 55 years ago. photos, more, >>click to read<< 19:34
Lobster Market Outlook, Industry Size, Growth Factors, Investment Opportunity 2024-2032
IMARC Group, a leading market research company, has recently released a report titled “Lobster Market Report by Species (American Lobster, Spiny Lobster, Rock Lobster, European Lobster), Weight (0.5 – 0.75 lbs, 0.76 – 3.0 lbs, Over 3 lbs), Product Type (Whole Lobster, Lobster Tail, Lobster Meat, Lobster Claw), Distribution Channel (Food Service, Retail), and Region 2024-2032.”The study provides a detailed analysis of the industry, including the global lobster market share, size, trends, and growth forecasts. The report also includes competitor and regional analysis and highlights the latest advancements in the market. How Big is the Lobster Market? more, >>click to read<< 10:36
Get to know your local western rock lobster fisher and their produce
It’s a warm summer’s day in December with a light breeze blowing in from the ocean. You’ve dragged your mum, boyfriend, sister, cousin or friend along to join the locals and tourists down at the port to get your hands on the freshest and best crustacean in the world, right in time for the Christmas festivities that are around the corner. The rock lobster you purchased has just been caught by the commercial fishermen, kept in a live tank until the point of landing at port and then weighed and put on ice in your esky. Thanks to Western Rock Lobster’s Back of Boat (BoB) initiative, this is a reality for seafood lovers and fishers across the state. more, >>click to read<< 08:30
Locally built addition to fishing fleet launched at Careys Bay
A Dunedin commercial fisher has launched his newest vessel, F/V Elodie, amid fanfare at Careys Bay. Damon Cooper has been fishing commercially for 30 years and added a third boat to his fleet on Saturday, with the boat launch. Otago Rock Lobster Industry Association executive officer Chanel Gardner said her husband, Mr Cooper, was committed to and very passionate about the fishing industry in Otago. The boat was built in Dunedin to contribute to the local fishing industry, she said. The boat will mainly fish rock lobster and blue cod and its more efficient systems would enable Mr Cooper to get the rock lobster to market in excellent shape. >click to read< 15:36
Rock lobster back on the menu
New Zealand’s rock lobster industry is catching up on a slow year thanks to the end of a Chinese lockdown and the conclusion of an unlucky spiritual festival. Shanghai is one of New Zealand’s biggest lobster importers, but the city was locked down from March to June. Fiordland Lobsters sales and marketing general manager Andrew Harvey said it had taken time for the industry to get back up to speed. That was combined with Ghost Month, a time dedicated to the spirits of the dead which spanned from late July to August. Australia banned exports of lobster to China in 2020, which had also increased the New Zealand share of the market and helped it through some of the slow patches. >click to read< 08:47
Commercial rock lobster fishers on Tasmania’s east coast are worried about a proposal
Rock lobster fisher Adam Johnson had hoped his children could follow in his footsteps, but a proposed change to how the industry operates has him worried about the future. At the moment, bigger rock lobster boats carrying 60 pots are only able to fish off the west coast. The government is now proposing to expand that, to include the north-west, and north-east. Break O’Day Mayor Mick Tucker is strongly opposed to the change — in the council’s submission to the government he labelled it reactive, ill-advised and inequitable. The former commercial fisherman is worried if the change is made as proposed, the local industry will further contract, ultimately impacting local services and the town’s economy. >click to read< 19:14
Banned Australian lobsters are sneaking into China via Hong Kong
Since direct shipments to China virtually ground to a halt last November, Hong Kong has become the world’s largest importer of Australian lobsters, with monthly trade growing more than 2000 per cent from October to April. While lower prices will have spurred some increased demand from Hong Kong consumers, experts say the dramatic spike is more likely due to a grey trade as the tasty crustaceans are sent across the border to the mainland. >click to read< 09:22
Tasmania: Seafood, rock lobster industry receives state government relief package
Hundreds of struggling fishers, who have been hard hit in recent months, have received a much-needed cash relief. The state government announced a fee relief package of $663,000 for rock lobster and other commercial wild fishers. Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council’s chief executive Julian Harrington said the seafood industry, even more so, the rock lobster industry, were still recovering from the impacts of Coronavirus. “Cash flow margins for fishermen are very narrow and any financial support and fee relief is welcomed.” >click to read< 13:26
Fishers have elected to limit quotas for Blue Crab and Rock Lobster in SA
Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Tim Whetstone said the two revised plans will see fishers make short term sacrifices to allow crab and lobster populations to grow for the long-term benefit of all fishers, seafood consumers and the environment. “The government is committed to growing SA’s seafood industry and ensuring we have sustainable fish stocks for future generations,” he said. “There has been strong growth in Blue Crab and Southern Rock Lobster populations as a result of our fishers’ sustainable practices. >click to read< 09:29
‘Not doomsday’: Commercial fishers say crayfish season looks promising
“A glimmer of light” is how Otago-based commercial fisherman Chris Cooper describes the state of the rock lobster industry — one of the first sectors to be crippled by the Covid-19 outbreak. The Chinese market closed to all rock lobster — or crayfish — exports in late January. China took 95% to 98% of all commercial crayfish landed in New Zealand. “We basically got a Dear John letter on January 24 and told there was no market. Now the market was starting to slowly open up again and Mr Cooper was pleased to be back in business, saying prices were “looking solid”. “My gut feeling is its going to be OK,maybe like last season — not a boomer, not a doomsday either. I’ve got a feeling its going to be a solid one,” >click to read< 17:49
Burkhart Fisheries sell assets to Fiordland Lobster Company
A family business crayfishing off the coast of Marlborough for more than 40 years has sold their factory and trucks to Fiordland Lobster Co. Burkhart Fisheries, who hold the biggest family-owned rock lobster quota in New Zealand, have sold their processing assets in exchange for cash. They already owned a 20 per cent share in the company based in Te Anau, Fiordland. Founders Dennis and Trevor Burkhart would continue crayfishing day-to-day, while Fiordland handled their processing and distribution. >click to read< 12:37
Western Australia lobster industry gets boost
The Western Australian government plans to grow the lobster industry and boost local lobster supply. In early-November, the government explained there could be a potential growth of 500 jobs and economic growth within the industry. Fisheries minister Dave Kelly said more than 95 per cent of commercially caught the region’s rock lobster is exported to China. “Little flows into our local market for the enjoyment of Western Australians and tourists.>click to read<
So that’s how you deal with lobsters
Christie Wilcox describes a terrible experiment. Investigators were mystified >click here< by an area around a Pacific island that was empty of lobsters, so they dumped a bunch of lobsters there to see what happened. And then… “Visibility was great that day, and virtually the entire sea bottom started to move,” he said. That movement was countless whelks. They started to climb onto the newcomers, sticking to their legs. “I didn’t know then, but they’d started to suck them alive, basically. It was like a horror movie,” Barkai said. “It actually was a bit frightening to watch.” The lobsters simply didn’t know how to respond. They were outnumbered and overwhelmed. “To my horror, in about 30, 40 minutes, all the lobsters were killed.” Barkai managed to bring two whelk-coated lobsters back to the surface to show the crew—which is when the first photo in this piece was shot.>click to read<19:59
Life on a rock lobster boat
Starting in the dark, long days in isolation, and repetitive physical labour. Sounds like farming, but it’s actually the life of a rock lobster fisherman. It is 3:15am, cold and dark, and Colin and Brodi Milstead are headed into the Southern Ocean. The father-and-son team are aboard Brodi Milstead’s boat, Impact, at the Robe marina in South Australia. It is a simple vessel, 53-feet long. Off the side hangs a pulley style machinewhich will be used to lift out the pots of red gold — the treasure being southern zone rock lobsters. click here to read the story 11:38
Fishing Rights: Small Scale Fishermen walkout of meeting with ministry over rock lobster suspension
Small-scale and near-shore fishers walked out of a meeting in Cape Town with the deputy director-general for Fisheries Siphokazi Ndudane yesterday, saying her explanations relating to the suspension of the West Coast rock lobster fishing rights allocation were not sufficient. Earlier, angry fishers blocked the entrance to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries offices on the Foreshore again, protesting the outcome of the fishing rights allocation process and blocking entry into the offices. “We are asking for (Ndudane) and the minister to postpone the proposed reductions (of fishing allocations) on the rock lobster and stop the offshore allocations of commercial companies. click here to read the story 20:30
The man who destroyed the West Coast rock lobster
It took only 14 years for Cape Town businessman Arnold Bengis to decimate one of South Africa’s most treasured marine species. Now he is being made to pay by a US court‚ which has ordered the 81-year-old to cough up $37-million (about R483-million) for pillaging thousands of tons of rock lobster. South Africa will be the first foreign government in the world to be compensated under a 117-year-old US law‚ the Lacey Act‚ which regulates imports of protected species.,,, Former DAFF head of fisheries Horst Kleinschmidt‚ who testified in the District Court in 2004 about Bengis’s fishing activities‚ quoted research that suggested that free-falling rock lobster stocks “immediately stabilised” after his operation was stopped. click here to read the story 11:53
Rock lobster ‘resilience’ to climate change promising, but future not assured
The southern rock lobster is showing resistance to the effects of climate change, Tasmanian researchers have found, but warn that does not mean the species is immune to future environmental perils. The study, which reported on findings taken over a 25-year period, investigated the environmental aspects that influence the species’ settlement across a range of Australian locations, and found the fishery as a whole is showing broad resilience to changing ocean currents, water temperatures, swell and wind patterns. The research compared monthly records of the number of juvenile lobsters surviving in the open ocean and returning to shore. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies’ (IMAS) Professor Caleb Gardner said there were a number of factors found to affect the juvenile lobster populations, but those that were significant in one area were often completely different to those in another. click here to read the story 10:19
Big southern rock lobster catches off Tasmania’s west coast
Tasmanian rock lobster fishermen are celebrating some of the biggest catches of deep water lobster in about six years. Stuart Charles from Stanley Fish on Tasmania’s north west, said the big catches off the south-west coast were a good sign of the sustainability of fish stocks. “You know the deep water fish is quite phenomenal actually, we haven’t seen catching like this in five or six years,” Mr Charles said. “The sheer amounts of fish that guys are catching is quite amazing. Listen, and Read the article here 10:42
