SOUTHEND professional lobster fishers are generally satisfied with the opening month of the 2019/20 lobster season.
Since the beginning of the eight-month season on October 1, the weather, prices and catch rates have met their expectations.
Buyers have offered prices between $85 and $105 per kilogram, with a premium again being paid for the prized plate-sized lobsters as favoured by the Chinese market.
Third-generation fisher Joel Redman said some licence holders chose to stay in port whenever prices dipped.
Mr Redman said there was a week-long period this month when prices were low.
“Poor weather stopped us from fishing on a couple of days,” Mr Redman said.
“October has been reasonably okay for us.”
His catch is marketed through the South Australian Lobster Company which has a depot at Southend.
With Southend the base for around 25 boats, the lobster provides direct employment for over 60 skippers, deckhands, buyers and depot hands.
Among them is Jack Hubbard who works as a buyer for Williams Seafood which is headquartered in Port MacDonnell.
Mr Hubbard moved from Melbourne to Southend several years ago to work on the lobster boat operated by his father-in-law Craig Clark.
He had previously undertaken a trade as a butcher.
“During the off-season, I go back to my home town of Mortlake and work as a butcher,” Mr Hubbard said.
Meanwhile, there is a new entrant among the buying fraternity with several fishers along the coast combining to form the South East Fishermen’s Cooperative.
In other lobster industry news, the State Government has recently released a draft management plan for the Southern Zone.
A public meeting to discuss the draft plan will be held at 3pm on November 19 at the council chambers in Millicent.
