Fishing industry drops Southern Rock Lobster prices for a second Christmas as China trade war continues

Cheap South Australian crayfish is set to hit supermarket shelves again this Christmas with the price drop helping the industry weather rocky China relations.

The crayfish industry is again looking to get as many lobsters on Aussie Christmas plates as tensions continue to simmer over Australia-China relations.

As the trade war locks fishers out of the profitable Chinese market, Limestone Coast processors reveal prices are expected to drop in time for the upcoming festive season.

An exact figure will not be known until later this month but supermarkets could soon find their shelves stocked with Southern Rock Lobsters at around $70 per kilo.

Owner of Sky Seafoods in Robe Andrew Lawrie said more definite prices would be known roughly 10-days out from Christmas.

Tom Ryan manager of Five Star Seafood in Port MacDonnell holding a southern rock lobster. Picture: Arj Ganesan

“They’re probably not as low as last year but they’re back on what they normally are, and Christmas demand so far has been very good,” Mr Lawrie said.

“We do a lot of Christmas orders … we’ve got a book that’s filling up pretty quickly with them.”

Southern Rock Lobster hit record lows in 2020 after previously reaching highs of $140 per kilo with many Australians adding the crustacean to their table.

Tom Ryan, manager of Five Star Seafood in Port MacDonnell said last year’s partnership with supermarkets was a great success.

“We’ve had a lot more domestic sales since Covid than we had previously,” Mr Ryan said.

“It’s a lot more affordable than it used to be — so it is an option along with your red meats and your other things.”

Andrew Ferguson, managing director of Ferguson Australia Group which owns the Port MacDonnell factory plus facilities in Port Lincoln and Adelaide said 2021 also looked promising.

Andrew Ferguson, Managing Director Ferguson Australia Group. Picture: Morgan Sette

“We see the supermarkets being excited again this year as cooked lobster has never really been on offer before,” he said.

Tensions with China are unlikely to settle particularly following Australia’s recent announcement to join the US in its diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics.

Mr Ryan said while other international markets are being explored, the combined domestic and international sales had not matched the sheer volume of lobsters being processed.

“We’ve probably done half the amount of lobster that we were doing on an average year just because of the fact that it was so much easier, more convenient and not as hard when you could just do live lobster all to one place,” he said.

Mr Lawrie placed the blame squarely on the Chinese government’s shoulders saying it was not a ban either Chinese consumers or the Australian Government wanted.

“The Chinese still want our product,” Mr Lawrie said.

“They’re resorting to some fairly devious means to make sure that they can get some South Australian lobster on the table.”