Hursey Seafood, Tassie fishermen have bumper crayfish season

A Tassie lobster fisherman says he can hardly catch the crays quick enough before they’re snapped up by customers, with a bumper local season the best he’s seen in over three decades.

Hursey Seafood, Stanley, Tasmania. Photo: Steven Hursey/Supplied

A TASSIE lobster fisherman says he can hardly catch the crays quick enough before they’re snapped up by customers, with a bumper local season the best he’s seen in over three decades.

Hursey Seafood’s Mark Hursey and his sons Steven and Grant were unloading a tonne of fresh rock lobster when The Mercury visited Stanley last week.

Steven – known for his work on TV series‘Aussie Lobster Men’– had just returned to dry land after eight days of wild weather aboard Ella Rose, but despite the rough seas, the Hurseys were happy with the haul.

“The last time I saw the fish this good was in 1989,” Mark said.

“The catches, the numbers, the kilos per pot … the industry’s in really good shape at the moment which is fantastic to see.

“The fishermen at King Island are saying the same thing – some of them have been fishing there for 45 years and they say they’ve never seen the fish as good as this year; it’s absolutely perfect.”

Mark Hursey pictured with some Tasmanian rock lobster. Photo: Supplied

Mark couldn’t really pinpoint exactly why the Tassie rock lobsters were in abundance, but he was enthusiastic about the season ahead.

“It’s super exciting, I just wish I was 20 years younger,” he laughed.

The three-generation fishing institution — with the distinctive big orange cray perched atop the white two-level restaurant at the foot of ‘The Nut’ — has just undergone a ‘dramatic restyling’ and refurbishment.

With the help of Stanley’s Ship Inn owner Kerry Houston, Hursey’s new modern decor and paintwork complements pieces from the family’s fishing history now on display — think timeworn wooden oars, old portholes, ship compasses and old fishing charts.

Back in 1987, as their company fishing fleet grew, a commercial factory/takeaway/restaurant was built in memory of James Snr and Valerie Hursey’s son Patrick, who was lost at sea attempting to rescue an adventurer rowing across Bass Strait.

Fast forward to now and the business has been taken over by son Mark and his children, though patriarch James Snr “still plays on boats and absolutely loves it”.

“I’m super lucky to have parents who have always supported me; who have never held me back,” Mark said, getting emotional.

“If I had an idea they’d let me do it and when Mum and Dad retired (about eight years ago) I rang them up and said ‘I’m going to pull it down and build a whole new restaurant over the top’ and Dad was supportive; you have to change with the times to go ahead.”

It’s clear family is the most important thing to Mark Hursey, who says he’s “super lucky” that all his children want to be involved in the family business.

“I love fishing because I’m with my family … there’s nothing better,” Mark said.

“It’s hard going sometimes but it’s really so lovely and super special.”

Steven Hursey pictured with some Tasmanian rock lobster. Photo: Supplied

Hursey’s ‘from our fleet to your plate’ tagline was never more apparent than witnessing the two-man crew of boat Ella Rose unload the crays to the dock above via a winch, where a small team weighed and loaded each crate of lobster onto their refrigerated truck.

The 1000 kilos of crayfish were then driven a short way down the road where they were unloaded into sea tanks with tonnes of other crustaceans.

On site, they’re kept live with staff collecting what’s required for the takeaway shop and the restaurant upstairs as needed.

“Demand has been really good … because the price is down a bit, people love coming in now with their families,” Mark said.

“Previously, you’d see a lot of internationals and tourists as the main customers but now the locals and Australians are having crayfish and enjoying it.”

As for what the New Year will bring, the Hurseys are about to launch another vessel — their biggest yet, which Steven will take out just before Christmas as the bumper seafood season continues well into 2023.

Originally published as Hursey Seafood, Tassie fishermen have bumper crayfish season