Darwin’s Australia Bay Seafoods invests in nation’s first trawler in decades

A Territory company has made a singular commitment to supplying Australia with fresh seafood. Read what they’ve done.

Australia Bay Seafoods - FV Australia Bay

One of the first fishing trawlers christened anywhere in Australia this century, the $10 million FV Australia Bay, was launched at Darwin’s Duck Pond at the weekend in an event that showcased the enduring economic benefits of the Territory’s seafood industry.

Australia Bay Seafoods founder Bill Passey returned to Darwin for the launch, as the family company he established in the 1980s consolidated its commitment to delivering Territorians and Australians fresh, sustainable seafood.

Mr Passey pulled the lever that shattered the champagne magnum onto FV Australia Bay’s bow to signal the end of the planning and construction phase and beginning of its operational run in northern Australian fisheries.

Designed in Australia with mainly local componentry and built in Vietnam, the FV Australia Bay has a crew capacity of seven and could be responsible for up to 30 direct and indirect new Territory jobs.

It was built over multiple years battling Covid-19 challenges and the language barrier, but Australia Bay Seafoods general manager Michael O’Brien said the vessel would begin sailing late this week when final license approvals are granted.

The vessel is 31.64 metres long, nine metres wide, has a draft of 4.6 metres and maximum speed of about 10 knots.

Australia Bay Seafoods - general manager Michael O'Brien

Mr O’Brien said it will be the fourth vessel in Australia Bay Seafoods’ northern fisheries fleet, on top of the prawn trawler they operate in partnership with the Kessell family.

“We’re the biggest red snapper producers in Australia and a lot of learning and experience has gone into the new boat that highlights years of work and all the things we’ve learnt,” he said. “The owners put a lot of time in the boat and I spent a lot of time in Vietnam building it.”

Upon completion, the voyage from Vietnam to Darwin helped reinforce the value of their new investment.

“It’s slightly bigger, it can chill fish quicker,” he said. “One of the success stories of Australia Bay Seafoods is that we have a very high quality of fish and that’s because of the way we handle it, how we chill it and how we keep it cold.

“FV Australia Bay has a lot of different designs in our freezers, our refrigeration, our air intake. So there’s lots of little tweaks but in general it’s just a better version of the other three.”

Australia Bay Seafoods has its origins in 1987 when Mr Passey sailed from Fremantle to Darwin with two of his kids on board the wooden boat Wendy and, between the three of them, began to realise the enormous potential of northern Australian waterways.

Eight years later he partnered with Gary Kessell, who was also in Darwin to attend the launch but was taken ill on Saturday and unable to attend.

Over almost 40 years Australia Bay Seafoods has grown into one of the Territory’s leading national brands, and is now the largest seafood supplier to Coles, Woolworths and Cosco.

Australia Bay Seafoods - Bill Passey

“The considerable investment in this vessel shows the company’s commitment and determination to continue growing its business in the Northern Territory and providing more jobs and economic benefit,” Mr Passey said.

An entertaining speech Bill delivered at the launch recounted his family’s long commitment to the NT’s seafood industry.

“Thirty seven years ago I navigated a small wooden vessel from Freemantle using a compass, slide rule and old admiralty chart to land here in Darwin along with my two teenage children Lorna and Raymond, looking to develop new fisheries in the north.

“The Commonwealth had given permission for 13 Thai trawlers to work off our shores here, and I decided that if they could fish our waters, so could I. Even though I had no idea what I was doing, that had never stopped me before.”

Bill recalled seeing an image of Thai fishermen at the time sifting through a mountain of sponges on their trawler trying to extract the few fish they could find and he vowed to streamline the process.

This began an ongoing process to maximise catch and minimise waste which has so far included introducing light rubber lines and bottom lifting to reduce sponges and inventing an exclusionary devise that reduced shark and stingray capture by 98 per cent.

For his latest innovation Bill headed to Italy where he found five metre long, 30 centimetre wide zips that he attached to a rip cord to free saw sharks.

“Australia Bay Seafoods has always been focused on sustainable fishing and reducing bycatch and interactions with threatened and endangered protected species,” Mr Passey said. “A core of Gary and my operation is we have to catch fish, but we also have to look after the environment.”

Australia Bay Seafoods - Daniel Capps NT Seafood Council

NT Seafood Council chief executive Daniel Capps applauded the investment.

“This investment is a strong show of confidence in the future of Territory industries, particularly for a challenging year for many in the industry,” Mr Capps said. “The launch of FV Australia Bay not only supports up to 20 jobs directly, but also provides ongoing benefits through maintenance work and the purchase of fuel and food supplies locally, as well as the broader supply chain.

“Beyond the economic and employment benefits, this is about sustaining our Territory lifestyle where seafood plays a vital role in our diverse community.”

Fisheries Minister Gerard Maley did not attend this key event in his portfolio, opting instead to attend Royal Darwin Show while departmental chiefs spoke on his behalf.

“We were a little bit disappointed he wasn’t able to make it,” Mr Capps said. “But these things happen and we’ll forge on.”

Originally published as Darwin’s Australia Bay Seafoods invests in nation’s first trawler in decades