South Australia’s seafood family empires: The people behind our prawns, lobster and fish
SA is known across the world for its seafood, from the lobsters down south or the tuna of Port Lincoln. But who are the families behind the fish?
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They keep our supermarkets, fridges and dining tables stocked with fresh fish, prawns and lobster, and make our Christmas lunches even more perfect, while promoting South Australia’s world-class seafood across the planet.
But who are the people behind SA’s family-run seafood empires?
Ferguson Australia
The impending resumption of live lobster exports to China has been widely welcomed by the SA’s seafood industry but questions remain over its impact on local consumers, with lobster lovers wondering if they’ll be hit by a price hike at home.
However, a major SA rock lobster supplier believes the local market will continue to benefit from the years-long ban – particularly when it comes to the crustaceans found in the frozen supermarket aisle.
When the ban came in and prices on the product dropped, Ferguson Australia diversified by striking a deal to provide the frozen lobster to local independent supermarkets.
Four years later, managing director Andrew Ferguson said they have done a lot of work to “smooth” the price point, including procuring and supplying supermarkets outside high demand periods – made possible by keeping the frozen.
He anticipated this “legacy” of the trade ban would be “working in the favour of the consumer”.
“That price is fixed and we don’t anticipate that changing a lot,” he said.
Mr Ferguson started as a lobster fisherman in 1976, spending the first five years working alongside his father before buying his own boat in 1980.
Two decades later, he and his wife Debra started Ferguson Australia and by the end of 2004, the company moved into the European market with their popular lobster value-added products.
But in 2008, the global financial crisis forced the business to pivot.
By then, their live lobsters were already in the Chinese market and Mr Ferguson shifted their focus closer to home.
When China implemented its live lobster ban, Mr Ferguson said things got tough.
“Over 95 per cent of our product was going into that market place and having that withdrawal overnight … it’s been a massive challenge to pick that up and try and find other avenues as quickly as we can.”
It was then that Mr Ferguson struck a deal to bring their lobster to supermarket shelves.
“Diversification has been … a saviour in a lot of ways,” he said.
Mr Ferguson said their currently challenge was getting lesser-known species of fish out to consumers, a move he says will give the industry resilience and sustainability.
“(It’s) a challenge because consumers don’t tend to take risks in their purchases,” he said.
“There’s a lot species of fish in South Australia that aren’t recognised on the table, which is a shame because we’ve got a good volume of these species and they’re good tasting.”
Stehr Group
He arrived in Australia in the 1960s with but a few dollars. Today, his company – Stehr Group — is an industry leader, particularly well-known for farming southern bluefin tuna. And it has plans to expand its global footprint.
“We are the biggest tuna exporter of southern bluefin tuna and I think of all fish into China now,” founder Hagen Stehr said.
Mr Stehr said his company was now looking at opening up an office in Shanghai as part of their efforts to expand in China.
“We are certainly trying to expand into China because it’s the biggest market and that’s what we need,” he said.
“Right now we are selling six to eight tonne every week into China but that is Mickey Mouse. We’re looking at 40-50 tonnes a week, every week. China is the market for the future.”
An industry veteran, Mr Stehr founded the Australian Maritime and Fishing Academy at Port Adelaide in the 90s.
He has been named an Officer in the Order of Australia and Honorary Doctor of the University of the Sunshine Coast in recognition of his contribution to a sustainable fishing industry.
Mr Stehr said the industry needed “all the help and support” from state and federal governments in keeping good relations with China.
Dinko Seafoods
Lukina Lukin is known as the first female “tuna boss”.
Mrs Lukin had been involved in Dinko Seafoods since 2000 but when her husband died in 2011 she stepped up to manage the business, then becoming the only female owner and chief executive of a major southern bluefin tuna company.
At the time, the business was tens of millions of dollars in debt and in need of new equipment.
Mrs Lukin said it was a combination of equipment changes and a supportive, like-minded team that turned the business into a thriving operation.
Among those changes was switching over the netting from nylon to polyester, a move that significantly reduced their losses.
“When my husband was still alive, he used nylon netting – very skinny – so every year, we have a loss, 20 per cent of the fish so that’s something like $2m,” she said.
Since changing the netting to polyester, Mrs Lukin said those losses have been reduced to around 100 fish.
“That’s income from the fish coming back to us,” she said.
Today, she said rising costs are some of the challenges facing the industry.
“I look very close at all the expenses,” she said.
Despite the challenges, the business has continued to grow.
Not long ago, the business employed 13 full-time staff and up to 60 people at peak times.
Today, it employs 30 permanent staff and up to 75 workers during the peak season.
Mark Lee Fish Farm
Jack Lee still remembers the night his parents called the family into the bedroom to share “a difficult truth”.
His parents migrated to Australia from Taiwan but a bad investment into a failed barramundi project made their future uncertain.
“They explained that if we couldn’t produce fish for the market within three months, before our cash flow ran out, we might have to sell everything in Australia and return to Taiwan to start over,” Mr Lee said, who is now Mark Lee Fish Farm’s general manager.
“At the time, I couldn’t fully grasp the emotional weight and stress they were carrying, but as I grew older, I came to understand the immense pressure they faced during that period from risk of losing the family’s entire life savings.”
His family started Mark Lee Fish Farm in the late 90s with limited finances and resources but today the business prides itself on being one of the largest land-based recirculating fish farms in Australia.
Mr Lee said they have seen both positive changes over the years, such as technological advancements, as well as challenges.
Notably, he said, the price of barramundi has remained “almost unchanged for the past two decades” while operational costs have grown.
“The cost of labour, feed, and energy has increased substantially, making it harder for local fish farmers and fishermen to compete,” Mr Lee said.
“As a result, quality Australian seafood has become almost a luxury item. Many consumers, in search of more affordable options, turn to imported seafood, which is often produced at much lower costs overseas.
“This trend has created added pressure on local producers to remain competitive while maintaining the high standards that Australian seafood is known for.
“Another challenge is navigating the effects of climate change, which could bring increased variability in weather patterns and water conditions, directly impacting production.”
Despite the hurdles, Mr Lee said they were “optimistic about the future”.
“By staying committed to quality, sustainability, and adapting to industry trends, we believe we can continue to thrive and contribute to the Australian seafood industry,” he said.
Blaslov Fishing
Finding enough skilled workers and the cost-of-living crisis are among the key challenges facing the fishing and seafood industry, says Blaslov Fishing Group’s executive manager Simoan Hayman.
The company was established in 1971 and has been passed down through generations. It is now run by brother and sister Simoan Hayman and Clinton Scharfe – the third generation.
Over the years, the company has grown significantly. It now owns Southern Bluefin Tuna Farming, two prawn boats catching Spencer Gulf king prawns and the Boston Marine Slipway.
Last year, the family purchased Tony’s Tuna Factory at Pine Freezers Road and uses the site to freeze local sardines and tuna at -60 degrees.
Despite its successes, Ms Hayman said things haven’t been easy over the past year.
“Unfortunately, over the past 12 months the prices for southern bluefin tuna and prawns have declined,” she said.
“The seafood industry is in a downward turn on pricing facing an increased cost of production with rising inflation and cost-of-living crisis including our biggest financial costs of fuel and wages.”
On top of that, she said the fishing industry was struggling to recruit enough skilled workers, especially on the Eyre Peninsula.
“We hope to ride this wave and be able to see some light on a small increase in demand reflecting on an increase in price for 2025,” Ms Hayman said.
Angelakis Brothers
When Michael George Angelakis arrived in Australia from the Greek island of Symi in the 1920s, he started by fishing in a borrowed dingy.
His sons would later go on to formally establish Angelakis Bros.
The company was bought out in 2018 by the Knoll family, known for the Barossa Fine Foods brand.
Director Alex Knoll said since acquiring the business they have been working more closely with the fishermen to build direct links and get fresher seafood.
He added that these days, their fisheries had to be “very tightly” managed.
“The seafood industry is continuing to evolve,” he said.
“Gone are the days of oversupply and excess, these days our fisheries are very tightly and very well managed.
“This means that our seafood is sustainable but it also means that we have to work more with the seasons, only procuring species that are in abundance in a way that doesn’t hurt the long term.”
Mr Knoll said the cost-of-living crisis has also “affected seafood in much the same way as it has for the broader food industry”.
“On a positive note though, demand around those special times of the year at Christmas and Easter is still very strong and early indications are that this Christmas will be a busy one,” he said.
Coffin Bay Shellfish
Family-owned oyster farm Coffin Bay Shellfish has faced plenty of hurdles over its 30 years in business.
The company was founded in 1991 by Glyn and Pam Owen, who later handed over the reins to brothers Todd and Chad Owen.
From the setbacks brought on by the Pacific oyster Mortality Syndrome discovered in Tasmania in 2016 to the Covid pandemic, the past few years have been particularly tough.
When the pandemic resulted in wholesalers buying less, the family decided to take their business online and sell directly to the consumer.
Today, the business has more than 20 online locations and it plans to set up more next year.
“Our father never imagined something like this happening when he first began,” Sarah Owen said.
“We hope the next generation of Owen children will add their own flair to the business when the time comes”.
Jimmy Elias & Son
When Jimmy Elias migrated from a small Greek island to Australia in the 1970s, he not only gained a new home but a new career.
The electrician quickly fell in love with seafood processing, a passion that would lead him to develop Jimmy Elias & Son.
Over the years, the business has had to contend with big supermarkets offering cheaper prices, as well as climate change.
But it has also welcomed improved management systems to reduce overfishing and the increased focus on sustainability.
Manager Kerry McGorman said they hoped to continue their success “despite climate change and ocean health challenges ahead”.
Kirkbright Seafood
The cost of doing business is rising but Rhys Kirkbright said they have tried to spare the customers from the price pain.
“Like many other businesses across all industries the cost to do business has increased significantly,” he said.
“We have been really mindful that whilst our costs have increased significantly, we have not or tried not to pass on at all.”
Rhys and Amanda started Kirkbright Seafood nearly a decade ago.
Mr Kirkbright said their aim was to offer customers “fresh cut fish daily as close to catch as possible”.
He said the industry has seen a number of changes, including in the workforce and expertise in roles like fish processing.
“Like a lot of industries there would in my opinion be an under supply of labour for these types of roles across the whole industry in general,” he said.
Raptis Premium Seafood
When Arthur and Anna Raptis Sr moved to Adelaide several decades ago, they started a fish and chip shop.
It was an initiative that continued to grow and expand over the years to become what the business describes as one of Australia’s largest privately owned “vertically integrated fishing companies”.
The company has remained in family hands but has made a name for itself both nationally and internationally.
Today, it owns and operates 19 commercial fishing vessels across the country, including a vessel in the Gulf St Vincent and two trawl vessels in the Great Australian Bight.
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