News

For the first time since the removal of live lobster trade restrictions, Chinese and Hong Kong seafood importers have visited South Australia to experience first-hand, the state’s world-class produce and fisheries.

Over five days, some of South Australia’s finest seafood companies will showcase Southern Rock Lobster, tuna and oysters to buyers who are looking to capitalise on the lucrative Asian seafood market.

Here as part of the South Australian Government’s Seafood Export Growth Program which launched in July 2024 to support the South Australian rock lobster and seafood industries, the group will visit key seafood regions in the state, including the Limestone Coast, Port Lincoln and Coffin Bay.

They will participate in a series of events aimed at connecting them directly with South Australian fisheries, including a seafood cooking demonstration in Adelaide, site visits to Southern Bluefin Tuna and oyster producers in Port Lincoln, and a seafood immersion event in Mount Gambier - as well as a series of business matching opportunities to further promote and drive sales of premium South Australian seafood.

China announced the full resumption of live rock lobster trade on 20 December 2024, reopening the door for South Australian exporters to supply the world’s best lobsters once again to this important market.

South Australian rock lobster fisheries remain one of the state’s most valuable wild catch industries, with exports valued at $44.1 million in the year to December 2024. At their peak in 2019, annual South Australian lobster exports to China reached $70 million.

There are currently 250 Southern Rock Lobster license holders in South Australia who are vital to the regional economy in the Southeast and across the coast, from Kangaroo Island to Port Lincoln and to Ceduna.