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FREMANTLE: Even in the scorching Australian summer sun, long lines of customers wind around the port of Fremantle, a reassuring sight for troubled local fishermen trying to replace lost business with China.
Australia’s lobster exports are worth US $ 500 million a year, and in normal times 94 percent of them go to China.
But all that changed a few weeks ago, when Beijing imposed a near-total ban on lobster imports, part of a broader and politically charged “shadow trade war.”
“It has affected us drastically,” third-generation fisherman Fedele Camarda told AFP. “Our income has dropped considerably.”
Fisherman Michael Vinci sells live western rock lobsters from his boat. The public has responded enthusiastically to the boat sales, lining up in the heat to buy directly at the Fremantle Pier. (Photo: AFP / Trevor Collens)
Relations between Canberra and Beijing have been in free fall for most of this year, and China faced a list of problems, including Australia’s call for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and a ban on participation. of Huawei in the 5G network of the country. .
The dispute has seen more than a dozen Australian sectors affected by import taxes, with the barley and wine industries particularly affected. Exporters can lose up to $ 2 billion to $ 4 billion in sales.
So far, the overall Australian economy has weathered the storm. The economy grew again in the last quarter, emerging from a coronavirus-induced recession.
But sole proprietorships have been forced to find new customers and markets overnight to avoid red ink, job cuts or bankruptcy.
CLOSE TO HOME
Some barley growers have planted other grains or redirected shipments to the Middle East, and winemakers have focused on selling more in Japan.
But the lobster industry seems closer to home.
Joe Paratore shows off his western lobster catch to Fremantle customers. Australian fishermen have had to find new markets for their catches after China imposed a near-total ban on lobster. (Photo: AFP / Trevor Collens)
In an attempt to help the devastated sector, local authorities recently changed legislation to allow commercial rock lobster fishermen to sell large quantities from the back of their boats during December and January.
So far, the Australian public has responded with enthusiasm, offering a much-needed lifeline for Camarda and her fellow vendors.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, prices were above $ 80 per kilo in Western Australia and typically around $ 53 per kilo.
On a muggy day the week before Christmas, sweat-soaked customers bought the world-renowned western rock lobster right off the dock for $ 34 a kilo, a 36% discount.
“That is enough to cover expenses,” Camarda said. “But we’ve sold out almost every day. We’re taking pre-orders as people want it for Christmas.”
To help the fishing industry, authorities recently changed legislation to allow commercial rock lobster fishermen to sell large quantities from the back of their boats during December and January. (Photo: AFP / Trevor Collens)
Making sure they were set up to handle orders and make the product available to the public had been “a crash course,” he admitted.
Such is the demand in Australia that some supermarkets have had to put limits on the amount of lobsters customers can buy.
Nick Van Niekerk, a resident of nearby Mosman Park, was among those braving the heat to queue for 30 minutes.
“I came to support the local fishermen and show them that we as a community care,” he said. “It is important to be able to get lobsters directly from the boats and to know what you are really getting.
“Lobsters are usually very expensive, so getting them at an affordable price I think is great for the local community.”
THE LONG ROUTE
But everyone recognizes that sales at the rear of the boat are a short-term solution.
In the longer term, Australian fishermen are looking to fetch a higher price again in markets like Japan, the United States and Europe, and not just relying on a politically fickle customer.
“China was willing to pay more and the whole market essentially moved there,” said Keith Pearce, former president of the local Professional Fishermen Association.
Australian fisherman Joe Paratore shows customers his catch of the day in Fremantle Harbor. (Photo: AFP / Trevor Collens)
“The market needed to diversify so as not to end the problem we have today,” he added.
Camarda is optimistic that the sector can get ahead, despite continued uncertainty.
His grandfather started shooting craypots in Fremantle in 1912, having come from Italy four years earlier, and he hopes the tradition will continue.
“My family has been in the industry for generations, but this is the kind of thing that we have to put up with from time to time,” he said.
Australia’s lobster exports are worth US $ 500 million a year, and in normal times 94 percent of them go to China. (Photo: AFP / Trevor Collens)
Her 21-year-old son James has started fishing alongside her on the Neptune III.
“It would be nice if he had a chance to make a career out of this if he wants to go that way.
“But we are here for the long term. We will find ways to survive.”
