Member Update

Geraldton Fishermen's Cooperative's online meetings allow Members to engage with their management team regularly. A summary of the most recent meeting is provided below.

Update from Marc Anderson;

• Marc updated Members on the most recent Board meeting. Items discussed included a strategic review and workshop sessions. The scope of the work included reviewing GFC's mission, purpose, and values relative to the economic and political circumstances our co-operative operates in. Marc stated that the board and executive team had more work to do to refine these, but updates will be shared in subsequent meetings. 
• Marc shared that he and Bryan Keay from the Trade and Business Development team will travel to Sydney this week. As part of the itinerary, Marc will meet with counterparts in the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM), customers, and trade partners, and attend a brand strategy workshop with marketing agency Fish Tales.
• Marc mentioned GFC's continued advocacy efforts on our sector's behalf with every encounter with the Australian Government.
• Marc introduced a guest contributor to the online meeting, Dr Benjamin Herscovitch, a research fellow at the Australian National University and specialist in geoeconomics. Benjamin made observations on Australia's geopolitical position and the work being done by Australian and Chinese officials to improve diplomatic relations. If you would like to connect to Benjamin, his newsletter can be found here.

Update from Leith Teakle;

• Leith shared with Members the work to improve the Loyalty Scheme before the new season. Each year the loyalty program is adjusted based on Member feedback to improve the delivery of loyalty tops ups and align with fishing activity. Improvements for the 2024 - 2025 season include changing from four loyalty periods within the fishing year to three periods. The change will better align the loyalty periods to intake patterns, such as the whites. The other change is the timing of loyalty announcements; rather than announcing on the final day of the loyalty period, the announcement will be made within two weeks of the proceeding loyalty period, ensuring that all catch and holdovers are correctly accounted for in the respective period. An overview of the 2024 - 2025 loyalty program is shown below
• An update on new season leasing arrangements was briefly discussed. Leith stated it was pleasing to see the share-fish leasing arrangement remained popular with fishers and quota holders to ensure a balance of risks and reward for all parties. 

Market Update from Bryan Keay;

• Bryan spoke about the record-high intake received in May and June (to date), which has kept pressure on prices. In addition to the higher-than-normal supply from Western Australia, Canadian lobsters have weighed down export markets with large volumes and prices dropping around US$20/ kg since their season opened. Similarly, NZ rock lobster prices are lower in key export markets than three years ago.
• Our intake for the season-to-date is tracking closer to historical averages as we edge closer to the end of the season, thanks to high intake in recent weeks. Based on these factors and expected daily intake, Bryan didn't anticipate an uptick in beach price changes closer to the end of June.
• Father's Day, observed in the northern hemisphere this week, should result in a slight increase in demand for some larger grades of lobster, but this is expected to be short-lived.
• Bryan also gave an update on bait, with Blue Mackerel available again following the MSC's decision to increase the usage allowance for the fishery. The stock of Orange Roughy is low, so availability might be difficult until new stock arrives in mid-late July. Hoki availability remains challenging due to the limited catching season for the fish and high demand. Bryan encouraged Members who were able to diversify away from Hoki to other bait lines where possible. Early in the new season, new bait prices will be sent to Members, with some savings on specific product lines.
• Bryan forecast the fourth quarter loyalty top-up to be $2.50/kg and the annual loyalty forecast to be $1.40/ kg.

The next Member online meeting is scheduled for the 5th of July 2024. The meeting link will be sent to Members via email before the meeting.

Midwest Ports Businesses Come Together for Commerce for Business After Hours.

Last month, the Midwest Chamber of Commerce and Industry along with co-hosts, Dongara Marine Pty Ltd, Mid-West Ports Authority, Svitzer Australia and Geraldton Fishermen's Co-operative hosted a Business After Hours networking evening. 

It's an exciting time in the port and maritime industries in the Midwest, with Dongara Marine expanding into the Geraldton port. So it was great for GFC to participate in an event that brought fishing and maritime industry counterparts together and share their journey with the Chamber's members.

You can read more about the evening on the Chamber's Facebook page.

GFC Family Day Fast Approaching.

The countdown is on to the annual New Season Kick Off on the 12th of July.

The family-friendly day aims to bring Members, Staff and their families together with food, drinks, games and entertainment for children plus live music to start the new rock lobster fishing season with a great day out!

Our GFC family is spread across hundreds of kilometres of coastline, so opportunities for everyone to catch up are very rare. That's why, like last year GFC will be closed for intake on Family Day to give Members and staff a chance to put tools down, come together and celebrate our co-operative.

Final preparations are being made on the bus schedule and will be sent in a separate email. GFC Members and Staff should check the invitation below and RSVP before the 1st of July by clicking the RSVP button.

West Australian Fishery Industry Council Celebrates WA Seafood.

The best of the best of Western Australia’s seafood industry were in the spotlight when the winners of the 2024 WA Seafood Industry Awards were announced at a gala event at the Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle last month.

The annual event with 13 award categories aims to showcase businesses and individuals making outstanding contributions to the WA seafood industry spanning the entire seafood chain, from fisher, processor to retailer.

Read more about the awards here.

Seafood Directions Heading to Hobart in September.

Seafood Directions is the premier ideas, innovation and networking event for the Australian seafood industry. This year the conference will be hosted in Hobart.

The national forum provides an opportunity to promote the seafood industry, discuss industry issues, workshop solutions, teach best practices, share knowledge, and plan for the future of the seafood industry.

GFC will be once again supporting the Women In Seafood Power Up event.

Find out more about Seafood Directions.

Weekly prize winners for the 2024 season will receive a $30 voucher to spend at Brolos Fresh:

Round 9 - Spellbound1                 
Round 10 - Buhlake95           
Round 11 - Jake Bailey
Round 12 - Jackwalton1
Round 13 - LukeFresh
Round 14 - Todd Newby              

(please note weekly winners are only eligible for the prizes once they have paid fees)