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 some of the activities he's been able to participate in to continue his deeper understanding of GFC. These included visiting the Abrolhos Islands, visiting and working out of all GFC sites, and attending the Seafood Expo Global trade show in Barcelona.
• Marc and some of GFC's trade team members visited distributors and buyers in Dubai. Marc remarked it was great to see the entire supply chain, from catching lobsters at the Islands with GFC Members Butch and Brodie Madren to the unpacking of a live shipment at a customer's facility in Dubai. Please see the separate article below for more information.
• Marc also shared with Members several meetings and visits he has recently had with government and industry parties. As part of the relationship-building meetings, various topics were discussed. Marc used the opportunities to discuss the status of Australian rock lobsters and China market access. Marc said that while we don't have a timeline for a return to the market, seeing the positive trajectory of Australian and Chinese government dialogue is encouraging. He will continue to advocate on behalf of Members and the sector.
• Marc also shared an update on GFC's project with Decarbonology, a specialist consulting firm studying our cooperative's carbon footprint. Sustainability and net zero emissions continue to be important issues for all industries. Increasingly, an organisation's commitment to net zero is a minimum entry requirement for many products in developed markets, driven by strong consumer preferences to purchase products that demonstrate their environmental commitment. 
• Marc spoke about GFC's opportunity to take a leadership position in this space, similar to what the Western Rock Lobster industry did with MSC sustainable fishing certifications. Members will receive more information on this project in upcoming online meetings.

Update from Leith Teakle;

• Leith gave an update on the upcoming leasing period. While some negotiations have already begun, Leith expects the leasing negotiations will start in earnest once the Department of Fisheries issues license papers. Current expectations are the licensing papers will be released by mid-May.
• Given the continued global trading uncertainty, GFC believes that a shared risk lease model is best placed to balance the interests of fishers and quota owners in the short and medium term.
• The Member Services team is here to assist Members in discussing their options. Leith encouraged Members to contact the Member Services team to discuss options.

Market Update from Bryan Keay;

• Since the last online member meeting, Bryan has updated viewers on the recent intake. For April, intake was down nearly 30% compared to 2023 catch volumes. For the season-to-date, intake is around 5% behind the pre-COVID average.
• The lower intake level and increased May Day demand in some export markets lifted market demand, albeit briefly. Bryan stated that overall, market demand for the May Day festival period was lower than forecast, which is why market and beach prices retreated quickly following the festival period.
• The Canadian lobster spring season is now open. Bryan stated this would likely impact Western rock lobster and other species with lower-priced Canadian and American lobster in markets, making it more difficult for prices to appreciate. 
• The average beach price for the season to date is $36.23/ kg, excluding top-ups. As previously stated, Bryan expects the top-up payment for this period to be in the lower range, with as much return in the daily beach price as possible.
• Bryan stated the frequent AUD to USD foreign exchange movements were impacting the pricing of some grades.
• Bryan outlined the upcoming key dates, which includes.
  • Mother's Day - 12th May
  • Dragon Boat Festival - 10th June
  • Ghost Month - 4th August
  • Mid-Autumn Festival - 17th September
  • National Day - 1st October
• Bryan spoke about the recent market visit trips, where several meetings took place with existing and potential customers worldwide. See more in the separate article below. 
• There was also an update on bait line availability, with Bryan sharing with Members that salmon cutlets and heads are available again to fishers who use these products.

The next Member online meeting is scheduled for the 24th of May 2024. The meeting link will be sent to Members via email before the meeting.

Brolos Lobster Market Visits.

Last month, members from your Trade and Business Development team, with CEO Marc Anderson and Board Member Allyn Wasley travelled to Barcelona and Dubai.

The Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona is the largest seafood exhibition in the world, with around 30,000 visitors over three days. In partnership with Austrade, GFC exhibited under the Australia Stand. 

The team met with current buyers worldwide and had meaningful dialogues with potential customers in the UK, Europe and further abroad who attended the seafood expo.

Given the huge exposure opportunities, the Barcelona show launched the new range of Brolos Australian Lobster retail packs. The new range of retail products, which marries craftsmanship and industry-leading production techniques to deliver a perfect piece of sustainable luxury, has received a great response from the European audience that values quality products underpinned by solid sustainability principles.  

After the Barcelona expo, the team met with customers and distributors in Dubai. This was an opportunity for Marc and the Board to see a customer taking delivery of a Brolos live lobster shipment. 

A series of meetings with retailers and food distributors introducing the Brolos Australian lobster consumer range was also met with an enthusiastic response. 

Western Rock Lobster Data Harvesting to Understand the Impacts of Marine Heatwaves and Climate Change.

A partnership between the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) and the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development (DPIRD) is undertaking a study to understand a discrepancy between stock forecasting and actual lobster numbers in 2015 following a marine heatwave in 2011 in the fisheries north.

The project aims to understand the variance between the puerulus count and lobsters of legal commercial catch size approximately four years later incorporates new survey methods such as high-definition 'POTbot' (high-tech cameras filming underwater habitats) and recording water temperatures for better stock forecasts.

Rock Lobster sector goes data harvesting to manage climate change | FRDC

FRDC launches the Australian Seafood Trade Dashboard.

The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) recently launched a trade dashboard on their website. The Dashboard aims to provide a high-level summary of the trade activity of some of the sector's more prominent species, including Australian Rock Lobster.

Australian Seafood Trade Dashboard | FRDC

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

Round 5 - Spellbound1                 
Round 6 - Mark G33                   
Round 7 - Brearley20
Round 8 - TT Bone                     

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