Tassie showing off its $440m seafood industry

It accounts for more than 46 per cent of Tasmania’s food and beverage exports, and the state’s seafood industry is hoping to entice Asian buyers with its produce.

Tasmania welcomed 14 seafood buyers from Japan, China, Singapore and Vietnam as part of a three-day industry showcase across the state.

A total of ten seafood businesses invited prospective buyers to sample their products.

Candy Abalone at Cambridge was one of those businesses.

The company specialises in drying abalone, which co-director Mike Vecchione says adds sweetness to the final product.

“The abalone is quite expensive, but we enjoy doing and giving people the taste of dried abalone, which is quite unique and remains unique,” Mr Vecchione said.

“There’s only a small portion of the world that eats dried abalone, especially high-end dried abalone.”

Mr Vecchione said 80 per cent of its products go to mainland China.

“We have a brand, and we push that brand all the time. I don’t think we ever say we’re Australian abalone; we say we are Tasmanian abalone.

“Bear in mind, Tasmania has 25 per cent of the world’s wild abalone catch. So the words abalone and Tasmania go together.”

Tasmanian Trade and Investment Advocate to China and Hong Kong Vivian Zhao said the industry showcase was about displaying the best of the state to the rest of the world.

“We are not just bringing Tasmania to the world, but bringing the world to Tasmania to let them experience Tasmania,” Ms Zhao said.

“It’s a good idea to let them know how the industry works, and hearing the stories from the producer about the sea, and let them experience Tasmania’s pristine, green environment that produces some of the world’s best seafood.”

Ms Zhao said the seafood buyers who were part of the industry showcase had been impressed with what they saw.

“I’ve already heard a lot of comments about how pristine and beautiful Tasmania is and how good the quality of the seafood is.

“We’ve already had a few customers discussing with exporters to start doing some trial orders.”

Premier Jeremy Rockliff stated that Tasmania’s seafood industry was valued at almost $440m and supported thousands of jobs in the state.