Half-plus of crayfish/ southern rock lobster catch in Australia from the 245 licence holders across South Australia
The southern rock lobster (crayfish) season in South Australia usually runs from October to May and quotas are imposed on the catch.
South Australia’s rock lobster – or crayfish – industry, one of the state’s biggest seafood sectors, in 2020 had 245 licence holders across its whole coast. The southern rock lobster, among the most sought after in the world, is only found in the waters of southern Australia and New Zealand.
Australia processes 3000 metric tonnes of the lobster, with about 53% caught in South Australia.
Towns in the heart of the state's southern zone fishery include Beachport, Robe, Kingston, Southend, Carpenter Rocks, Blackfellows Caves and Port MacDonnell. Key spots in the northern zone range from Port Lincoln, Kangaroo Island and Pondalowie on Yorke Peninsula.
The lobster season usually runs through from October to May and quotas are imposed on the catch.
In 2020, the industry was experiencing a diminished Chinese market, where more than 90% of the state’s catch is usually exported, due to the Covid-19 fallout. Rock lobster fishers were rapidly searching for new markets in the United States and Europe and ways to lower costs.
