CHINA could be looking to import fish such as tuna, Australian salmon and mackerel from the NSW South Coast, the South Coast Register has reported.
The development comes after a recent visit to Ulladulla by Chinese agriculture officials.
The potential for a boost to the local commercial fishing industry was raised when the officials inspected the Ulladulla Fishermen’s Co-op, where the possibility of sending fish from Ulladulla was raised, as was the notion of Chinese interests investing in Ulladulla as part of a joint enterprise.
“They were very, very impressed,” said co-op chairman Mario Puglisi.
The Register reports Paul Lavalle’s boat South Seas helped seal the positive impression when it arrived with a load of bluefin tuna just as members of the four-person delegation were heading off to lunch.
The delegation from the rural co-operative economy division was headed by high-ranking Chinese official Ruijie Guan, a former director-general of the Fisheries Bureau in the Ministry of Agriculture.
He said there was a potential market for the high-quality product processed through the Ulladulla co-op.
“In the big hotels, in the fancy restaurants, they all serve tuna,” Mr Guan said through interpreter Li Xi.
While Mr Guan said there was a market for the top-end tuna already attracting premium prices in Japanese markets, he was also interested in low-cost fish that could become part of the staple diet of the nation’s people.
Seafood exporter and co-op member Dick Perese said he was able to supply large volumes of low-cost Australian salmon and yellow-tail mackerel for the Chinese market, and even offered samples of cold-smoked Australian salmon.
“If the price is competitive it will be very popular in China,” Mr Guan said.
More at: http://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/1672649/chinese-eye-fish-from-ulladulla/
