Eating fresh seafood is a highlight and tradition for Australians over the Easter long weekend. Despite cost of living pressures, many are still enjoying this tradition over the long weekend as families and friends come together to mark the holiday.
Fishmongers and traders geared up for the market’s busiest single day of the year, and were set to sell more than 1,000 tonnes of seafood across the country’s most popular seafood markets.
Around 650 tonnes of crustaceans, molluscs and fish are set to be snapped up at the Sydney Fish Market alone.
Retail manager Carmelo Lombardo at Sydney Fish Market’s Get Fish store said customers started lining up from 4 a.m. even in the wet weather.
“I didn’t expect the return rate to be so good, especially with the weather, but it’s been awesome. We haven’t had an Easter like this since pre-COVID,” Lombardo said on April 7.
Crowds of families in matching raincoats and umbrellas bumped elbows with tourists on April 7 morning in search of the best seafood a dry table to indulge on the seafood they procured.
Tanisha Blake and her relatives travelled from the Central Coast of New South Wales (NSW) for almost 100 kilometres to get to the Sydney Fish Market.
Blake who’s a lover of seafood said that inflation hasn’t really changed her spending habits, but “I have to save more carefully now because this is how I choose to spend,” Blake said.
Sydney Fish Market tour guide Alex Stollznow said that inflation and the rise in costs has changed the appetite of many Australians.
“One of the most pleasant surprises is people realising, ‘Wow, cheap fresh fish tastes as good as expensive fresh fish’,” Stollznow said.
Melbourne’s Queens Victoria Market traders have recommended alternatives to combat the rising seafood costs.
Rise in Local Seafood Value
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARES) 2023 outlook report on Australian fisheries and aquaculture forecasts the value of Australian fisheries and aquaculture production and exports, including for the key species rock lobster, salmonids, abalone, tuna and prawns.In the report, the gross value of Australian fishers and aquacultures production is forecasted to rise to $3.63 billion (US$2.42 billion) in 2022-23, with an eight percent increase.
This eight percent growth is driven by the Australian aquaculture sector, which refers to the breeding, raising and harvesting of fish, shellfish and squatic plants.
According to the ABARES report, salmonids—coldwater fish, found mostly in the North Atlantic and Pacific Ocean that includes salmon and trout—will see the “largest growth, forecasted to increase by 13 percent in 2022–23 to a record $1.46 billion (US$0.97 billion) following higher prices for salmonids.”
The fisheries and aquaculture production is forecasted to remain stable through 2023-24 with a value of $3.7 billion (US$2.47 billion).
Greenville said that the value of fisheries and aquaculture product exports are also expected to increase by 7 percent in 2022–23 to $1.37 billion (US$0.91 billion), and is forecasted to rise another 7 percent in 2023–24, to $1.47 billion (US$0.98 billion).
However, from 2023-24 to 2027-28, it is predicted the real total value of fisheries and aquaculture production will decline by 0.7 percent a year to $3.44 billion (US$2.9 billion).
Rising Costs Impact Families Over Easter
Due to the rising costs of living, nearly two-thirds of Australians will stay home this Easter according to a survey released by the Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) on April 6.The survey of 1,000 respondents revealed that 64 percent of Australians have decided to stay home this Easter and of the 36 percent who will be going away, they are mostly travelling within their own state or territory, with 7 percent travelling to another state and only 2 percent travelling overseas.
Out of the 2 percent who are travelling overseas, the most popular destinations are New Zealand and Europe, both at 19 percent, followed by the United States, Thailand, and Singapore all at 13 percent.
More than half of the survey respondents said the pressures from an increased cost of living have affected their Easter travel plans or activities this year, while 40 percent said they could not afford accommodation or travel expenses.
The survey revealed the main financial strain for Australians are food and grocery prices, followed by petrol prices, energy bills and interest rates.
Of the 1,000 respondents, 78 percent said they will spend less than $2,000 (US$1330), with 83 percent stating they’ll be away for 2-7 days.
During the Easter holiday, 26 percent of Australians said they were looking forward to having lunch with family or friends at home, followed by 13 percent who looked forward to sleeping in, and 7 percent each for going to the beach or watching movies and TV series at home.
“This is concerning for our tourism operators, who are still struggling to recover from the pandemic, and now face the potential flow on effects of rising living costs impacting Easter travel plans,” TTF chief executive Margy Osmond said.
With international tourist numbers down by about one million people compared to pre-COVID numbers in 2019, “These figures reinforce how important it is to attract international tourists to Australia to help our sector fully recover.”
